Today, I want to introduce you to the Fuck-It Bucket. It revolutionized my world, and I want to teach you how to let it revolutionize yours. After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all wondering how we’re going to live our best lives and make up for lost time. The lockdowns have made many people think long and hard about the life choices that got them to this point. Myself included. The pandemic made me realize what my true dreams in life are, and now I’m on a mission to realize them. I hope it has done the same for you.
Regardless of where you are on the “taking back my life” spectrum, I want to introduce you to the Fuck-It Bucket. When used correctly, it will completely change your life, giving you back control to do what you want. And it can be had for less than $10.
The original Fuck-It Bucket was born from a David Sedaris story. In the story, his brother fills a bucket with candy. When life got him down, he just said “Fuck It” and had a piece of candy. Unfortunately, in today’s age, we can’t cure the stress, struggles, and other bullshit we deal with on a daily basis with a piece of candy. Instead of having a piece of candy, you’re going to use your bucket to live you some life.
What is the Fuck-It Bucket?
The Fuck-It Bucket is a no-nonsense, stress-relieving framework that cuts through all the bullshit in life. Revolutionize your world, improve your future, and enhance your existence. It’s what you get when you cross “Shit Happens” with “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. All I can say is that it has gotten me through the darkest and toughest of times, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.
The bucket is an outlet to vent your frustration, toss aside your regrets, and heal your heartbreak. It’s also the motivation you need to say “Yes” to all those things you have been wanting to, but kept coming up with excuses as to why you couldn’t. Perhaps you were too scared. Maybe you didn’t have the funding. Or you were just too tied down to your job. Whatever the reason was, something was holding you back. Let the bucket help you break through those barriers.
Most importantly, though, the Fuck-It Bucket is your ticket to living your best life, the way you want. And it’s so simple to use.
- Whether it’s regret, excuses, stress, or anything else that’s getting you down, write it down on a piece of scrap paper.
- Crumple up the piece of paper.
- Shout “Fuck It” at the top of your lungs and toss the paper in the bucket.
- Go kick ass at life.
It can be scary at first, but trust me. You’ll do amazing things once you adopt the bucket’s philosophy. It has led me to all corners of North America and given me the freedom of being my own boss.
Where Did I Get the Idea for the Fuck-It Bucket?
As someone who graduated into the teeth of the Great Recession, I had struggled for years to find full-time employment. It ultimately led me into the world of independent contracting in 2013, and then to formally starting my own business in 2016. In 2017, I finally got my big break when I signed on to work basically full-time hours doing web development and GIS work. Or so I thought.
Less than 4 months into this new job, the company decided to stop paying me, and didn’t tell me. Once I discovered that my paychecks were missing, they kept telling me they would pay me “next week”. Several months later, which was way more leeway than I should have given them, I finally informed them I would no longer work for free. I tried to sue them for the unpaid wages, but at the end of the day, the lawyers informed me that the company had defaulted on over $1 million of business loans and the CEO had fled the country. It was staggeringly simple. You can’t squeeze blood from a stone. I wouldn’t be getting a dime from them. That was my reward for sticking it out and trying to help them get through the hard times.
Back to Square One
Just like that, I was right back to square one. Only this time in a much more desperate situation. Because I was working nearly full-time for them, I didn’t pursue any other work. Now, I hadn’t been paid in close to 6 months, and had no leads on any new work. As the weeks looking for work turned into months, my frustration boiled over.
Later that day, I heard a Kenny Chesney song come on the radio. In that moment, it just spoke to me. I knew it needed to become part of my life, but I didn’t know how to integrate it.
Then I discovered the Fuck-It Bucket.
A New Philosophy on Life
The Kenny Chesney song and the Fuck-It Bucket were a match made in heaven. At the exact instance that match was made, my whole life perspective changed. I realized that life is too short to work for shitty bosses. It’s my life, and I should call the shots in it. It’s time to take back control. And once I had that control back, things started to turn around really quickly. I landed a new contract, brought in record revenue in 2019, and dug myself out of that financial hole. Life was finally good!
I made a bucket list, changed the B to an F
Kenny Chesney, “Bucket”
I gave my give a damn the finger, so it got up and left
I quit worrying about people’s expectations
And ordered up a six pack of chillaxification.
If you’re a little depressed, and a little bit lost
Maybe write it all down, and then blow it all off
We’re all a letter away from perpetual bliss
Put an F on the B of your bucket list
This quote is displayed proudly on the side of my Fuck-It Bucket.
Change Your Life Philosophy
Are you stuck working a shitty job, fed up with COVID isolation, or has something else got you down? Let the bucket help you make the changes you want to live the life you envision. Kick those heartaches and regrets to the curb. Go make your dreams a reality. If you’re not gonna do it now, when are you?
Make Your Own Fuck-It Bucket
The first step to your new life philosophy is to make your own bucket.
- Go down to your local hardware store and buy a bucket. You can buy whatever sized bucket you want, but these 2-gallon buckets from Home Depot were the perfect size for me.
- Write or paint “Fuck It” in huge letters on the side of the bucket.
- Decorate the bucket to match your personality and your dreams. Use inspirational quotes, memes, art, or whatever else shows your personality.
- Use it!
- Show it off to your family and friends.
Use the Fuck-It Bucket and Live Your Best Life
When you start using the bucket, you’ll discover that there are two ways to use it. And you should use both of them. Often.
