“Life is too short…”

Bullshit.

We’ve all had that person in our lives who says that life is too short and to spend your time appropriately. Whether it be an older person whose time is coming to an end, or a misguided youth who hasn’t yet learned to cope with the passing of time and tells you to go partying every night, the overarching concept is the same.

The initial impression of being cheesy or trite is also the same, or it was to me.

“Life is too short.” Life is the longest thing you do, how can you say it’s too short?

I think I might finally understand. It actually makes sense when it finally hits close to home.

I’ve always been a person of many interests and many passions, but I’ve been wrapped up with what I want to be, not what I want to do. The end-game, not the questing. The final destination, not the journey. What good is the pot of gold if you don’t stop and enjoy the double rainbow?

The past year or so has finally made me appreciate the journey itself and actually take that saying to heart. Life really does end.

During the spring semester of 2013, my great grandmother (on my dad’s side) passed away. This past Thursday, my grandmother, her daughter, was buried. During the time between those two, two of my three dogs died.

I like to pretend, to put up an facade that none of this has affected me. When I get thinking the right way, I know it has.

On top of those, my mom has gone to quite a few funerals for more distant (to me) relatives just since Halloween. All this death really gets one thinking.

If we’re honest, none of us truly know when our expiration date will come up. And from my perspective, none of us know what awaits us when that time comes. I’ve really started to look at things differently. The end result isn’t going to matter if I can’t be happy with where I’ve landed at the end of each day. If I died tomorrow, would I be successful enough for myself?

Before this revelation, that answer would have been “no.”

I’ve been so focused on where I want to be later, that I haven’t stopped and enjoyed myself as I get there. A big goal of mine is to be self-employed doing freelance and video work, much like I currently do with my YouTube channel and website. That will be great once I get there, but what about now?

Until now I’ve never fully appreciated the enjoyment I’ve gotten from making the videos and working with the people that I do. My work means nothing if I don’t thoroughly enjoy the process of creating it.

While I’ve never agreed with the concept of “life is too short” before, recent events have made it clear to me. When speak of the deceased—at funerals or when coping—we often have pretty similar talks about celebrating the life and the journey of the deceased. Sure, they can feel pretty cookie-cutter and generic, but it’s that way

because that’s what people feel and connect with. You’re remembered for who you were throughout your life, not right before it ended. Why not enjoy your time living as much as you can?

That’s what I’m aiming to do now. I was misaligned for a little bit, only seeing the end goals I wanted out of life and not how I wanted to enjoy it, but I’m getting back on track. Those passions and goals I had before are still there, but following the passions is more important.

Now, I get to look back at all the videos I’ve made—the fun my fiancee and I had making videos together—and truly appreciate the journey I’m on. It doesn’t matter if I don’t meet my goal as long as I continue having a blast trying to reach it.

So sure, life is too short. But only if you go about life in the wrong way. If you go through life seeing nothing but the goals you chase, life will fly by. Too much of my life has flown by this way. However if you live life to enjoy it, to make yourself happy and appreciate the journey that each day provides, life is very long and quite fulfilling. That is the kind of life I want to lead.

Life is too short. Life is even shorter if we keep looking at the end instead of soaking in the scenic paths we take. Thankfully, a simple change in mindset can fix that.

As my original inspirations for my passions, Adam “Seananners” Montoya, puts it:

“Life is definitely a process. You’re always going to try and do your best, and you know what? You’re never going to be perfect. I think that pursuit of that perfection is more important than the perfection itself.”