LOVE YOURSELF!

Human as we are, we normally aspire to become successful in our choice of career. In fact, Abraham Maslow in his theory, The Hierarchy of Needs, maintains that the need for self-actualization is very essential and the peak according to the order of human needs. Everyday we stay focus in order not to lose sight on what we believe crucial for our existence. We usually find meaning in life when we fully actualized our potentialities.

The first step, I think, to enjoy life to the fullest is to spend quality time for oneself. For me, it’s very important as much as we want to feel that we have our own life. In my previous column, I was talking about interpersonal relationship and its impact to one’s life. But now, I would like to give accentuation to the significance of being familiar and affectionate to oneself. Many people have a satisfactory interpersonal dealings but they fail when it comes to knowing and loving one’s self. Thus, the implication is they always find their life dependent to what people might say about them or in other words, they live on people’s expections. They struggle everyday on how to please the people around them, forgetting that they have to set boundaries.

If I am going to compare my life in the past four years to my present life, I can say that I have changed a lot. I can attribute this positive change in me, first and foremost, to my spiritual formation- not to mention the rules and regulations that truly helped me in disciplining myself. All these years, I have benefited from my good work and study habit which I have only learned and improved when I entered in the seminary. Spending quality time for myself allows me to recognize my weak spots. By doing so, I am often reminded that I need to remain humble and dependent to God.

Furthermore, good work habit should be accompanied with good thoughts and morals. In my observation, many people are aiming to do big things for their lives because they believe these will lead them to the change and progress they are hoping for. However, in my part, I stick to my belief that small things that I do consistently are enough to make difference. Hence, I do not wish for anything big. It is not that I lack courage and self-confidence or just afraid of big responsibilities but rather I just love to work with small things so that I can still find time to stay calm and focus.

On the other hand, in my stay in the formation house for almost four years I have also learned on how to persevere. As a matter of fact, perseverance is one of my favorite virtues along with humility and prudence. In the academic and spiritual aspects of life, perseverance is unquestionably of great help. You need to persevere and be firm amidst problems and challenges. Though examinations were sometimes pulling me down, I still managed to persevere and keep moving on. In my chosen vocation, I really need to persevere through constant prayers and complete trust to the grace of God. The vicar provincial said in one of our sessions that it’s difficult for a seminarian like me to persevere without establishing a close relationship with God through prayer. Hence, I could conclude that prayer is so vital in sustaining my yes to God.

Let’s pray always for the grace of perseverance and may God inspire us every day through Jesus Christ. I pray that you too will persevere so that we will see each other again the next formation journey. To God be the glory!