In the film Titanic (1997), this scene always struck me. Rose looks Jack right in the eyes. She was already inside the lifesaving boat, inches away from safety. They look at each other; it’s bittersweet because they must let go of something beautiful. But let’s be serious, falling in love in a lapse of a few days or a couple of hours? I remain skeptical about that one. Still, they are both hungry to discover more and to see where life will take them. The only problem is that they were on a sinking ship and running out of time.

The longing grows more significant as the lifesaving boat starts to go down; they want to hold each other so badly. They know that it’s better this way. It’s the only way one of them gets a chance to make it alive. Punchable villain Cal promised Rose that he and Jack would get on another boat, but Jack knew his destiny. He knew he wasn’t part of the “better half” of the ship.

That was supposed to be it, their last glance and last goodbye. But Rose’s audacity and bravery, or what people may call complete fuckery, still challenges faith and jump just when she still could just to hold her love one more time. Don’t you hate Rose’s audacity? You must at least feel an ounce of jealousy. How many times did we wish we had the nerve to do that? To jump! And be extremely brave when we were scared shitless, and the window to act was getting smaller and smaller. To do the contrary of what our logic was trying to tell us, not jumping on a boat risking our lives for a loved one. How often did we wish we had Rose’s guts to do it? To say fuck it and make that jump, even when our hearts were going 120 kilometers an hour. We can’t have it all, and Titanic is just a fictional movie.

In life, it’s different. When you make a tough choice, you either do it or you don’t. You wish to stay with someone, but that plane won’t wait for you. You want to make that move, but they are already with someone (or you’re married), and you hope you can forever work with a colleague and stay in your comfort zone, but that isn’t sustainable. They will tell you when to leave, even if it breaks their heart. Just as friends sometimes grow apart.

The best thing you can do for yourself (if you haven’t realized this already) is to be okay now. Not when you get that date, that paper that states that you’re now a licensed professional, that shiny new car, or that promotion. Be messy, careless, and grateful for what you have now. It’s okay to be ambitious and hungry for more, but remember what truly matters. And that takes courage, too, so jump when it’s worth it and know when to stay patient.

P.s. if that heart of yours embarrasses you by running too fast, it’s just to remind you that you are trying your best to get out of that comfort zone and learn new things.