I spent most of this week at a conference in Orlando getting some in-depth training on a software system we use. While that may not sound like the most inspiring week, keynote speaker Ben Nemtin with The Buried Life Movement gave me a new perspective on how a bucket list can transform lives. 

The Buried Life movement is a social movement and media project that was started by four friends in 2006. The four friends were searching for meaning and together made a bucket list. They took two weeks and set off to cross items off this list. Along the way, they began to help others achieve their goals and started documenting their journey on social media and through a TV series on MTV. 

The name “The Buried Life” comes from a poem by Matthew Arnold, an excerpt of which is below:

But often, in the world’s most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life;

Of course, the concept of a bucket list isn’t new, and we’ve written about them before. Their epic list of 100 things is not simply a wish list of exotic vacations. Instead, their list started by asking one simple question: What do you want to do before you die?

Below is a sampling of the items that they have been able to cross off the list:

#95: play basketball with Obama
#74: help deliver a baby
#86: teach an elementary class
#43: become a knight for the day

A key difference in the Buried Life Movement from a typical bucket list is the focus on helping others. While some people may think the idea of a bucket list is inherently selfish, they disagree. When you do what you love, it inspires other people to also do what they love and that creates a ripple effect into the world. On the original road trip, the friends agreed that for every item they crossed off their list they would help a complete stranger cross something off the stranger’s list. One of the most powerful examples of this is the story of a girl name Torre, whose friends reached out to The Buried Life to transform her life with a prosthetic arm. You can visit https://theburiedlife.com/helped to see her story and others who have been helped.

Often, these big life dreams get pushed to the side in the chaos of life. Once you make you list of things to do before you die, Ben offers the following 5 steps to “Make the Impossible Possible”:

1. Write it Down – writing dreams down makes them tangible and transforms them into projects
2. Share – share your dreams with people who inspire you and can keep you accountable
3. Persist – don’t give up
4. Moonshots – “moonshots” are the big dreams that may seem impossible; their advice – go for it, taking it one step at a time
5. Give – help others, figure out what legacy you want to leave and incorporate that into your list

If you would like to hear more about The Buried Life, listen to this podcast episode from The Science of Success. If you want to read more, check out their book What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?.

Mary McCraw, CFP®

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