Growing up, we tend to spend our days looking forward to the big events in our lives; in middle school, we couldn’t wait to get to high school; then we couldn’t wait to get our licenses; after driving got old, we honestly just wanted to get out of high school and make our way to college. Granted, college is definitely about having fun and having new experiences, but why do we go to college? In the end, we go to college in order to land a job by the time we graduate, and so on and so forth. Why are we so inclined to do this? Maybe it’s time to step back and learn to enjoy the ride instead of wondering where our journey will take us. Too often we spend our days going through the motions in order to achieve that next big step or milestone in our lives instead of taking in the meaningful moments as they arrive.
Be grateful. Have you ever taken a minute to take in, and I mean really take in how great life can be? Too often we get so wrapped up in the little things – the things that will seem so insignificant down the road. Did you know that if you have food in your fridge, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep you are richer than 75 percent of the world? Really makes you think, doesn’t it? In the long run, it’s not worth it to get overworked about the things you cannot change. Rather, it’s more important to constantly remind yourself of all the incredible aspects of your life that you have been blessed with.
Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. – Oprah
Take chances. Life is too short to play it safe all the time, why not add a little excitement? Apply for that dream job, ask that cute guy in the coffee shop for his number, put yourself out there and try something new. Do one thing that scares you every day and I promise you that you’ll start to smile a little bit more and worry a little bit less. Life is short; it’s too short to stand around and wait for good things to come – get out there and start to make it happen.
Live spontaneously. We tend to spend every day as a routine, day in and day out, checking off tasks from our to-do lists, just to do it all over again the next day. Soon enough, one day you’ll look back on the last month and ask, “Where did the time go?” Where did it go? It was spent doing mindless tasks that needed to get done in anticipation of the next big life event, instead of being lived to the absolute fullest. Be spontaneous – do something crazy, something unplanned, something different. Take it from me, it’ll keep you young.
Granted, although you’ll surely get a lot done, you won’t gain nearly as much fulfillment in life if you live it as a checklist. Instead of focusing on everything you need to get done, focus on how you can make today the best day – how you can grab life by the reigns and create the most excitement, happiness, and fulfillment every day.
