Don't give up on Life. Not yet.

It isn't very frequently that one comes across a useful link or thought on one of the various pages one has liked on Facebook. It's mostly rage comic strips (which are really funny, by the way), crappy jokes, political debates, or appeals to 'like' another equally crappy page or to share silly content. You know the drill, because admit it, you do it too. Every single day.

But sometimes epiphanies happen. So, right around the time when I was having a real hard time putting up with depressing and pessimistic people all around me, a link sprang up on my timeline today that made me want to share it with one and all. You see, I've been wanting to write about something that I really feel strongly about but haven't been able to make the time. And this certain article I am sharing is a small embodiment of what I want to tell people.

28 Signs You’re Wasting Your Youth

People today are literally wasting their lives doing nothing but fret and over think. I agree, thinking before you leap is the right safer strategy to go about taking most decisions in life. But over-thinking, drawing out pessimistic scenarios in your head and giving up on hope just because luck did not favor you earlier in life and you fear it never will, isn't exactly how one is supposed to be leading her/his life at a young age. Heck, it isn't how one is supposed to live her/his life EVER. The day you start over thinking and giving up on things is the day you become old and useless. Take it from me, you won't achieve half of what your mettle is worth, just because you fear the result.

People talk about theists and about atheists. So many friends of mine are sworn atheists. They might not scoff at the Almighty, but they do not believe in Him either. So what do they believe in, I ask. Themselves and their hard work, they say. And yet, when they do not achieve what they work so hard for, they blame it on luck. I am not a prophet, nowhere even close, and I do not know whether luck/destiny/fate exists and how one defines it, but I believe in that higher power which determines what one gets in life and when the time is right for that. My belief definitely does not guarantee His existence, neither shall I claim it does. But this belief keeps me going. This one single belief keeps me happy inside, satisfied that the reins of my life are in better hands and that all I'm supposed to do is to go with the flow, live my life in the best way I can with what I have right now, and to always believe that everything that happens or comes to me is for the good. And my belief has never failed me. Every time I've been through a very trying time, I've emerged out knowing that I'll be fine. And in hindsight, it's always given me loads of valuable lessons and experiences I cherish. And I've always got more in life than I've expected to get. Maybe because I deserved every bit, or maybe because I was 'lucky'.

But the fact that I claim to get most of what I wish for in life doesn't mean I don't have hardships. My life has more troubles and insecurities than most people my age can't handle. They succumb. Time and again I have been on the verge of doing that too. And that's when my belief sustained me, kept me afloat, gave me hope that times will change. And they did. They always change. For everyone, irrespective of how 'unlucky' they've been in the past or how privileged or unprivileged they are. It's the perspective that distinguishes between the ones who're living a life and the ones who are just breathing. It's what you choose to focus on that determines how you look at your life. If you focus on past failures and misfortunes and make them the basis for your present decisions and opinions, the future has no reason to look up and shine upon you. If you are thankful instead for all the times you've had success, for all those big and small joys you've cherished and for the very fact that you're alive, literate and able to access the technology that lets you read these words, I'd say you're better off than a lot of your fellow human beings. Isn't that reason enough to be happy?

Lack of a job, relationship problems, insecurities about not being as successful as you'd wish to be or of not living up to people's expectations - these aren't as big concerns as they're made out to be by the youth today. For all I know, five or maybe ten years down the line you'll probably have a job befitting your capabilities, a pay packet enough to at least sustain you, a better half to lead your life with or else the realisation that you're better off without one, and loads of maturity and experience. I say 'probably' here, not 'definitely'. Because there are always those few who fail to make use of whatever talent they have, remain unsettled or get dejected with life only to kill themselves or lead a loser's life with nothing but alcohol or drugs for company and consolation. But whoever is reading this is sure to scoff at this probability and claim that this can never happen to them. Now that's what I'm talking about. That's confidence in yourself. Where's it gone? Why hide it away inside? Have some faith - in your own capabilities, in fate or luck or destiny (whatever!). Know that no matter what, things always make out a way of settling down for the good. You will ultimately have all you want, or maybe little less, but who cares, as long as you know how to be HAPPY? Isn't that what we're all working towards in life - happiness and contentment? So if you're happy with what you get, in the hope of being able to do better in the future, where's any reason for dejection and hopelessness in this world? All it takes is a bit of hope. The tiny bit of hope that comes with a droplet of water falling from the skies can bring a smile to an emaciated farmer's lips, no matter whether rains follow or not. Why then are we so scared of hope? Why are we so afraid of failing that we do not let hope take birth inside us?

Why can't we just go out there and do what it takes to achieve what we so desire, while also knowing that if success does not come in one attempt, there's always another attempt at it. Maybe even ten, but nothing is the end of the road. If something you wished for did not happen to you, it means something else is out there waiting for you to reach out for it. It isn't necessary that you will always be successful in the end. But where's the harm in hoping you are? If not, learn from the experience and move on to the next goal. Do not dwell on anything longer than it deserves. Do not give up on life just because some things aren't working out right. It isn't time yet. There are still miles to go before you sleep. Might as well make use of them to do something better than mope and curse!