“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” -Confucius

One thing that has always interested me is life. I love to just sit and talk with people about life. I love to think about life. But above all I love to live life. And not just in the sense of simply living but really LIVE. No matter who you are or what you believe you have to admit that life is a precious thing.

I recently turned nineteen and when the age approached I started to really think about the future. My first thought was, “I'm that much closer to 20 which means i'm possibly ¼ of the way through my life.” Now my friends all hated this idea and thought it was far too cynical but it's just how I look at things. Life is too short to be wasted so how can I make it special? Well, this is how...

1. Be spontaneous

My friends just decided that they all want to take a right towards Chicago instead of a left towards home and asked me if I was down? Umm… Heck yeah i am! Never pass up on opportunities and memories that will quite literally last you a lifetime.

2. Take opportunities.

Now let me just say, if the opportunity is to smoke some crystal blue persuasion then perhaps don't take that opportunity, unless of course you've been dying to try meth. Then really, who am I to judge? But if this opportunity could have a positive impact on your life or expand your horizon at all then go for it! Travel, skydive, get a tattoo. Don't look back at what you could’ve done, instead listen to the wise words of Nike and Shia Labeouf and just do it!

3. Treat life like a work of art

I've always loved the quote by Danny Kaye, “Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can at it.” It's hung up in my room for 5 years and for good freaking reason. Cause it's so true! We all have bucket lists and things we want to accomplish. Those things make life exciting and fulfilling. That may be as simple as just building relationships with others or joining a club but push yourself to do things that can enhance the quality of your day. Look at each adventure as a different color or design that you’re adding to the masterpiece that is your life.

4. Enjoy the little things

I mean if we didn't all learn this very important rule from Zombieland then clearly we missed the most valuable part of the movie. Think of the love Tallahassee has for Twinkies. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all have that kind of enthusiasm towards life's little pleasures. It shouldn't take a zombie apocalypse for us to realize how spectacular the sound of music is or how nice it feels to brighten someones day. Just take a step back and savor every sweet moment that this one and precious life has to offer us, because this truly is a special life that we have been given.