The minutes I decided to start living were crucial.

I think when people imagine “living” they think of having all your ducks in a row. Having your entire life planned out and following that plan.

But in reality, no one has it all figured out. There isn’t an age that you suddenly know exactly what you’re going to do for the rest of your life. And honestly, there is so much beauty in that.

I get a lot of people telling me they wish they had my life. They wish they could do the things that I do. They wish they had it all figured out.

What they don’t realize, is that I am just like any other human being. I have a rough past, I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve moved on. I’m just like them.

Do I have my life figured out? No. I have a few ideas of things I would love to do in the future, I have a list of things I’d like to accomplish in the next few weeks, and long term goals. But that doesn’t mean I have it all figured out.

So what’s the difference?

I live.

Every morning I sit in bed and plan my day. I look at my list of things to-do and see what I NEED to get accomplished that day. I have all of my school assignments and work shifts written in. And then when I’m not working, I do what makes my heart happy.

If someone asks me to go on an adventure, I say yes. If someone asks to go get coffee, I say yes. If someone asks me to come help them out, or watch their kiddos, I say yes. If I want to go workout or try something new, I tell myself yes. Find a new recipe? I find the materials to make it. Find a DIY project I want? I make a plan to accomplish it. My cousins want to walk to the park and need an adult? I tell them yes. And off we go.

I pursue what I’m passionate about, and I read books on what I’m interested so I’m constantly growing. I only do things that I love. I invest time into the people I love. I work where I love, and it shows. I don’t give negativity an ounce of my time, because in any bad situation, there’s light.

The truth is, you will start living the minute you tell yourself yes. Invest in yourself. Quit giving into negativity, and do things out of love.

I think that sometimes we have a big picture built into our brains, and we don’t think about little goals we might have. Or little things we want to do. Don’t get too wrapped around the future and miss all the time you have right now. Don’t get wrapped around social media and live through other people. You don’t have to be somewhere bold and well-known to have an adventure.

So go. Start living. Start adventuring. Start saying yes.