A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

So much happens in our life but we forget it all. If we don’t write things down, then a life without memories is pointless. Start to journal, and write about the little things. Most of the time, you only remember big things—things that affect you personally. The good, the bad, and the ugly. When you reminisce and realize how fragile life is you try to remember those little moments. The time you gazed into the stars as your parents drove you home. The time where you and your friends went on a spontaneous adventure in the late evening. Memories makes you question what life is really about. Events ultimately shape you, and how you want to live your life. Some people focus on money and use it as daily motivation in their hectic lives, while others focus on non-materialistic things like love and joy from their environment. 

Donald Miller does a great job of capturing the importance of life as being what you make it. Life is a story and we hold the pen. This book explores the possibility of a producer following you to make a documentary. It is another easy to read literary piece that defines the important of a story and its components. If you are looking for a book that changes your view in life along with some spiritual references, I highly recommend this one. In case you would rather get straight to its message, I have summed up its important passages here.

“And once you know what it takes to live a better story, you don’t have a choice. Not living a better story would be like deciding to die, deciding to walk around numb until you die, and it’s not natural to want to die.”

Miller was given the opportunity to remake his own life through a movie. After following him around, the directors said his life was boring. There were no deep rooted family issues, nor tragic deaths or anything of that nature. It seems as if the directors were related to people who read medical school applications. As they began recreating his character, he realized they were creating a different person with witty characteristics he wish he had. This specific part reminded me of creating my own character in a video game. I remember making myself a tall muscular guy who always had a commanding presence in the room. Even at an early age, my insecurities subconsciously dominated. Focus on what you are able to control, and if there is even a 1% chance of being able to achieve those goals—go after them. After all, you never know who could be interested in your life in the future. Create memorable events and take educated risks. There are always multiple pathways to get to where you want be.

“He said to me I was a tree in a story about a forest, and that it was arrogant of me to believe any differently. And he told me the story of the forest is better than the story of the tree.”

No one likes boring stories. The most captivating stories involve death and the main character using his courage to go against any possible fear. As a believer of God, I see so many horrible things happen in the world. This past year has been horrendous, and I never seem to see this situation to come to good hopes. If a creator exists, why does he make us endure so much pain? Why are innocent lives constantly being taken away because of a virus? Why are Muslims being sent away into concentration camps just because of their beliefs? It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when the media is constantly pushing stories that are gruesome. But, we love it. So many people wake up and consume the media because it catches our attention. This book makes the point that all of hardships are never seen as great stories, unless someone else is viewing it from the outside. We constantly think God is unjust, but never think about how he may be the master storyteller.

“But fear isn’t only a guide to keep us safe; it’s also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life”

Two months ago, I started receiving more frequent and painful migraines. The pain was so excruciating, I threw up multiple times. I put my ego aside and went to the hospital after a week long pain. After an MRI and a few tests, the results came back negative. I concluded my stress was causing tension making my migraines worse. I always had bad anxiety, but at a young age I thought it was because I was scared of death. Seeing family members get sick and die slowly in front of your eyes, made me realize the value of time at a young age. My parents never shied away from the fear of death. They took me to all the funerals because it was important to witness the pain life can bring. However, I realized something as I got older. I was never scared of death. I was scared of becoming a failure. The moment I looked at my symptoms, I immediately thought the worst. I believe I have been given talents and skills that be served to better my community as a physician. The path has been difficult, but what would be even worse is giving up. I’m not scared of death, but I’m scared of finishing a life of not reaching my goals. I fear a life where I could have accomplished the impossible, and chose not to because of social and societal pressures.

“It wasn’t necessary to win for the story to be great, it was only necessary to sacrifice everything.”