The funny thing about life is that everyone claims they want to help people. Everyone thinks they’re such good people because they want to be a good person, but that isn’t how it works. Not at all. The way this whole “life” thing works is that you’re motivated to help people and do good in the world, for whatever reason, but ultimately you do it, whether you want to or not.
It isn't enough to say, “Oh, she’s all alone, let me go sit with her.” You have to do it and you have to be present in the moment instead of doing it just to say you did it. I’m so tired of people talking about being better people rather than actually getting up and doing something about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as guilty as everyone else of this. To be honest, at the end of the day, it can be difficult, because we all have this stigma around it that says it's weird to be the first one to act. This isn’t something that gets better with age, either.
As a college student, I’ve experienced being left out firsthand, but I’ve also been the one to leave someone out. I know adults in the workplace that feel left out every single day, and you would think that would make them want to change, but it doesn’t. Being left out is more of an excuse to sit back and watch the world go by. But I want to challenge us all to get up and be a part of something. I don’t want others to go through that feeling of being left out, and I know we’ve all experienced it.
So, let’s start including people. Let’s start doing things we don’t want to do because at the end of the day, we know it's the right thing to do. We can’t continue to sit around and think that our desire to be good people is enough, because some sort of action is necessary. How about we put the phones down and start talking to people? How about instead of watching the next episode, we watch our friends accomplish their dreams, our family members grow up, and our parents grow old? Let's face it, they won’t be around forever.
How about we live in the moment, and make memories of everything? That way, you can remember how your Mom’s freshly baked cookies looked on the kitchen counter, how your Dad's aftershave smelled, and the way your little sister’s face lit up when she got to stay up an extra hour. How everyone coming together for Thanksgiving and Christmas made you feel like, for once a year, everyone actually cared about each other. Let’s take those emotions and carry them with us as we move forward.
Live in the moment, don’t just show up at the moment. Take it all in. Before you know it, it’ll be gone, and you’ve missed your chance to make a difference. If you’re just passing by, then you have no opportunity to actually do anything. Shockingly enough, helping people will end up helping you even more. You will change who you are, and make memories that will last a lifetime.
There are regular old memories, and then there will come along a rare moment that is more than a memory. They are defining moments in your life; they are meridian moments. These moments split our lives into a “before” and “after.” It is so important that we live up to these moments and that we expect these things to happen, because when we start expecting things to happen, we start working to make them happen.
Try really hard to stop taking advantage of everything. Imagine how you would feel if someone only called you when they truly needed something. Let that feeling motivate you to make an effort and change the way you act. Call that girl in class that you usually only study with. Text that guy and let him know you actually look up to him. It’s crazy how we, as people, understand how hard life can be, yet we still make it just as hard for everyone else. It sucks, really. It sucks knowing how easy the fix is, yet walking around and doing nothing about it because of the stigma. Because believe it or not, we need people, and people need us.
We are all living a story and we all play an intricate role in not only our own stories but other people’s stories as well. Nobody likes to hear a sad story. So next time you get ready to say that guy is useless or that girl's outfit is ugly, think about the negative consequences that will play out in both yours and their story. Think about the power you have to make yours and someone else’s story a thrilling, inspirational, and timeless classic.
