Don’t Let Your Dreams Just Be Dreams

TINA CHEN
Staff Writer

There was a time in my life when I was convinced that I was going to die. The doctors were waiting for results to confirm this fact, but I knew by their faces that I did not have much time left.
I asked myself, “What is the point of continuing high school when I might not even make it to college?” I started to live my life by counting how many days I had left instead of cherishing every moment. I spent days moping in bed wondering why I didn’t deserve to live longer than anyone else and contemplated ending my life right there and then. Luckily, I didn’t because the results came back negative and alas, the heaviest burden was lifted from my shoulders and I knew it was time for a change.
From that moment on, I realized I have spent all my time selflessly pleasing others, because I thought that it made me a good person and that others will view me the same way.
Thereafter, I started to understand from my experience that life is very short and this is the only life we’ll get to live. Someone once said to me, “The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have and should have.” I often look back to my past thinking of how I could have done things differently, but these regrets are definitively holding me back. There may be times when we have felt that life is personified to hate us, but we don’t always feel content and thankful for what we do have. Compared to those living in poverty and are barely getting by, our #firstworldproblems are so miniscule and self-centered.
Recently, the acronym YOLO, which means “you only live once,” has become a motto that people either love or hate. Though it is often overused and used incorrectly, it is conclusively true. We often fill our lives with unnecessary stress and strife by focusing on issues that, in the larger scheme of things, are inconsequential. By doing so, we are concentrating only on the negative and neglecting the positive.
In high school, it is understandable that gossips and rumors circulate like sales at Macy’s during Black Friday, but the time wasted from caring about what others say or think about you means that you do not understand the value of life.
The times I have gotten hurt, the times I have felt pain and the times I have lost faith and trust have made me who I am today. Life is ironic, isn’t it? You cannot fully understand what is worth living for until you have experienced devastation.
I, however, know that I do not want to wake up with regrets, because at one point in my life, those regrets were what I wanted and strived for. Do something to make every moment count; take those chances that are in front of you, because the opportunities in life’s setbacks may wind up being the best things that have ever happened to you.
When life does suck, you just have to remember that death will come along and if you’re still reading this, congratulations! You are alive and being alive is a special occasion worth an infinite value.