I actually rewrote this many times in my head before pouring it out here. I often think I am an emotional person who thinks too much, care too much and love too much….

I am sure many of us out here are all like me. We rather spend time trying to help someone than ourselves. I have so much to put into words that it is all going to come out jumbled. But isn’t that life for us, nothing is fixed, we have to fix everything in place to call that our happy ending.

I chanced upon this quite some time ago but it has been bugging me, ‘So often we neglect ourselves for the people we love because we don’t want them to go through what we did”. I think it’s really true and as arrogant as I sound, I do that all the time. I do that to keep the people around me safe, away from the hurt and troubles because I know how painful it is and I don’t want anyone especially the people around me to go through the same thing as me.

It’s ironic how I would care for someone else and not myself. But that’s me; I put others’ priority before mine simply because I believe they are important. People tell me I shouldn’t do that, because one day I will exhaust myself. Honestly I don’t mind because it is more important for the people around me to be happy.

As optimistic as I can be, I do have my pessimistic side. Very often I question my relevance as a person to the people around me? What use do I have? If I go missing, will anyone even know?

I don’t exactly know where this is going but here’s my next point. We all want to feel needed, to be protected by someone else. Why else would people fall in love? They need someone to protect them, to shelter them, to be their rock when they have no one else there for them. That’s why love is so important and precious, because that is the thing which keeps people going, that someone out there is your shelter and he/she also needs you. What people don’t realize though is that love is a two-way thing. How can the love be strengthened if only one party puts in the effort. It takes both hands to clap.

The same goes for every friendship and relationship. We all need to put in the effort. We can’t leave someone hanging, thinking that they have no meaning in your life. Because they do, but very often, we let them slip right through our fingers because we are afraid to appreciate them. We are afraid that we will take them for granted and as selfish human beings, we all don’t want that to happen so we choose to ignore their presence.

And this leads me to my third and final point. We are all living in a society where “You Only Live Once” (YOLO) is our motto. So why not take that leap of faith and leave your life where you have no regrets. Tell someone how much they mean to you before you lose the opportunity. Say hi and make friends with your schoolmates before you graduate. Appreciate your family and spend quality time with them. Do wild things. Live your life. Life is what we make it to be. I believe that if we are brave, we will be able to love freely, and the time spent with anyone will be so much more meaningful.

With that, I leave you with this quote which has played an important role in deciding how I am living 2015 with a blast; “Add life to your days, not days to your life.” What is the purpose of life if you aren’t living the fullest?