Tick It Before You Kick It

Unlocking Happiness: 52-Week Bucket List Challenge with Jeremy George

• Alexandra Lauren | The Bucket List Mermaid • Season 1 • Episode 26

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What if crossing items off your bucket list could transform your life? 

Join us as we unlock this idea with Jeremy George, an entrepreneur and TED Talk speaker who set out to conquer 52 bucket list goals in just 52 weeks. 

Jeremy's incredible journey took him from feeling unfulfilled despite achieving conventional milestones to finding true happiness through exhilarating adventures and meaningful connections. 

In our conversation, we confront the fear of failure and rejection, exploring how facing these challenges can lead to personal growth and resilience. 

Embracing the fleeting nature of life, Jeremy encourages us to gain clarity on our deepest desires and take meaningful actions. 

We also discuss the vital importance of mental health and seeking help when needed. 

By sharing lessons learned from embracing rejection and celebrating persistence, this episode offers a roadmap to living a life true to oneself and invites listeners to connect by sharing their own bucket list adventures.

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Alexandra:

Hello adventurers, Welcome to Take it Before you Kick it the podcast where we give you inspiration for your adventure. Bucket list. I'm Alexandra, your host, and I run a travel blog called the Bucket List Mermaid, and on this week's episode, we have a very special guest with us. This is Jeremy George. He's an entrepreneur, a TED Talk speaker and creator of a what A Year project the ambitious attempt at crossing off 52 goals from his bucket list in 52 weeks. From cliff jumping in Hawaii to overcoming stage fright, Jeremy's year-long adventure was about pushing the limits and rediscovering his purpose in life. So now, as the founder and CEO of Bucket Match, he's helping connect like-minded people through their bucket list and using AI to match them with the right partners and turn their ideas into reality. The Bucket Match now accepts new users through a wait list, so if you want to join the adventure, you can sign up at bucketmatchai. So, Jeremy, why don't you just tell us a little bit about yourself?

Jeremy:

Sure Well, yeah, thanks for the intro. I'm really excited to be here and I think you covered a lot of like the current state, so I guess I can just share. I currently live in San Diego with my girlfriend and my dog, chunky. We just moved here a couple of months ago and I've spent the majority of my career in software. But, as you mentioned, I recently started a company all about bucket lists, and so I'm super excited to be chatting with you, obviously given the topic of your podcast as well.

Alexandra:

Yeah, perfect. So what made you start this bucket list challenge?

Jeremy:

So you know, there's like a very long winded version of it which gets into sort of like all these different you know concepts of like life and death and what do I really want to do before I die. And we can certainly get there. But I think the abbreviated version is you know, I had hit a point in my career and my finances, my lifestyle. I hit these milestones that I thought were supposed to make me happy and it's such a cliche story and you hear this so often. But I fell into that trap where, once I had hit those milestones, I realized I was no happier. It's not like suddenly my life was so drastically different and that actually sent me into a year-long search where I fell into a deep depression. I actually struggled with suicidal ideation during that year and that was largely because I didn't really know what would make me happy. If all these things were supposed to make me happy didn't, is it even possible for me to be happy at all.

Jeremy:

And then, of course, covid happened and we were all sort of forced to reconcile with the fragility of life. And we were all sort of forced to reconcile with the fragility of life, and that's when I realized, you know the reason I was unhappy and the reason I was struggling to really determine if life is worth living is because I wasn't living a life that was true to me. No-transcript. I'm going to stop doing the things that I think I'm supposed to do and let me just try the things that I think will bring, you know, enjoyment, fulfillment and richness to my life, and let's see what happens. And then at the end of that year, as you mentioned, I had an opportunity to give a TED talk about the experience and it really transformed the way that I view the world.

Alexandra:

Wow, that's absolutely incredible. I just love that. So what were some of the highlights or your favorite things that you did check off Like? Give us some examples of what you did.

