Young adulthood can feel uncomfortable. Advice from older generations often intensifies anxieties about spending every moment effectively. Every moment of finite life is undoubtedly precious and irreversible, but knowing that does not really inform a young person about how to actually spend their time. What does it mean to live the “right” way? What pieces of advice can I take from the older generations when they lived incredibly different lives from the one I am living now? Thanks to a sweet old man named Rob, young people can find life advice to apply to their everyday lives without feeling overwhelmed by intense anxiety.
Rob, or @Rob-so-far-so-good on Youtube, is an Australian artist with chronic pancreatitis and diabetes who decided to start making videos on Youtube in 2025. He began his channel by making videos on the FreeStyle Libre 2 glucose monitoring system, but soon began to branch out into making videos about his life experiences. One video in which he discusses his life, titled “Life Lessons I wish I knew Earlier – Here’s What Matters,” has 1.5 million views on Youtube. In this video, he dissects the common advice to use time effectively and appreciate life. “Be aware,” he suggests, “and try to find the things that are important to you.” Rob emphasizes being an active participant in life, and he asserts that identifying your priorities and relationships can help one practice more agency in life rather than settling for a role as a passive observer. “Learn to appreciate the mundane things in life,” he adds, emphasizing the importance of methodical participation in the present by saying to “slow down in life.” He also encourages reflection because “Reflection on your life is the way forward to self growth.” To Rob, reflecting on one’s life means being an active participant, and it is only by being active participants that we can recognize where we are now and what we desire for the future.
Rob also warns against common ways of thinking that cause anxiety and inhibit happiness. He warns against seeking happiness through the concentration of possessions or through consumption: such practices often rely on external sources and trends that do not directly align with one’s real desires, which are only made known through self-reflection. He also warns against simply accepting responsibilities and urges us to scrutinize our routines through reflection to search for extra burdens that do not align with our priorities. He also highlights the fear of failure as obstructive to happiness, because such fear often turns us away from what we know to be our true priorities. On being part of a family, he warns against letting grudges stand and instead encourages us to make active efforts to resolve disputes sooner rather than later. Lastly, he warns that it is unwise to wait for external impulses if we hope to change. Every change that we hope for, Rob asserts, is a choice, and “You have to make that choice.” Rob’s warnings target ways of thinking that emphasize passive living.
As college students, we represent the exact demographic that Rob wants to speak to. Very few enjoy listening to their parents mourn the past. But parents will always be right about one thing: you only live once. Engage in events on campus and critically analyze how you live your life—not to make life harder for yourself, but to do just the opposite. As spring rolls in, look for ways to engage in campus culture that align with your personal interests, but do so slowly and methodically. Savor life, even when midterms overwhelm you.
Junior Charlie Burns is the Editorials Editor. His email is cburns1@fandm.edu.