1 . Life is for living according to the well-used expression. Sometimes what we wish to do is not completely up to us.     1     Many of us write a list of things we’d like to do before we leave this world—often called a bucket list (人生愿望清单).

Bucket lists have been called “the greatest hits of your life” and have helped some people get over anxiety to follow their dreams. Some of us may choose to write one to fill our life with new experiences, from skydiving to swimming with sharks.     2    

This is something the BBC radio programme “All in the Mind” has been looking at. It heard from a blogger called Julie, who said she made a promise to live her bucket list.     3     Such a list can be exciting and can indeed help plan your life and give you focus.

    4     But some people have argued it can be used as a strategy to try to control something that is actually uncontrollable. Clinical psychologist Linda Blair told the BBC that she was “not really in favour of bucket lists, which take you away from the natural chances.”

It’s probably true that a list can encourage people to follow someone else’s idea. But why not at least dream of what we would like to do?     5     Whether we want to plan it or just see what happens, we should have our dreams.