Six years ago, Shilagh Mirgain decided to achieve the goal she’d had on her bucket list(目标清单)for twenty years: to reach the top of Mount Kilimjanjaro. Four years ago, she bought her hiking shoes and started to hike. Two years after that she began to imitate the difficulties of the nine-day hike with a weighted backpack. Last summer, she booked her tour. In February, she climbed to the very top of the mountain.

If it wasn't for her bucket list, Mirgain says she might never have known the pleasure of standing at top of one of the world's most famous mountains. “Bucket lists are helpful in that they are a way of listening to your inner wisdom（智慧）.” She say，“It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day jobs, to-do lists, doing chores and the like—you may not see your inner need.”

One study found that participants who wrote down their goals finished more than those who didn't. Other positive psychology research suggests that finishing goals like that is important for a satisfying life.

For Mirgain, who added Kilimanjaro to her list after receiving a postcard sent from the mountain by a group of women she had met who were climbing it, it wasn't so much the act of writing down her bucket list that helped her stick to it, as it was keeping it someplace noticeable. “I keep pictures of my top bucket list things on my fridge,” she says, “When I finish something I take that photo down and put it on another board in my home, along with a photo of myself at that place.”

Mirgain said excitedly. “It’s great to finish your bucket list.” she says, “To work toward something you wanted to experience or achieve gives you a confidence and can change your opinion of the world.”