My brother showed me a video from 2021 America’s got talent show. It was by a young singer called Jane Marczewski. She had cancer and 2% chance of survival then. Unfortunately for the world, she passed away in February 2022.

Before she did her performance, she said the above sentence and it touched a lot of people across the world. The power in her voice and the real joy she was feeling despite her prognosis was a wake-up call for many.

I would like to expand more on these words because so many times I hear from friends and family about what people ‘should’ do. What society and others expect of us. For most, these expectations are a cage. They cut our wings and jam us in a chicken prison full of other chickens. Feed us with whatever junk they find and force us to be thankful for it. When your spirit and creativity has been killed over and over, it doesn’t take a lot to trap a soul. A soul that could fly free and express its wonders.

We are told we need experience before we open a business. That looking after ourselves is selfish and that taking risks is gambling. But the real gamble is this – will you be strong enough to chase your dreams when you finally realise that society doesn’t want you to succeed. Society’s purpose is to maximise productivity and if that comes at the expense of your happiness then so be it.

Don’t blame the way it is. Adapt. Take advantage. You can take risks and become financially successful now. Not in 40 years. You can do the hobbies that you love now and not watch Netflix because it’s easy. You can leave the negative vampires in your life now, not when you find replacements. Time is your most precious resource that you can never buy more of. Spend it with those that make the value of your time 100 times better.

The freedom is not in what you do but why. Because everybody’s ‘why’ is different. If you feel either happy, purposeful, or fulfilment then you are on the right track. But if you are just waiting until something finally clicks into place, then you are not taking enough action. There is never a perfect time to do a perfect thing. Imagine how different and sad the world would be if some of the greatest inventors, actors, artists who died young had said they want ‘more experience’ before they accomplished their dreams?