Have you ever heard of that expression “You Only Live Once”? Yeah, it’s annoying when everyone says it but in all that it is, it’s the truth. I’m not going to go into the idea of reincarnation or religious inquiries, because that’s not what this blog is about. For all we know as a fact, you only live once, and even if you don’t believe that, you’ve got to treat your life like that. Because what if it is true? Then you should live your life to its fullest potential.
First off, check out the music section tonight and listen to Bruce Springsteen’s song because I still have adrenaline pumping through my system about the risk I just took.
When I say risk, I am not referring to jumping off a cliff and falling into cold water because I wanted to know what it felt like to do that. Because that’s what a risk is, yeah?
No. That’s not what taking a risk means. Don’t do stupid things to just explore what it “feels like” to be stupid. That includes grabbing that bottle of beer next to you and chugging that plus five more bottles.
But I just got back from doing something that I’m not very good (at all), but I survived through it; I didn’t crash and burn or say something that was going to embarrass myself and ruin my chances in life. But I knew doing what I did would give me a chance to get me further in my future. I don’t know if I succeeded at that chance or not, but at least I took it and, right now, that’s all I really care about.
And this is why I’m saying this. We don’t take enough risks! Some of us don’t raise our hands in class because we’re too scared that what we’re about to ask will be the dumbest thing said in history. Some of us wait for the boy next to us to ask us out instead of asking the boy out instead, because that’s not the “traditional” way of dating.
Who cares if that’s not the “traditional” way? Because in the end, it’s you living with your life, and the worst that will happen is that you will be the heart of the gossip panel for less than twenty-four hours. This is called the spotlight effect: stop thinking that everyone is watching you and start doing what you want. Nobody cares enough to watch other people because they’re too obsessed with the idea that other people are watching them.
So take that risk. Take that chance that you’ve never allowed yourself to do before. There’s one thing in this world that will haunt you for the rest of your life and that’s regret. You’ll regret not taking that chance, constantly thinking about how your life would be different if you had. Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t make yourself regret.
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