How to live your life to the fullest?

Whenever I find myself in an unexpected situation, I used to be defensive — in a way that I show people that I can get through it, whether it is terrible or extreme — because I don’t want to show them how vulnerable I may become. You can’t avoid fate as there are no good and bad lucks. Things will happen even if you did not ask for it. Every action is vital.

When I was in high school, I used to daydream even during classes. My mind was always full of thoughts. I wondered why all my female classmates wear lipsticks (some of them have boyfriends as if it’s the end of the world), why do I have to go to school and always end up in the guidance room whenever I would stand up against bullies? I’ve got any questions, and in my mind, I know that these are the realities that I have to face, whether I like it or not. At home, things always changed because I see every action I made was not valued or appreciated. My Aunt raised me, a woman who taught me that to be loved, you have to work for it first, one of the conditions that I needed to follow. I grew up in a tough neighborhood where people tell people to stop dreaming and live the life they can only afford. So, after high school, I decided to leave that life and make a change and say, “I don’t want to be like them, I want to be a person who has a better understanding about life, I won’t stop here.”

At the age of 16, I started to live alone. It was not easy, but I had a pride that took part of my hesitations to become independent. I needed to keep up, so I found myself a decent job to provide my needs and enter college, and from there, I want to show the world that I can do it until I met different kinds of people. People who influenced me to live the life that I wish to, people who had stolen my innocence and pushed me hard to my limits, and people who believed in me and stayed with me until today. It was a roller coaster kind of life but still a memorable one. It formed me to be who and what I am today. I became passionate and robust, who happened to be a mother of one, who will give her the best shot in every situation and challenge whenever life asks me to.

So, whenever you feel hopeless and distress, think of the people around you and ask yourself how lucky you are right now to have a lovely home, food to eat, water to drink, or clothes to wear. Be grateful always because not everyone is lucky enough to live your life and experience the things other people could not afford. Realize that every person in the world has problems and is going through a lot of pain and traumas. You are not alone — you are surrounded by people who will share the burdens with you and help you help yourself to get through it. Always pray and believe that there is a higher being who has power over everything.