While “Living To Do,” “100 in 1,000” and many other ways of saying “things to do before I die” have been around for years, the first time I heard of a “bucket list” was when I saw the movie featuring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. And since then, I’ve been seeing “bucket list” popping up all over the web, and am so excited that so many people are creating their own!

I don’t know why it’s so exciting, really. Maybe because I know, from my own experience, that it can bring some joy into your life. I’ve made “Living To Do” journals for family members as gifts and, while I don’t know if they’ve used them or not, I always hope that they’ve come in handy—and maybe inspired someone to complete one lifelong dream, at least.

If you haven’t seen The Bucket List, it’s an enjoyable enough film with very funny moments, though it doesn’t have as much depth as you might expect from these seasoned, talented actors. I thought I’d list the things that were on the pair’s bucket list in the movie in case you might want to add them to yours:

• Witness something majestic
• Help a complete stranger
• Laugh until you cry (This one, and the one above, should be on everyone’s list!)
• Drive a Shelby Mustang (My husband would totally go for this one.)
• Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world
• Get a tattoo
• Skydive
• Visit Stonehenge
• Spend a week at the Louvre
• See Rome
• Eat dinner at La Chevre d’Or
• See the Great Pyramids
• Get back in touch (This one was regarding Nicholson’s character’s daughter, and replaced a previous item that read “Hunt the big cat”)
• Visit the Taj Mahal
• Visit Hong Kong
• See Victoria Falls
• See the Serengeti
• Ride the Great Wall of China

Are any of these on your Living to Do/Bucket List? I know about half of them are on my own. Since most of us aren’t rich businessmen with unlimited resources like Nicholson’s character was, we have to find creative ways to make our dreams come true. I was lucky enough to secure a scholarship to Spain as an undergraduate, which allowed me to both teach and spend a semester in a country on my list.

If you want to start making headway on your own list, try starting a Bucket List Fund to save for the big adventures; if that’s not doable right now, why not simply schedule some of the smaller things? I do this once a year and it helps me cross off at least 20 of my items. (I have a rather long list, and add to it all of the time!) For example, this summer I have ride a go-kart, try sake, and go to a drive-thru movie all scheduled in my planner.

What things have you added or crossed off recently? Anything from the list above? Share your experiences in the comments!