Living Your Life to the Fullest

The untimely death of a friend who was just 23 years old led me to write this blog. He lived a very promising life. He had all the qualities to possibly make it big in this world. He was smart, good-looking, charismatic, cultured and truly a really nice guy. And as far I as I know, he didn’t have any vices, he maybe drinks occasionally but that’s it! And then one morning, he just didn’t wake up. Many were shocked and saddened by the loss of this good soul but certainly he made an impact to me and to many others.

I have long reconciled that death is inevitable. Whether we like it or not we are going to die. But the unfortunate thing is, we just don’t know when. Very often we take things and relationships for granted, we only realize its true value when its already gone or too late.

Here are some bits of wisdom on how we can live our life to the fullest.

 Live simply. Life is supposed to be simple but we insist on making it complicated. We overthink, over analyze, and overkill a lot of things in life.

Stand by your values and principles, don't compromise. Mark 8:36 "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?"

Pray. Prayer is powerful! It can even move mountains. Acknowledging that there is a greater being who is God and he is bigger and mightier than all the planets' problems combined. Giving thanks and praise to him for all that he has done for us is the best thing we can do to honor and glorify Him.

Take a leap of faith. Don't settle within your comfort zone. There is always something better out there. Growth requires taking chances and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Choose to be happy. Many would associate happiness with having a lot of money. It is not always true, money cannot buy us lasting happiness.  I have read and heard a lot of stories of wealthy people committing suicide because they are not happy with their lives. Happiness is a choice and you have to consciously make that choice.

Don't be afraid to fall in love. Alfred Lord Tennyson once said that it's better to have loved and lost than never love at all. It's okay if some people won’t love you back, keep loving anyway.

Show your family that you love them. Words are good but action is much better.  It's not only diamond that lasts forever, family is forever too. In your ups and downs, family will always be there for you. Ready to accept and embrace you no matter what is going on in your life. Sometimes, there can be misunderstandings but don't let those nuisances break your bonds. Always forgive and move on.

Travel. Traveling is to take a journey into yourself. There is a big world out there waiting for you to explore. When you are out there somewhere you will discover more about yourself, your strengths, weakness and your limitations. Your experiences in your travels will enrich your outlook and can change your perspective in life.

Volunteer for good causes. When you volunteer for a good cause in a way you are giving a part of yourself. It always feels good when you are able to help. Giving and helping is a privilege which many would refuse to understand. The world we live today is ruled by greed and materialism, dare to be different! 

Exercise regularly and eat healthy. Health is wealth. You can do nothing if you're sick. A sound body will result to a sound mind.

Smile, laugh, be silly. Research has shown that there a number of health benefits contributed to smiling and laughing. Laughter is the best medicine they say. So laugh often!

Make friends not enemies. Having friends help multiply the joys and divide the sorrows. We tend to cope better when we have someone giving us emotional and social support and advice.

What's My Life's Purpose?

Why Am I Here on Earth? This sounds like a million-dollar question for many of us. When I was little, whenever I was asked what I want to become when I grow up, my answer was always to become a teacher...because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of people. I really thought that teaching was my calling. And then reality hit me when after college graduation, I landed in a teaching job in a private school in my home province. Teaching was never easy, at least for an idealistic fresh graduate like me back then. Teaching requires tons of patience, buckets of humility and unlimited supply of understanding but at that time, I was only armed with too much idealism and pride which was a total misfit. I have no one to blame but myself! 

EQ vs. IQ.

I would say my students were pretty normal - typically carefree, they were always full of energy, some were incredibly smart and talented while others weren't..some were naturally kind-hearted and many weren't...(hahaha...I know some of my students will be able to read this blog, I apologize:-). Each one was uniquely different and I was not emotionally wired and prepared to handle them. It was just overwhelming. I later realized that there is no amount of knowledge that can compensate my failure to provide the most basic human need of my students which is respect and a genuine love and affection from a teacher. I would think I did fairly well in terms of transferring knowledge but I failed miserably in connecting and relating with them. And to me personally, in the field of teaching, EQ is far more important than IQ.

God has a plan for me.

After 3 years of teaching, I finally muster enough courage to quit and pursue my dream of travelling and exploring the world beyond my home province. And I believe I was able to accomplish that at least in my own terms. I was able to travel in almost all corners of my country and almost a quarter of the world. But I guess there was more for me than just going and wandering aimlessly to many different places. I know God has greater and better plans for me. It came to a point that I began asking God what's next for me? Is this it Lord? I must be missing something God!

Let God be God.

In 2004, I became a Christian. My new-found faith has taught me to first know my creator to know my purpose. Knowing ones purpose can be a very elusive undertaking if you do not have a right foundation. According to Rick Warren, finding ones purpose has puzzled many of us because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.” And I totally agree with him when he said that "Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life. You cannot fulfill God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans." Let God be God. “Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.” 

A New Season of Hope.

I am now entering a new and exciting season in my life and I'm feeling very hopeful because I know my life's purpose which is to serve Him through others. There is no greater joy and fulfillment than knowing that you are doing what you ought to be doing.

My prayer for those who are still trying to figure out their purposes in life,  please know that as a child of God, nothing is impossible with Him, so NEVER ever give up!