What It takes to Check Off Your Bucket list

“What is on your bucket list?”

For a list that represents your life goals and dreams, the question is asked rather too casually. Maybe what we really want to know is

“What have you checked off of your bucket list and when will you?”

And our most likely response goes something like,

“I don’t have any time for that. I have to work.”

It is not difficult to empathize with that response. In fact I’m sure tons of other people all around the world know exactly what we are talking about. When you are working full-time, it is extremely difficult to make time for something like ‘conquering the Himalayas’.

However, we always hear about friends who make it happen. How do they do it?

Here is a story of a three average Joes who recently came back from checking off their bucket list, conquering the Himalayas: Songbaik Jin and Eunbit Kwak from the C-Lab at Samsung Printing Solution, Sangwook Cho from the Power Device Development Team at System LSI, Samsung Electronics.

Making the decision to do it

In a sense, ‘committing’ could be the hardest thing to do. However, the beginning of a journey takes only three words to start, “Let’s do it!”

“I thought about it a lot, because it is such an intimidating mission and there is a lot to be considered before you proceed. However, in the end, I just said, “why not, let’s do it” –  Sangwook Cho.

“For me, I didn’t even think. I saw a group organizing a trip to the Himalayas on line, then I immediately submitted my application to participate. From that point on, I had to do it” –  Songbaik Jin.

Making the time to do it.

The second hardest thing after saying “Let’s do it” is making the time to do it. Taking a long vacation is a difficult decision, because we have a limited amount of vacations and it can feel like a risk putting all your eggs in one basket.

“Generally, it is difficult to get a long vacation for an average worker like me. However, if you have the dedication to do it, you can always make it happen. If you can save up some vacation time and take advantage of the long holidays, it is very feasible. We only have a certain amount of ‘Tomorrow’, if not ‘now’ we might run out of ‘tomorrows’ to do it.” –  Songbaik Jin

Making the preparations to do it.

If you decide to do it and made time for it, you need to make sure you are ready to rock n roll. You need to make all the necessary preparations, such as getting in shape, to make the best out of your vacation time and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I made the decision to go to the Himalayas around August and my flight was scheduled for October. Therefore, I had three months to prepare. During those three months, I conquered all the big mountains in Korea to get in shape for the Himalayas.” – Songbaik Jin

From Nayapul, Nepal (1,057m) to the basecamp at Annapurna (ABC: 4,130m), they did a total of 10 days of trekking. It sounds as challenging and intimidating as the journey of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. When we asked about the challenges, expecting to hear some dramatic episodes, the answer we received was nothing but anti-climactic.

“The weather and the leeches were a bit tough to deal with. October is supposed to be the best time to visit the Himalayas, but it actually rained a lot. Therefore, leeches were everywhere to take a bite of us.” – Songbaik Jin

Ummm…is that it?

“I’ve always been pretty confident about being in shape, so I actually didn’t worry about the ‘physical challenge’ that much from the beginning, until I saw the Himalayas. I started to worry about the high altitude. However, the people around me were so supportive that nothing came to my mind as ‘extremely challenging’” –  Eunbit Kwak

“It was actually easier than we thought it would be. The Sherpa was there to help us with the direction, we had a cook to make us food and porters carried our backpacks. The people were very helpful and we all got along. So we actually had a lot of fun” Sangwook Cho.

Why it’s worth it

If you’ve ever been on a hike or trekking, you know the best part about it, besides the beautiful scenery, is that you have plenty of time to reflect on your life. It is a great chance to empty your mind from the real world problems and fill it with whatever you desire.

“After college, I immediately got a job at Samsung and have been working hard ever since. I really don’t think I had any time to look back on my life. I was on a one way lane, just going forward. However, this opportunity gave me a time to think about my life, which is worth it for itself.”

“I also get to meet people from various age and professions. Working for a common goal with these people was a great experience. There were plenty to be learned.” – Sangwook Cho.

“After I returned home, I was surprised at how much I’ve changed since the trip. I have become more open minded and calm. For example, I used to get frustrated and preoccupied with myself easily when something doesn’t go my way, but now I’m not afraid to ask and work with other people. We’ve started to produce better results because of it as well. I became more of an efficient worker.” – Eunbit Kwak

Epilogue

There were a total of 30 people on this trip and, obviously, they’ve taken countless amounts of amazing photos. Therefore, they decided to have a side project, an exhibition for a charity! They are going to have an On/Offline photo exhibition with the photos they took of Nepal. They will also sell calendars, postcards, photo frames and more to raise money for a charity for Nepal!

So, what does it take to check off our bucket list? Obviously, as the three ordinary full-time workers suggest, we don’t need a super natural will power to do what you really want to do. All it takes is some dedication! As it says in the beginning, it is not about the magnitude of the goal, but rather pushing ourselves to make it happen. In the end, it is our goal; no one else is going to achieve it for us. So whatever is on the list, let’s check it off; let’s make it happen!

* This article was originally posted on Samsung Electronics intranet site where Samsung employees around the world share their personal stories. Views expressed above are individual opinions and do not represent that of Samsung Electronics.