Here's my take -- the list is incidental. It could have been anything. The key here is that he engaged with his dreams in a real way. He thought about them, made them concrete, and then tried to actualize them. He gave his life a goal and a self-directed "meaning."

Imagine if he tried to do the things on his list, but failed. Would he be less happy? Probably not.

Of course, this is all assuming that he is truly the "completely satisfied" person that the article paints him to be. I doubt any person is quite so simple as that.