I think back to my childhood when I was scared of the silliest things -- a simple bat decoration for Halloween to the the fictional character in a scary movie. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be more adventurous and try new things. To feel my adrenaline pumping and making somewhat reckless decisions or going out on a limb and just being able to say “I did that” before and cross something off of my bucket list. The more the years go by, I see my bucket list growing longer and longer while nothing gets crossed off. How do I answer the adventurous side of me while my timid side is playing mom and telling me not to do it.
“You Only Live Once, that’s the motto.” - Drake
Who doesn’t want to be invited to the party of the century? Life is far too short and wait, to sit down and let time pass you by and not live for a thrill once in awhile. This doesn’t give anyone an excuse to sit there and be a complete idiot in decisions they make and put their own life and the lives of others at risk. The goal should be to get out of your comfort zone and get into adventure, not get into your grave.
“To live doesn’t mean you’re alive.” - Nicki Minaj
Sure, you’re breathing. You wake up in the morning, so you’re living. That doesn’t mean you’re alive. To be alive means to experience life - the biggest heartbreaks and joys of life, taking the expected and unexpected and running with it to the best of your abilities. It’s okay to take a day off once in awhile to just exist and be, but that doesn’t mean don’t take chances once in awhile either. It can be scary, but it could be worth it in the end.
“You’ll never know if you never try.” - Unknown
This one is huge. You can’t say whether or not you like something if you’ve never tried it. I could sit here and say “I love cricket.” and I’ve never watched a game of cricket in my life. Keep your mind open to the many \ experiences the world has to offer and dive head first into some of them. There are great experiences and opportunities out there waiting for you. All you have to do is take advantage.
“You gotta get up and try.” - P!nk
You’ve more than likely been knocked down before, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to sit on your butt and accept the defeat. Get up and try again, and this time go ten times harder! Say you tried out for a sports team and didn’t get on the team, practice makes perfect. Go back next season and you’ll get on that team, I promise you. This could be extended to any life lesson. You can’t expect to find your Prince Charming or Cinderella by sitting on your couch binge watching Netflix. You gotta get yourself out there and introduce yourself to new people. You never know what these people could possibly mean to you one day.
“Why not?” - Hilary Duff
I think the most important reason is to really think about it. I don’t mean make a pro vs con list of everything you want to do. I could sit here and make a pro vs con list for bungee jumping. An obvious pro would be adrenaline and once in a lifetime chance once you get the courage pretty much, there’s no better way to feel alive! An obvious con, the cord snaps and I fall to my death. But with little things, say why not? When you’re friends invite you to a party and your plans were to sleep all night, say why not and get all dressed up and go to that party.
Moral of the story: live life. No one in this world is ever guaranteed a tomorrow and none of us know when our last day will be. So keep in mind that you only live once and that you’ll never know if you never try, so get up if you’ve been knocked down and go at that same thing ten times harder because to live doesn’t mean you’re alive and why not?
