“In about 2 seconds the next moment will be gone.”
No, this is not one
of those blogs where someone tells you to go jump off a cliff, go deep down the
ocean, pack your bags and vanish or feel the adrenaline rush every other
second. Frankly, as lucrative as the now famous “You Only Live Once (YOLO)”
concept sounds it still cannot deny the more realistic but not equally famous
concept of “You only die once (YODO)”. This is the blog where I ask you to
value each moment in your own way. Here I will ask you to simply give equal
importance to each and every moment.
Now, I have told you what this blog is about. If you are
smart enough, you will stop reading and go about your daily life doing justice with
each moment you live; but then, we all can use a little push every now and
then.
You all know about the guy who lived every moment, said yes
to everything, partied hard, travelled around like hippies etcetera.... don’t
you? Exactly! This guy never existed or even if he did he never mattered enough
to make an impression on to anyone’s mind.
At least you all would know about the guy who sat back,
relaxed, did his time in the office, came back to his family, watched news,
went on family trips once or twice a year etcetera...don’t you? Well, everyone
knows that guy. This guy has mortgages and he has plans for them. He is
respected in the society. All in all, he is satisfied, well, almost satisfied.
I won’t even bother to waste your time by talking about the
guy who wasted his life.
And finally, the guy who has immaculate long term plans, who
does justice with his time, who has hunger in his eyes but satisfaction in his
heart. He works hard but knows when to sit back and, more importantly, how to
relax. He is the one who knows where he is going or at least trusts his ability
to keep going. He is the guy who will take the risks but knows the subtle
difference between stupidity and bravery.
Living each moment, as if it were your last, is not
important but being satisfied with that moment is. Quotes like “I can live my
whole life in this very moment” and “It’s this very moment that counts and all
other moments are just figments of your imagination” are too romantic for the
real world.
Steve jobs very famously said “If today was the last day of
your life, would you want to do what you are about to do today?” The problem
with this magnificent quote is that it makes many people think “Oh my god! If
today was really my last day, would I really want to go to college?” or “Oh no,
if today is my last day, does my family have enough to survive after me? Am I
working hard enough or should I be clocking in more hours at work?”
What Mr. Jobs really meant was that we should just love what
we are doing. Frankly, if you don’t like going to college then in all
probability, you are pursuing the wrong degree. Period.
In all fairness, life is long enough to do things you want
to do. Or let me re-phrase it; “Life is long enough to do things you “really”
want to do”. But at the same time, life is too short to waste your time “over”
thinking issues or doing things you don’t like to indulge in. You just can’t go
about life in a random fashion.
Know where you are going, be sure of your efforts, be calm
about your approach, enjoy this moment but prepare for the many to come. Have
the courage to take your own decisions, have the humility to respect each
moment and at the same time have the intelligence to value all the moments that
are yet to come.
So, like they say...... GO! LIVE!!!
