Friends
Friends as they say are single soul dwelling in two bodies. Friends, though there are variations on the side, are basically just a reflection of the person within you. Next to your family, friends are the people who know, readily understand and accept the real you. They are the ones who know, sometimes better than your family, what to do when you’re throwing your usual childish feat, which restaurant to bring you to when you’re depressed, or even what ice cream flavor to buy whenever you’re crying because your crush didn’t notice you when you passed each other in the hall.
I once read from a book that the number of friends one had collected in one’s lifetime is the better measure of one’s life. It sounds so sentimental but it’s true. Never mind the number of awards you received for being the top student or being the employee of the month. Never mind the number of zeros in your salary or the number of business you own. Because when it comes to numbers, it is the number of friends who will like your status on Facebook, of friends who remember your birthday, of friends who will appear on your first salary lunch treat, on your promotion dinner treat, on your wedding day, on the Christening of your first-born, on (lets go to the extreme) your funeral, that matters the most.
Every now and then, I go and unclutter the pile of letters I’ve managed to collect from my friends throughout my elementary to high school to college years. They are such a fun read. Some make me smile, some cry, but most of them make me crack in laughter. My friends, at least my close friends know that a gift for me is not a gift unless there’s a card or hand-written letter. The words of my friends are treasure to me.
How: Make friends. Be careful in choosing the right ones though. Be a true friend. Savor every moment you have with them. Have fun. Laugh together, cry together. Be a true friend to them and let them be your true friend. You know how even true friends sometimes go separate ways, right? They just literally go separate ways but it doesn’t mean you have to let them go. Stay in touch with them. Meet new friends. Don’t forget the old ones though. Add them all up. Treasure them.
Career
This simply means doing what you need to do, may it be studying or working. Whatever you’re doing: easy, average or difficult tasks, for fun, for passion’s sake or for some childhood dreams, towards short-term or long-term goals, the key is to always give your 101%. It feels good to accomplish the things you need to accomplish. But nothing feels better than knowing that you did your best to finish them.
Who among us still remembers the answer he/she has given to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question that seemed to be a requirement for a complete childhood. In fact, that’s the beginning of it all. That particular moment when we encountered the question is also the moment we started to build our dreams as a child. It’s the period in our lives when we were only starting to learn our ABCs but were already demanded to decide what we want to be in the farthest future. As time passes, we learn more about the world, what we are, what we want, and what we truly want to become. Some of us realize that being a doctor is not really what we want because we are afraid of injections. Others stand by their childhood dreams of becoming engineers or lawyers or pilots. But whatever they are, childhood dreams, adolescence dreams, or middle age dreams (if there are ever such terms), those dreams we created for ourselves are what keep us going. They are, as a matter of fact, the reasons we even dared started the fight.
How: Dream and keep dreaming. Don’t let go. Instead, run towards fulfilling them. If you’re studying, study hard. If you’re working, work hard. Focus. Focus. Focus. Always do your best. In trying to achieve something, you’ll encounter hardships and difficulties. You don’t expect success to be handed to you on a platter after all. It may take years especially when you’re dreaming to becoming, for example, a doctor or a lawyer (like me), but that’s life (or should I say the law of the degree? hehe) Bottom-line: Don’t give-up. Do your best! And yeah, I'm not only talking about pursuing a professional career here. In your daily life, do the things that will make you happy. Sing, dance, read, write, draw, paint, sew, plant, whatever they are, do the things that will give you fulfillment as an individual.
Err. Okay. I’ve been thinking really hard if I should mention this area. Some people may find it contradicting to what I’m trying to impress upon by the one area just mentioned right before this. However, as it is originally part of the hexagonal areas of life I’ve been talking about, I figured I should. Besides, who said it’s contradicting to the goal of pursuing your career? The “Choose! Love or Career?” only happens in movies. Okay, perhaps it really happens in real life. But what I’m trying to say is, as humans we are also in need of someone… who can serve as an inspiration for example, right? Yes! That must be it. Maybe we should just call it “inspiration” for now.
How: Crush, happy crush, whatever variations in names there are, look for someone who will give you some inspiration in life. Fall in love. Allow them to love you back. However, if you’ll personally ask me, I would suggest to not to give much focus on this YET. Not yet, not now. Here’s why I think so:
They call it destiny, one true love, soulmate. Whatever it is, yes I believe in such things like any hopeless romantics I know. I personally believe that in this complex world of ours, there is one person destined for each of us. Who he/she is, when the two of you will meet, how and where, only God knows. Only time can tell. It will come. Eventually, the two of you will meet. But for now, focus on the things you need to do. And what are these things? I pointed them out already – the first five areas. Know God, build a strong relationship with your loved ones, know your mission. Do these things first. Well I’m not saying that you have to be blind and ignore the “signs”. Of course you also have to stay on the lookout. But the thing is when it comes, you will know. You need not desperately search for it. I believe that when the right one comes, it will show itself to you right in front of your eyes. How will you know if it’s the right one? You need not know, you just have to feel it. Okay, I know I’m being somewhat or too idealistic and hopeless here. But that what I believe things, I mean love, works. But it is still up to you. As I’ve said, it’s okay to have someone you can admire, someone who can be an inspiration for you to do and be better. Just make sure it does you more good than bad. Make sure it’s not a waste of time. To quote from one of my favorite books, “Right love at the wrong time, is a wrong love.” Always choose the things that will make you happy.
They call it destiny, one true love, soulmate. Whatever it is, yes I believe in such things like any hopeless romantics I know. I personally believe that in this complex world of ours, there is one person destined for each of us. Who he/she is, when the two of you will meet, how and where, only God knows. Only time can tell. It will come. Eventually, the two of you will meet. But for now, focus on the things you need to do. And what are these things? I pointed them out already – the first five areas. Know God, build a strong relationship with your loved ones, know your mission. Do these things first. Well I’m not saying that you have to be blind and ignore the “signs”. Of course you also have to stay on the lookout. But the thing is when it comes, you will know. You need not desperately search for it. I believe that when the right one comes, it will show itself to you right in front of your eyes. How will you know if it’s the right one? You need not know, you just have to feel it. Okay, I know I’m being somewhat or too idealistic and hopeless here. But that what I believe things, I mean love, works. But it is still up to you. As I’ve said, it’s okay to have someone you can admire, someone who can be an inspiration for you to do and be better. Just make sure it does you more good than bad. Make sure it’s not a waste of time. To quote from one of my favorite books, “Right love at the wrong time, is a wrong love.” Always choose the things that will make you happy.
......
Contentment, I realized, is a state of mind and a kind of feeling rather than a kind and quality of life. It means being happy with the way things are and with the way things are going. There’s no step-by-step way on how to achieve contentment. As you have read, I for myself have created a list of areas which I value the most in my life. They are, however, not procedures but just a simple guide I used to help me realize the things I should be happy and contented about. I’d say I’m contented when I feel happy or when I feel I’m doing well on those areas. The “hows” I included in each area are also not some sorts of techniques to achieve contentment. Rather, they are some suggestions on how to live and do well in each area, which I’m also trying to achieve and follow all the time. But as for the whole idea of contentment, as I have said, it’s a state of mind. No special formula is needed. It is the same as happiness. Contentment and happiness is a choice. It’s a decision, actually. Its either you are or you are not. In fact, there are no varying degrees for it.
I suggest that you ask yourself this question once in a while. Know where your contentment comes from. Know how contented you really are because you already have everything you truly need. Contentment does not excuse you to do better. More than anything, it makes you realize how blessed you always are.
No comments:
Post a Comment