Take Every Moment

I was talking to a friend today about adventures and living up life. We’re given this opportunity to live and we can either choose to do something with it or just let it pass us by. Why wouldn’t you live up every moment and take advantage of this opportunity we’ve been given? Say “yes” instead of “no.” Why not? This whole idea reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Garden State. Towards the end of the movie, the characters go on this wild and completely random search for this gift. Throughout the trip, there are many points in which any of the characters could just go home and be done, but instead they continue to roll with it and end up on this adventure. If they would have stopped, they could have missed out on an amazing experience. While I love a good adventure, I am not completely delirious either. I understand that not every “yes” will lead to some fantastic adventure, but how will you know, if you don’t try. A great moment is well worth a few dull ones.

I have been making a conscious effort lately at being less negative and taking things as they come. It is much easier being happy and rolling with the punches, rather than letting things bog me down. I am learning to take things for what they are and trying to find a positive, rather than a negative in everything. Just by doing this, I am so much happier. Buddha said, “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” Some people choose to dwell on the negative things in their life. A bad day at work, a bad day in general, an argument or fight, and even jealousy. When I started paying attention to myself, I began to notice others that were doing the same. These people were emotionally draining because everything was negative. Was I really like that? Well, unfortunately yes. But now that I’ve realized how I was, I’ve made an effort to change. And while others may have noticed this or not, I personally feel better and I think more people would as well if they took a second to take in the beautiful things about life and these moments. I’ve learned that if you’re not happy, you can change it. If you’re having a bad day at work, there is still more time in the day to make it better. You shouldn’t let one moment determine your entire day. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “you become what you think about most of the time.” Happiness is an inside job. If you’re tired of waiting for something to happen, get out there and make something happen.

We are defined by the experiences and the actions of our lifetime. We are defined by years of fun and boredom, of excitement and terror, of pleasure and pain, of love and loathing. We are a product of the things we controlled as well as stuff that land on our laps courtesy of fate, chance, bad luck, or destiny. It’s up to us how we choose to take each situation and handle it. When you think positively or find the good, you are able to live life up. When you say you are going to go on an adventure, stop talking about it, go out and do it. If you focus on having fun and not taking yourself that seriously, everything falls into place. And to end this little spiel, I’ve added my favorite all time quote below:
NEVER SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE.

Listening to: Lenka - Live Like You're Dying