I saw this quote on a sign a few months ago and it’s stuck with me. Partially because it’s funny but it’s so true. Every day we wake up we should be going out living our lives to the fullest extent. That doesn’t necessarily mean spending a fortune on every vacation you can get your hands on but that does mean spending time with the people you love, making memories, laughing harder, and being intentional with the time you do have in life.

Life sucks, people get hit by cars, get cancer, you name it! You never know when your life might end or something might completely interrupt your way of living. I have no intentions of being 60, 70, 80 or beyond with regrets.

When you’re 19, the phrase the days are long but the years go by fast doesn’t resonate with you. I think that’s why it becomes easier to forget how old you are as we age. The focus of life becomes less about what’s right in front of you and more about the years to come. Everyone has their own timeline but after you’ve established a home, gotten married, and had some kids your day to day doesn’t change anywhere near as much as when you were a teenager.

If you’re not intentional with the time you do have, it’s easy for it to slip away.

Life gets busy and things happen but you can’t let life continue to live on without you. Make the memories, love the people around you, and most importantly do not make excuses as to why you’re not able to do something. I’ve been fortunate to travel considerably more the past few years than I have my entire life. Why? I prioritized what I wanted to do in life before it was too late. In my case, I wanted to travel before I got settled down with kids making it harder/more expensive to travel in the first few years. I didn’t want to get stuck, work the same job for 40 years, and never leave the part of the country I grew up in. Maybe for you it’s not traveling, maybe it’s learning a language, maybe it’s forging deeper connections with those closest to you.

Your goals don’t have to be lavish or expensive for them to be important to you. Regardless of what it is, make it happen.

If you’re single, go on adventures! Use it as an opportunity to heal wounds from your childhood or a previous relationship. Go to therapy. If you’ve done that and don’t want to pursue a relationship or aren’t finding the right person, live your life! Being single does not mean your life is not important or fleeting as much as it would be if you were married. Whether it’s what you wanted for your life or not, being single is a unique opportunity to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Use it! Live the best life you can provide for yourself!

Married people, live your life! I respect my husband and prefer when he is home with me but I also acknowledge the fact that he doesn’t own me. My life doesn’t stop when he’s at work and his life doesn’t stop when I am. The analogy of when two become one really throws people. An expectation of long term relationships is that you morph into one big ole relationship blob. Forgetting that for two to become one there had to be two that became one in the first place. You have thoughts, desires, and things you love to do the other person may not. Sometimes that means doing what you want to do when they aren’t available.

Regardless of your situation, don’t let life slip away from you. Make memories, love the people around you, love yourself, and do what makes you happy. Make it happen! Life is too short not to enjoy every minute of it.