THE GOOD LIFE

CREATE A BETTER YOU

by: Megs S. Lunn

Once I was told, “To make you a better person, never cease or stop exploring and experiencing life.”  As one author once said, “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived and understood.”

It’s true. No matter how challenging and painful that experience would be, we need to face and experience. One becomes what he/she is because of that experience. It is better than experiencing nothing and not growing from life.

Widen our horizon by making ourselves open to learning and experiences, experience of a lifetime or surprise learning. When I excitedly asked God to help me pass in my exams so I can go back to school, He granted it to me. I thought when I pray to Him, I am like a child who asks for a ‘baon’ to go to school. 

When someone texted me that I passed, I jump like a child, too. As if, it was my first time to go to school. Why did I ask to go back to school? I feel hungry for knowledge. Then here comes another two learning opportunities that I whispered to myself, “God, I only asked for one school, now You give me two that I must attend to. Now I have three.” Indeed, ‘when it rains, it pours.’

I feel I am ready for another challenging school days. School allows me to experience a lifetime. Is education boring? No. It is needed in order for us to learn more and live a good life. 

Likewise, it broadens our horizon, experience something both old and new in our lifetime. Traveling to other places gives me a new breather, too. Something we can share and compare. An experience should be something relevant to us or a challenge to us. Why go back to school? A friend asked. “Do you need reasons?”  Sometimes, you just do it. No need to find reasons.

In my mission trips, it helps me decide on what side I should be. Seeing the people around me, who are suffering emotionally, physically, morally and financially, what is the best thing to do? I couldn’t help but share the sorrow with them. Then I thought of something that I can do to help. I search for strategies and other means to reach out. I think of people who can channel their wealth and energy through me so that others will live. These things are better ways to live my life. They are worth my effort and generosity. They are there to make me a better person. And you?

Life is spectacular. It is full of ups and downs but it also has so much learning that helps me become a better person. To be able to experience life itself is helping me open up to the world and learn to understand people, culture and habits. When I widen my horizon, I create a more compassionate ‘me’. When I welcome the opportunity of new learning, I create a better me and a better world around me. Life must be a discovery or an adventure. 

Warning, one can learn from the book. But one can learn better if he/she does those things, if I practice and act on the good learning. As Author Sanders said, “Focus to make yourself better, and not thinking that you are better.”

My prayer for all our readers is, “To simply wake up a better person than when we went to bed.” /MP