Grab Your Life By The Frikkin Horns

[Source: Pinterest]


There's something to be said about people who have the audacity to choose themselves and their passion over society's expectations on how to go through the motions of life: grow up, go to school, then more school, then college, then work work work work work, then have 0-15 years of retirement, then die. Not to mention at least part of that retirement period will likely be met with sickness, pain, and immobility. 

C'est triste.

Now, if it's not your dream to quit grad school to start a farm or become an astronaut or backpack across Europe, then by all means- don't do it! But take a good, long look at yourself in the mirror and really ask yourself if you are making the most of the little time we have on this planet. I don't mean the whole "I'm suffering now so I can be rich/happy/in a relationship/skinny/whatever in 30 years" kind of happy. I mean, are you truly and utterly inspired by your own life every single day? If not- why not? And how can you change that? 

On New Year's Day, I decided to download the app "1 Second Every Day," where you record one second of your every day life for a year, and at the end of the year you compile it all into a 365-second video. I'm now 13 days in, and I've realized that my life is really really routine.
Wake up. Make breakfast (if I have time). Make a lunch. Drive 45-60 minutes to work. Sit at desk. Eat lunch at desk. Sit at desk some more. Drive 45-60 minutes home. Workout, maybe. Make dinner. Watch TV or Youtube videos. Check phone and see what other people are doing with their lives. Live vicariously through them. Go to bed. Rinse and repeat.


As of a week ago, I made the conscious decision to drastically change that. I may set myself up for failure, I may end up with $0.00, my parents might be disappointed that I'm not "living up to my potential." But I've recognized that this is the best time in my life to be selfish and do the crazy thing everyone else wishes they could do. At the end of the day, it's my life. I'll say that again- it's MY life. No one else's. 

If you take anything away from reading this, I hope it's the realization that you CAN do something for yourself. Do at least one thing every day that challenges or inspires you, even if it's something small. Just do something. Anything. 

This all may seem a bit (or a lot) cliche. Because it is. Because some wise old farts keep trying to warn us before it's too late. It's not too late for you. In the cinematic montage of moments & memories that appears out of thin air at the end of your life, what do you see? Think about that.

Forget the reins that society's put on you. Toss them aside and grab your life by the frikkin horns. I dare you. 

PS- If you've been waiting for a sign, this is it.

xo,

Comments