Last week, my family lost a member. My great cousin, Janie, passed away from a stroke. She was only very, very recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in her lungs, bones, liver, and more. Basically, it was almost all over her body and she had a limited time to live. She knew about it for about a month and succumbed to a stroke. It was almost as if fate had flipped a switch and decided it was her time.
Her passing really put things into perspective for me. Did she get to do anything she desired to do before she died? Did she go anywhere exciting? Did she do anything dangerous/taboo? That day I stopped and thought about what I was hesitating to do and what I was waiting for. I know I don’t have the money to buy a Maserati or an 8-bedroom mansion, but what I can afford and do, I need to do now. You never truly know when you will blink and never open your eyes again.
So, through this experience, I did something for myself, seized the day and reminded myself there is no better time than the present. I decided to go out and do something I have always thought about (you can ask me about it if you really want to know, but I would rather not share). I also realized some goals I want to achieve through this experience. I want to trade in my high school car in for a small truck and take out a loan for it. I want to apply my heart out for teaching jobs. I want to enjoy my hobby and I want my fiance and stop working so much.
In making my own goals, I want to encourage you to do what your heart desires. Ask that guy on a date! Go get that piercing or tattoo! Go skydiving! If it makes you happy and doesn’t hurt anyone else, take that leap of faith and just do it! We never know how much time we have left.