It's Jackie Smiles

Today I thought I’d share some advice. The best advice I could ever give my younger self and anyone else who will listen honestly is don’t wait.

Don’t wait for your life to be “perfect” to be happy. Your life is already as perfect as it needs to be in this moment. Everything will fall into place if you believe and give the universe a chance to work in your favor. Focus on being a person you can be proud of. Do things that not only benefit you but the people around you. Be an advocate for your community, volunteer on your free time. Attend beach/park/community cleanups.

As people, we tend to live very fast-paced lives, which in turn makes us want the things we want instantly, but so many things we want must be cultivated with time before it can truly be ours. For example, you can’t just pick a random stranger on the street and call them your best friend. It takes years of bonding, learning the ins and outs, finding out wants and desires, and going through life-changing experiences before that someone can be your best friend. The same goes for relationships, your academics, job opportunities, etc.

It takes time. You won’t achieve it, obtain it, or even earn it overnight. So in the meantime, set realistic goals and work your ass off to achieve them, but you’ll never get where you want to be if you don’t START. So many times people put off their dreams and goals because they’re too lazy start or even don’t think they’ll succeed so they never actually pursue them.

Don’t wait for that special person to call you, call them instead. Make the first move. Gather up your courage and be the first to reach out. Don’t wait for them to feel you’re not interested and watch them fall for someone else. Don’t wait until your parents are old and terminally ill before you start appreciating them. Don’t wait until your grandparents are six feet under the ground to ask about their lives, and what you can do to improve yours. Don’t wait for opportunities to fall onto your lap because more than likely you’re going to spend the majority of your life waiting in vain.

Don’t wait.

The world will pass you by if you let it. Time waits for no one, lovely. If you don’t take your life into your own hands and constantly wait for it to get better you’re gonna watch it all slip between the spaces in your fingers. That, my friend, is the worst kind of pain you can feel. Its knowing you had it and you let it slip away, We all go through it, we all have struggles, we all have fears, but we have the power to change the outcome.

I have so many regrets in my young life. I regret not spending enough time with my grandparents when they were still here. I regret not caring enough about my health before I became seriously and permanently ill. I regret taking my mom for granted before I found out she had breast cancer. I regret not communicating how I felt and losing an important person. I regret so much, and all because I waited too long. I waited too long for the important things. Waiting ruins things. Waiting keeps you stagnant and keeps you from growing. From pursuing the joys and adventures life has to offer you.

Right now I’m doing what I can to make right all my regrets. I still have them, but I’m learning that if I want my life to be something to look back on and be proud of, I have to take it into my own hands. I have to jump right in feet first, eyes closed if I must, and push forward. I can’t wait.

I’ll stumble along the way, but that’s how I’ll learn, that’s how I’ll grow, by learning the mistakes and doing my best not to repeat them.

I can’t wait for my life to suddenly become this perfect movie where I’m the star and everything goes my way. I can’t wait for my Prince Charming to suddenly arrive and kiss away all the time he wasn’t in my life. I can’t wait until I’ve lost everything to appreciate it while I have it.

So don’t wait. Do it today. Do it now. Take your life into your own hands and make it a life worth every moment. Your future self will smile and thank you.

That’s all for now, stay hopeful, and keep smiling.