[The following article appears in the book Hearts and Minds Uplifted--The Power of Falun Dafa, first published by the Clearwisdom editors in 2006. The many short stories in this book were written by people of all ages, from many countries, and from all walks of life. They are all very personal and unique, and yet they share a common theme: the tremendous spiritual growth that comes from practicing Falun Gong. For more information or to order Hearts and Minds Uplifted, please see: http://www.mhbooks.org/mhbooks/index.php?target=products&product_id=29937&sl=EN ]

Ever since I was a child, I have been very outgoing and active. My family nicknamed me "wild horse." I enjoyed sports and won many awards while representing my elementary and secondary schools in open tournaments. However, academically I fell far short. Nonetheless, the high marks I achieved by playing sports compensated for my poor performance in other subjects.

In order to relieve the financial situation at home, I followed the footsteps of my three brothers and took a part-time job while attending school. I worked during the daytime and studied in the evening at a technical school. My father died of cancer. At the time, I was not yet a legal adult. Traumatized and saddened by his death, I began to engage in quite a few unhealthy activities, such as gambling, drinking, fighting, reckless driving, gossiping, along with wasting my time thinking about horrible things.

I loved sports. I made use of mornings, my time after work, and before class to work out. According to my thinking at that time, sweating was a means of proving that I was still alive. I also participated in various tournaments and won many awards and prizes. I was exposed to many temptations and became absorbed in pursuing personal fame and gain. I gradually lost myself in it all. I spent all my time and energy attempting to climb to the top in my career. As a result, my family began to find it difficult to understand me. The trust between my friends and me was gone, and my health deteriorated as I pushed myself to the limit physically.

One day, an older friend of mine gave me a popular newspaper that contained some very positive and inspiring stories. Tears began to stream down my face as I was reading it on my way home in the subway. I read stories about being kind and learned many new things. One article I read was discussing Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China. Since I wished to know more, a few days later I began to read Zhuan Falun.

I joined a practice site in my neighborhood after I finished reading Zhuan Falun for the first time. Afterwards, something miraculous happened. I had never won any scholarships in my life, but after beginning to practice Falun Gong, I was awarded scholarships in three consecutive school terms! I realized that doing well in my studies was a result of the increased focus I had developed from practicing Falun Gong.

After a year of practicing Falun Gong, my brother's wife commented that I had changed immensely. She went on to say that I had become more down-to-earth and that I no longer focused on superficial things. My sister had also recognized that I was much more sensitive to other people and was always taking the initiative to help others. Moreover, my colleagues were amazed at how I had made such positive changes within such a short period of time. They said they admired my new commitment and devotion to work. In addition, my team members also observed that I was no longer the aggressive person I used to be. They also mentioned seeing other positive changes in me.

Lately, I have heard people comment on my youthful appearance. I could not help but recall an incident when I was in high school. One day, I went out with a friend. We saw his friend coming up to us, and she said to my friend, "Hi. So you are hanging out with your aunt?" I was totally shocked by what I heard and did not know whether to laugh or cry. I know that I owe the change in my appearance to Falun Gong. I know that it is a practice of mind and body, and that many practitioners experience significant improvement in their complexion, where it becomes fair and rosy. This occurs even with the elderly. If you are interested in Falun Gong too, you can read Zhuan Falun and you will find the answers you seek.