Finding the Balance Between YOLO and Responsibilities
Recently, I read an article about Holly Butcher, who at the age of 27 died of Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Before her death, she wrote a moving message about life’s frailty and offered some great advice. Although we are all aware of the reality of death, we sometimes forget that we are not all guaranteed a long and healthy life. Holly’s message especially resonated with me because I am also 27 and could not imagine leaving the physical world right now. I still have so many things I want to do and experience.
One of her key advice is to reassess and readjust your life priorities, in other words “work to live, don’t live to work.” This is easier said than done because we all need money to live. Everything costs something. The key is to learn what is necessary, downsize if possible, and live! I struggle with this everyday as I am naturally a "worker". A week would go by before I realized I have not accomplished a single thing that made me genuinely happy. When was the last time you did something just for the sake of it? What is the point of working so much if you do not have time to actually enjoy life?
Reassessing my actual needs versus wants lead the way to me purging the house of unnecessary “things” which was surprisingly a cleansing experience for me. After doing all of this, I noticed that I thought twice about every purchase I made. The less I spend, the more money I have in the bank and the more freedom I have in the future. Making memories and discovering new places are my new goals in life because when you really think about it, you cannot take anything with you when you die...
If you are rolling your eyes at the thought of this, then it is not for you and that is ok too. We all have different priorities in life. What is important is that we assess our current situation, do what makes us happy, and do not apologize/feel guilty for it. Maybe you can pass up that extra shift that you do not necessarily need and go on a hike with your dog, breathe in some fresh air, and take a mental break. Take that earned vacation time and do not worry about whether it would look bad professionally because hey, you earned it. Do something that makes you happy everyday even if it is something small. Do not waste a single day because that is time you will never get back. Responsibilities will always be there…you cannot live solely on sunshine and air but you do not have to be engulfed in the material driven world that we live in. Prioritize your life and maybe you will discover a new way of living, one decision at a time. Namaste!