Recently I discovered Tom Phelan, someone who I believe is an underrated YouTuber. Tom isn’t like the most popular YouTube stars today; he kind of does his own thing on YouTube, most of which I find really funny with my sense of humor. Yet, he also gets very serious and is open with his fans about what is going on in his life, the ups and the downs.

In one of his older videos titled “I Love You, John,” Tom opened up about the death of his older brother and how it still affects him every day of his life. Seeing his brother struggle with addiction, Tom learned five reasons we all need to live this life we are given to the best possible extent.

1. “To laugh”

Sometimes a simple laugh is all it really takes to change someone’s day from bad to good. Personally, I am the person who laughs at anything and everything, even when I’m down it still has such a good feeling in the soul. Laughter is one of the best things we can give to people every day for no reason.

2. “Art”

The world is full of talented people who can create some incredible things, but we even people who think their art isn’t worth sharing it is. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s bad because odds are it’s not. As Tom says in the video “art is subjective,” it’s not something that is measured on one scale through one system.

Everyone who looks at art of any kind can see something different each time they look at it, depending on what is going on in their life at the time. Art includes, but is not limited to painting, drawing, photographing, and writing. Anything you create is art, share it with the world.

As Pam from ‘The Office’ said, “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things.”

3. “To help others”

Everyone needs help at some point or another in their life no matter how badly they do not want to admit it. Being there to recognize when people need help and following through with helping is something that does not go unnoticed. Even people refuse it in the moment, keep at it because they will eventually realize they need help, big or small.

I am the kind of person who absolutely hates asking for help, but there comes a time where we all need to suck up our pride and ask for help. There is nothing diminishing about asking for help.

4. “To feel thankful”

This one is particularly important to me. Growing up in a small town where a not a lot is going on, it is extremely important to be thankful for those times where you get out of this small town and are always able to come back to it.

Just be thankful for all the moments you have with your friends, your family, anyone who matters to you, because things can change so fast in one day, and you never know.

As Andy from ‘The Office’ said, I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” Be thankful for these days, life catches up to you pretty fast.

5. “To love”

No one says why this is important better than Ted from ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ And he says, “But love doesn't make sense! I mean, you can't logic your way in or out of it. Love is totally non-sensical. But we have to keep doing it, or else we're lost, and love is dead, and humanity just packed in. Because love is the best thing we do.”

Life is worth living to the fullest extent, so go out and do what makes you happy, what you’ve never had the courage to do. Just live life, it’ll be worth it, I promise.