As ridiculous and painfully basic it is to endorse the saying YOLO, if you really think about it, there is a much deeper meaning that can come from it.
YOLO: You Only Live Once. (Thank you, Drake.)
Sure, people say it when they’re watching their legs being raised over a keg or before they walk in to a classroom for a test they haven’t studied for, but the saying can apply to a lot more than that.
As we grow up, we naturally develop a personality, a character, or an idea of ourselves. We feel like we know ourselves well enough to say things like “I would never do that.” Or “That’s just not me.”
My roommate faced one of these situations last week where she was caught between leaving school to go home and surprise her sister at her championship volleyball game or staying at school to not miss any classes or prior commitments. As I watched her scrolling down Kayak for flights she said, “This is not something I do. I have never made a decision this quickly. Do I really do this?”
Long story short. She ends up going home, her sister wins, she gets interviewed by a local newspaper, and United Airlines messes up her flight back home so she receives a check and actually ends up making money.
You may think, “Wow, just a lucky situation.” Or you could look at it as a positive reaction to a situation where someone went outside their comfort zone and said “F**k it, I’m doing it.”
I truly believe you need these moments in your life. Moments where you step outside your comfort zone and let adrenaline take the wheel. It doesn’t matter how small or big the action is. It could be from deciding to wear a different color from what you normally wear to swimming with great whites. The point is just to break through that blinding bubble we create for ourselves. Who cares if that isn’t something you would usually do? You should be asking yourself, why is that something I wouldn’t normally do?
This is my first year at Tulane University. I made a decision to transfer last year from a college that was just not the school for me. If you were to ask me in high school if I would ever transfer colleges, I would have said no way. Transferring wasn’t something people really talked about and I hadn’t heard of any of my upperclassmen friends transferring.
When I found myself so unhappy at my previous school, I was convinced it was me. Why wouldn’t I be happy at a school in New York City, a city I had always dreamed of living in? (Not to mention that I also had my best friend from high school there with me.)
But something wasn’t right and I couldn’t force it anymore. I started throwing around the idea of transferring; never really thinking I’d go through with it. I never saw myself finding the motivation to go back to the hell that was college apps, ACT grades and teacher recommendations. I even considered taking a year off. Maybe I just can’t do college?
Then it was winter break. And while I was soaking up the good life back at home, my friends talked about how they were counting down the days until they could go back to school. I thought they were crazy. I was never going to feel that way.
And that’s when I made the decision. I said “F**k it, I’m going to transfer.” And after I made that decision, I purposely never let myself look back. I was too scared I would think what am I doing? What if I get to this school and hate it too? But no matter how much this decision “didn’t seem like me”, I kept with it and prayed I would get in to Tulane.
A year later, I couldn’t be happier I made that decision. I don’t know if I’ve actually ever been at a better place in my life and, in a way, I have YOLO to thank for that.
And now on winter break a year later, I am counting the days until I can go back.
I think this is the healthiest way to live life. When you create unexpected moments in your life, you get an adrenaline that makes you remember just how amazing life is and can be.
