Time, You're A Piece Of _

Last night, I was doing my normal 2AM routine of browsing articles online when I scrolled onto one which literally blew my mind. The title read, "20 Things 20-Year-Olds Don't Get", in bold. Each paragraph was a main point, followed by supportive arguments which made me realise that I am.. in fact.. in a brink of catching up lost time.

In the article, the author (Jason Nazar from Forbes.com) writes: 

Time is Not a Limitless Commodity – I so rarely find young professionals that have a heightened sense of urgency to get to the next level.  In our 20s we think we have all the time in the world to a) figure it out and b) get what we want. Time is the only treasure we start off with in abundance, and can never get back. Make the most of the opportunities you have today, because there will be a time when you have no more of it.

I was caught red handed, guilty as charged.

You see, I had the leverage of graduating earlier than my most of my peers. My degree ended in December last year and instead of spending the following post-nine months trying to build a better future, I spent binge it watching Netflix, playing with my cats and lazing my way around the house. Instead of using the opportunity as a head-start, I lengthened it into a non-paid vacation from life.

My excuses were simple: "I've never gotten a break after SPM (I continued my studies straight after my papers ended using my trials)", "I do have a plan - I'm continuing my studies again in September", "no one wants to employ someone for only 4-5 months". Petty and disappointing with a dash of regret - looking back, I wish I did something productive. I just felt.. sad. The amount of time you waste results to perhaps, hundreds or thousands of opportunities being let go just because you we're comfortable, thinking that there will be a "time" - when there is no more time, as time.. does not wait for you. I chose to not challenge myself and thus, I felt as if I was weak.

Sometimes, when I engage in conversations with my peers, we'd discuss plans for certain goals; whether it involves our career or even something scary like committing ourselves to the holy matrimony of marriage (yikes). It is too often that in the midst of our discussions, one of us would always spawn the annoying by saying; "kita muda lagi doh" / "we're still young". I beg to differ. In fact, there must be a reason why our previous linguists constructed sentences showing age to be "years old" instead of "years young". We are constantly, growing, exploring and learning. Age shouldn't be a barrier for progression. Being young shouldn't be used as an excuse to stay stagnant and be comfortable.

We see youngsters, starting start-ups in their late teens.
We see youngsters, being headhunted by big corporations for what they've achieved in college.
We see youngsters, selling ideas for millions to Generation X whom are always in the search for fresh meat.
We see youngsters starting revolutions.
We see youngsters being vocal about their rights.

They didn't waste time waiting till their mid-20's to start a career or to make a change. Excuses are invalid.

I may sound like I'm being too hard on myself but I hope in the future, I'll stop making excuses. I'll stop being lazy. I want to be the individual, thirsty for success and constantly eager to stand up and say, "hey, what's next?". I hope to wake up, grab a cup of coffee (even though I don't drink coffee) and work my butt off to chase after time instead of waiting for phases, or the "right" moment. I want to make a change. I want to be known for making a change.