When you’re young, it’s easy to feel invincible. Before you become who you’re destined to be with the responsibilities you’re meant to have, you go through the motions of becoming this person. Most of us tread through these years blindly without ever truly knowing if we’re headed in the right direction; for others, the path of becoming who you will be remembered as seems crystal clear. Whichever category most accurately defines your young adulthood, there’s a good chance you’ve never considered how much time you don’t have.
In a generation where you are consistently told that “you have all the time in the world” to fulfill your greatest aspirations and accomplish lifelong dreams, it’s easy to fall into the trap of time ignorance. We quickly become accustomed to the idea that we have forever to form the lives we have always dreamed of. Rarely do we wake up in the morning wondering whether we’ll have the privilege of a tomorrow; most of us consider tomorrow as guaranteed, ultimately amounting to a generation of ignorance.
Although it would be irrational to live a life in fear of your time being cut short, I encourage you to forget all that you’ve been accustomed to concerning tomorrow. Tomorrow will never be guaranteed. As easy as it is to read these five words, most of us won’t ever truly grasp their context until something life changing transpires.
Even while perusing story after story on the fatalities of texting and driving, the flights that never landed, or the random acts of terrorism within our country’s borders, our generation is still convinced we are invincible. Every day we read headlines and stories about young adults “just like us” and feel separated from them, convinced that they will forever be “just like us” and never “just us.”
As my years of young adulthood are just beginning, I’d like to imagine how differently we all would live if we didn’t take the privilege of life for granted. Before recently, I truthfully had never considered any of this and consequently, expected the promise of a tomorrow each and every day.
Statistics show most of us will be lucky enough to live a life full of accomplished goals and achieved aspirations. We’ll be lucky enough to endure the hardships of our years and become successful, fall in love multiple times, have children, and ultimately, watch our children repeat this beautiful, long cycle. Although I’m not encouraging anyone to live as though they won’t be lucky enough to appreciate these things, it’s important to remember they aren’t promised. It’s important to remember that every day is just as capable as the one before it. It’s important to remember how invaluable excuses are compared to results. And most importantly, it’s vital to remember that you only have one chance to become who you want to be remembered as.
When I think back to memorable moments in my life, I can vividly remember my elementary school graduation. In the back of our yearbooks, there was a section entitled “When I grow up, I will be...”, which included the hopes and dreams of each bright-eyed fourth grade graduate. Although this section is now extremely outdated and invalid for the majority, it resonates with me to this day. “When I grow up” is now; it’s today. And although my dreams aren’t still to become one of Jennifer Lopez’s backup dancers, I appreciate the now more than ever. Today is the day to transform your dreams into a tangible reality, and I encourage you all to live like it.
