You're only given one life to live, so fill it with things that you'll be grateful that you did! Life can be rough at times, but make the most of what you've been given. Life is short, so make the most of it! You can accomplish great things if you set your mind to it, so make yourself some goals to achieve as you grow. Here are my top five suggestions of things to do, maybe even more than once, before you kick the bucket!

1. Travel

Traveling sparks your creativity, spirituality, and obviously, your sense of adventure. Exploration and time away from home helps you to decrease stress, and lift your mood and exposure to new environments, people, and culture boosts your mental health and keeps your mind sharp. Physical activity promotes heart health, so get out there and take a walk on the beach or go for a hike in the mountains! Promote your overall health and mental state by traveling, getting away from home, and taking some time to yourself!

2. Make a list of your blessings

Most people have loads of things to be thankful for, but don’t really take the time to recognize all of the things that have touched their lives. When asked what they are thankful for, the average person will give these basic answers; family, friends, pets, etc. But when you take a step back and really look at everything you have to be grateful for, from your coworkers, to the military who protect your rights and freedoms, there’s so much more that we tend to overlook. No matter what struggles we face, there’s always someone far worse off than ourselves, and tomorrow is a new day to make with it what we want. So take a step back and discover all that you’re truly blessed to have!

3. Conquer your greatest fear

In life we strive to reach our full potential, and fear keeps us from reaching it. Conquering your biggest fear, is the first step to conquering them all! Although there are often rational reasons for your fear, it’s all in your head! I overcame my biggest fear, heights, by cliff diving while on vacation (I’m telling you, travel! It does so much for the soul!), and I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world! So take time to understand your fear, really look at why it is you have developed that fear, and conquer it!

4. Write a letter to yourself

Taking the time to write a letter to your future self, can prove to be useful. I think the biggest benefit of writing yourself a letter to open and read down the road, is that you can take a step back and realize that your life is better or worse than it was at the time you wrote to yourself. You can use your letter to take your life and make it as good as it was, or better than it’s ever been! Take a step back and take your own advice. Write yourself a letter containing things such as your favorite inspirational quotes, songs, and people, and a summary of your life at the time of the letter. Give yourself the same advice you’d give to someone younger, seal it and put it somewhere where you will remember it. Let yourself grow as a person, before you decide to open your letter. Let your life take a turn, then take a step back to look at what you’ve developed from!

5. Make a bucket list

And the fifth and final thing I think everyone should do before they die, is make a bucket list! A bucket list is a motivational tool to help you accomplish things you want to do, well, before you kick the bucket! It’s so satisfying to cross something off your bucket list, and move on to another goal that you want to accomplish! Making a bucket list helps you to feel like you’ve lived a fulfilled life, as well as gives you a place to keep yourself motivated and continue to make goals for the future! So begin writing a bucket list, and you can already write the first five things down; make a bucket list, travel, make a list of things you have to be thankful for, conquer your greatest fear, write a letter to yourself. And hey, look, you can already cross the first one off!

I’ve traveled, and conquered my greatest fear while doing so. I’ve started a bucket list and crossed both conquering my number one fear, and traveling to some dream destinations, off my list. But there’s so much left to do before I kick the bucket! So take some time to do these things, and make a list of your own, to conquer your fears and write a letter to your future self. A life wouldn’t be worth living if we didn’t piece it together and make it our own adventure!