'The Now'.

In the past few weeks I've spent less time on YouTube than I have previously due to being too busy to sit down and catch up on the creators I follow most. However, whilst struggling to get off to sleep the other night, I thought I'd peruse my subscription box. In doing so, I came across the latest video from Will Darbyshire, a relatively new YouTuber entitled, 'The Now' and it really hit home.

In the video, Will discusses the idea of living in the 'now' as when it really comes down to it, that's all we actually have. As he says, the past is just a collection of previous presents; the future is an infinite number of 'nows' that we are yet to experience.

What Will then goes on to explore is the dilemmas we can all face in choosing how we experience our 'now'. A lot of us, myself included, struggle with thoughts of what we're going to do in the future and how we're going to get there. And this can sometimes mean that we miss out on the beauty that simply is, now. 

The choice between following our hearts or our minds; the predicament of opting whether to be rational and make decisions based on our futures or whether to act spontaneously in the spur of the moment isn't an easy one. Will talks about how he has recently started living each day for what it is, and one of the points that struck a chord with me most was, 'if something makes sense to you and nobody else, I think you should just go and do it'. In the last few months, many of the decisions I have made haven't really made any sense to anyone else, but I've still done them. I've begun to start thinking about what makes me happy right now, and learning to embrace that rather than constantly making decisions that are only going to change my future, not my present. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going completely off the rails and spiraling into a psychotic 'YOLO' stage, I'm simply doing more of what makes me happy. 

And I believe that this can only be a positive thing. Not just for my present 'now's' but also for my future ones. By experiencing more now, and making the most of each day as it is, I can feel myself moulding and blending into a better, happier person. This may mean that the aims for my future 'now's' shift slightly, altering their course to head towards happiness as well as practicality, but inevitably this will mean that the future me is happier than the one I had planned out before.

I think the main thing I took from Will's video this week was the knowledge that it's okay to do unexpected things, to explore pathways you never thought you would and most importantly, it's more than okay to make a decision based on your happiness over what others may deem as the best option. As long as you're content and comfortable with the decisions you're making, and you believe that they're going to have a positive affect for you one way or another in the long run, keep doing them. Even if all you end up with are some stories of your crazy youth to tell in the future, at least you can say you had a bloody good time.

We only have now. Don't live your life waiting on tomorrow, saving yourself for a time in the distant future. It may never come. Enjoy what you have now. Do more of the things that make you happy.

'We're young, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world; might as well have fun while we can and save the serious stuff for later.' - Summer, 500 Days of Summer. 

You can find Will's video here, as well as his channel which I would highly recommend you subscribing to.

As always, thanks for reading.

A

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