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Tatyana Kan
July 10, 2016
ENG112-07
Prof. Intawiwat

How a bucket list might bring the meaning into the life of a depressed person.
To me it all started with the movie "Into the Wild", which we've watched in class, a tragic
yet fascinating life story of an enigmatic young man, who wanted to live a meaningful life, died
being happy, and became an inspiration for so many people. Christopher McCandless is an
example of a person who had a crystal-clear vision of what his life should be (or is it better to say
"what his life should NOT be"?); he had a goal and he moved toward it at any cost. Since
watching the movie I just can't stop thinking of how important it is to bring the meaning into our
existence, to set the right goals and live our lives to the fullest. According to the data from
ourworldindata.org, an average global life expectancy at birth is about 70 years, which is
definitely a good news (Roser). On the other hand, compared to the age of human civilization, a
life of one particular individual is short and fragile, and as a wise proverb says, It doesnt matter
how many days there are in your life. What matters is how many life is there in your days. But
how can one measure the amount of life in his or her days? It depends on factors such as the type
of personality, the core values, the background of the person, and many other big or small things.
Some lucky people know for sure what they want from their life. For example, people who are
too pre-occupied with material possessions tend to link their success in life with wealth and
prosperity. Their list of goals might look like this: get the bright education, start a thriving career
in a prestigious field, earn first million by the age of 25, buy the biggest house in the

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neighborhood, etc. Working, earning more and more money, buying more and more fancy stuff,
living expensive life-style become their purpose of life. Other people believe that their true
calling is creating family and raising children. They devote all their time and efforts trying to be
good parents and mentors to their kids. Many people pick couple of major goals, such as family
and average career, and feel happy and content with little. But also, there are people who feel that
one life is not enough to experience their existence on this planet to the fullest. Sooner or later,
these people take a piece of paper and start asking themselves a very important questions. Who
am I? What am I capable of? What is out there, around the corner, in the other town, on the other
continent? What else can I do in my life in order to feel alive? That is how truly fascinating
bucket lists start to appear. But not only adventurous and curious people with active life position
can benefit from creating their bucket lists; it also might be a great-magic-kick-under-the-butt for
those who became bogged down with routine, apathy and depression.
But before we go further, let's define what the bucket list is. It is the list of things one
would like to see or achieve before he or she dies. According to Merriam-Webster online
dictionary, the expression bucket list comes from the phrase kick the bucket which means
"to die" ("Bucket List").
Many people feel stuck in a swamp of routine and frustrated about their life in general.
They say that they've lost the purpose for living, the direction toward which they should move.
Without a plan, a set of adequate and inspiring goals, they just stamp at one place reliving a
devastatingly boring "Groundhog day" over and over again. Creating a bucket list might be a
beginning of exciting journey of self-discovery full of adventures (big and small), unexpected
turns and stunning opportunities. Millions of people around the world believe in having lists of
goals for their job, goals for their time with their loved ones, and goals for their own personal

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growth and happiness. Such lists do really work. The benefits have been discussed so many times
that if you tape "bucket list" in the Google search box right now, you will get about 51,300,000
results! In his article "Bucket Lists and Positive Psychology", Christopher Peterson Ph.D.
interprets the phenomenon of bucket lists from the psychologists point of view. He states that
bucket lists "embody what psychologists have learned about goal-setting" (Peterson). The goalsetting has a miraculous ability to motivate people, so that they could find inner power to make
changes, create positive memories and brighter expectations from their lives. According to Dr.
Peterson, the most motivating goals are those that are difficult but clearly defined. Success of
achieving the goal largely depends on meticulous planning. The more detailed is your plan - the
more likely your goal will come true, no matter how challenging the goal is. But what if setting a
clear goal is a great challenge itself?
People who suffer with depression face significant difficulties when it comes to goalsetting and self-motivation. Dr. Joanne Dickson from Institute of Psychology, Health and Society
at the University of Liverpool conducted a large scientific research comparing goal-setting
abilities of depressed and non-depressed people. The results revealed that depressed individuals
tend to set more abstract and generalized goals. Without a clear plan and specific focus, such
goals become hard to achieve, thus causing frustration and apathy. According to Dr. Dickson, in
order to break this vicious circle, depressed people should be encouraged to set specific realistic
goals and generate specific reasons for goal achievement, which will enhance their motivation
and abilities to realize them (Dickson).
In this paper, Im not talking about the dark and disabling mental illnesses which require
major medical intervention. It is more about mild and moderate forms of depression, or the inner

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crises, as some people call them. Danny Dover, one of the most remarkable people on the planet
Earth once wrote in his personal blog:
"Suffering from depression feels like looking into a mirror everyday and seeing a pathetic
version of yourself. Every reflective surface reveals the same disturbing secret. The illness is like
having earmuffs involuntarily installed on your feelings. When I was battling depression, I
wasnt sad like the name of the illness implies, instead I was numb. My passions no longer
excited me, and the people in my life no longer inspired me." (Dover)
We don't know if Chris McCandless had ever been diagnosed with depression, but
according to the movie, there was some vulnerability and frustration in his character; his
behavior was sometimes strange and illogical, and his outlook on life was too idealistic. But with
all that being said, it is obvious that goal setting helped Chris to make his life meaningful and
fulfilled.
The aspects of depression that might be reduced by working on a bucket lists are:

Sadness and low spirits.

