Like flashes of light, there comes a time in life when truly spectacular yet fleeting moments appear.

Then in an instant,

They’re gone.

Just like that, moments fade to memories, and people fade to strangers.

Whether these instances were chances to pursue our dreams or people simply passing through, such opportunities could potentially change our lives.

If we let them.

But why put ourselves through the risk of defeat?

Why face the heartbreaking pain of goodbyes?

The answer is simple.

It’s because in that brief moment, that moment we wished time could just stand still, e v e r y t h i n g was perfect.

They say,

 “Some people pass through our lives for a season to teach us lessons that could never be learned if they stayed.”

At some point in our lives, we’ve all wondered about certain people who have crossed our paths.

We grow curious as to why they are here, and often, why we feel as if we’ve known them our entire lives.

Then they vanish, and in their place resides the ever-burning question:

What is this brilliant lesson we’re supposed to learn from all this?

After recent goodbyes, I’ve deemed this my mission,

I’ve climbed mountains,

(sort of) searched far and wide to the furthest and darkest corners of the world,

(not really) and in my pursuit, I stumbled upon this, a statistic:

 “The average American lifespan is 78 years.”

 That’s 938 months… 28,560 days… 685,440 hours… and 41,126,400 minutes.

So, what…?

From the second we enter this world, life begins its countdown, ticking away precious moments that we can either choose to take advantage of or throw away.

The funny thing about life is that there is no way of knowing what (or who) these ticking seconds are to bring.

The future remains a complete mystery.

For all we know these could be the final seconds of our lives right here and now.

Have you accomplished all that you wanted to?

 Think about that one thing in your life you’ve been dying to do, that passion you’ve wanted to pursue for years, that item on your bucket list anxiously waiting to be checked off.

Got it?

Ok.

Now go do it.

Seriously, what’s stopping you?

You have a mere century to make this life as amazing as you can.

Don’t waste a second of it pondering what to do and go do it.

Tell that special person you love them. Book that plane ticket to somewhere exotic and beautiful. Skydive. Dust off those old shoes and go exploring. Write. Travel the world. Swim with dolphins. Inspire someone. Witness a miracle. follow your dreams.

Above all,

Do what you love,

Live for the moments,

And never take for granted those truly spectacular yet fleeting moments.

Kristy Gustafson is a creative and driven California girl at heart studying journalism/advertising and psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, pursuing her passions and embracing her inner Boulderite through yoga, skiing, eating, sleeping, and all the adventures in between. As a power yoga instructor, Isagenix cleanse associate and lover of the outdoors, she loves staying active and healthy. Kristy enjoys writing, photography, exploring, laughing, and having her mind blown. Check out her website for more information.

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Ed: Edith Lazenby