Make the most of now. Now!

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” A.B

Some time ago I wrote and article for Helium about how to make the best of each moment, which explained how in each situation there is always a little something we don’t usually notice that will bring up the bright side. Before we can make the most of the moment though, we have to make the choice of throwing ourselves in. There’s no way we can fully experience from out there.

Photo by Jphilipson

Ok, but why take the step when it’s so stable and safe where I am now?

Stability and safety are probably the two things most people are looking to reach in their life. The problem with it? It becomes boring. And when people are bored they feel unsatisfied and instead of enjoying what they have worked so hard to build, they start thinking.
Thinking is powerful. It can help, improve, and solve any situation by bringing the smallest idea to life. Unfortunately, it also has the power to destroy dreams, bring doubts and regrets and therefore make our life miserable.

So how do I jump in?

Stop thinking! Don’t stay there trying to see in your head how things will turn. If you know you really want to do it, then give it a try! You might have done research, asked people’s opinion, been given advices, but since we’re all different, we might not see things the same way other have. Don’t you want to know what there is for you out there?

Don’t waste time trying to guess what others think either, you’ll never move!

I’m in, so what now?

Things usually go faster once you’ve made the big step. Here are a few things we tend to forget which can help enhance your experience.

#1 Don’t expect, be ready!

Expectations may be one of the things that can truly bring disappointment. If we’re not open to eventualities and are just waiting for things to come as we were told they would, then making the most of the experience might be an issue. If you’re not ready to deal with the unknown, too afraid things will be different from what you’ve heard, think about it and ask yourself why you didn’t just stay home watching a movie about it.

#2 Do your best!

If you can always bring out the best of you, and remember to do it, positivity will not only affect you, but all those around. Whether it is people who are part of the experience, but also the ones who are not necessarily next to you; family, friends, and others you might influence and who just like you will research before jumping in.

#3 Learn from it!

There is always something new to learn from any experience. The smallest things will probably confirm your ideas, improve what you already do or open doors to something new to discover. If you fail, there’s even more to learn. Of course it will take time and motivation, but how did you think other people know more than you do?

#4 Most of all, Have fun!

The very important point: don’t forget to have fun! was probably what made you want to make the step in the first place. I won’t write too much about it as I’m sure, most of us know how to have fun. Any experience can be seen as good if we had a great time and enjoyed. Yes, that’s all it takes.

Don’t forget that when we’re having fun, time usually goes faster, and in most cases we tend to forget the first 3 points which can really make the difference. These ideas can apply in any situation, in our everyday life. When we think about it, how many times could we have really, fully experienced, learned and shared? These are small and easy things we could do, but then again, the hardest part is to remember them.

Fail more

Failure I think is the one reason why most of us, stay there in our comfort zone, hoping for exciting adventures and success to emerge out of the blue. After a little while; or a life time, we just realize it’s too late, and all we can do now is just stay sited in this same comfort zone and contemplate what smarter people have accomplished.

Image by extranoise

While failing may prevent us from taking initiatives, it is in fact what can help us improve our way to success. In almost everything in life, there are going to be many tries before perfection. From learning to stand and walk to making our biggest dream a reality, it is very hard to see a result just by sitting there and hoping it will happen. It may. Wait a little more, and you’ll tell me.

Why are we so afraid to fail? Are we afraid to fall when we try walking for the first time? It doesn’t seem so for me.

Is it because we’re afraid of what people around us may think? Some might laugh; others will just pretend to care. In the worst case we’ll be pointed out and be seen as some crazy freak who thinks life is that simple. From there the best is to use what you can. Listen to their advices and warning but don’t let them kill your desire. Ideas can seem insignificant and unrealizable when they start, but how did you think the greatest things in this world happen?

There are times when failing is seen as wasting; wasting time, money, energy. If we see it this way, then there’s something we’re doing wrong. This, because every time something didn’t work as well as we thought it would have, we learn. Turn around, and see where the crack is. Once you know where it is and how it happened then, there’s no waste. I recently read “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over hopping for a different result”. There is waste when you don’t take time to understand what causes the failure and just decide to give it another blind try or more commonly, give up.

I don’t believe in an overnight miracle recipe that will one day appear in my mailbox. For everything we want to achieve there’s a price. Reaching the destination may not be easy and failing WILL be part of the journey, but before we know the smartest way to get there the only solution to avoid the no-exit streets is to know where they are.