Ever since entering college, "YOLO" has been my go-to motto towards life. Instead of using it in the classic way that most people think of when they hear it, I choose to use it as a lifestyle choice. Most of the time you’ll hear it being used in the context of, “Want another shot?” “Yeah! YOLO, right?” That’s not exactly how I choose to look at this catchy motto of our generation.

What does YOLO mean anyway? In simple terms, YOLO is an acronym for “you only live once.” So, instead of using the phrase to get trashed on a Saturday night, use it to better your life in a way that you wouldn’t have thought. I know what the look on your face might look like, I’ve seen it plenty of times when I tell people that I love the saying. Most people just look at me and say, “You’re such a basic white girl,” and move on. I think that you should take a step back and really think of what the motto is trying to say.

Being that you only live once, you shouldn’t dwell on the things that upset you or bring you down. You should be enjoying life. You only have one chance to do so, so take risks. Do the things that you’ve always wanted to do, but that you were scared of or never had the chance to. If you’re not living your life to the fullest, when you look back on everything then you might feel the emptiness of the what could have been, better know as the “what if.”

So, here is my advice to you: don’t fall into the trap that is YOLO by making decisions that you will regret later in life. Instead, make decisions that you’d regret not making. Take action in your life and make a plan to live your life to the fullest, since you only have one, of course.

YOLO wasn’t meant to be an excuse to do whatever you want with no consequences. It is, instead, meant to motivate you to step out of the box that society put you in and to go do something with your life that matters. If you need a reason to do something, it should be because you might never get the chance to do it again, so why not do it now?

So go. Turn off your laptop or your phone and go do something that you dream of doing. Take your time to make your life the best that you can possibly make it. Go face your fears and live your dreams, but remember to stop and smell the roses on the way. In the wise words of Tim McGraw, “Some day I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.”