Jeremy:

Yeah, totally, and I think you know when people hear the term bucket list, they often think of like just epic, travel and adventure. I definitely did those things and I also just like to highlight that a bucket list can have a lot of simple and, you know, seemingly meaningless goals to other people, but if they matter to you, then that should be on your bucket list too, and so my list wide variety, right?

Jeremy:

Um, I, I, you know, I I cliff jumped in Hawaii, as you mentioned. I my probably my favorite one was I biked down the coast of California from San Francisco to San Diego. It was a 10 day trip, 650 miles, and that was really rewarding for for a lot of reasons. But you know, I did a lot of simple things too, like I dyed my hair just cause I was curious what that would look like. What color was it? What color was it? It was just bleach blonde. I love that and probably something I won't do again, but you know it was a fun experience for it. I wrote and I recorded a rap, cause I was that's always just something I've wanted to do. I paid for a stranger's meal. So, like I mentioned a whole wide variety of things.

Alexandra:

I absolutely love that, and I love how you say that you don't have to go across the world to do these bucket lists. They can be small as long as they're meaningful to you. I absolutely love that. So, after you finished this challenge, what was one thing that surprised you about just checking this off? We talked about, you know, finding happiness and everything what. What happened with that?

Jeremy:

Yeah, I think the biggest takeaway for me was that it's really all about the people I think and when I. When I say that, you know I guess I. One thing I should mention is, although I set out to try to do 52 things in 52 weeks, which is one year, I only actually was able to cross off 32 out of those 52. So I still I failed in some ways. Right, that's like a D minus.

Alexandra:

But that's still a lot. That's still a lot of things that you did end up checking off, which is super cool.

Jeremy:

I and and and fantastic experience. But I think you know the lesson was like what made the year so transformational for me was the community that I was able to find myself in. Um, through just deliberately pursuing these things that I cared about, right I, I reconnected with people that I hadn't talked to in years because we had this sort of shared goal that I didn't even know you know they had, and then we were able to, like, go off and try to pursue it together, or I had friends that had already done something that I wanted to do, that were able to help coach me through the process. You know, one of the things you mentioned is I got over my fear of stage fright.

Jeremy:

Something on my bucket list was to perform in front of a crowd, and another thing on my bucket list was to learn how to play guitar. Those weren't necessarily connected, but if I fast forward, a friend of mine who's a guitar teacher, he's a guitar player, he's in a band, right, he helped me learn how to play guitar. And then fast forward, a few months later he had a show coming up and he said hey, man, I know, one of the things on your bucket list is to perform in front of a crowd. Why don't you open for me and I was like, and I had?

Jeremy:

you know I had no intention of doing. I was like no, I'm not ready. You know I gave all the excuses and he was like look, you've got this list. You said you want to do it. What's what better opportunity? And so it was because of him. It was my friend Mitchell. It was because of Mitchell that I ended up doing that Right, and then, having performed, I mean I'm pretty sure I blacked out during the performance. I don't even remember how it went, but you know the sheer reaction of everyone at the end, the applause they knew the context of what I was trying to do was incredibly rewarding. But it all goes back to the people, the connections, the opportunity to do something with someone else in your corner. I think that that was the biggest takeaway for me.

Alexandra:

Right, and that's so cool because Cause, as I said, bucket lists are very personalized. However, I think that a lot of people do have very similar cause, like you are not the only person who deals with a fear of stage fright, I'm sure. So I think it's really cool that bucket lists are not only for you, but they're also for bringing people together.

Jeremy:

Absolutely. And I think what's really cool is that what you'll find is something that for you is like so easy, so natural, so day-to-day, for someone else might be like the number one thing on their bucket list, right, that they want to move over. And there's a huge opportunity for a value exchange between those two people to say, hey, I can help you do this thing and, you know, maybe you can help me do something else on my bucket list. And I think if we just if we confront those conversations more, I think we'll find it to be really fulfilling.

Alexandra:

Yeah, and I think if you check it off together, if you check it off with somebody, I think that that helps your relationship grow so much more.

