Some people say that today’s the best time to be a woman. The world is finally recognizing the achievements of women all around the world, there are more women in university than males, and the scholarships for women seem to never end. Women have come a long way. Liberia has the first African woman President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Hilary Clinton is the Secretary of State in the USA and foundations are investing predominantly in women around the world. Close to 100% of microfinance grants going to develop community have been given out to cooperatives of women.

Mindsets were changing not just on a global scale, but at school and at home. Growing up in a girls’ school for ten years as well as in a family that believed in the power of women to make change in the world, made me believe that I could too.

Driven, confident, and passionate, I jumped at every opportunity life gave me. Women could be powerhouses, and we should be – that was my mindset. Even today, I still believe much of that but have learned that sometimes, I get so caught up in the doing and running around that I forget to be. I forget to sit and enjoy the quiet moments, I have no more time to have fun sleepovers (my favorite as a kid), or play board games or bake my favorite tiramisu dessert. I forget that life is a journey, not a destination.

This reminds me of the story of Martha and Mary. Martha was busy making sure the house was ready for Jesus, that all the sheets were ironed, the food was ready, the house was cleaned. I guess today that would be like me trying to run to the office to make sure all my emails were sent out, blackberry charged, house made and book published – all before Jesus comes. And sometimes it feels like I forget what I am preparing for.

In contrast, Mary just sat by the feet of her Master. And I think the Master and His gifts are all around. They are in each sunrise and sunset and the new berries in the spring, in my siblings and parents and friends. In the midst of the whirlwind of activities, tasks, and assignments, I forget to sit.

Life is a journey, and doing and sitting are not mutually exclusive. They help to reinforce the other and the times that I have loved the most is when both of these happen. Even in a fateful trip to start a scholarship program in Kolkata, India. I remember the moments not just running around buying art materials or meeting with the many non-governmental organizations, but in the moments where Suraj and I sat and listened to the sights and sounds of the city and savored each bite of the egg rolls on the street. Or I think of my closest friends at Northwestern – people who have taught me so much, not only through their leadership expertise and many connections across campus but also through the moments where we have cried, ran off to the World’s Largest Brat Fest or jumped in Lake Michigan on a hot Sunday afternoon.

It is this blend of sitting and giving your 100% at a specific dream and goal that makes each day a beautiful one. From the lyrics of one of my favorite songs:

Life is a challenge not a competition
You can still smell the roses and be on a mission
Just take a moment to get in touch with your heart
Sometimes you feel like you’ve got something to prove
Remind yourself that there’s only one you
Just take a moment to give thanks of who you are
Early in the morning
It’s the dawn of a new day
New hopes, new dreams, new ways
I open up my eyes and
I open up my mind and
I wonder how life will surprise me today

La la la la la la la la la (x3)
It’s a Beautiful Day (x3)

As we, the women in the world have even more pressure to perform, to balance the work place and the home, do not forget to take a moment to be surprised by life, chase your passions, take risks, and dream big. I will end off with five of my favorite phrases:

Live to be surprised.

Learn as much as you can from whoever you can.

Lead with integrity and light. Lead to make the world a more just place.

Laugh at life’s up and downs. Celebrate moments, give thanks, and smile.

Love each person whom your life will touch, that opportunity may only come once.

Growing up in the Eagles family, Meixi Ng graduated in June with a major in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. Together with Suraj Prakash Upadhiah, they co-founded The Amber Initiative (www.theamberinitiative.com), an organization dedicated to the restoration and protection of human dignity through a global movement of youth. She also worked with the UN Interagency Project on Human Trafficking in Thailand. For her commitment to social justice, Meixi was named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader in 2009 and is Northwestern’s first recipient of the Ryan Award for Community Service. She also won the Circumnavigators Fellowship and begun her worldwide travel this summer as a fellow to study education as a tool for transformation in marginalized communities. She hopes to return to work with the hill tribe students in Thailand and The Amber Initiative in Singapore.