The Reactive Fuck-It Bucket
Get rid of disappointment, regrets, and heartache. Kick your stresses, frustrations, and shame to the curb. Regardless if you have a shitty boss, just went through a bad breakup, or are dealing with any other bullshit in your life, dump all your negative thoughts into the bucket. Purge your worries and give yourself a fresh start. The past is over. You can’t change it.
Hakuna Matata
It literally means “there are no worries” in Swahili
The Proactive Fuck-It Bucket
The proactive version of the Fuck-It Bucket allows you to use the bucket to live the hell out of life. Instead of being stuck in the rat race, give yourself the excuse to chase your dreams, embark on adventures, and achieve greatness.
- Running a little short on funds for that once-in-a-lifetime trip? Fuck it, go anyway. That’s what they invented credit cards for.
- Boss wants you to attend a meaningless work function to schmooze on a Friday night? Fuck it, that’s a big fat no.
- Doubters in your life think you’ll fail at your dream endeavor? Fuck it, go prove them wrong.
Don’t Fear Failure
Toss it in the bucket instead! Do you know what happens if you try something and fail? You’re right back to where you started, but now you’ve learned a valuable lesson. That’s the worst thing that can happen. You will be better off for failing. Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowling, and Elon Musk all have one thing in common. They all failed multiple times before becoming the successful household names you know today.
Mai Bpen Rai (ไม่เป็นไร)
“No problem, don’t worry, it’s okay” in Thai. And it’s not just an expression. It’s part of the Thai lifestyle.
Hakuna Matata: The Bucket Became an Invaluable Asset During the COVID-19 Pandemic
There is nothing more deflating than working for a company that refuses to pay you. When it happened to me, I literally could not afford to do anything except cover the essential living expenses, plus a once-a-week trip to the grocery store. The rest of the time I was stuck at home until I landed my new contract in late 2018.
After about a year of record revenues and getting a taste of the good life in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Just when I thought I had pulled myself out of the hole, we were sent right back into lockdown. To make matters worse, Arizona then became roiled in a spectacular political shitstorm as the 2020 election approached. Even more than a year after the election, that shitstorm is still going stronger than ever. While I could deal with the masking and distancing restrictions, having to deal with death threats and people pointing guns at you whenever you go out in public is where I draw the line.
I Turned the COVID-19 Pandemic into a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity
Instead of wallowing in all the doom and gloom, I tossed all that bad news in the Fuck-It Bucket and chose to use the pandemic as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not only had the pandemic exposed gaping holes in my business model and life philosophy, but the shutdowns gave me the opportunity to take a mulligan and fix them. And where did those failures go? Right in the Fuck-It Bucket, of course.
So what exactly am I doing to take advantage of this opportunity?
- Invest in yourself. I learned new skills (hello, marketing), re-evaluated my goals and values, and made a plan for what I want my post-pandemic life to look like.
- Commit to constantly learning. No matter what skill you’re learning, it will benefit you in the long run. And if you run into any doubts, toss them in the bucket.
- Make a new bucket list. As a result, I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds.
- Diversify your income. It’s much more stable to have 10 clients pay you $1,000 per month than 1 client paying you $10,000 per month.
- Revise the business’ services to align with things I enjoy doing. There were a few things in the product catalog that I hated doing. I tossed them in the bucket and replaced them with things I’m much more passionate about.
I Said Fuck-It, I’m Gonna Go Realize My Dream of Traveling the World
After a year and a half of COVID restrictions, culture wars, and political shitstorms, I was exhausted, burnt out, and just couldn’t handle the stress anymore. So with the help of the Fuck-It Bucket, I made the boldest move I could make. I consider myself a global citizen, and it has long been my dream to go see the world. Over 5 years of stress, heartache, struggles, and regrets went right into the bucket. It was so liberating, so cleansing, and so relieving. Especially when the words came out of my mouth.
Fuck it! I’ve had enough of this bullshit. I’m gonna sell my house and go travel the world to expand my own horizons, become a better global citizen, and realize my dreams.
Into the bucket it went, and off on the adventure-of-a-lifetime I go. While I will likely be limited to North America for at least the first year of this adventure, there is still much of it I haven’t seen. I’ll be documenting the entire journey on this blog, my new YouTube channel, and on the Matt Gove Photo website. Stay tuned for further details this winter. And don’t worry. The exceptional service from Matthew Gove Web Development that you’ve grown accustomed to over the years will be better than ever.
Your Next Move
Now that you have all the information, it’s time for you to decide how to use your Fuck-It Bucket to live your best life. The haters and doubters will always be there. Put them in the bucket and don’t listen to them. Same goes for your fears. Don’t let them stand in the way of realizing your dreams.
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
Dr. Seuss
Take a chance. Be Bold. Imagine a life where you can’t wait to get out of bed every morning. And remember, if you fail, you’ll be no worse off. In fact, quite the contrary, you will have learned an important lesson that will set you up for success in the future.
I’ll leave you with one final thought for the bucket. When you reach the end and look back at your life, how do you want to be remembered? Do you want to be remembered as an average Joe who endlessly ran the hamster wheel in the rat race? Or do you want to be someone who made a meaningful, positive impact that changed the world?
I know which one I want. What’s in your bucket? Where will you find your adventure of a lifetime?
Top Photo: The Azure Waters of the Sea of Cortez Sparkle Behind the Palm Trees at El Malecón
Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico – August, 2019