Journal 5: Philosophy

You Only Live Once (YOLO!)
Sounds like a cliche title for my philosophy, but it does accurately describe my view on life.

1. Life's too short for secrets. If you think about it, the average lifespan is something around 70 to 80 years. That's pretty short, in perspective. The Earth is a few billion years old, and it's still young. We live such short lives, so why waste it hiding something from everyone around you? You'll feel freer when you aren't hiding yourself. *I learned this in the last few years. I used to think I had to hide certain things from my parents or my friends; now, I have very few secrets from anyone. And I feel very confident in myself, not to mention accepted by those who love me for everything about me, secrets and all.
2. Life's too long for regrets. If you're spending that 70 or 80 years of your life regretting your past, you're doing it wrong. Regrets weigh you down and make you depressed or unhappy in the long run. So decide now: Are you going to let go of all your regrets in the past, or are you going to work now to make sure you don't do things you regret in the future? Or both? *I've realized that both of these are important. If I can let go of the mistakes I've made in the past, I'm not absorbed in reliving them, and I can focus on making sure I don't make the same mistakes in the future. I've become a lot happier and a lot less concerned with things I can't fix.
3. Be brave and stand up for yourself. Don't let others knock you around, or control you, or hurt you. Stand up for yourself and say, I don't like that. It might take a lot of courage to stand up to a friend or even family, but chances are, they'll realize they were wrong and they will have respect for you for standing up for yourself. *There was a friend of mine who would push me around, literally, just to be funny. When he didn't stop, I stood up for myself and told him that I was not okay with him being physical and that it had to stop. He apologized and told me that he hadn't realized he was hurting me. Now, I feel stronger knowing that I can put a stop to the things that make me uncomfortable.
4. Doing everything is better than doing nothing. If you only have one life, then why not live it to the fullest? Do the things that you enjoy doing; and when I say do them, I mean all of them. This way you won't look back with regret and say "I wish I'd done that." *People always tell me I do too many clubs or I'm too busy all the time, but the truth is, I enjoy everything I do. I know I'll die one day, and I don't want to look back and realize I didn't live life to the fullest.
5. Know when to live in the moment, and when to plan for the future. Yes, living in the moment is important. You should always be able to stop and look around you and recognize, I am happy now. But also recognize that you have to work to make your future a happy one, too. Working hard at the right times means you can stop and enjoy life other times. Knowing when is the trick. *I always see people say they're "living in the moment", but when that means they're letting their future fall down the drain, they're going to regret it later. I work hard so that I can do what I want in the future. I also take time to enjoy the little things along the way, so that I don't look back with regrets.
6. Your happiness is the most important. Sounds selfish, I know. But never place someone else's happiness above your own. Remember that you come first. Note that this doesn't mean other people's happiness isn't important; don't purposely try to hurt someone else. But remember that you can't help others be happy if you aren't happy. *I have, in the past, been so intent on making my friends happy (even people I wasn't friends with) that I let myself slip into some serious unhappiness. I assumed that their happiness was more important than mine, and thus my self-esteem took a nose dive. This is bad, guys. Don't let that happen.
7. Nothing comes after this life, so make the most of it. You could try to throw away the rest of my principles by saying that these things won't matter in the afterlife, or whatever. According to my belief system, there is no afterlife. Since everything ends after this life, don't throw this one away. You were given this life for a reason, so go live it. *I'm an atheist, and I have been for as long as I can remember. And because I don't believe in Heaven, or Hell, or reincarnation, or Paradise, Valhalla, or anything, I feel more compelled to live a full and happy life in the time that I have here on Earth. Besides, if there is an afterlife, I'd prefer mine to be spent as a ghost, haunting my favorite places.
8. Never forget to love. This is so important, guys! The most important of all! I hope there never comes a time when people forget to love each other. Don't ever be afraid to put everything on the line for love (that is, if it's actually love– don't confuse it with infatuation). And I don't just mean romantic love, either. I mean your friends, your family, your dog, your chocolate cake! Love is love, and it exists. Don't be afraid of it. Because, even though 95% of the time it sucks, the other 5% is the most wonderful feeling in the world, and I think everyone should experience it. So do it. Love love love like it's the last thing you do, because, heck, it just might be. *Do I even need to explain where this one comes from? It's a philosophy born from a mix of Disney movies and my family, Harry Potter and chocolate cake, good boyfriends, and the wonderful friendships I've made in my lifetime.