Don't wish your life away... before you know it you might be being attacked by a giant pencil :P
Yes, I, Rosa Fairfield wrote this... photos by Linda Smith
An hour or so ago, I was sitting in my bathtub reading Amy Poehler's book, Yes Please. (Amy Poehler and Kate McKinnon are two people who inspires me, whilst I'm treading the difficult road of trying to become a comedy actress.) Anyway, back to my story and the point of this post, I had a revelation: now is good. No, not the 2012 film staring Dakota Fanning but the meaning. Don't wish your life away... don't live in the future or become so focused on your goals that you forget to enjoy the moment. See these reasons bellow if you don't believe me:
The journey is the best part:
Boy, does that sound cheesy. It makes me cringe when people say 'i've been on a journey'. What I mean is, that if you have big dreams, it's sometimes hard to keep going because you crave success and it can get frustrating when it doesn't happen right away - you start to wonder if it ever will.
Maybe I sound crazy but I think the middle is the best part. To be steadily working towards your goals, to be trying to achieve something. That's the part when you go through so many different emotions and learn stuff and discover yourself.
In a way, I like constantly obsessing over my Instagram followers and watching them rise and hitting and passing targets on the way to my main goal. I like learning how to make better videos, to take better photographs. I like having to work a part time job... and being completely broke... not knowing where I'm going to be tomorrow... living off beans and toast... murdering the other actors so they have no choice but to give me the part. It's hard work but it's an adventure, I like the excitement of it all. It's like playing a game... but the game is your life.
When you achieve your goals then what else is there?
Maybe this is just because I'm a very goal orientated person. I also love to be busy and I'm not great at relaxing... but if you do end up achieving all your life's ambitions then what do you do? Maybe for a while you would bask in the life you earned... but soon you would get restless and create new goals and work on them. Like I said before, the journey is the best bit, so enjoy it, instead of wanting to rush through to the finish line.
Don't wish your life away
When you are young it's so easy to fall into the habit of saying: I wish I was 18, then when you are 18, I wish I was 30 and so on and so on. Before you know it, you are 60 and your life is flashing before your eyes as you have fallen off the top of the Eiffel Tower in a freak accident. Then people fall into the trap of reaching middle age and wanting to wind back the clock. Make the most of the stage of life you are at and enjoy it. We all want what we can't have but when you think those thoughts you should tell your mind to shut up.
Focus on one thing at a time
I'm awful at this. Whenever I'm doing a task I'm always thinking about the next one... or coming up with random ideas for things. Only problem is... that this just ends up with me feeling a bit overwhelmed and not enjoying or focusing on the task. Really engross yourself in every task and try to enjoy it and give it your all.
Just be...
I'm moving away from goal orientated points. I was having a picnic with a friend in the summer. I was staring at the trees, as the evening light shone through them... making the leaves and the grass sparkle. I must have been smiling to myself because my friend said, "It's nice how you can just enjoy the moment."
Sometimes it's just nice to look at the landscape around you. Clear your mind of all thoughts and really look at it for what it is... forget that you see it everyday and take it for granted and look at it with new eyes. Study it and note how it feels. Always take note of the feelings it brings up and try to commit every detail to memory. Just be there in that moment...
So those are my tips... but hey, what do I know, I'm just 23 year old that thinks she knows and understands far more than she actually does. I'm guessing that that's another part of being in your 20s.
