Hey Pandas, pull up your metaphorical bamboo and get comfy. Even though the original Bored Panda thread
“Hey Pandas, What’s Something You Want To Do?” is closed, the question itself never really expires.
Everyone has something they want to do: a dream trip, a creative project, a wild skill, or simply
a quiet, brave change in their own life. The comment section may be locked, but the wish list in your
brain is very much open for business.
In this article, we’ll treat that simple prompt like a doorway into something bigger: how to turn
“one day I’d like to…” into “I actually did it.” We’ll mix the chaotic, cozy energy of the Bored Panda
community with psychology-backed goal setting, real-life bucket list ideas, and a few gentle nudges
to step outside your comfort zone without giving your nervous system a full meltdown.
Why We All Have “Something We Want To Do”
Psychologists describe life goals as the desired states we want to obtain, maintain, or avoid:
better relationships, a more meaningful career, a healthier body, or simply more fun in an
over-serious world. These goals can show up as big bold bucket-list dreams
(learn to scuba dive, write a novel) or as small, tender wishes (have dinner with friends more often,
finally declutter that anxiety-inducing closet).
Many people find it helpful to group their dreams into categories instead of trying to hold one giant
chaotic wish list in their head. Coaches and therapists often suggest breaking things down into areas
like travel, skills and hobbies, life milestones, fears to overcome, or experiences with people you
love. That’s essentially a structured version of a Bored Panda thread: the same
question, answered a hundred different ways, from a hundred different angles.
So if you’ve ever stared at a “Hey Pandas” prompt and thought, “I don’t even know what I want,” that’s
normal. You’re trying to compress a very big, very multi-layered human life into one neat little answer.
The trick is not to find the perfect answer, but to find a true answer for right now.
From Random Wish to Real-World Goal
Step 1: Make the Dream Weirdly Specific
“I want to travel more” sounds nice, but your brain can’t do much with it. “I want to spend a week in
Portland tasting coffee and visiting bookstores next fall” is an actual goal your brain can start planning
around. Research on goal setting consistently shows that specific, measurable goals are more likely to
be achieved than vague ones.
Try this little Panda-friendly formula:
- What exactly do you want to do?
- Where will it happen (if that applies)?
- When or by when do you want it?
- How will you know you’ve done it?
“One day I want to write a book” becomes “I want to draft a 40,000-word cozy mystery by next December
and share it with three trusted friends.” Suddenly we’re not dealing with a fuzzy fantasywe’re dealing
with a plan that can be broken into chapters, pages, and writing sessions fueled by too much coffee.
Step 2: Make Sure It Feels Like You, Not Instagram
Another helpful filter: does this thing you want to do actually match your values, or did you absorb
it from social media like an overenthusiastic sponge? Research on goals suggests that when our ambitions
line up with what truly matters to usconnection, learning, creativity, service, healthwe’re more likely
to stick with them.
Ask yourself:
- Would I still want this if I couldn’t post about it anywhere?
- Does this help me become more of the person I want to be?
- Is this about joy and growth, or is it mostly about impressing people?
If your answer is, “Honestly, I don’t care about skydiving, I just thought I should,” feel free
to cross it off your internal bucket list. You’re allowed to want “learn to bake really good cinnamon rolls”
more than “run an ultramarathon.” Both require stamina, but only one makes the whole house smell amazing.
Classic Panda-Style Things People Want to Do
When people make public wish listswhether on Bored Panda, Reddit, or bucket list blogssome themes show up
again and again. Big dreams are surprisingly universal. For example, popular bucket list sites are full of
ideas like riding a zip line, abseiling down a waterfall, learning to surf, ziplining through forests, or
trying indoor skydiving. Let’s group them Panda-style:
1. Travel and Adventure Goals
From visiting Victoria Falls in Africa (a rising bucket-list destination for U.S. travelers)
to taking a solo train trip across your own country, travel goals are basically “curiosity with a suitcase.”
Some examples:
- Visit one “dream country” in the next five years.
- Try a specific adventure: dog sledding, scuba diving, ziplining, or hiking a famous trail.
- Plan a “micro-adventure” close to homea weekend in a nearby town with new food, new streets, and no laundry.
2. Skills, Hobbies, and Creative Projects
Many popular lists include learning an instrument, painting, dancing, or crafting something with your hands.
Humans love to learn; we just also love procrastinating about learning.
- Take a beginner guitar or piano class.
- Learn how to draw simple comics and post them anonymously.