Jeremy:

Absolutely. I mean, there's the tactical stuff which is literally just, if you do it together, you can delegate work, right, you can maybe save money on things Like there are some like very just like objective, clear reasons, but what I found in addition to that is it makes the entire experience way more fulfilling. Right, it's the memories, ultimately, that still stay with me, even, you know, four years after I did this project. The memories, the relationships, that's, that's what makes it so exciting.

Alexandra:

Exactly so big question how has this changed your life? I know we've kind of already gotten into it, but how's it bettered your life?

Jeremy:

Well, the big thing for me is, I think it helped solidify what I want to do with my life, which is the company that I started. Now. So and you know, not at all intended to be an ad for Bucket Match, but just the context is, what Bucket Match does is we help connect people based on their bucket list goals and, as you mentioned, we try to find like-minded people based on what you tell us. Through my own personal experience, I know that one of the most helpful things was if I just had found someone else who either wanted to do the same thing as me or had already done that thing and could help coach me through the process. That was, in and of itself, valuable to help me actually get started on that goal, because the biggest problem is the majority of people.

Jeremy:

We have things that we want to do before we die. We know what they are, but we don't take action on them until it's too late, and so the goal of Bucket Match is to help people take action sooner. Obviously, someone like you I think you probably fall into that category of people who are taking those steps, but sometimes other folks need accountability partners. They need just that extra push. It has given me really the experience, the unique perspective and the conviction that I needed to say, hey, this is something that I'm prepared to dedicate my life towards, to try to build this company and really bring that value to, hopefully, millions of people across the world.

Alexandra:

I absolutely love that. Yeah, I actually was an EMT before this, so I worked as a first responder during COVID and I obviously love travel, so I would talk to my patients a lot about you know, when we were in the back of the ambulance I'd be like, hey, what's your favorite thing that you've done? And so many people said exactly what you said. And, um, I forget, I forget exactly the term that you use, just like vanity experiences. I think a lot of people tend to focus on the wrong thing and it doesn't make them happy. It doesn't make them happy, it doesn't make them fulfilled, and by the time they realize it, it's too late. So I really resonate with that and I think it's really amazing what you're doing with connecting people, Because, also, I live in an RV, as you can see, so I don't have a true home base, so sometimes I don't have a lot of people to do these bucket list things with.

Jeremy:

So I think that that is really, really important to maybe make new friends or conquer some bucket lists with your loved ones either, or Totally, totally, and I think that, especially with the proliferation of all of these different systems that allow us to communicate even like you and I were in totally different states, but we're able to have this conversation and this connection over Zoom, we're seeing more and more of that being democratized across everybody, right? So, if you know, one of the most common bucket list goals I see in Bucket Match today is I want to learn how to speak a new language. Right, a lot of people want to learn a new language. Well, you can actually connect with someone in Spain or in China or, you know, in Thailand, wherever it is, and you can actually have that opportunity to learn from that person, even if you guys aren't directly together. And that's, you know. That's another way that I'm hoping to just connect people in the world based on what their similar, you know, shared desires are yeah, that's.

Alexandra:

The best way to learn a language is just to get a buddy.

Jeremy:

Exactly and hopefully, someone that you know, knows it really well and can introduce you to more than just the language, but the culture and everything else.

Alexandra:

Exactly yeah, so would you recommend you know, I know that you did what was it 39 out of 52, 32, 32 out of 52. Would you recommend this experience of, you know, really hitting your bucket list hard? What would you recommend to others who are looking to take this journey?

Jeremy:

Yeah, that's a great question. I get asked that a lot because I think there are people that say, hey, that sounds really cool, but I don't know if it's for me, and I think that's totally fair right. I think I was in a very unique position in my life where I needed something to really jolt me out of the path that I was on, because it was a pretty dark path at that time. I wouldn't recommend this for everybody. If you have that desire, absolutely you should go for it. What I do recommend is taking a moment to sort of confront mortality or confront the end, whatever it is right. If you're in high school, you know, confront the fact that you will no longer be a high school student someday. Or, if you're in college, confront the fact that you will graduate someday and you have this sort of unique experience. And you know, if you're about to turn 30, right, confront whatever it is. You're about to have a kid.

