One in seven billion

As of 2016, there are 7.442 billion people living on this exquisite planet we call Earth. Out of those 7.442 billion, there are 1.8 billion teenagers, the largest youth population ever. Out of those 1.8 billion, many have the potential to become doctors, artists, contractors, olympic athletes, musicians, farmers, or whatever they desire to be. There are endless possibilities as to whom one can become, and what one can do with their life. While it’s never too late to want something, we wonder can it be too late to do something? Most people say, “you don’t want to spend your high school career wishing you would’ve done something different,” but why is that just applied to high school, and not life in general?

According to multiple sources online, in one day, the average adult makes roughly 35,000 choices, while a young child might make only 3,000. Whether we make 3,000 or 35,000 choices each day, we are the creators of our reality in the choices we make. These choices invite all experiences life has to offer, chaos, tranquility, love, sadness, and charisma. At times it can seem as though we don’t have a grasp on our own lives, sometimes we can feel as though parents have that role instead of us but that isn’t true whatsoever. Within the thousands of choices each day we get to make, we are completely in control of every single one. We get to choose how we are molded into the adults we will all one day become. We have authority over our feelings, and at times it may not seem like it, but control over our fears when trying something new. While we are in control of our own emotions, we get to choose how to view each second of every day we have. A minor flaw in one’s morning routine can completely sever a positive mood for the day ahead, and with another individual that same inconvenience can be just an inconvenience- it’s all about how one perceives the addition to their day. Not all of those thousands of opportunities we get each day are going to have the “right” outcome, and that’s okay. Even if those events didn’t have the outcome we wished for, we still become presented with another opportunity as to how we view that outcome.

Without failures and those trying moments, people wouldn’t be who they are today because, truth be told, humans need to fail and everyone does at some point in their life. Without failure there is no success, and while many people fear failure, it’s essentially what we need in order to achieve what we desire in our lives. Too often, people assume they can’t do something because “the timing isn’t right” or “I’m afraid of what might happen if this occurs…” There is never going to be a perfect time to do something, but regret can be a constant feeling felt within oneself. This is where the choices come into play and often enough where self-criticism does as well. Perfect timing doesn’t exist whatsoever, there’s always going to be something getting in the way of what one wants to achieve, learn, and create, but the amount of passion and want is what will make the imperfect timing seem totally flawless.

Everyone faces obstacles in their life, challenges that reveal who we really are, extreme losses we have to learn to cope with, and major setbacks people think that they will never recover from. Plot twist, you can and you will get over those obstacles; it may not be an effortless situation, but it will happen if one applies themself. Life is a continuous string of moments one can never get back. There aren’t any do-overs; live life for now instead of constantly waiting for something because someday there will be no time left to wait. Spend those moments surrounded by people whom you love because someday they might be gone. Go out there and be the version of yourself you want; apply for that job you really want, talk to that cute person you like, go new places and experience new things because you’re never going to get that time back. While this mindset should be implemented in life overall, apply it these four years you have within these walls, and live your high school years without regret. There is an entire life and world at the tips of your fingers, waiting for you to make mistakes in, laugh in, and love in. Don’t become just another number that makes up seven billion, don’t wish for things to be different than what they are now; make them different, and live your one life the way you wish.

- Olivia Ziegler