A "bucket list" is a personal list of goals and activities someone wants to accomplish before the end of their life. Fortunately, I've been able to check off quite a lot of mine, an achievement that many people I know never get the opportunity to do.

While most of us don't like to ponder our mortality, the hard fact is that it will come eventually. After the loss of several loved ones, I decided to make my bucket list so that, when I reflect on my life, I'll smile and know that I grabbed every chance at happiness that I could.

Some of the things on my bucket list that I've achieved — hiking the Plank Road in the Sky on Mount Huashan in Shaanxi province; diving off the highest platform of 15 meters (50 feet) into the sea at Ariel's Point in Boracay, the Philippines; doing the world's highest commercial bungee jump at 233 meters off Macao Tower in the Macao Special Administrative Region; octopus fishing in the Yellow Sea off South Korea; and much more.

The top item on my bucket list, however, is much more difficult to achieve. Being adopted from South Korea to the United States in 1976, I have been searching for my birth parents for the past several years. I can't help but worry that they may not still be living. But having this item at the top of my list urges me to keep trying and I'm planning to visit Seoul in October to continue the search.

When I've talked about my bucket list to others, some of the feedback I've received is that it seems "a bit morbid". Like, if you have a list, you're neurotically thinking about your death.

In October 2019, the American Heart Association published an article listing the emotional and physical benefits of keeping a bucket list. According to research, pre-planning trips or adventures has been linked to happiness and more positive cardiovascular health outcomes. A bucket list also prioritizes "breaks" in routine life and helps to spell out how you want to be remembered after you pass.

As you get older, the list may change. And that's OK. Whether it includes visiting certain countries, getting in better physical shape, buying a particular item or just spending more time with loved ones, there is no wrong way to do a bucket list. Your list can include short-term goals, once-in-a-lifetime experiences or just personal goals. It can give a boost to your motivation and force you to take breaks when you might not otherwise think of doing so.

I consider my bucket list as a way to keep my hopes and dreams alive; a north star by which I can steer my life.

Contact the writer at schroeder@chinadaily.com.cn