“If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us.” ~Daisaku Ikeda

When I started thinking on what I am going to write on my next blog, I wanted to tackle a different topic that has something to do to elevate the life of others. Until I received an unwanted message;  from an unwanted person once again. It brought me to this idea on writing this article to resonate life’s importance. I had been struggling myself on getting back to the beauty of life. I was once unhappy and I isolated myself from the life’s torch. I thought escaping from the painful situation would be the best solution to avoid myself from hurting. But it wasn’t, it only worsen the situation. I missed the boat when I realized that whether I like it or not I have to face the situation at the end of the line.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, but sometimes it’s closer to you than you think.  Sometimes, no matter how experienced we are or how much we have accomplished, we all can use a little help to keep going, a bit of motivation if you will. In the face of the inevitable obstacles we are going to encounter, here are ideas that have worked for me.

1. COME CLOSER TO GOD THROUGH PRAYING

If there is one thing that do not have any boundary or limit, that is the act of praying. Prayer is simply talking to God and listening for his voice. Time spent in a relationship with him reflects in every other part of our lives. No other human knows us as well as God, and he keeps all of our secrets. You can be yourself with God. He loves you no matter what. When you pray for someone, you are offering them the most pure kind of love.

There are numerous benefits of praying. It strengthens our faith and leads us to the wider road of moving forward and living the life in a Godly manner.

2. TO LOVE AND TO LOVE AND TO KEEP ON LOVING

Love is the most beautiful thing on earth. Love is a variety of different emotional and mental states, typically strongly and positively experienced, that ranges from deepest interpersonal affection to simple pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse differs from the love of food. Most commonly, love refers to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment. Love can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—”the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”. It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one’s self or animals.

Scientifically, the more loving our connections, the more we amass this fabulous chemical, which is known to lower blood pressure, decrease stress and even boost immunity. Oxytocin reduces aches and pains, increases energy and enables us to experience life more often on the upbeat.

We all have the capacity to love. If love is shown and observe everything is beautiful. There would be neither crime nor hatred if love is not controlled or suppress. Keep on spreading love; keep on loving even when someone hated you. If violence is answered with violence it will result to more violence.

3. TREAT EVERYONE WITH POLITENESS, EVEN THOSE WHO ARE RUDE TO YOU – NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE NICE, BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE.

Lizzie Velasquez has a lot of influence with me in this column. When I first saw her on youtube via TedEx Austin Woman, I realized how I suppressed my patience. If I was in her shoe during those dark days of her life I would had given up and run away with those monstrous shadow that overlapping me. But she showed and opened up her heart wholeheartedly despite criticism and serious assault to her physical difference with other. Our creator molded her with perfectness; she has a perfectly beautiful heart and kind hearted soul.

Let us not get tired of showing goodness even if others are not. You are lucky that you can see the righteousness. None of us is ever capable of pleasing everybody. Accept criticism positively and try to figure things out, if you think change is needed, and then go for it! But let us not forget that if you want to change the world, you’ll have to start with yourself first.

4. BE FORGIVING

If we are traveling and we are carrying a lot of baggage, it is hard for us to move freely. It complicates our journey and creates an unpleasant experience. And so with our lives, if we don’t let go of something that once challenged or probably hurts us it is like riding on a bicycle with brakes partly on all time.

You can never move forward as long as there is an anchor that keeps on pulling you down. Start moving forward by leaving all those heavy baggage that jading you to travel freely. Release the brake of your bicycle and go on cycling and visit beautiful places. Be forgiving even if others are not, even they cannot. Try not to hold grudges from those people that once hurt you. Start by yourself, start forgiving yourself for all the wrong things you’ve done that inflicted and causes you to be unhappy, things that causes you to hurt your love ones, with all those wrong turns and maneuvers that you made in life, for all those bad words that you had thrown to your opponents, for all the inevitable mistakes and decision that you made. Resentment only breeds bitterness and unhappiness, and it’s time to let the negativity go. Let go of it, and start a brand new day, a brand new life equipped with wisdom and goodness inside your heart. You will be more benefitted if you do. You will be embracing the beauty of life.

If you do not want to learn to forgive to benefit yourself; then learn to forgive so you can benefit others. As you learn to forgive you benefit everyone you are in contact with. Your thinking will be clearer and more positive than before. You will have a lot more to give and you will more readily enjoy sharing what you have. You will naturally and easily become kinder, more generous and more caring of others – without having to struggle to achieve this. You will have a happier and more positive attitude to the people in your life and they will respond more positively to you in return.

5. BE SURROUNDED BY GOOD PEOPLE

“Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.” – Karl Marx

There are people that will inspire you to be a better person, provide you with motivation to achieve your goals, empower you to make the changes you need to succeed and cheer on your success. There are some that inhibits growth in your life. Those are the good company that worth keeping and having in your life, with them, you want to have diversity and healthy arguments that leads to penetrating into more logical and rational decision makings. Those are the good influence in life. Those are the people that will inspire you to be a better person, provide you with motivation to achieve your goals, empower you to make the changes you need to succeed and celebrate your success.

Friends, family, companion, people has huge impact in your life. You are the average of 5 people that you spent your life with. Start eliminating negative people that attracts negative feelings in your daily lives. Cut it before it starts growing and reside hatred in your heart.

6. BE AN EVERYDAY BLESSING TO EVERYONE

Chatting and trusting a stranger is not on my list but once I had this opportunity to soar out of my league and I gained a good friend that sow goodness and enlighten my dark moments. He is continuously lifting me up to find better solution in a bitter environment where I compelled and lost my heart. He never ceased to amaze me with his wisdom in life. I was in different areas of pain and letting go, but he unselfishly offered his hands on pulling me up. He always guide me to always do the right thing and disregard all the bad things that has been separating me from discovering the conundrum of why there were dull moments before you see the brighter side of life.

