At this very moment, you are as old as you’ve ever been and as young as you’ll ever be. Are you satisfied with your life or are you just waiting around for tomorrow to come? I find myself constantly looking forward to the future and failing to live in the moment. I will spend days doing nothing but waiting for the weekend, or waiting for a certain date to come up. I have also spent much of my time stressing about the past, only bringing me anxiety. But why do we stress about our past? Why do we worry about our future? Why can’t we just take a second to live in the moment? We shouldn’t waste all our Mondays waiting for Fridays. Take advantage of the day and make it count.
Stop postponing and stop making excuses. Postponing has to be one of my biggest weaknesses, whether it’s a term paper or scheduling a doctor’s appointment, I’m always finding an excuse to just do it tomorrow. It’s time to realizing postponing gets you nowhere. Why waste time avoiding something when you can just go ahead and get it over with? Postponing your family in friends is a much more serious matter. It’s time to realize your grandparents are only going to be there for so long, so give them a call or a visit. One of these days when they’re gone, you are going to wish you had made more time for them. Same for your parents, while you’re growing up, remember that they’re growing old. They spent 18 years of their lives to raise you, now it’s your turn to give them your time and appreciation for all they have done for you. And although it may seem like we never really postpone our friends, it’s the memories to be made that we postpone. Whenever a buddy calls you up to go somewhere with them, don’t make the excuse that you’re “too tired,” “don’t have the money” or “its been a long day.” The excuses only make the friend want to spend time with you less and less. There’s always another option you guys can do that doesn’t require spending money, and if they’re taking time out of their day to spend with you, why can’t you make time for them? It’s the potential memories that you are going to miss reminiscing on one of these days because you wasted time on skipping out. Time is the most valuable gift you could ever give someone because it is the one thing you will never be able to get back.
Stop skipping out. I understand sleep and alone time is valuable, but as they say “you can make up an exam, but you can’t relive a party.” That doesn’t have to mean skip school responsibilities to go get hammered one weekend, but it means that sometimes you should get out and make memories rather than skipping out and wishing you hadn’t. Nobody ever talks about the nights they skipped out and stayed home. Get out there and have some fun. You don’t have to engage in party behaviors, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go out and make memories. Skipping out only leads to you wishing you had gone and regretting that you didn’t. If you are worried that it’d just be a waste of time, at least give the activity or event a chance.
Take advantage of the time you’ve been given. Nothing lasts forever and you’re only young for so long. You will get old, you will lose friends and family members, and your body won’t be able to do the things it used to do. So get out, go for a run, play your favorite sport, and do your favorite activities. Be irresponsible while you still can. One of these days you will have responsibilities, for your job and your family. I guarantee that you will wish you had taken up the chance to do more of the things you can no longer do.
Stop worrying. There’s no pointing in worrying about the future because you have to understand that everything will work out the way it’s suppose to. Just as you shouldn’t worry about the past because everything happens for a reason. Worrying will not change the outcome and will only keep you from moving forward. I’m not saying that you should just sit back and let fate do all the work when it comes to how your life is going to end up. Of course you still need to put in the work to get to where you want to be. Understand that things may not go the way you planned to, but that theirs is always a reason to why it didn’t. Having the faith that everything will turn out okay can be reassuring to those who stress about their future.
Learn to accept change. Don’t waste your time on people who are only holding you back. Certain relationships occur in your life to teach you a lesson, that your time is valuable. Do not waste it on someone who doesn’t value you, move on to the next and find someone who will. Don’t spend your time and energy trying to impress your friends, being yourself and finding others who accept you for who you are will be better in the long run. And don’t be afraid of change, sometimes change is very much needed in your life. It is going to make you a better person and open you up to new things. There’s no point in wasting time being unhappy when you have so much in your life to be happy about.
So take a deep breath, and learn to live. We never know when our time will come, so make the most out of the life you’ve been given while you still can.
