Draw Closer to the Light: A Gentle Journey Toward Growth

✨ Introduction ✨

Standing at the crossroads of life, I often find myself looking back at the figures who once seemed so far ahead—those who inspired me with their presence, their discipline, their light. Over time, I’ve come to realize: they aren’t unreachable myths, but living mirrors. They reflect our limitations and quietly ignite our desire to grow.

To learn from the exceptional isn’t to imitate blindly, but to begin a dialogue with the self—a journey that starts with admiration and ends in awakening.

1. The Mirror of Excellence: Seeing Ourselves Clearly

I first understood the weight of excellence at a university club meeting.

I was nervously piecing together a messy proposal while a senior across the table, poised and composed, discussed event logistics with a foreign guest—in flawless English. Her planner glowed with neat, color-coded schedules. Her presence was radiant, calm, confident.

Then I glanced at my own scribbled notes and crossed-out lines and felt a quiet realization wash over me: sometimes the difference between people hides in the details we take for granted.

✨ Takeaway:

Exceptional people are mirrors. They don’t just reflect what we admire—they reveal what we ignore in ourselves. Yes, that might sting. But only when we acknowledge the gap can we begin to bridge it.

2. Reaching Toward the Light: Where Real Change Begins

True transformation often begins with awkward mimicry.

I started copying my senior’s habits: using a Pomodoro timer, mapping ideas with mind maps, drafting a to-do list every morning. At first, it felt artificial. My alarm at 6 AM was a daily battle. Resisting the urge to scroll through my phone was a minor war. But after three months, I realized something had shifted—those habits had become a part of me.

🌱 A Moment to Remember:

One late night, as I typed a paper to the sound of rain and soft white noise (another recommendation from her), I remembered her words: “Excellence isn’t a flash. It’s a series of small things done right.” And for the first time, I felt proud of how far I’d come—not because I had arrived, but because I had stayed.

3. The Power of Walking Together

Later, I met a new mentor during grad school—one who taught me something even more valuable: how to be at peace with myself.

Despite her packed schedule, she always found time to arrange fresh flowers in her office or attend weekend pottery classes. I once asked why. “Because true growth,” she said with a smile, “is when your soul and your schedule grow in sync.”

That idea planted something in me. I started sketching during quiet evenings, listening to philosophy podcasts on my commute, even writing letters to my future self. Slowly, I stopped chasing others and started grounding myself in my own rhythm.

🌟 Key Insight:

True mentors don’t demand you become a carbon copy. They guide you to discover your own tone, pace, and path.

4. From Admiration to Alignment

Three years later, I had the chance to co-lead a project with the senior I once looked up to.

After the meeting, she smiled and said, “The way you handle things now… reminds me of how I used to be.”

In that moment, I felt a surge of emotion. Somewhere along the way, I had closed the distance—not by becoming her, but by becoming more of myself.

Real growth isn’t about reaching someone else’s level. It’s about evolving to the point where you can walk beside those you once admired—carrying your own light.

5. Your Own Light, Your Own Path

These days, I often recall a line from The Kite Runner:

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."

Neither is growth. Those we admire aren't templates—they are reminders of possibility. Their lives say, there are many ways to live well—and yours deserves to be one of them.

💡 To You, Reader:

If you find yourself admiring someone, don’t shrink. Don’t rush. Let yourself be drawn in like a sunflower to the sun. Borrow their strategies, study their mindset—but always listen for your own heartbeat beneath the noise.

One day, you’ll realize the light you once followed has quietly become your own glow.

✨ Closing Thoughts: Excellence Is a Gentle Relay

There’s no such thing as a perfect person—but there are people who live deliberately and love deeply. They might be a colleague, a mentor, or even a fictional character. The beauty of learning from them lies not in replication, but in resonance.

So don’t fear admiration. Let it be the start of something tender. Because every act of looking up is, in truth, a promise to grow inward—and one day, outward.

Keep going. Your light is forming.