As time moves and age progresses, our wants in life seemingly change. When we are young, life is full of possibilities. The mentality of "anything can happen" is as strong as it will ever be. Now many can keep this thought as they grow old, but undoubtedly, schedules become hectic and energy becomes prioritizes by other responsibilities. But how exactly so?

I asked multiple people in my circle who vary in age, "What matters most to you?" to test this question and here's what they said:

Hank (16 years old - High School Student)

"Being myself is the most important priority to me at the moment. School hold me back from doing this though. Every day when I'm school, I see people's main priority be social acceptance. They become unaware of themselves and their wants - which is something I would never want for myself. Finding people comfortable in their own skin is a rarity"

Liam (20 years old - College Student)

"Love is the most important thing to me. Not the romantic sense but platonic love, self love, family love, artistic love, and respectful love. It's the primary force that inspires my work as an artist and at the this point of my life, pushes my hope and creativity. Although most of all, it reminds to that we all have a purpose, a reason for being here. To me, it's the most beautiful part about humanity.

Jen (47 years old)

"What matters most to me is to make sure my kids are happy, stable, educated, secure, and loved. After that, I would have to stay that getting myself settled for the future."

Yaya (70 years old)

"My first thought is happiness, then kindness, then safety. You see, feeling safe will make you happy and when a you are happy, you are usually a kinder person."