on seizing my youth | #23
The past 2 years and counting have come and gone in a blink of an eye. It feels almost as if the entire period has been clumped together as a single timeframe in my mind, and sometimes thinking about it at night makes me feel a sense of defeat. It always ends with a heavy sigh and has me reminiscing about my life before the pandemic hit and how that has affected and altered all our lives forever. Of course, I understand that I am privileged enough to be able to take a step back from all that is happening and turn it into an incredible life-awakening lesson for me instead of letting it eat me inside out.
With this, I have decided to use the period of the pandemic to justify my motivation to be more adventurous, live in the moment, and focus on building and enjoying everything around my life in the present and not worry too much about the future. For far too long I have been somewhat too preoccupied with building lasting wealth and have spent plenty of time worrying about my future, with questions like what kind of job will I want to do or what will happen when it is time for me to move out? Make no mistake, these are questions that I will have to answer but only when the time comes.
Turning my attention to the present, I want to spend more of my time and energy enjoying my personal time, spending quality time with my loved ones and being more adventurous in all aspects of my life. Given that the future is not a given, I want to challenge myself to constantly push the boundaries of my comfort zone. However, it is foolish to think that I am going to live life with reckless abandon. I am aware of the necessary safeguards that need to be in place to ensure that my future self will be able to tide through life without agony, but the difference now is that I will not do so in a way that will come at the expense of my present. The pandemic has reduced the importance of the future and increased the importance I place on my present life and as such has altered the way I look at my life as a whole.
I am turning 23 this year, and my 20s are gradually inching to an end. I am a strong believer that my youth is the best time of my life and I do not intend to worry excessively about my 30s, or 40s and beyond (assuming I make it that far) and miss out on what my body and mind can do when I’m in my 20s. To spell it out for me, I am in my best physical shape to do what I’ve always wanted to do — extreme travelling and sports. Experiences that are physically demanding will not be accessible to me once my age catches up with me and I know for a fact that I will definitely regret it if I do not seize my opportunity in the next 7 years. Additionally, the next 7 years are also the years before significant adult responsibilities hit me, which will likely reduce my opportunities.
I am grateful to be in a safe place physically and mentally, where I can rest knowing that I am able to chase my dreams if I want to. The world doesn’t stop for anyone, and if there’s anything this pandemic has made me realise, is that my life and a future are not guaranteed and I must stop spending my time and energy worrying about meaningless social constructs of society around me. Instead, I should do what I want to do if I have the means to, and if not, work to achieve the means to do so and do it because I’ll only have myself to answer for at the end of the road and I don’t want to look back at a life of missed opportunities.
#23 —n ‘oublie pas de vivre.
Did you like this piece? If so, you can support me by clicking on this coffee button below :)
