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.
Every single word of this post resonated with me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Keep that quill on the screen 😉
Cheers!
Damn that’s awesome! Thank you for reading and dropping the comment – appreciate it! Yeo the quill is permanently glued to the screen ^^
Good point. Learning another language is on my bucket list (I do know how to play chess, although I haven’t done it in several years)
Noice! What language are you most tempted to learn?
That’s so cool, one day! I’ll get there one day, but I am full of excuses (I work full-time – give me a break).
Learning a new language is cool. It gives a workout to your brain and you know another language 😁
I tried learning French. I think I’ll start learning Italian. There are few “Italian” people in my life, so it would somewhat useful.
French sounds awesome, I was terrible at it. I speak German, Tamil and English so I am not too interested in another (yet).
I’m currently bouncing between all the Romance languages. It’s so hard to decide :'(
And I believe in you lol 😀
Ou interesting. Lol appreciate it!
I go after things that I am “not comfortable” with in order to challenge myself. To push myself. That makes me stronger (at least emotionally), more self confident, and I would able to say “I did it”. I think of it as a dare, saying to myself “Challenge accepted”.
Literally the best way to self-improve. Nice one.
That’s given me a whole new perspective on ‘Bucket List’, thank you.
So awesome – one of the best comments one can get. Cheers mate, also for letting me know.
Great post and challenge accepted! Except not bungee jumping. The rest of it? Yes!
Thank you!! Haha feel free to leave that of the list ^^
Great post! Thank you so much for sharing, and I too am a huge fan of HIMYM! If you haven’t done so already definitely take a look at “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz. My husband was at the PRSM convention in Indianapolis last month where Lou Holtz of football coaching and commentating fame was the keynote speaker. My husband asked him for his favorite book recommendation and suggested this masterpiece which we are both now hooked on! I think that it is something that will resonate with you. Enjoy and keep up the great work!
Thank you! I’ll definitely check the book out – I appreciate the suggestion.