How many times have you asked yourself about the goals you want to accomplish before you die? If not, why haven't you? Have you ever heard the quote "Carpe Diem" which means to seize the day. Or even enjoy being a kid while you can, because it goes by too fast. Well the Buried Life guys have, and according to them life moves fast, so we should slow down and enjoy it.
You might have met the Buried Life guys if you're a fan of
any shows on MTV. It is likely that you have seen a trailer/shows for the TV
show called The Buried Life. Meet Ben, Dave, Jonnie, Duncan, four guys who
share the same ideas about life and the world around them.
These four guys were originally from the same town, and knew of each other;
however it wasn't until 2006 when they discovered that they had the same goals
and aspirations about their life, focusing on the question "What do you
want to do before you die?" This question led to these four guys
making a list of things they wanted to do before they died, starting out at 50
items. After making this first list, they set out on a journey to complete
these tasks, and making a documentary of it. Along the way, they wanted to help
others cross of things on their lists as well. On their first trip they were
able to cross off 26 items on their list, and help 24 people. This led to the
development of the list with 100 items on it, and the guys decided they did not
want to put a quantity for the number of people they wanted to help, they just
want to help as many people as they can. The Buried life eventually are going
to making a film of their documentary of all of the 100 items they accomplish.
When talking about these guys, we have to go back to the basics of motivation which of course is goals. Their 100 item list is of course their goals. These goals come in a variety of skill level, some more difficult to achieve than others. Along with that, Ben, Dave, Jonnie, and Duncan all have high levels of the need for achievement. You can see this just by looking at how far they have come in achieving all of their goals. These guys first started out just talking about this journey in 2006, and its now 2010, and they have crossed off yet another item on their list "Making a badass TV show" with their show The Buried Life on MTV. Their ultimate goal consists of every item being checked off, and a documentary film to show it all. Along with their goals, they try to help others achieve a goal of theirs. With this, the Buried Life guys are gaining feedback from the people that they help. This feedback is obviously positive, and provides feelings of happiness, joy, and even feeling accomplished.
Although it appears that the Buried Life guys are just
trying to complete a list just to be able to say they did those things, I think
it is something a little more than that. Reeve (2009) talks about the six
dimensions of psychological well-being, including self-acceptance, positive
relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and
personal growth. By pursuing these six dimensions, individuals are ultimately defining
your concept of self. The Buried Life Guys are continuously working on many of
these dimensions. While helping others along their journey to complete their
lists of things to do before they die, the Buried Life Guys are establishing
positive relations with other people. Not only that, they are networking, and
establishing connections which benefit not only themselves, but also the people
that they would like to help. It is evident that these four guys also have high
levels of autonomy because they have chosen to take on these goals, and to go
to great lengths to achieve them despite if others don't believe that they can.
Overall, through everything the Buried Life guys are accomplishing, or going to
accomplish, they are building and figuring their purpose in life, and have high
levels of personal growth. I'm not sure
if the Buried Life Guys would agree, but I would say it seems like their
purpose in life is to help others. It seems like they received a lot of joy and
happiness out of it, and it helps them grow as a person as well.
Ben, Dave, Jonnie, and Duncan have motivated other people to make their own
lists of goals to do before they die. The Buried Life has even influenced a
networking site called The Buried Life
Network. If you're interested in watching their show on MTV or just
learning more about the Buried Life visit these two websites. http://www.theburiedlife.com or http://www.mtv.com/shows/buried_life/episodes.jhtml.
As Ben, Dave, Jonnie and Duncan state, if they ever come to
your town, you better be ready to answer the question "What do you want to do before you die?"
I had heard about this TV show and wanted to watch it but never really got the chance. I’ve seen part of one episode where the guys try to play a game of basketball with President Obama—not exactly an easy task for a couple of unknown kids. I really admire these guys for what they are trying to do. Most kids their age are focused on girls, partying, and maybe getting a job once they finish college, but these guys have made it part of their life to really explore every opportunity and run with it. With graduation just around the corner, I’ve spent a lot of time recently asking myself, “What do I want to do with my life”? And I can tell you it’s not an easy question for me to answer. Like many people, I’ve always wanted to something where I can help people and make a difference in the lives of others, but if I end up getting a job as a waitress or something like that, am I going to be psychologically well adjusted? Is working in a restaurant or bank really what I wanted for my life? I really doubt whether I would feel complete in my life if that was all I ever accomplished. Not to say that there is anything wrong with working in a restaurant or business office, or me it’s not what would make me happy. Looking at Reeve’s 6 stages of psychological well being, including self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth, I think it would take a lot more for me to be happy in life. I think the biggest aspects of psychological well-being for me are autonomy, purpose in life, and relations with others. I need to feel in control of things in my life, need to feel that my life has a bigger purpose than just going to work, and I need to feel like I have a positive relationship with others because being with people makes me happy.
After reading this bog I am more interested in watching The Buried Life. It sounds like a show that has a really positive message and could motivate many people to do something more with their life.