- Start a long-term project like a quilt, a YouTube channel, or a photo series of your neighborhood cats.
3. Connection and Relationship Goals
Not every dream involves a boarding pass or a helmet. Some of the most meaningful “things I want to do” look small
on paper but feel huge in real life:
- Have a weekly coffee date with a friend or family member.
- Reconnect with someone you miss through a letter or message.
- Host a game night, book club, or movie marathon with people you like being weird around.
4. Courage Goals (A.K.A. Fear Boss Battles)
Many bucket lists include facing fears: public speaking, heights, deep water, or simply trying something
you’re “not good at yet.” Coaches and therapists point out that learning to tolerate that discomfort
expands your world over time.
- Sign up for an improv class even if you feel like a socially anxious potato.
- Volunteer to present a short update at work or school.
- Take a beginner climbing class to slowly challenge your fear of heights.
The Psychology of Wanting: Why Anticipation Feels So Good
There’s a fun twist: sometimes just looking forward to something can make us almost as happy as the event
itself. Studies on anticipation show that when we expect a positive experience, our brain’s reward system
lights up and releases dopamine, boosting mood and motivation.
Recent articles on emotional intelligence and well-being describe anticipation as “joy in advance” and
suggest we can deliberately build tiny moments to look forward toa weekend walk, a video call with a friend,
or cooking a recipe you’ve been saving for months.
That’s why simply answering a prompt like “What’s something you want to do?” can already start shifting how you
feel. You’re telling your brain, “Hey, there’s something cool coming,” and your nervous system starts quietly
rearranging the furniture.
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone (Without Moving to Mars)
Comfort zones get a bad reputation, but they’re not the enemy. They keep you functioning, paying bills,
and remembering where your keys are. The problem shows up when your comfort zone becomes so rigid that
you stop growing or trying new things.
Psychologists note that a bit of stress and anxietywhat researchers sometimes call “optimal anxiety”can
actually help us grow and adapt. When we step outside our comfort zone in manageable ways,
we expand our capacity to handle change. Educational experts and career coaches also point out that learning to
navigate unfamiliar situations increases self-confidence over time.
So instead of “I must transform my entire life by next Tuesday,” think, “What is one slightly uncomfortable
step I could take toward this thing I want to do, without overwhelming myself?” Maybe:
- Visit a language meetup for 30 minutes instead of committing to a full night.
- Join a small online group for people working on the same goal.
- Try the “one tiny dare a week” method: each week, do one thing that you’d normally talk yourself out of.
A Mini Game Plan for Actually Doing the Thing
1. Turn the Dream into a Clear Goal
Use a simplified version of the SMART frameworkspecific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based
to shape your dream into something trackable.
You don’t need an org chart; you just need clarity:
- Specific: “Learn 10 basic conversational phrases in Japanese.”
- Measurable: “Practice 10 minutes a day, five days a week.”
- Time-based: “By the end of the next three months.”
2. Break It Into Ridiculously Small Steps
Most goals die not because they’re impossible, but because they’re too big to start. Slice your goal into
steps so tiny they feel almost silly: find three guitar teachers online, watch one beginner tutorial, practice
one chord for five minutes. Progress is built from micro-actions, not heroic movie montages.
3. Pick a Fresh-Start Moment
We love symbolic new beginnings: New Year’s Day, birthdays, Mondays. A newer trend known as “April Theory”
suggests spring might actually be a better time for goal-setting than January, thanks to better weather, more
daylight, and an overall mood boost. But you don’t have to wait for a specific month. You can
declare your own fresh start: “This Sunday afternoon is my official Begin-The-Thing Day.”
4. Recruit a Tiny Cheer Squad
One thing the Bored Panda “Hey Pandas” threads prove over and over: people love cheering each other on. Even
outside the internet, social support makes goals more likely to succeed. Tell one trusted person what you
want to do and ask them to check in occasionallyor form a small group where everyone shares their “one thing”
and weekly progress.
5. Treat It Like an Experiment, Not a Final Exam
Research on motivation suggests we stick with goals longer when we see them as learning processes rather than
pass/fail tests. That means you’re allowed to try, adjust, pause, and try again.
If your original goal was “run a marathon,” but you discover you actually love brisk walks with audiobooks and
hate long-distance running, congratulations: you’ve learned something useful about yourself. You can update
the goal without calling it a failure.
What the Bored Panda Spirit Adds
If you’ve browsed any “Hey Pandas” threads, you know they swing wildly between heartwarming, chaotic, deeply
honest, and hilariously unhinged. People share everything from useless fun facts to their quiet insecurities,
weird habits, and big emotions.
