Name: Andrei A.

Paguray Course/Section: BSBA – FM FIN – F4

Instructor: Goldie Dawn Ramos Date: January 09, 2024

Better than Yesterday

The world has this game called life, in which we start on a continuous journey to
explore the fascinating aspects of life, especially discovering who we are. The self, or “I,” is a
complex topic to explore. We seek information and data to understand ourselves, gradually
getting to know ourselves more and more. The concept of the “self” has become the focal
point of my continuous learning as I strive to understand what we truly are: our capacities,
limits, patterns of behavior, and habits that have shaped us subtly.

I am a somewhat unique or distinct type of person as I have a negative view of life,

but I also appreciate the small things that I cherish dearly. I am somewhat empathetic, having
deep feelings and sympathy for the circumstances of the people around me. I am not a social
person by nature; I prefer being alone, but I also enjoy being with other people. I am a deep
thinker, reflecting on things almost second by second as I internalize them. I try to understand
why things are happening or have happened to me or those around me. What does this say
about me? What lessons can I learn from my experiences and from other people? I love
learning, as I strive to become a better person day by day. I am rather quiet and observant. I
enjoy watching people, being a bystander. I see, but I don’t meddle in other people’s affairs.

Moving away from the track, I have objectives in this game I am currently playing. I
have a friend who is studying sociology, and she introduced me to a sociological concept
called “Verstehen.” It basically means “to put yourself in the shoes of others to see things
from their perspective.” I want to apply this concept in my journey of understanding who I
am, to be fully aware of myself. I have a quote of mine that states, “If you want to understand
others, you must understand yourself first; conversely, if you want to understand yourself,
you must understand others.” I aspire to be empathetic and to understand people in all aspects
without biases and stereotypes. I have a particular interest in the field of social science,
especially in the discipline of psychology, as I want to study my behaviors, habits, biases,
beliefs, and even human nature itself. I needed this concept to have a better grasp of myself.
It is a tool to reach the goal of becoming a better person, having an open mindset, accepting
constructive criticism, being good and kind, and avoiding cognitive biases, while continually
striving for improvement.

Additionally, the aspirations I want to pursue involve following a certain philosophy

called Stoicism. Stoicism is a philosophy that embraces core values such as virtue, courage,
temperance, and justice. This philosophy teaches me resilience and the ability to overcome
who I was yesterday, molding myself into an unbreakable sculpture that will help me face the
adversities on my journey in this world. It is about being strong, reliable, and tough,
possessing inner strength and surpassing our limits. Stoicism teaches us to withstand the
challenges thrown at us by the world. It emphasizes focusing on ourselves, on how to become
better individuals with a growth mindset. This ancient Greek philosophy also instructs us to
focus on the things within our control and disregard external factors such as the people
around us, the environment, external events, and even the world itself. Instead, it encourages
us to concentrate on the things we can control, such as our rationality, being critical of our
actions, and considering decisions that can impact our future.

To end this, you need to be you. You have to change, you need to rely on yourself,
you have to make a progress even it is one percent at a time. You have to have that
Andreia(Courage), to take a step back and make a remarkable results of your game. You need
to be awakened, to wake up in the deep slumber. Stop being a passive, instead an assertive
and creative. You have to sacrifice yourself in order to build yourself. Stop wasting your
time, make a decision, make an action, and have that conviction. You have to avoid those
instant gratifications, those immediate pleasure, and even those cheap dopamines. You have
to visualize and materialize the things that you learn, to make an application in which makes
you be a better you than yesterday.