Living In The Now
When are you graduating? You’re going to graduate school, right? When do you want to get married? Do you want kids? Okay, I’ll stop stressing you out now.
We are expected to plan every aspect of our lives. Don’t get me wrong, figuring out what you want to do is okay – to an extent. When every single aspect of your life is planned, problems start to arise. Instead of outlining your entire life (or looking back on your past), focus on how to make your present self better.
I let the bad things in my past haunt me for most of my life. If you know me, you know I’m an incredibly passionate person. I put my all into every relationship and task. Focusing all of my energy on every little thing I do is mentally and physically exhausting in itself. When a relationship or situation comes crashing down, everything inside me shuts off. I always wondered the questions, Why would this happen to me? Did I deserve this? I thought I was the problem every time something didn’t go as planned. I would build walls and push everyone away instead of seeing the lessons. Not only did I live in the past, I used to meticulously plan every aspect of my future.
Being passionate and a control freak is a deadly combination (trust me, I’ve been there). In high school, I planned out what I was doing each day of the week. If I didn’t have something to do for a day, I’d get extremely upset and think I was wasting my time. I always put myself in stressful, time-crunching situations. Senior year, I was the editor for both the newspaper and the yearbook (as well as being the main photographer for these projects). Was I stressed out of my mind? Absolutely. Did I think I should give myself a break? Nope. I was worried that if I didn’t prove myself, I wouldn’t have left my mark.
On top of all of my responsibilities, I worried about having the perfect grades and my college career. I kept pressuring myself to make the biggest decision of my life, my major. You’ve heard it so many times — “You’ll change your major at least once.” Want to know something? I changed it the second day of my first semester. The right decision doesn't always come within your deadline. I also tried to plan how my relationships would go freshman year. Newsflash: you can’t plan how and when you’re going to meet someone. I had to learn life is about the unpredictable, and that’s what makes it beautiful.
These are just a few of the never-ending examples of how I didn’t live in the present. Reflecting on my experiences, I came up with a few pointers to help you live for today.
You are more than your past
Your past helps shape you into the person you are, but you aren’t your past. I used to hate writing and could never see myself doing it as a career. I was insecure about my writing technique and refused to give it another shot. Now look at me, I’m a journalism major and can’t live without it. Moral of the story: insecurities and fear from your past can be overcome. Will it take work? Yes, but it’ll be worth it.
You never know when your last moment is with someone
Don’t take any conversation, smile, or glance for granted. Nothing is permanent. When you live in the past or plan for the future, you don’t notice the people in front of you. Just as someone can easily enter your life, they can leave without warning. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or pet, give them the time.
Focusing on yourself now will help you in the future
The best thing you can do for your future self is to focus on what’s happening now. Want to be a doctor? You’ll need to pass all of your freshman exams before you reach that goal. It takes time, determination, and effort to reach your dreams. Instead of focusing on the end goal, focus on what you should be doing right now to reach it.
Embrace life’s spontaneity
Life is a series of never-ending surprises, and you can’t control what’s going to happen. Instead of trying to prepare every aspect, let life do its thing. Mistakes, opportunities, relationships, and a life overflowing with happiness can’t be planned. Spontaneous adventures make existence worth living. Instead of being stressed something didn’t go as planned, embrace it.
Live life for YOU
If there’s one point to take away, it’s this: Planning out a life your parents, teachers, or friends expect will make you miserable. The only person living your life is you, so make it enjoyable. For a while, I thought about majoring in physical therapy. I always knew, deep down, this path wasn’t for me, but it was what people expected me to do. We’re told to have a high-paying job, get married, and have kids. I want a job I’m passionate about. Would I like to get paid millions to do what I love? Absolutely. Does life work that way? Most of the time, no. Live a life that you’ll be proud of.
Life is unexpected. When you focus on everything you’ve done or will do, you miss the beauty surrounding you. It’s okay to plan out bits and pieces of your life, but don’t let these expectations consume you. You only have one life; live it to the fullest. Most importantly, never forget to live in the now.
Be well, Auburn.
Photography: Jacob H. & Abbey C.
Copy Editor
Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, Abbey is an icee and horror movie addict just trying to major in visual journalism. She loves music, photography, and possibly every type of dog that exists. When she isn’t at work or class, you can find her binge watching The Office, eating Mexican food, laughing at her own jokes, or at a local trivia night.
If Abbey is ever up before nine in the morning, she didn’t fall asleep the night before. Her favorite ways to stay active are playing volleyball, running away from her problems, and walking The Rec’s track with her friends. Her dream is to become a photographer and writer for a major magazine or newspaper.
