The YOLO Philosophy
Your ticket to an exciting & present life
The YOLO philosophy was the key to unlocking my self-made prison.
Let Me Explain
In today’s fast-paced world, we often find ourselves trapped in a stagnant cycle — dwelling on the past and worrying about the future — leaving little room to appreciate the beauty of the present moment.
It is like watching life from inside a moving car — everything zipping by too fast while your mind is preoccupied with something else.
Instead of enjoying the ride, thoughts are consumed by what could have been or might happen next.
This constant focus on imagined troubles robs life of the simple joys.
YOLO + Philosophy = YOLO Philosophy
I’ll keep it short and simple — YOLO means you only live once.
This philosophy encourages engaging in life’s experiences without letting your mind hold you back.
If you knew you had a certain amount of time left on earth, how would you want to live that remaining time?
Handing Over The Keys
With the YOLO philosophy, I felt that much of my time had been recovered.
When I began applying my new philosophy, the feeling of empowerment reminded me of a quote from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller
The movie’s whole point was to encourage people to appreciate and experience life in the moment.
Recently, I’ve applied some concepts from the movie.
Here are the three keys to succeeding with the YOLO philosophy:
- Take Risks — embrace opportunities that challenge your comfort zone!
- Disconnect to Reconnect — remove yourself from your stress (work, social media, people, etc) to reconnect with yourself.
- Be Present — make a conscious effort to clear your mind!
Here’s what happened to me…
Risk
After idling by my past year in university, I took the most significant risk yet.
I moved from Canada to Norway for my final semester!
(I crossed off one of my YOLO bucket list items, which you can find here)
I’m a type one diabetic and was scared out of my mind for the worst-case possibilities.
Luckily, I prepared myself and my environment to meet my needs instead of worrying about how bad things could go or recalling every time I had an incident.
Reconnection
I used to collect hours of doom scrolling on Instagram and TikTok.
Slowly, my brain rotted away until I deleted them.
This happened right before summer.
I thought I’d get FOMO, but I ended up rebuilding my relationship with myself and starting to write—something I never thought I’d do in a lifetime.
It was like giving my spirit and mind a breather.
Presence
Finally, when I started journalling last year, I thought it was a waste of time because I only recounted my experiences — something I wanted to avoid.
I couldn’t be more wrong.
For just 2 minutes a day, journalling freed my thoughts anchored to my mind, allowing me to process experiences from a different perspective.
Not only did I feel more present, I felt gratitude towards life itself.
You Only Live Once In This Moment
When you think about it, every moment happens only once throughout your life.
Even as I write this article, this moment will never return.
Several months ago, I had a mindset consumed by the wrongs of my past and the decisions I needed to make for my future.
Those moments happen.
They will happen.
It’s up to you whether or not you let them consume your life.
You should follow the YOLO philosophy of taking risks, disconnecting from routine, and being present!
Let me know your results.
