Challenge Accepted

I have always loved the show ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and Barney’s mantra of  “Challenge Accepted”. Barney Stinson is an existence made up of a collection of funny quirks.

There is something to be admired in the way Barney goes out of his way to make any old boring day at the pub just a little more special. He wants to walk out with an accomplishment under his belt, day in day out. Seizing the opportunities. Finding something meaningful within a mediocre chit-chat to establish a brand new goal.

So you probably have a bucket list, maybe it’s not written out in a neat format with colourful fonts stuck to your wall. You probably have fuzzy, not fully formed idea on what it would be based on vague and perhaps passing thoughts. For some reason, bungee jumping makes the list for many. Have you ever wondered why? Because it pushes your bravery, your daring and your risk taking to an extreme. It forces you to be all those things in a matter of seconds. Once you are done, you can confidently say you personified these incredible virtues – at least for a few minutes.

How to make it count

Self-improvement usually doesn’t come in the form of bungee jumps. In fact, they are anything but. Bungee jumps last as long as the jump lasts – a few seconds. Self-improvement can last you a lifetime and a bucket list is simply a list of actions that represent characteristics you want to acquire. So I have ‘learn to play chess’ on my bucket list. It’s not because I watched Harry Potter and decided I would really like to understand what the hell Ron is doing on that giant chess board (although that would be a plus). What I am trying is to become more strategic, read movements, predict actions and take calculated risks.

You will find that most of these goals are meant to increase your awareness, horizons and intellect. Not in the sense of gulping down a set of Encyclopedia books. It to internalise lessons and develop new outlooks that you have chosen are worth attaining.