In a time when opportunities and technology are connecting the world faster than ever, phrases like "You Only Live Once" become easier to live by. We have increasing access to travel and activities that push us to the edge of life (bungee jumping, sky diving, etc.). However, just because we have access to these resources does not necessarily mean it's in our best interest to exploit them--or does it? People often roll their eyes at the phrase "YOLO" and see it as an excuse to behave inappropriately; I was, and sometimes continue to be, one of those people. I really go back and forth about it though. On the one hand, YOLO is a true statement. There is some logic behind it, and it does follow everything by which I try to live my life--thinking positively, taking opportunities when they present themselves, and not taking any moment for granted.
There is a wonderful motivational speech that I like to listen to before all of my crew races, with many lines that resonates in my mind. A few of them go like this: "There will never be a point in your life where it's the right time to do a great thing. If you are waiting for that perfect perfect moment, that perfect timing, it's not going to happen... You know what you have to do? You have to create the perfect time and the perfect opportunity and the perfect situation... You have this opportunity of a lifetime. It means absolutely nothing if you don’t take advantage of it, in the lifetime of this opportunity."
These words are powerful--the whole thing is really--and if you'd like to check out the rest, which I suggest you do, it's attached at the bottom for you. It's a little long, but completely worth it if you have the time to listen.
In a nutshell, this is the part of me that believes that as cliche and stupid as YOLO sounds, it holds some weight. That being said, I do not believe it should be an excuse to make poor decisions that could, ironically, end that one life we've been given.
This brings me to my other opinion on the matter. On the one hand, yes, we must recognize that we have one life to live, and living it to our fullest is important. I'm a believer in the notion of trying new things everyday, and not becoming complacent. However, as the phrase actually says, "you only live once." Just take a moment to dissect that. It's odd to me that the same phrase that can instill such a sense of adventure can also be a reminder of our undeniable mortality, and that's where I believe the balance needs to come in, and where the phrase becomes overused in a joking manner. The same motivation that inspires taking risk and opportunity--the fact that we've only got this one lifetime in which to fit it all in--is the one that should serve as our filter and common sense mechanism. If we really do only have one life to live, let's not waste it and end it all at once in one snap decision that wasn't thought out. I've said it before and will say it again: life is a gift. Every morning we wake is a chance to do anything we choose. However, these chances only continue to present themselves if you make smart decisions that allow you to go to sleep and still wake up the next morning.
It's all about walking the line. Rowing has taught me this more than anything: you have so much more left than you think. Also attached at the bottom is a video that my coach sent to my team about pushing yourself to your physical limit. It's a little thing we like to call the "40% rule." It discusses the concept of the reserve tank: when you think you've pushed yourself as hard as you possibly could have, you're really only 40% done. It sounds crazy, but then again, so are our bodies' capacities for life's challenges. In a lot of ways, all aspects of life are this way. When you think you've pushed your body as far as it can go, it can go further. When you think there is no more exciting high moment, or frustratingly low moment, life will continue on, and you'll find a new high and low. That's living. In rowing, we push our bodies until we think we're dying. Our lungs feel like they're exploding and our legs feel like they'll never work again, but then, there's that 60% in the reserve tank that you never thought you had. That's the same line I'm talking about in living life to its fullest. That's when you start to feel alive, and that's what it means to really fulfill only living once. That's when the phrase, YOLO, should be used, and holds the most relevance: taking the opportunities that make you feel alive, and pushes you to the edge of mortality. You've got to not make rash, nonsensical decisions, but also remember that your body and world always have more to offer.
