In a world full of ceaseless opportunity, it is easy to be trapped in the endless cycle of reaching for the stars. Endless amounts of people are willing to do anything they set their mind to despite the consequences it brings, so much so that they forget to build a solid moral ground and to engage in self-care.

These people often forget one crucial element in their endeavors—mindfulness. Have you ever tried to stop and think if what you are doing is still healthy? Have you ever tried to ask yourself if you are still happy with what you are doing? People are often pressured to become productive and perfect every single step of the way. They are often told that even at an early age, they must know what they want to be for the rest of their lives. And people who do not have dreams are often shamed for having no direction in life.

People have become diploma mills and producers manufactured to think, not to feel.

Whether we like it or not, our bodies have been conditioned to live in every other moment but the present. We are either stuck up in the past or are so advanced into the future that we forget the short-term goals we could actually do to help those long-term plans we are vying for. And while there is no step-by-step solution to our goals, there is always a step forward.

We cannot control what other people say about us, but we can control what we think. We cannot control what the future holds for us and we certainly cannot redo the past. We have to accept that there are things we can and cannot control, but that does not mean we should not shed a tear or two in doing so. Life is a process of surrendering to the flow of life and relishing in the simple joys it offers. It is a process of balancing thinking and feeling, and not a measure of the number of achievements a person has.

There is no solution to change, it just happens. However, there are countless ways to react to it. You could either accept it or run away from it, but most of the time the best way is to accept it. Nevertheless, it never hurts to stop and breathe for a moment and ask yourself, “Is this the best way forward?” Because sometimes, the best way forward is not always the easiest. And sometimes, we have become so accustomed to the easy way out that we become feeble and frail when there is no other way but the hard way.

This just goes to show how human we all are. We are capable of drowning in pain, running away, and being irrational because we are not machines. We need companions, love, and family. We need ice cream, the beach, and movies. Simply because of a flawed system, we are reduced to statistics on a graph, unheard, obscured. Our identities are not acknowledged and often ignored in favor of a fast-paced society.

This is why we have the liberty to choose from. Either we dim to fit in or shine brightly like a star.  Either we conform to these traditions, or live a life that conforms to us.