No matter how tough the situation is, never forget to shower goodness at all time. Be a reason for someone else rising. Embark hope to someone who is losing insights of the ray of life.

Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased”.

7. LIVE LIFE AS IF THERE IS NO TOMORROW

We weren’t born perfect, once in our situation, we all do commit mistake. But it doesn’t mean that it is the ending of our story. We all deserve chances, we all deserve second chances, and there is no exception to that rule in my humble opinion. Do not stop yourself from moving after falling down. Make that failure a stepping stone on your rising. When people keep on throwing you stone, collect those stones and use it as the materials in building your home.

Life is meant to be live forward, Life isn’t meant to be easy, it’s meant to be lived. Sometimes good, other times rough. But with every up and down, you learn lessons that make you strong. You can never change what happened in the past but you have all the chances to make a worthy tomorrows. Let go of the things that is continuously hurting you. Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future. MOVE ON!

8. BE A REASON BEHIND SOMEONE’S SMILE

Once, I hated few people that made me cry and distraught. As I mentioned earlier, I was blessed to have a good friend that let me sees the wider picture of life. He helped me realized that it is not only about those painful parts. It happens for a reason. With my experience, I can conclude that I have to gone through that kind of feeling to become stronger and learned to value myself more than anyone. Life has so much more to offer, not only having a good partner and being in a relationship.

Part of the lesson I gained from my experience is to be a reason behind someone’s smile. Some of the difficult moments in life is giving someone a hug when you need it the most. Fighting back the tears in your eyes to wipe off someone else’s tears. Listening to somebody’s grief when you want your pain to be heard. Being the reason for someone’s smile, when your own smile is lost. To bless someone else while you are going through your own storm. You can’t see the real happiness unless you experienced one. It happens to me, one time, while I was busy with pitying on myself, a teenage girl approached me and asked for help, I never thought I would be an inspiration to her for I know I was broke and in a desperate situation. But when I saw the bright smile in her eyes, it brought an unexplainable joy inside my heart.

9. BE STRONG

Being strong doesn’t mean you have to stay and fight all the battles and petty arguments that come your way. Being strong means you don’t have to stay and respond to rude remarks. Don’t retort by throwing insults back at them. It’s what they want. Keep your dignity and don’t lower yourself to their level. They would never hurt you unless you open your door and you let them hurt you. You will never sink unless you let the water comes inside your ship, avoid letting the water in. Do not give them the capability to use you against yourself. A friend told me “Never give someone a stick to beat you”. True strength is being adult enough to walk away from the nonsense with your head held high. Goodness will always prevail. Your great vengeance is a great smile for all those bad accusations that they are throwing you. You were not unique in this kind of situation. 8 out of 10 people has undergone the same pain that you have been going.

10. HELP PEOPLE HEAL.

Instead of judging people by their past, stand by them and help repair their future.  In life, you get what you put in.  When you make a positive impact in someone else’s life, you also make a positive impact in your own life.  Do something that’s greater than you – something that helps someone else to be happy or to suffer less.  Everyone values the gift of unexpected assistance and those who supply it. Nothing is greater than having someone that helps you to overcome the pain that you have going through.

  11. BE AN INSPIRATION TO OTHERS

Go your way! Live the life bravely with an inspiration of hopes and dreams.  Be true to yourself and express enthusiasm. Continue on doing what you love, what’s inspires you the most. Never stop pursuing your dreams. Do not let the past stop you from turning the next chapter in your life. Be articulate of someone’s opinion, and listen intently to what others are saying. Always believe that something wonderful is going to happen. Even with all the ups and downs, never take a day for granted. Cherish the little things and hug the ones you love. ALWAYS BE HAPPY!

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

― Haruki Murakami

12.  BE A WANDERLUST

Take a day off and go on a vacation for a week or more. Find your inner soul by traveling. Plan a great experience, it allows you to clear your mind, enjoy your temporary surroundings and maybe even forget about your problems. As for me, I always hash tag my post with “To Travel is To Live”. I find new purpose every time I visited a new place, its taking a new journey in my life. I get the chance to meet new people, culture and lifestyles that is different from what I am living where I feel stuck and bored.  It balances my direction and recreates new ideas and helps me reshape my goals in life. I got to meet new friends along the way. When I went to Malaysia, I met Ate Tess while we were taking pictures in Twin Tower. We spent the whole remaining days of our stay there. We discussed that both of us are also going to China, I left to Guangzhou first and then after few days she also followed. The connection was constant and we also met several times in Guangzhou, we went to the church together and visited some touristic places in Foshan. That was almost 2 years ago,  she is now in Hong Kong and I am in the Philippines, but we are still connected through Facebook.

Traveling will help you realize that Life is a wonderful gift. I will share you my travel in Brunei, it was just a 24hrs tour and I was not prepared when I went there. I did not even took photos, it was on the spot decision. I was in Abu Dhabi that time and will be flying back to the Philippines. I am having an issue with my family with my pregnancy. I was scared to go back home directly because of my situation so I did a side trip to Brunei. But when I was there, looking at the bright sky, seeing beautiful children, I realized that I am blessed for I was used by our creator to carry a child. I was given a great opportunity to become a mother. I was given a new life and new path in life.

Traveling helps me create memories for a lifetime. I’d been to places to places, different countries, different cities. Often times I even forgot how to get back there but without uncertainty I will never forget the memories that it embarks in my heart.