Get Outta Town, Gandhi

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow." - Mahatma Gandhi.



I could take a very obvious stance here and tell you about how terrible of an idea this is. Of course, living in a world where tomorrow never comes could have a serious impact on our actions, because tomorrow holds the consequences of the things we do today. Blah blah, heard it before. Gandhi was more of a glass half full kind of guy I guess, because what he probably meant was something more along the lines of "you have 24 hours to live, make no enemies, do no wrong, love without ceasing."

I have a different proposition for you, though. One that probably hits a little closer to home with a lot of you, especially those who went through high school. Live life as if your crush was watching.

Ah yes, your crush, in all of her/his splendor and majesty. You see them walking down the hall and spend the next five seconds going over scenarios in your head of what you'll say to them as you pass each other, only to choke miserably and squeak out a measly "hey" that was so quiet the NSA couldn't even hear it. Your crush, the one who sat next to you in some mundane class period that was made survivable only by their glorious presence. They are everything you've ever dreamed of and more, and every day your heart flutters at the thought of seeing them from a distance, because you aren't even friends with them really. The one who you would jump through hoops to hold hands with, and probably fail miserably and embarrass yourself in front of everyone all because you thought that some menial exhibition of your abilities would irrevocably cause them to become enamored with you, and only you.

Sound familiar? I know it does to me. And I'm okay with that, because honestly I think it's hilarious how we give so much credit to the way people around us perceive us, and how we would go to extreme lengths to improve peoples public opinion of us, even though when you think about it, it is incredibly shallow and lowly. In the immortal words of Mr. George Feeny, "If you let people's perception of you dictate your behavior, you will never grow as a person."

So then, why should I try to live my life as if my crush was watching, you ask? Well my helplessly romantic friend, I don't mean that you should live life like this because I think you should walk around flexing your muscles, telling everyone you see about that one time you met the lead singer of Cold War Kids. What I'm actually telling you is that if you have a crush, the best way to impress them is to not freak out every time you see them and curl up into a ball and cover yourself in a sweater and hope they don't notice you. Instead you should focus on being confident in who you are, and if that involves finding out who you are I'd suggest you do that as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, I'd suggest you not even thinking about having a girlfriend/boyfriend until you do that. Having a significant other might help you understand yourself better, but there are better and less heart-breaking ways to find that out, like playing a sport. Or getting a cat. Or doing anything other than trying to live up to the expectations that society has of you because their expectations are shallow and aside from granting you the ability to become a faceless grey blob in a sea of faceless grey blobs, they are completely worthless.

If you aren't living your life to the fullest extent, being the best that you can be, then logically you're living an unfulfilled, second-best life. When you want people to acknowledge you, you need to give them a reason to. You should live your life as if you were trying to be the best person you could be. Focus on becoming confident in who you are, building relationships with the people around you, and becoming an individual who couldn't be replaced by the faces on the TV or the bodies on the posters. Life your life as if your crush, the person you want to most to acknowledge you, is watching, and the only way they'll fall in love with you is by realizing that you yourself are an awesome person and not a cookie-cutter clone.

Now go out there and be awesome!