As I find myself in the moderately terrible throes of January, a month of drab weather and feelings, I’ve been seeking sentiments of motivation in every possible corner; new music (and the same 10 sad songs on repeat), 3 a.m. conversations with roommates and long-distance friends, writing and scratching out and rewriting again, and of course, social media “self-help” content. In an effort to lessen my use of Instagram (mostly to no avail), I’ve been revisiting Pinterest, an old love of mine full of countless random ideas and responses for every possible question you can present it with.
In my search for mantras, affirmations, or any words to tell me everything will be okay, one saying I found stands out in particular: “Do it or don’t, the time will pass anyway.” And so, since then, I’ve been repeating in my head: “Do it or don’t, the time will pass anyway.”
In trying to find the words’ original speaker, I’ve only found what I assume to be its origins, a quote by Earl Nightingale: “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”
Though I am unsure of the quote’s original context, or of how it came to inspire more simplistic versions of itself, I appreciate the different angle on the concept of “carpe diem” or “you only live once.” Rather than just emphasizing the importance of taking the opportunities presented to us now, “Do it or don’t, the time will pass anyways” speaks to the concurrent fact of life that we have little-to-no control; despite our best efforts to slow our time or speed it up, it will pass steadily, consistently, and independently of whatever seasons of life we are facing. A dose of minor nihilism can either make you feel horrifically hopeless, or free from constant anxiety and overthinking, and for me, it is the latter — because at the end of the day, whether you do it or don’t, the time will pass anyways…so you might as well do it.
The “it” that you are choosing to do (or not) can be many different things at different points in your life: applying for that job, splurging on those plane tickets, learning that instrument or how to roller skate or a new language that has always interested you. It could be indulging every niché interest that crosses your mind, leaving harmful relationships behind, confessing your love and accepting the possibility of rejection, learning how to love yourself, or merely deciding what you want for your life and committing to making it happen. It could be all of these things or none of them, the point being that we all start the same way and end the same way — what we choose to do with that time in between is what makes life worth fighting through, and fighting for.
We owe it to ourselves to live our lives the way we want to. Though countless external factors seek to cut us down, present us with obstacles, or make our dreams seem genuinely impossible, the one thing that can never be taken away from us is our unbroken, relentless (albeit, exhausted and at times, doubtful) persistence to just keep trying. Honestly, what other choice do we have?
These days, when I find myself desperately summoning the motivation to keep going or to find excitement in my everyday life, I simply remind myself that whether I do it or don’t, the time will pass anyway. That simplistic fact reminds me of my own impermanence, and allows me to see the beautiful, fleeting urgency of my life as it stands, here and now. We must learn to accept the things we cannot change, one of which being that nothing is forever; time really does fly, and everyone you meet will eventually leave your life in one way or another. Ultimately, nothing is promised. But we can promise ourselves to always take our chances, to appreciate our cherished moments with those we love and with ourselves, and to live our lives to the fullest while we are afforded the time. We cannot change our circumstances, only how we react to them.
Though we all inevitably make mistakes, flounder, and take things for granted, these experiences are the catalysts for our growth, and ignite our desire to make the most of our brief, precious time. We then can go forward, reminding ourselves to “Do it or don’t, the time will pass anyway”; we can proceed with gratitude, and with newfound determination to write our lives into ones we want to live.