I grew up hearing this from my English teacher, “You only live once, but if you live right, once is enough.” I was thrilled by the phrase & used it invariably in essays & debates. Couldn’t comprehend what ‘living right’ meant but years of study, by the TV, assured me that this is something cool.
Long time I took to understand what ‘right’ means here.
During school it was studies that was ‘right’. During college it was having a blast that was ‘right’. At job I realized getting a promotion and good hike is ‘right’. And what hell, I’m still to follow what is right for me. But the good thing is I now know what is ‘wrong’ for me. Believe me, knowing what is wrong and doing what is ‘right’ are poles apart; as far apart as six-pack abs & a chocolate pudding. And by the time you reach the other end, there are chances your hair has outgrown your heart.
It takes more than two legs to follow what is ‘right’, it takes spine & it takes heart (ofcourse money too if you want to drive rather than walk towards ‘right’). And icing part is that ‘doing right’ has got nothing to do with ‘what you do?’ but in fact it is the ‘how’ part of it.
How you live your day. How you take up a new task. How you react when things suck. How you live when situations beat you down on your knees and how you still get up & get going each day. This ‘How’ is the attitude part. Indeed long time it took me to realize that attitude needs to be right.
That’s it. Life is short, it really is, ‘living it to the fullest’ is again more than a metaphor. Follow your dreams (I’m trying to follow mine too), after all we know fairly well Zindagi milegi na dobara
