Why I Don’t Have Time For Time Anymore — I Choose Action.

Dreams only last as long as this life does — which isn’t long at all. 

So, dance everywhere, catch every sunset you can, and live in the moment. Take that road trip, fly high in a hot air balloon… but, whatever you do… just live now.

When I was younger, I thought I was immortal. You think your 20s last forever. Once they’re gone, you realize how quickly life passes. It’s faster than quicksand.

You’ve heard it before and I’ll say it again, “All you have is now.” I’m still considered young (at nearly 31) but that implication of youthfulness doesn’t mean anything. For years, I heard people say, “You have your whole life ahead of you.” I want to kill that saying. It’s like passing out false promises. You ONLY have right now. There is no promise of tomorrow.

Almost every day, in one way or another, I am reminded of how fragile life is. You cannot take it for granted. There’s so much to get done and so much that could prevent it all from getting done. So, take every moment you can and do every single God-given thing you can with it. 

I’m going to say something odd: I don’t have time for time anymore.

Time is not on my side, it’s not my friend. Action is.

Every day, I try to make a conscious decision to be happy — no matter what this life may throw at me. Some days, I fail miserably. Some days, I just plain suck at it. But, deep in my core, I still try to choose happiness. My heart is in the right place. I don’t care if someone hurts my feelings, if I’m faced with a gigantic bill, or if my car gives up on me. These occurrences will always show up at our door… it’s how we act when faced with them that defines everything.

I will find the good — because even in the bad — the good is there.

I remember going to the doctor’s once and the technician asked me how my day was and I simply said, “Good. Every day is a good day, right?” The technician paused and responded, “Wow. Yes, actually, every day is a good day.” When life is as fleeting as it is, why are we wasting our time focusing on what brings us down instead of laughing more, dancing more, catching sunsets, and checking off bucket-list items?

But I’m getting ahead of myself. So many of us act like dreams last forever. However, if we dream and plan for the future, we are assuming we have one. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should pretend there is no future. Rather, we must utilize every moment we have to the fullest. I don’t want to wait for things anymore, I want to go get them… today.

I’ve learned to do at least one thing every single day to bring me closer to my career goals. I exert so much more than I will ever get back. But I can’t be happy or feel that I’m truly living unless I work regularly on my aspirations. If I sat on my goals, I would be losing out on so much. So, my advice? Don’t make a to-do list anymore, make a “today list.” Pick three or even just one thing you can do today that brings you closer to dreams.

Find your joy and find it today. Now. Not even tomorrow; do one thing that brings you that much closer to your light. Whatever you do, just chase that happiness in any way you can and every second you can because if you wait for the “right time,” you will be waiting forever.

And, well, no one has time for that.

This story originally appeared on felicianaoum.com