2011年2月28日星期一

Personal Goals

Are You Tired of Your Life? 
Or Are You Sick of  Your Bad Habbits?
This Is What You Can Do: Set a Goal and CHANGE!
Goals don't necessarily have to be lofy, but they have to be something you will DO! 

     I used to have lofty goals, such as being a prestigious hair designer, a gallant police woman, a successful entrepreneur or a famous celebrity. But now, from a young adult’s perspective, my point of view towards goals have become more realistic. As I cannot predict my future, my current personal goal is to strive to be better every day as a role of a daughter, a friend and as a follower of God.
     As a daughter, I want to please my parents in everything. However, laziness took over my obedience to my parents. I used to be very lazy when it came to doing household chores with my parents, such as washing dishes, cleaning rooms and sweeping the floor. I naturally formed a habit of coming up with excuses when my father asked me to do something. For example, I would say: “I am busy with my homework now. I will clear my room tomorrow.” Unfortunately, “tomorrow” never came. But in the new year of 2011, I want my obedience to overwhelm my laziness. I will listen to my parents’ words and will instantly act upon them so that I can be a responsible daughter who is willing to take a larger role in household matters.
     As a friend, I plan to spend more time with all the friends I’ve made during my time at school. My task-orientated personality sometimes made me neglect the importance of spending time with friends; nonetheless, hanging out with friends is very important to maintain a close friendship. I have a very good friend called Yana. We used to hang out a lot back in grade 9, a time when both of us were not that busy. However, the busier our timetables became, the more alienated our friendship was. Now, I even have some trouble carrying on the conversations due to the lack of topics that we share. Therefore, this year, I will try my best to have a breakthrough in my self-centeredness. I want to be a loving and true friend, a friend that spares time for friends.
     As a follower of Lord Jesus Christ, I am determined to devote myself to God everyday through constant prayers. Sometimes I used to feel that talking to God is like talking to myself because God is invisible. But God makes me realize that faith is not to be certain in what you can see, but to be faithful in what you cannot see because “what you can see is temporary but what you cannot see is eternal” (New International Version, Co. 4.18). Depending on the verse in Bible, I am willing to take a leap of real faith. Thus, in this new year, I will turn prayer into a conversation with my Father in heaven, a conversation that establishes intimacy with God.

Now, I have shared about my goals, how about YOU?
Do You Have a Goal?
It's NEVER too Late to Set One! Do It and Stick to It! =) 


To Lie or Tell the Truth?

Have you ever struggled about lying? I did!
But here is what I really think . . .
     We have always heard about “white” lies which to many people, are considered good-hearted lies. White lies are told in situations when we are not sure whether or not to tell the truth. Sometimes covering up a miserable event or an embarrassing moment with a white lie is necessary for us in order to protect others’ feelings and our own emotions. However, despite the advantages of a white lie, I would say telling the truth is always better because my family and education have solidified this belief in me.
     From childhood, I have been conditioned not to lie by my father. My father always taught me to be an upright person by showing me how to be honest himself. He openly revealed and confessed his wrongdoings to me. For instance, whenever my father drank beer, he honestly showed me the number of bottle of beer he had drunk. He admitted that beer is detrimental to his health and promised me that he would drink as little as possible. It really touched me because refraining from drinking beer is not an easy thing to do for many people. My father’s honesty regarding his beer addiction truly influenced and encouraged me to learn from him.
     From elementary school, I have been taught to tell the truth by my teachers. When I was in the third grade, there was one time that I was late for Mandarin class. On the way to the classroom I was extremely fearful about mark deduction or any other punishment as a consequence of my lateness. After a moral struggle, I lied to my teacher saying that my watch told the wrong time which led me to be late. In fact, I was playing soccer with my friends and totally forgot the time. To my surprise, the teacher found out that I was lying and instructed to me in a gentle but stern voice: “It’s okay to make mistakes. We all do. However, I’d rather you do things wrong and be honest about it rather than using lies to cover up what you did.” At that moment, I was greatly moved by her wise words, and from that point on, I became increasingly upright and honest.
     In short, people close to me played a vital role in transforming me into becoming an honest person. Even though it is extraordinarily difficult not to tell a single lie in life, we should strive to lie as little as possible in order to establish mutual trust between each other.

 Let's all be honest and create a truthful world with our collective effort . . .