Anti-Bucket List

Bucket lists. They make people so filled with hope for what they want to do in the future, but what about the things we don’t want to do in the future? The people we hope not to become? Aren’t those things important too? 
A few months ago, my friends and I started making a summer bucket list, filled with things like camping in a backyard, going to an escape room, learning how to skateboard, swimming at sunrise, and so on. We constantly add to and check off items on this list in hopes of completing all of them before our junior year starts. Making bucket lists is one of my favorite things to do because it fills me with hope and purpose (even if that purpose is something silly, like having a Twilight marathon in my best friend’s backyard). 
But having so much hope for the things I want to complete, makes me think…what are the things I hope to never do? Shouldn’t we keep track of who we don’t want to be, just as much as we keep track of who we want to be? Then it hit me: an anti-bucket list, but not for summer…for my future!
Thus, I give you my top 10 anti-bucket list points:

1. Let life’s tragedies take away my positive view of the world

 Let’s face it…life is often tragic. I am someone who always strives to see the good in the world, but the world is not always a place with clear goodness. A hope for my future self is to not get discouraged by life’s obstacles and to not let these obstacles tarnish my positivity.

2. Stop creating 

Creating allows us to express both our greatest joys and our deepest sorrows. By creating, I mean writing, inventing, painting, drawing, building, or anything that frees us from the burden of carrying our feelings alone. I hope to always have the courage to create.

3. Lose my kindness to bitterness.

Kindness can be difficult in a world filled with anger, but I hope to never let this bitterness overcome my kindness.

4. Live in the future/past

Failing to live in the present is something I have always struggled with, but I know how important it is to stay in the moment because happiness is so fleeting. I hope to spend my days being thankful for the now, rather than living in the future or the past.

5. Ignore my passions 

I want to do what I love and love what I do, but it is so easy for fear to stop people from pursuing their passions. Although I’m still figuring it out, whatever my passions may be, I hope to never ignore them and live them out.

6. Lose my curiosity

Curiosity is, in my opinion, one of the most important qualities to have in order to live a fulfilling life. I hope to continue to live my life filled with a desire to discover and learn.

7. Lose my individuality

Individuality is what separates us from the other 7.6 billion people in the world. It is what gives us personal happiness and lets us have self-worth. I hope to never lose who I am and to always know what makes me unique.

8. Let grief overpower my sense of humor

In my opinion, humor is one of the most necessary tools to carry on and keep going after tragedy. I know how easy it is to lose your humor to grief, but I hope to carry humor and joy with me for the rest of my life.

9. Stop using my voice

As much as I sometimes love being an observer, using your voice is so important to me, because without it I would not be living a life made by me. I hope to always be brave enough to say what’s on my mind and speak up for what is right.

10.  Judge others

Empathy is arguably one of the most important traits you can have, but in today’s world, it is easy to become quick to judge or assume. I always try to remind myself to carry my empathy with me wherever I go, and I hope to continue to do so for the rest of my life.

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Liv Mazzola is a smiley 16-year-old with many stories to tell, and the desire to share her unique perspective with the world. She enjoys both performing and watching theater, reading and writing, and above all else, making memories with friends and family. Liv cannot wait to share her stories and philosophies and hopes to help others with her writing.