Why We Wait Too Long to Tackle Our Bucket List

Are you waiting too long to get started on your bucket list dreams?

We all have that list. The one filled with dreams, adventures, and experiences that light up our imagination. That list is magical. It’s exciting. It’s dreamy.

It’s a trip to the Grand Canyon, dazzling your friends with a song on the piano, or jumping out of an airplane (hopefully with a parachute).

Whatever is on your bucket list, you probably feel a jolt of excitement just thinking about it.

But can I just ask you a slightly personal and annoying question: why are you still sittin’ there on the sofa? Why is that thing not a reality yet?

And just so you don’t think I’m picking on you, I have my own bucket list. One of my personal dreams is to conduct an orchestra. Like, a full 90-piece orchestra with all the fancy instruments.

Specifically, I want to stand at that podium and guide them through John Williams’ Superman theme. That’s on my bucket list. But, as of now, I’m still just air-conducting in my living room.

What's on your bucket list? Conducting an orchestra is on mine.

For many of us, the bucket list becomes more of a “wishlist”—things we intend to do someday. But last time I checked, my iPhone calendar doesn’t have a “someday.”

Whether it’s fear, perfectionism, or just the general busyness of life, we find endless reasons to put off our dreams. Let’s dive into some of the top reasons we wait too long to tackle our bucket lists—and how to break through those excuses once and for all.

1. We Wait for the "Right Time"

How many times have you said, "I’ll do it when life calms down," or "Once I’m not so busy, I’ll get around to it"?

Spoiler alert: life never calms down.

I’m still waiting for the moment when I have a clear schedule, an extra 24 hours in the day, and the perfect opportunity to suddenly become an orchestra conductor. The problem? Life doesn’t work like that.

How to Break Through: Forget waiting for the right time. You know what the “right time” is? Right now. Start small. Pick one item on your list that doesn’t require a massive time or financial commitment.

If your dream is to learn to play the piano, you don’t need to be Mozart overnight. Just sign up for a lesson, or start practicing a simple song. Baby steps. Action creates momentum, and before you know it, you’ll be dazzling your friends at the next party.

2. We Fear Failure (or Success)

We love to romanticize bucket list experiences. We imagine the perfect Instagram shot at the summit of that mountain or the national book tour when we finish that first novel. But with big dreams come big fears—what if you try, and it’s a disaster? Worse, what if you’re terrible at it?

Then there’s the weird fear of success.

I mean, what happens if you actually do it? Like, what if I get my chance to conduct the orchestra and forget how to count beats? What if you climb that mountain and realize the view isn’t as breathtaking as you imagined?

We start to wonder, "What if the dream isn’t everything I built it up to be?"

How to Break Through: Remember, the magic is in the process, not just the outcome. Climbing that mountain might be tough, and maybe you don’t make it to the summit, but guess what? You still get bragging rights (and a killer view halfway up). And if you finally conduct that orchestra and your baton-work is less “Superman” and more “Looney Tunes,” at least you tried!

The point is, even if things don’t go perfectly, you’ve taken a step toward living your dream. Besides, if you knock one thing off your list, there’s no rule that says you can’t add more. Think of it like Netflix—there’s always another show to binge.

Feeling stuck in day to day life can lead us to put off our bucket list dreams.

3. We Get Stuck in Day-to-Day Life

 Let’s be real: life is hectic. Between work, family, and Netflix reminding you that you’re still watching, it’s easy to get caught in a loop of “I’ll do it later.” The bucket list becomes that thing you’ll tackle when you magically find free time—right after you catch up on laundry, emails, and the latest season of Emily in Paris.

How to Break Through: Stop waiting for life to slow down and make it happen. Look at your schedule right now and carve out even 30 minutes this week for one bucket list item.

Want to write a book? Write for 15 minutes a day. Want to train for a marathon? Go for a walk after dinner. Time won’t appear on its own—you have to steal it back. And maybe you won’t conduct an orchestra tomorrow, but you can start by watching a YouTube tutorial on conducting techniques. Every small step gets you closer.

4. We Don’t Believe It’s Possible

Sometimes, we don’t start because we don’t believe we can start. Maybe you’ve always wanted to run a marathon, but the last time you ran was... never. Or maybe you’ve dreamed of writing a screenplay, but you’re convinced you’re not a “real writer” (even though you wrote that killer IG post last week). We’re our own worst critics, and we talk ourselves out of doing the things we want.

How to Break Through: Newsflash—no one starts off feeling 100% confident. The marathon runners? They started with one step. The writers? They started with one page (and probably a lot of bad ones). Don’t let your inner critic call the shots. You don’t need permission to begin. Just start and figure it out along the way. And if you're like me, you'll find that with each small step, whether it's conducting a single flute section or just imagining it, you'll feel a little more confident every day.

5. We Think It’s All or Nothing

Ah, the classic bucket list trap: thinking you have to go big or go home. Want to travel to Europe? That must mean a 30-day, first-class trip, right? Or if you want to learn guitar, you need to be playing concerts by the end of the year. This all-or-nothing mindset stops us before we even start, because the dream seems too huge to tackle right now.

How to Break Through: Scale it back. Start with a weekend trip instead of a month-long vacation. Take one guitar lesson instead of signing up for a full semester. The smaller, bite-sized wins will still give you that sense of accomplishment—and more importantly, they build momentum for the bigger dreams down the road.

Think of it like leveling up in a video game. You don’t fight the boss on level one. And hey, if I can start with just conducting my Spotify playlist, that’s one step closer to the real deal.

Dive in and start now!

The Power of Starting Now

The biggest reason people wait too long to tackle their bucket list? They just don’t start. They wait for the “perfect moment” or for their fear to magically disappear.

But here’s a secret: every day is the perfect day to take a step toward your dream. The key is starting now, not waiting for some mythical future when everything is aligned.

And this is exactly why I believe in setting a Two-Month Purpose. What if you could pick just onebucket list item and dedicate two months to it? No grand, sweeping life changes required—just a simple, focused effort for a set time. At the end of those two months, you’ll either have knocked the goal off your list or made serious progress. And that’s the real win.

So I ask again, what are you waiting for?

Using the example of my bucket list dream, imagine yourself standing on that podium. You step up in front of a 90-piece orchestra. The audience quiets, waiting in anticipation. You raise the baton, your heart pounding in rhythm with the excitement. And then, on the downbeat, the beautiful music begins. The music that is your dream.

That moment? That’s what it feels like when you finally start living your bucket list dreams. The magic isn’t in waiting—it’s in taking that first step and letting the music of your life unfold.