Apathy and lack of motivation

Isolation and loneliness

Malfunctioning relationships

Difficulties in goal-setting

Poor time-management (procrastination)

Low self-esteem

So how creating a bucket list might help a depressed person?

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It is always a useful and rewarding exercise to stop and honestly ask yourself about the
things you really like to do, the roads you really want to walk, and the person you really want to
be. Bucket lists stress the importance of taking time for things that brings excitement and inner
drive into one's life. Moreover, it is through goal-setting people make their life meaningful and
complete. As Aristotle said, Man is a goal seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is
reaching out and striving for his goals. (A Quote by Aristotle). So, let's discuss the obvious
benefits of having a bucket list.

It nourishes hope

It cultivates the sense of responsibility for your decisions and life in general

It helps you to understand your true self better

It keeps you young and active in mind and body.

It strengthens the existing relationships through shared experiences

It helps to create new relationships

It boosts self-esteem through the sense of accomplishment

It develops your goal-setting abilities

It gives rise to new unexpected opportunities. Sometimes we have no idea if we like or

want something, not until we try it.
Now let's get back to Danny Dover, but at this time his depression has long gone with the

help of...TA-DA-AM...his bucket list. " I started small and local on my [bucket] list, and with
almost unmeasurable movement, I made forward progress. That tiny ember that made me feel
unique and human slowly started to shine again. I now have purpose, goals and confidence."
(Dover)

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Danny Dover is the creator of a super popular blog and community "Life Listed". This
amazingly brave and adventurous young man started his bucket list, or as he calls it, a Life List
at the period of large sufferings. Since creating his Life List Danny's life has changed forever.
This talented digital marketing professional struggling with depression transformed himself from
a pathetic overweight individual into a restless traveler, passionate writer, inspirational speaker,
volunteer and philanthropist. Danny generously shares his experience and valuable tips with
these who also crave to start living exciting and meaningful life.
Focusing on a bucket list becomes a powerful weapon against feelings of loneliness and
isolation, these most favorite companions of depression. Danny Dover encourages the novice
bucket-listers to involve their friends and family members into the new happier life-style. He
says, "When I went through this process, I learned a lot about my friends and heard completely
new stories about my family members." Wasn't it one of the revelations obtained by Chris
McCandless right before his untimely death? "Happiness is only real when shared" (Into The
Wild). Who could argue that? According to Particia Johnson, who is an expert in interpersonal
relationships, shared adventures "strengthen and deepen bonds and provide a kind of reservoir of
common experience that can feed the relationships for years in the form of memory" (qtd in
Asa).
Feeling inspired? Then let's see how the ideas can be put into action. Here is where you
can start:

https://www.lifelisted.com/
https://bucketlist.org/
https://www.bucketlist.net/
http://my-bucketlist.net/index.html
http://www.challengelistcreator.com/
http://bucketlistjourney.net/2012/01/543-bucket-list-ideas/

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And remember, virtually everyone experiences inner crises from time to time. Sensitive
people often struggle with constant inner conflict, poor self-esteem and apathy, and because of
that they actually never have a chance to really get to know themselves, to explore their limits,
their true passions and abilities. Having a bucket-list, or at least considering starting one, might
be very helpful during these periods of hopelessness and apathy. Because as our untimely gone
hero of Into The Wild, Chris McCandless, once said, "The core of man's spirit comes from new
experiences". It is never too early or too late to finally stop that self-pity party and start moving
toward the better, happier life. Your biggest adventure awaits for you to come and explore it. It is
there, around the corner, or in the other town, or on the other continent. It is for you to discover.

Works Cited
"A Quote by Aristotle." Goodreads. Goodreads Inc., n.d. Web. 01 July 2016.

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Asa, Richard. "Sharing Your Bucket List." Chicago Tribune: 4. Oct 18 2015.ProQuest. Web. 20 June
2016.
"Bucket List" Merriam-webster.com. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, n.d. Web. 4 June 2016.
Dickson, Joanne M. "Reduced Specificity of Personal Goals and Explanations for Goal Attainment
in Major Depression."Journals.plos.org/. California (US) Corporation #C2354500, San
Francisco, CA, 15 May 2013. Web. 24 June 2016.
Dover, Danny. "Life After Depression." Life Listed. Intriguing Ideas LLC, 2 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 July
2016.
Into The Wild. Dir. Sean Penn. Prod. Sean Penn, Art Linson, and Bill Pohlad. Perf. Emile Hirsch,
Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Etc. Paramount Vantage, 2007. Web.
Peterson, Christopher, Ph.D. "Bucket Lists and Positive Psychology."Psychologytoday.com Sussex
Publishers, LLC | HealthProfs.com, 08 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Jun. 2016.
Roser, Max. "Our World in Data." Our World In Data Life Expectancy Comments. N.p., 2016. Web.
11 June 2016.