7:34 p.m., January 16, 1987, San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines

“Close your eyes!”

“Nobody moves, screams, or looks at us—or I’ll blow his head off!”

My family had barely finished asking the blessing on a Friday evening meal when we were faced with four masked, shabby-looking men brandishing handguns, an M-16 rifle, and a dagger.

How did these people get in here? What do they want?

“I said shut your eyes!” the leader barked, pointing a revolver straight at Dad.

Dad glanced at my two little sisters, my mom (almost nine months pregnant), my three brothers and me, and said…

“Just bow your heads and pray…”

“Yes, you better pray,” the leader mocked. “Because this will be your last!”

My eyelids trembled as I tried to keep them shut.

My knees were shaking. I wanted to do something, but if Dad was powerless right now, what could a 13-year old do?

I prayed that my five-year-old sister wouldn’t...

One quiet evening many many years ago, I was sitting alone in my room, reading.

Suddenly, a profound realization hit me with the force of a Mack truck. I no longer remember the title of the book, but what I read is etched in my memory forever:

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once."
—Lillian Dickson

Twenty words that changed my life forever. I decided at that very moment to find out what life was for in the first place. It just made perfect sense to me.

Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."

To continue to live my life without a clear understanding of its purpose is like taking a ship to the ocean without a clear destination. I didn’t want to become another ship lost at sea. I didn't want to end up an unhappy old man filled with so many regrets. Before I leave port, I want to know my exact destination. Otherwise, I would be wasting precious time and fuel.

How about you? Have you ever wondered...