Is Your Bucket List Leaking?

Here’s How to Turn 'Someday' Into Today

Picture this: You’ve got a bucket, and you’re excited to fill it with all the things you’ve always dreamed of doing in your life.

Maybe it’s traveling to Italy, learning to speak French, or finally signing up for that painting class you’ve always wanted to try. Or perhaps it’s running your first 5K, hosting a fancy dinner party with friends, or volunteering in your community.

You toss these dreams into your bucket, telling yourself you’ll get to them someday.

But here’s the thing: The bucket you’re putting all these dreams into? It’s leaking.

Slowly, quietly, those dreams are slipping out of the holes in your bucket, and you don’t even notice it happening.

Years go by, and suddenly, you look down and realize the bucket is empty—or close to it.

What happened? Why didn’t you get to those goals?

Let’s talk about it.

The Myth of ‘Someday’

One of the biggest reasons bucket list goals slip away is because we attach them to this idea of someday. Someday, I’ll travel to Europe. Someday, I’ll write that novel. Someday, I’ll start my own business.

But here’s the truth: Someday is a moving target.

It always stays just out of reach, a vague promise of the future that doesn’t require any action today. It feels safe to say someday, because it lets us hold onto the dream without having to commit to it right now.

But the problem is, when we keep waiting for someday, we wake up one day and realize that years have passed, and that bucket list is still waiting.

Is staying in an overwater bungalow on your bucket list? If so, what are you waiting for?

It Feels Unattainable

Another leak in the bucket? The belief that your bucket list goals are too big, too far off, or just plain unattainable.

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of running a marathon, but it feels impossible because you’re not a runner.

Or you’ve fantasized about writing a book, but every time you sit down to start, you feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.

When our goals feel too big, we tend to push them away. They become something that belongs to other people—people who are more prepared, more qualified, or more daring than we are.

And so, we let those dreams sit in the bucket, collecting dust, never feeling like we’re ready enough to tackle them.

We Push It to Retirement

Then there’s the “I’ll do it when I retire” mindset. We tell ourselves that when we’re older—when the kids are out of the house (which may be right now, for you!), or when we have more time and money—then we’ll start ticking off those bucket list items.

But the truth is, retirement doesn’t always go the way we imagine. Health issues, family responsibilities, or even financial constraints can pop up unexpectedly.

The danger of waiting until retirement to live your bucket list is that you’re putting off the life you want for later.

And there’s no guarantee that later will arrive the way you hope. That leaky bucket will keep draining, and you’ll find that those dreams have slipped away without ever being realized.

The Fear of Taking Action

Let’s be honest: Sometimes, we don’t pursue our bucket list goals because taking action is scary. What if we fail? What if we don’t like it? What if it doesn’t turn out the way we imagined?

Fear can paralyze us, keeping us stuck in a holding pattern. We think it’s safer to keep our dreams in the “someday” category because then we don’t have to face the possibility of failure.

But by not taking action, we’re letting those dreams leak out of the bucket, one by one.

We Keep Adding Without Taking Away

Another reason your bucket list might be leaking? You keep adding more and more to it without ever crossing anything off.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of new goals and dreams, and before you know it, your bucket is overflowing.

But here’s the thing: If you keep adding more goals without ever taking action on the ones you’ve already put in the bucket, it creates a sense of overwhelm.

The more that’s in there, the harder it feels to actually get started. And so, you end up doing nothing.

How a “Two Month Purpose” Can Stop the Leaks

So, what’s the solution? How do you stop your bucket list goals from slipping away?

I developed this idea of a Two Month Purpose as a way to stop the leaks in your bucket.

Instead of thinking about your bucket list as this big, unattainable thing that will happen someday, what if you broke it down into smaller, more manageable chunks?

What if you chose just one goal—one thing that excites you—and focused on it for the next two months?

A Two Month Purpose is a short-term, focused goal that allows you to make meaningful progress in just 60 days. It’s designed to help you take action now, rather than waiting for the perfect time to pursue your dreams.

Here’s why this works:

• It gives you focus: By narrowing your focus to one goal for a two-month period, you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed. You’re not trying to do everything at once—you’re just taking one step.

• It creates momentum: Two months is long enough to see real progress but short enough to feel achievable. When you complete one Two Month Purpose, it builds momentum for the next.

• It turns ‘someday’ into ‘today’: Instead of waiting for the perfect moment—whether that’s retirement or some far-off day in the future—you’re taking action now.

With a Two Month Purpose, you can stop the leaks in your bucket and start turning those long-held dreams into reality.

Conclusion: Stop Letting Your Bucket List Leak Away

It’s easy to let our bucket list goals slip through the cracks. We say someday, we push them off until retirement, or we let fear keep us from taking action.

But here’s the truth: Your dreams don’t have to leak away.

By embracing a Two Month Purpose, you can take those big, intimidating goals and break them down into something manageable.

You can start living your bucket list, one small step at a time.

So, what’s your next Two Month Purpose going to be?