You only live once. Y.O.L.O. Four simple letters. In today's society this term is used superficially, but can a deeper meaning apply? Our time on earth is finite, life is fleeting. A person needs to live their life to the best of their ability. All people can overcome their obstacles. A person has a "virtual checking account" where a deposit of 86,400 is made at the start of every day. Everyone has the same amount of seconds to do with as we wish. Whether spent frivolously or productively, the seconds are gone FOREVER at 11:59:59p.m. Though the seconds can't be saved for the future, they can be invested in a project scheduled for fruition at a later date.
How to put YOLO into action for a well-lived life? First, "don't just be, do". So many people just exist, going through the motions of living. Trudging along in the same daily routine, never deviating from their daily path. As human beings, we get stuck in a rut. We're not happy about the situation, but we're comfortable! AND CHANGE SUCKS! AS Rosalind Russell said in the movie Auntie Mame, "Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death". Get a little faith. Believe in yourself. Have confidence in your abilities. In 12-step programs, it is suggested that one finds a higher power. It doesn't have to be the God of Abraham that Muslims, Jews, and Christians worship. In 12-step programs, a higher power is referred to as "finding a God, life force, higher power" of your own understanding. There is room for the atheist to have a higher power. 'To thine own self be true"-(Polonius-Hamlet). Again, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!. Don't get stuck in the "somedays". Someday when I"m _______(older, richer, stable, skinnier, smarter, etc.) I'll do_____(fill in the blank). Turn someday into TODAY! I WILL MAKE a conscious effort to do _____. Ask how I can make a difference in somebody's life TODAY! Everybody has something to offer to someone else exactly at this time in their life.
DO YOUR BEST! Do the best you can to the best of your ability at this time in your life! Another saying in 12-step programs is "don't quit just before the miracle happens". Discover your gifts. All of us have a gift that is uniquely ours. There are things a person will not be good at, that's just a fact of life. Know when to quit. Doesn't mean you're a failure, it's just that particular thing isn't for them. You never FAIL until you STOP TRYING.
Y.O.L.O. It's a more important acronym then just a feel-good saying on a bumper sticker. Y.O.L.O. is a philosophy for life. What is the best way to boil Y.O.L.O. down to its simplest terms? Legendary coach and basketball commentator Jim Valvano said it best:
"To me, there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think-spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you Laugh, Think and Cry, that's a heck of a day. AND Don't give up, don't ever give up."
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