I'm about to issue everyone who reads this a challenge. It may sound difficult, it may sound easy, but it certainly is a challenge in my opinion. Are you ready?
I challenge you to live.
I know, you're probably thinking that this is the most cliche statement you've ever heard, but then again, do you believe that you're truly living? If you are, I'm impressed. However, the majority of us are stuck in a rut where we do the same mundane things everyday and never actually get to experience everything that life has to offer us. Believe me when I say that life has a whole lot to offer you, you just have to lean into it.
You're most likely in college right now, and you've had fun with friends going on crazy adventures, staying up all night partying, maybe even skipping classes to catch up on some well needed Z's. You say that the true college experience is making memories that will last a lifetime, yet you don't quite remember your last weekend. You say: "I just need to pass" or "C's get degrees". I call that bologna.
I challenge you to actually live during your college years. Go to your class and actually learn something about the world you're fortunate enough to live in. Take a class in a subject you've never tried before. Actually try to ace your next test. The feeling of working hard and seeing the results is something wonderful. Yes, making friends and going out are great life experiences too, but that's certainly not all you should take from your college time.
#noregrets, am I right? No really, if you're really living your life, then you should have few regrets. Perhaps you wanted to ask out that cutie in your chem class last week, but didn't because you were scared of rejection. Maybe you didn't audition for the school play because you were afraid of embarrassment. Or maybe it was an internship you wanted to apply to but just never got around to it. Take those chances! Ten years down the road you'd rather be saying:
"Remember that time when..."
instead of:
"Man, I wish I had...".
If your crush says no, guess what? You're not the only person on this planet who's ever been shut down. Don't get a part in the play? You put yourself out there and tried, something only a few people are willing to do. Didn't apply for the internship? It's possible that you just missed out on your dream job. As the Great Shia LaBeouf once said:
"Just DO IT."
So, will you accept my challenge? Will you put yourself out there, push yourself out of your comfort zone? It gets easier as you keep going, trust me. The more you allow yourself to really live, the happier you're going to be. How cool will it be to tell your friends stories about how you decided to take an art class in college and ended up having one of your paintings featured in the school magazine or brag about being on the Dean's List for the third semester in a row? Wouldn't you want to leave college with memories of concerts that you wouldn't have gone to prior to pushing yourself, new friends you made through unexpected passions, and knowledge from experiences you can only get through truly living? There's your challenge. I sincerely hope that you will accept it.
Feel free to Tweet at me with pictures of you going out and living your life! Check my Twitter handle at the bottom of this page to follow me!
