Journal Entry: YOLO vs. YODO

From experience the saying “You Only Live Once” has been around a WHILE. It was recently acronym’d as YOLO and reached new popularity in the early 2010’s as a youthful substitute for “Carpe diem”. it’s a call to live life to the fullest everyday. Splurge on yourself, take the trip, quit that job, start that business, do it all before you’re gone. During its peak, which has subsided since, you’d oft see friends shrugging off behaviors that carry inherent risk, exclaiming “YOLO”. Friends and family have taken to the phrase almost as much as carpe diem, wielding it against each other to gain an entertaining experience.

It seems innocent enough, even necessary, YOLO. Ive used YOLO many times, successfully convincing myself and others to do something entertaining or buy something unnecessary. As a seeker of truth and a lover of language I was almost 30 before it occurred to me that YOLO is a lie! From a macro view yes you have this one life (as far as we are SURE) but is filled with many years and PLENTY of days to seize.

The average person lives 27,375 days. We have 27,375 opportunities to LIVE! And we will die ONE way on ONE day. After thinking this through, and because it sounds funny, I changed the phrase to YODO: You Only Die Once.

This small change rings truer than the original saying and reminds me that we are here for a reason; that life’s purpose is joy. We have the opportunity to live joyfully everyday. Phrasing it this way as a direct contradiction to YOLO, YODO is less of a call to momentary action and limited relief and more a lifestyle change. YOLO is external, while YODO is internal. YODO is proactive, YOLO is reactive. It makes the live(r) responsible for their own existence.

The change is a way for me to pay respects for the life I was given, to be intentional with my words and energy and remove the focus on death as a negative. Limiting death to a singular moment and allowing life to take up more space. YODO reminds me I have the opportunity to live life grandios, and who are we to not be great?! It seems foolish to not use what we’ve been handed: life.

So do all the things… YODO! Splurge on yourself, take the trip, quit that job, start that business; just remember we have 27,375 days to LIVE, fill them with joy.