Life is a Gift

I believe that life is a gift. Every day, every hour, every minute, each breath you take is a gift. Each time you open your eyes and see something beautiful, it is a gift. When your heart beats like a drum, pounding on your chest when you feel love, whether for a person or a passion, it is a gift. Life consists of many unique experiences, and each and every one of these experiences is an exquisite gift. It is important to take advantage of your life and live it to the fullest. Make a difference in the world and leave a legacy.

I try to do exactly that. Every single day, I wake up with the same goal – to make a difference in the world or in the life of another person and make my life even better than it is. This may of course sound like a lot of work. Well, it is, but the reward from it is wonderful. Not everything that I do everyday is big, or even really noticed or known of by others. Maybe I just take the time to listen to a friend who is having a bad day and needs someone to talk to, or maybe it’s spontaneously complimenting someone and making them smile. It could even be a simple hug or word of inspiration that makes someone’s day great. Then of course there are the things that I do for myself that make me a better person, like playing guitar or writing in a journal. Those are small things too though.

I also like to make a difference on a larger scale. I like to do things that people notice and appreciate, as well as succeed in areas that I will be proud of myself for. One of the most interesting things that I do for myself to live life to the fullest is fly planes. I absolutely love flying planes. There is no better sense of freedom and inspiration that I know of than being in an endless sky of blue over a picturesque landscape, your own hands at the controls. Sometimes I take my friends and family flying as well so that they can realize that anything truly is possible. Another thing that I do, but for the community is mentor teachers. I speak with new and current teachers about how to make themselves better than they already are. I’m extremely lucky to be able to do this, because I know it will affect the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands of students. Finally, without listing everything else, I also love to travel. I’ve had some fantastic experiences outside of the country and they’ve helped me become the leader that I am today. With these memories and skills under my belt, I helped organize a student trip to Peru to do community service, where students plan out every aspect of the adventure and are responsible for all decision making. Even just planning the trip inspired students, and that was my goal.

Life is short and it flies right by. Everybody can make this world a better place. Everybody can change the life of another. Everybody can make themselves a better person. Everybody can and should treat life as a gift, and this, I believe.