happiness

#YOLO so do it big

Jump off a cliffI’m sure you have read all about the new YOLO movement. It’s about doing what you want, not being afraid and enjoying your life – because after all you only live once.

Why don’t people always live their lives to the fullest?

Maybe it’s because they’re scared to fail.  Maybe it’s because they don’t have the money to really do what they want or maybe people don’t take a leap of faith because they don’t want to have regrets. Whatever the reason bucket lists are popping up everywhere as people start to live the lives they’ve always wanted to have.

I never really enjoyed my life because I was always a negative person. After a few years of nothing but bad luck I started seeing the bad side of everything. It’s a really unhealthy habit and it prevented me from doing anything – let alone doing what I wanted to. I was so afraid of making another bad decision that I just floated through life and made no decisions at all.

The thing about always taking the safe way out is it’s boring. I wouldn’t daydream and I couldn’t even possibly think about something other than the life that was right in front of my nose. But when I finally took a chance and started to think about what I wanted things started to happen and my life got a lot better.

YOLO so what do you want to do?

I kept complaining about my financial situation, but I never did anything about it. Until one day I hit rock bottom and decided that I was going to live a happy financial life. I cut up my credit cards, set up pre authorized payments onto all my debt on a biweekly basis and I got a second job. Admitting my financial defeat was a tough journey towards financial freedom and there were a lot of tears along the way but it was worth it in the end. Now I’m happy and instead of living off debt I can actually afford to pay for the things I want with cash.

The YOLO mentality applies to our lifestyle as well as everything in our life. Over the last two years I decided to start loving life and learn to love myself. It has been a huge personal growth experience for me. Instead of passing up on experiences because I couldn’t find anyone to go with me I started travelling alone. Have you ever travelled alone? It may seem lonely to some but the truth is it’s very exciting. I love travelling by myself because I can do what I want, when I want and it’s very liberating.

Here are a few things on my YOLO bucket list – what’s on yours?

– Learn to Surf (or at least try)

– Spend a week in Portugal

– Go To Italy

– Jump off a dock or cliff or something into the water in Greece  (inspired by the movie Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants)

– See an NBA Basket Ball Game or Concert @ Madison Square Garden

– I really want to be in a Flash Mob

– Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans

– Learn to Speak Spanish (at least at a conversational level)

– Be on a game show preferably The Price Is Right

Photo from flickr

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6 Comments

  • I’ve been talking to Wes a lot lately about trying to get on the Price Is Right. That would be a dream! There are even articles out there that tell you how you can increase your chances at getting selected.

  • Some of my YOLO bucket lists are: trying for a zip line, go for snorkeling and getting to be more adventurous. I would be turning 29 next month, I’m just thinking that I’m afraid too much, even in a simple thing, I want to try something different! 🙂

    • I would love to go snorkeling. I love the water. I would even like to go deep sea diving at least once. A zip line seems cool, it’s probably a huge rush. I’m not a fan of heights so it’s out for me. I would be so terrified that I would get scared of the heights and let go of the zip line – not good.

  • My YOLO bucket lists are…

    -To visit Thailand and eat earthly creatures like scorpions, tarantulas, and grasshoppers.
    -To get on a cruise.
    -Climb 4 mountains every year.
    -To travel with a stranger (that sounds fun!)

    Basically, that’s it and hopefully I will be able to do all these things.

    • I always love watching people eat live bugs on Survivor. It’s amazing what people will do for money. You can join an organized tour to climb a mountain and then you will be crossing two things off your list – stranger and mountains.

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