I admit it. I’m guilty. I’m guilty of living my life like it is a prequel. What I mean by this is that I have been coasting through life from the outside as time passes me by, more focused on my future rather than the present. Frame by frame, the defining moments of my life thus far have moved behind me. So many fleeting moments, memories, and stories have escaped my grasp because of my inability to live my life as a main character, as THE main character in my story.
Ambitions and dreams are so very important, but we have to remember to take in the small details. Continue dreaming, but don’t live your life through ideas you set in moments coming. Live your life for what it is now.
There’s many ways to achieve this:
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Make a grocery store visit an adventure just because. Let it make you realize that you want that sense of youth and thrill for the rest of your life.
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Love deep and make it known. When you feel it, the butterflies and warmth rising to put that rosy pink tint in your cheeks, scream it from the rooftops. Time is fleeting. A favorite band of mine, JOHNNYSWIM, reminds me that “time is the worst kind of friend. There when you need it and gone in the end.”
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Take in the seasons: the flowers and breeze of springtime, the blinding light and warmth of summertime. the crunch of the leaves in autumn, and the chill and joy of the winter. Take them for what they are and the moments they bring.
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Prioritize what you think is important in the moment. One day it might be your homework because you know it’ll get you where you need to go, but the next it might making sure you take time for yourself, taking a walk or reading a few chapters of your favorite book.
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Take the road trip. You’ll be fascinated with the things you see and the people you meet.
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Allow yourself to reflect on all of the people in our world and their individual stories. Think of a story as an infinite piece of string that you’ve been carrying your entire life. Now think of all of the tangles and knots where your story has come in contact with or overlapped with another person’s story.
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You choose. This life is yours to live fully.
You are the star in your own major motion picture. You are the main character of your own story. Don’t make it to the point where you’re looking back at your years and realize you’ve only truly lived half of your life. Realize what minor inconveniences are and move forward. When a mountain of life’s beautifully difficult moments arise in front of you, take up mountain climbing. When you are chasing a dream life, that’s exactly what you’re doing- Chasing. Fast-paced, watching the trees blur in the window as you speed down the highway. Take the details of your life NOW, and allow them to point you in the direction you want to go.