• In this savage paradise we live in, the steps we take and the decisions we make are engraved in life’s long, sandy beaches until our journey ends. Some footprints are washed away by the tides of time while some continue to live on in the hearts of the ones that hold them precious.

    Popularity, fame, wealth – these are the things that are most commonly said as a necessity for a successful life. After all, you cannot call yourself a successful person if you don’t have all three, right? No one will take you seriously; instead, you’ll only be a joke. However, as presumptuous and laughable it may be, a poor man who is content with the things he has is more successful than a wealthy man who can never get enough. Those who set success as their goal and then aim to reach it will never reach it unless they stop reaching and appreciate the things they have already worked hard for. As a famous quote said, “Start appreciating the life you’ve worked hard for before you spend its entirety earning for more wealth you cannot even use. Remember, it’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years.”

    What makes life matter? There are three things that can make a life meaningful and those three are all you will ever need to get set for the big journey you're going to take. First off is, as already mentioned above, contentment. A successful man will never admit he is successful unless he is already contented with how far he has achieved. The more content you are, the happier you will be. It’s nothing complicated. It’s just a natural reaction for now we do not feel the need to search for anything anymore. We are already enjoying the fruits of our long labor. According to a survey conducted by the US last 2006, 7 out of 10 youth tend to stop working by the age of 65, saying that by that time, they will most likely have enough money to take a tour around the world. Secondly, an important aspect of a life that satisfies us is hard work. It is silly to achieve contentment if you do nothing all day. All hard work bears fruits. However, if you do not plant one and let alone, work hard on raising it, you can never expect it to bloom and flourish. Lastly and most important of all, is Love of God. What is contentment and hard work if you cannot do it in an honorable way – a way that will honor God? If not for him, his sense of justice and mercy, we cannot go that far in our lives. As mentioned in the book of Jeremiah, God will lay out a plan for you, a plan that will do you nothing but good, if you choose to follow him. It is through his grace that we are able to attain things we do not even deserve. “God has the passion, man has the compassion.”

    A life that matters is not necessarily a wealthy one. However, most of the people who have made a strong imprint on that said beach are famous and successful ones - people like Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Michael Jackson. Then there are those people, despite their financial problems in life, still continue to contribute to our community with what little they have and continue to live on in our memories as people who have touched our hearts. These people have also lived a meaningful life and left a spark of passion in our being. They lived a life that became an inspiration for many and are known as role models that we should imitate. Their lives lit a fire of zeal in people and continue to aspire many to do their best so that they can pursue their dreams.

    We do have a lot in common. We live under the same sky, walk above the same earth, and breathe in the same air. All of us are people trying to grow in this world we’re in, but each and every one of us is special in their own ways. "The circumstances of birth are irrelevant. It’s what we do with the gift of life that makes us who we are." We can be successful, famous, rich, and potentially change lives of other people. We just need to put in effort in the things that we do, in the life that we live. If we could do that, then the footprints we leave may still be there for generations to come.

    In this savage paradise we live in, the steps we take and the decisions we make are engraved in life’s long, sandy beaches until our journey ends. It’s never too late to change. It’s your choice to decide. Would you rather prefer to be washed away or do you want to always stay? Leave the right legacy. Live a life that matters.