Today I was in Target and couldn’t help but eavesdrop on an interaction between a mother and her young daughter. As they walked through the isles the young girl would pick up a product and ask her mom, “When I’m older can I have this?” Her mother would laugh and respond by saying, “Yes but only when you are older.”
For the next 15 minutes I listened as the young girl picked up everything in sight and repeated the same question over and over. She held up shampoo bottles, nail polish, and seemingly anything she could get her hands on. With less than two weeks left of high school, in that brief encounter I related heavily to this little girl.
Graduating high school is a milestone most teens anticipate from the beginning of their educational journey. More times than not I have pictured my senior self walking across the stage and in that moment every problem I have disappearing. Unconsciously, I have adopted a when I’m older mindset.
When I’m older I won’t have homework to stress about so I’ll never be stressed.
When I’m older I’ll have a job I love so I’ll always be happy.
When I’m older I’ll have genuine friends so I’ll never be lonely.
Here's a newsflash for you: Idolizing a version of yourself that doesn’t exist does not change or help your current situation. How would your life look different if you lived like the you of RIGHT NOW was the best?
In elementary school I wanted to be in middle school because I knew I wouldn’t have to wear a uniform and could have my nails painted if I desired to. Once I got to middle school I wanted to be in high school because high school meant freedom and freedom sounded nice. In high school it didn’t take long until I envied my future college self who would definitely have their life figured out. I was constantly chasing a different stage of life while missing out on the one I had prayed would come quicker.
The truth is, happiness and success aren't just waiting around for us in some distant future. More times than not they are here, in the present moment simply waiting to be discovered. The little girl in target believed, like many of us, that being older meant she could have anything she wanted. In reality, age does not determine one's quality of life, what one chooses to do at their age has the potential to.
Now as I enter this new chapter that is completely unknown, I am reminded to cherish the present rather than wishing it away. After all, the best version of myself is not someone I have to wait to meet, it is the person I choose to be today. Live like it!
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