When I was 18, I wrote a two-year bucket list. I was entering the fall of what would’ve been my freshman year of college and all my peers were starting at their various universities. They were sleeping in dorm rooms, drinking at frat parties and studying calculus — while I was pretty much clueless. 

So in a moment of feeling lost, I sat down and made a bucket list. I wrote to myself the following line: “I made this list on August 26, 2016. By the time I am 20 years old, I want to have done all of the activities on my list below.” 

Now, to be honest, I didn’t do all of the things on my list. Some I have yet to do, like swimming under a waterfall, singing karaoke and learning to longboard. But many of them, I did. 

I forced myself to learn how to play a beautiful song on the piano. I still can’t read music or teach someone else how to play, but I can play a single song! And I like to think it’s a pretty powerful song, too. 

I graduated from a coding bootcamp, where I learned how to code Java (a programming language). And while my current position doesn’t involve writing Java, without that experience I wouldn’t have been able to get my job at all. 

I ran more often and tried new fitness classes. Kickboxing kicked my butt, I realized how bad I am at yoga and I woke up before the crack of dawn to get my sweat on (which taught me how amazingly peaceful the early mornings can be). 

I swam with sharks and I jumped out of an airplane — and while I handled the former significantly better than I handled the latter (like, significantly), I did them both. And I’m damn proud of myself.

For the next two years, I let my choices and decisions be guided by my bucket list. I found myself travelling around with 25+ strangers all over Europe. I made some of the best friends of my life. I cried a lot, but laughed more. I have memories I will hold onto for my entire life and I wouldn’t change any of it. 

So write your bucket list and don’t let yourself forget it. Start checking those items off — life is just too short not to. And now, it feels like it’s time for my second bucket list.