Jeremy:

There are all these milestones in our lives that when we're sitting in those moments and we look back on it, we have so much clarity right, oh, I wish I had done that, or I should have taken this risk or what it is. As you mentioned, you know, people at the end of their lives, on their deathbed or in these stark positions. There have been studies shown that 76% of us will regret the things that we didn't do more than the things we did, and so I think, really, the recommendation that I have is try to confront that moment, think back on. What is it that you're going to wish you had done? And then the good news is you actually have the time to do that thing, and so that would be my recommendation is write it down, try to recruit a friend to help you do it and take the first step.

Alexandra:

Yeah, I totally agree, because I think that we tend to distract ourselves from that thought. You know like, oh, I'm not invincible, I'm going to get wrinkles someday. You know like we tend to just push that down, and I think it, if we have that attitude, life tends to pass us by. If we have that attitude, life tends to pass us by. And yeah, and I think that with bucket lists, it's so much more than just, oh, I want to, you know, go to Spain or I want to, you know, have a snowball fight Like it. It really forces us to live with that mortality and make the most of the time that we have here.

Jeremy:

Yeah, absolutely, and I get it because it can be uncomfortable to sort of and feel maybe morbid, to like really confront mortality. But I think if you talk to most people and you've, you know, as an EMT, had this opportunity but when you speak with people who are actually in that moment, it's not as scary as as we perceive, right, it's typically a moment of clarity, right. It's like wow, you know, life is fragile and so I think, if you, if you just allow yourself to immerse, immerse yourself into that, that attitude, you'll find that life becomes a lot easier because you're not as distracted and and you know what you want to do.

Alexandra:

Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. So is there anything else that you want to share about your experiences, why having a bucket list is important, anything along those lines?

Jeremy:

I think, two things that I typically like to say. The first is, on a more somber tone. If anyone who's listening to this is going through anything on the spectrum of suicidal ideation, depression, anything that they're struggling with, I hope that you'll take the initiative to speak with someone. I think that's the most valuable thing. That's the most important thing is just to share it. There are hotlines, right If you want to talk anonymously. Talk to a doctor, therapist, or if you're able to open up to your friends. Lastly, if you want to reach out to me personally, I am also happy to be that person, to hear you out, because I know what it's like. And then, on a maybe more fun note, I think I would say that one thing that prevents a lot of people from actually taking that first step is a fear of failure, a fear of rejection, a fear of not knowing exactly what to do, of not having the perfect plan in place. I think that's a really natural reaction.

Jeremy:

A lot of our users on is to actually celebrate failure, celebrate rejection and recognize that failing, getting rejected or whatever it is all of those are just one step closer to eventual success and they are a necessary precursor, honestly, to success, especially with your most ambitious goals. And so if you celebrate getting rejected as an example, when I tried to get on the TEDx talk, I actually reached out to 11 different venues and I only heard back from one right. So I was like a 10% success rate, but the one that responded was like hey, we'd love to have you, and so nothing ever will come easy if it's worth it. But I think if you celebrate getting rejected, you create the neural pathways in your brain to become a little bit addicted to just trying, not whether you succeed or fail. So that would be my last sort of tidbit there.

Alexandra:

Well, yeah, and I love that, because I feel like every time you fail you learn something, and only true failure comes when you stop trying altogether.

Jeremy:

Absolutely, I would agree.

Alexandra:

I absolutely love that. Well, thank you so much for coming on this show. That is a wrap for this episode of Take it Before you Kick it. As always, if you want to head over to thebucketlistmermaidcom for more bucket list inspiration or you want to head over to bucketmatchai and spend some time with Jeremy over here, you can subscribe to this podcast or reach out on social media at thebucketlistmermaid. Thank you, guys, so much for watching. Keep adventuring and check out that bucket list.