31Jan 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#97 Lesson] It is Easy to Underestimate New Challenges

[#97 Lesson] It is Easy to Underestimate New Challenges

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #97 Become a Vegetarian for a Week. My mindset before starting this challenge was naïve and I underestimated how hard the first few days would be. I did not know what I was getting myself into. Let me illustrate how I was approaching each situation. Challenge: Be vegetarian for a week Mindset: I can do without meat for one week Challenge: Be vegan for a week Mindset: This will be tough but it is only one week Challenge: Go to the supermarket Mindset: This may take a few extra minutes, compared to usual I was way off with the third situation. A normal 10 minute shopping experience turned into two hours of reading labels. I think we are all guilty of…
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17Jan 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#97 Become a Vegetarian for a Week

#97 Become a Vegetarian for a Week

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was completed during the week of 8-14th February 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When I was creating my bucket list this was a generic life goal that appeared on many lists throughout the Internet. For some people, being a vegetarian is not a hard task. Many people naturally reduce how much meat they consume or completely eliminate it without much change to their diet. For me, it was a bit more difficult. I grew up in a hunting family and was accustomed to eating wild meat from a young age. This became a tradition in our family and my parents would invite their friends over to experience “Wild Night”. Wild Night was a dinner party that my parents hosted where the menu consisted of about…
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01Jan 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Get Started on Your Bucket List in 2018

Get Started on Your Bucket List in 2018

BUCKET LIST, GENERAL, INFORMATION
Well, 2017 is behind us and we are into 2018! As always, time flies and New Year’s rolls around faster than we expect it to. I started my bucket list eight years ago with #86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim and have been working away at it ever since. New Year’s is a time that we associate with new beginnings. For some it is a diet, a work out plan or a new hobby. For me it was my bucket list, which continually reminds me to never stop searching for the next adventure. In 2018, I’m sure a lot of you will challenge yourself to a new beginning such as the examples I have listed above. For some of us, simply managing to write “2018” instead of “2017” on…
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14Dec 2017 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#9 Lesson] It Feels Good to Help Others

[#9 Lesson] It Feels Good to Help Others

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #9 Give Blood. Whenever I am able to help someone, it makes me feel good. I enjoy learning, whether it be university studies, reading books or life lessons. As I learn more, it increases my capacity to help more. Everyone experiences different struggles at different points in their life. If I have already experienced a struggle that someone else is going through it means I am able to help them. Even if I have not, I can still try to help them through offering other advice. In the case of donating blood, I didn’t actually feel like I had done much but at the same time I felt like I helped someone. Or at least my efforts may help someone in…
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06Dec 2017 by Dave Macleod 2 Comments
#9 Give Blood

#9 Give Blood

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was completed on 28th January 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This was the second item that I complete on my list and did so only four weeks after my first item #86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim. My friend Candice was going to the same university as myself and was studying to become a nurse. She had never donated blood either but was keen to do it as well. Candice gave me the push to do this one immediately. After our classes on 28th January, Candice and I met up and went to the Canadian Blood Services location in downtown Halifax. Upon arriving we went to registration and were handed several forms. The questionnaire we had to complete was very detailed. There were over…
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22Nov 2017 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#86 Lesson] Just Start!

[#86 Lesson] Just Start!

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim. “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.” - Greg S. Reid I was only introduced to this quote in 2016, long after I actually started my list. I was talking about my bucket list with my friend, Jesse, when he recited this to me. This quote embodies what a bucket list is. Write it down, plan it out and go do it. These are the three easy steps to completing anything in your life. What does this really tell us though? It tells us that you just have to start! The start…
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16Nov 2017 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim

#86 Go for a Polar Bear Swim

BUCKET LIST
In How I Started My Bucket List, I described the process I used to create my bucket list. When I created the list I had #86 in mind as being the first one I would complete. This bucket list item was completed on 1st January 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The event that is held each year is called the Herring Cove Polar Bear Dip. The event involves getting into summer swimwear and jumping into the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean on New Year’s Day. I mentioned to my friend, Dave that I wanted to complete this item on New Year’s Day to kick off my bucket list. He thought it sounded like a great idea and agreed to come along. We were going to a party near Dave’s house…
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16Nov 2017 by Dave Macleod No Comments
How I Started My Bucket List

How I Started My Bucket List

BUCKET LIST, INFORMATION
In 2009 I was in the second year of university, studying to become a mechanical engineer. For anyone who has endured university, you know that you need small indulgences to keep you sane. A friend of mine introduced me to the TV show Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and it instantly became my indulgence. I would stream the episodes from the MTV website and always watched the new ones as they came out each week. The show followed Rob Dyrdek, a professional skateboarder and business mogul, on his day-to-day adventures in his home of Los Angeles. Rob started by purchasing a factory and then built an office and skate park within it. He then proceeded to fill it with various toys such as dirt bikes, skateboard ramps, foam pits, basketball nets,…
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