That’s exactly what makes the question “What’s something you want to do?” feel special in that context. You’re
not answering a corporate icebreaker. You’re talking to a crowd of internet strangers who will:
- Tell you your dream is awesome.
- Share that they want something similar.
- Offer tips, resources, or encouragement.
- Or respond with a meme, which is also a form of love.
Even though that specific thread is closed, you can still borrow its energy. Write down your answer somewhere:
in a journal, a notes app, a group chat, or a new thread where you ask others the same question. The goal
doesn’t have to be flashy. It just has to be real.
Experiences Inspired by “Hey Pandas, What’s Something You Want To Do?”
To bring this topic to life, imagine a few fictional Pandas who took their “one thing” seriously and actually
did something about it. Their stories might sound a lot like people you knowor like you in six months.
Panda #1: “I Want to Travel Alone Without Freaking Out”
When Mia first answered the prompt, she typed, “I want to travel solo, but I’m terrified.” Then she almost
deleted it. Admitting you want something you’re scared of can feel like announcing your fear in a stadium
full of people.
Instead of committing to a month-long overseas trip, she chose a weekend away in a city two hours from home.
She booked a cheap hotel near a busy neighborhood, pre-saved restaurant options on her map, and planned one
activity per day: a museum, a food market, and a long walk in a park.
The first night, she felt awkward eating alone, convinced everyone was staring at her. Spoiler: they were
mostly staring at their phones. By the second night, she started to enjoy picking exactly what she wanted
to do with zero negotiation. By the third day, she was already thinking about where she might go next.
Her “one thing” didn’t erase anxiety forever, but it gave her proof that she could navigate a new place alone.
That experience changed how she saw herself: less like someone who “could never travel solo,” more like someone
who has options.
Panda #2: “I Want to Share My Art Without Hiding”
Jordan’s answer to the thread was simple: “I want to post my art online and stop overthinking it.” They had
years of half-finished comics and character sketches stuffed in drawers and digital folders labeled “later.”
Inspired by the responses they saw on other Bored Panda threads, Jordan decided to treat sharing their art like
an experiment. They made a tiny, very doable rule: one sketch per week, posted to a small art account. No
pressure for likes or comments, no deadlines beyond “once a week,” no grand announcement to their real-life
acquaintances.
The first post felt like jumping into cold water. The second felt slightly less terrifying. A few months in,
they realized three important things:
- Most people are nicer than their inner critic.
- Consistency matters more than perfection.
- Every posted piece made it easier to create the next one.
Over time, their little weekly habit led to bigger goals: a short webcomic, a small online shop for prints,
a collaboration with another artist they met through the comments. All because they answered the question,
“What’s something you want to do?” with something that felt vulnerable and small, then backed it up with tiny,
repeatable action.
Panda #3: “I Want My Everyday Life to Feel Less Boring”
Not every dream is cinematic. Some are quiet, like Sam’s: “I just want my life to feel less like a loop.”
They weren’t looking for a dramatic career change or a round-the-world trip. They wanted their day-to-day
to feel more like living and less like buffering.
After reading about how anticipation can boost happiness even for small events,
Sam tried an “anticipation calendar.” Each week, they scheduled one small thing to look forward to:
- Week 1: try a new recipe on Friday night.
- Week 2: meet a friend at a park after work.
- Week 3: visit the local museum on a free-entry day.
- Week 4: take a beginner’s yoga class.
None of these were huge bucket-list items, but together they shifted the emotional tone of Sam’s month.
Their routine didn’t disappearthey still had chores, emails, and mildly cursed commute traffic. But now
there were bright pins of “something I want to do” scattered through the week, like little lanterns on a
path.
After a few months, Sam noticed they felt more energetic and less trapped, even though their external
circumstances hadn’t radically changed. That’s the quiet power of naming what you want and honoring it,
even in small ways.
Bringing It Back to You, Panda
If you’ve read this far, consider this your personal thread prompt: what’s something you want to do?
It doesn’t have to be impressive, photogenic, or “productive.” It just has to be honest.
Write it down somewhere. Make it a little more specific. Break it into one tiny step you could take this week.
Share it with someone who will root for youor with an online community that understands the special chaos
of being human in 2025.
The original Bored Panda post might be closed, but your story isn’t. You get to decide what goes in the next
chapter. And if that chapter happens to involve zip lines, cozy art projects, solo train trips, or just
slightly better Tuesdays, that absolutely counts.
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