18th birthday

Tomorrow is my 18^th birthday. (I wrote this on the 28^th of July and just didn’t get around to posting until now, sorry about that)  In approximately 17 hours I will be an adult. I suppose this means that I should know what I want to do with my life. Lucky for me, I do know: I want to change the world, create smiles, spread happiness, ease pain.* However, I know this isn’t the case for most young people.  So this post is for those who don’t know what they want.

          The quote to the left is one of my all-time favorites.  My theory is that everyone who walks this planet has their own unique spark inside of them.  Adding fuel to that spark creates bursting flames of energy and beauty: of which the world can always use more of. Some people attempt to fuel their fire with the goals of others and the paths already set out for them.  But others feed their spark with what makes them happy. And the later will always last the longest and shine the brightest.

          What makes that fire inside of you grow a little more vibrant?  What makes you feel warmer? What makes you feel alive? No, I’m not saying you can make a living off of climbing mountains if that’s what makes you come alive. I’m saying should most definitely be worked into your life as much as possible.  I picture a world where everyone lives with fiery passion for what they do daily. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful place to be?

          Answer me this: Happiness or money? Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe most people would choose happiness. Then how come some choose careers that they don’t enjoy simply because they pay more when they could be spending their time doing something they love living more frugally? When put in front of you, black and white, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

          So do yourself a favor and take the money out of the equation for a second. Jot down a list of your passions, of everything that makes you come alive. Create a bucket list. And draw conclusions. Money can come back into play later.

          So maybe after reading this post you still don’t know what you want out of your whole entire life. And that’s okay. The good thing is you don’t have to plan it all out now. Fifty years from now can be decided fifty years from now. As my dad always says, “What do you want to do first? “

*To kick it off, for my 18^th birthday, I’m not asking for presents but instead I’m trying to raise money to donate to OneReasonRecording’s 2013 project of raising money to build a home for a family who needs it. One of my friends is a campus representative for this charity and I want to support both her and the organization.