Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” This is a quote that we should all try to live by. We all have dreams, and we all fantasize about what our lives “could be.” Sometimes, our dreams may feel impossible to achieve, but there is no way to know what is and what is not possible unless we try. We must push ourselves out of our comfort zone and take action for ourselves because we are the only ones who can. We are the masters of our own fate.
It is a fact of life that we all make mistakes, and we have all made decisions that maybe weren’t the best ones to make at the time. Regardless, we need to take the time to realize that the mistakes we have made in life can only help us grow as a person. We are only given one life to live, so we should make sure to live it to the fullest. Instead of dwelling on the poor choices we have made, we need to start taking action. While there is no way for us to change the past, we have every opportunity to move forward and to use the knowledge we have gained from our errors in order to turn ourselves around and give ourselves the life we have always wanted. Whether it’s mending a friendship, fixing family problems, going to law school, taking the opportunity to travel, or taking a class we weren’t able to before, it’s never too late to take action and become the person we hope to become. It is, however, better to start earlier rather than later.
As cliché as it may sound, we need to learn to follow our hearts. Living in a world full of people who so often try to dissuade others from pursuing their dreams, people who often make fun of those who feel they can achieve such extreme goals, is not easy. We mustn’t let those people get to us, though. We can’t allow the judgments of others to cause us to judge ourselves. If something speaks to our hearts, we must stay motivated and focused. We must find inspiration and motivation from others. Going after what we want can give us great pride and a sense of fulfillment. Knowing that we were able to chase our dreams, even if we were unable to fully achieve them, will leave us with less disappointment than if we were to have never tried for the journey we take in achieving our goals is far more important than the goals that we hope to achieve. The journey we take in following our hearts can teach us so much about ourselves. Everything is a learning experience and the more we do, the more we learn.
☮, <3, and #YOLO