The Five P's of Success [Speech for Commencement Exercises]

A pleasant morning to everyone! I woke up today feeling inspired -- inspired to see the faces of you, graduates, who are hungry for success. May kanya-kanyang buhay, kanya-kanyang landas, kanya-kanyang diskarte, ngunit mayroon lamang iisang hangarin-- ang magtagumpay! "Success!" Ang pakahulugan nito ay higit pa sa paggamit natin sa katagang ito matapos nating gumamit ng banyo! What is success? And what does it take to be successful? I believe that the meaning of success is relevant. However, our society has blinded us that the people who are considered successful are the ones who are the richest, the most celebrated, the highest in position in the company and so on. Our culture has made us believe that success is based on what is visible and obvious. But in reality, some people who are tagged as successful are actually losers. Kung kayamanan o katanyagan ang batayan ng tagumpay, bakit mayroong mga kilalang tao sa lipunan na pinipiling kitilin ang kanilang sariling buhay? Kung ang posisyon sa hanap-buhay ang batayan, bakit may mga tao pa rin na bumibitiw as kanilang high-paying jobs? Somehow, they have missed the point that success is an inward thing. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The good news is that the moment you decide that what you know is more important than what you have taught to believe, you will have shifted gears in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without." What is your definition of success? Well, as for me, success is becoming who God wants me to be. And by and by, when I started my career in 2011, up until now, I know that I am on the right track. So the next question is, what does it take to be a successful person? Throughout the experiences I have had in my life, it is safe to say that the components of success can be summarized into five points: The first one is, PASSION. Passion is the force that keeps you going. It is your drive! You have to comprehend yourself, what is the path do you really want take on? Talking about your career, you should ask yourself,"What do I really want to become?" And start seeking a job related to it, a stepping stone to your success. Aside from eating and sleeping, what is it that thing which you could imagine you would love doing in your whole life relentlessly? Take heed of that calling. The second component is PURSUIT. I remember the movie of Will Smith and his son, Jaden, "The Pursuit of Happyness", wherein it features the true-to-life story of Chris Gardner-- a struggling salesman hoping to find his success on making a living for his, particularly for his son. On the course of his journey, he encountered a lot of obstacles. His wife left him for being financially incapable. He and his son were evicted from the house they rented, leaving the homeless and at times, hungry. But he did not stop on pursuing the happiness he wanted for himself and for his child. When he was hired as a candidate for a position of a paid broker, competing against other 19, he managed to make his phone call sales efficient and effective, and even reached out to high-potential customers. Later on, keeping his managers impressed, he was then officially hired as a paid full-time broker, chosen among all other applicants. And since it's a true story, it has been revealed that Chris Gardner persevered and went on to forming his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm. Isn't it amazing how people persist just to achieved their dreams.? If you keep on backing out whenever you would encounter hardships and disappointments, how will you ever be successful? Third component of success is related to the second one, and that is PAIN. *sigh* What I have learned in this life's journey is that pain is inevitable. People will always have something to say against you no matter how well you mean or do. You are all prone to getting hurt. But instead of letting these pains derail your plans, you should learn from them. Let these be opportunities for you to evaluate yourselves. Improve what you have to improve, but never let the pains put you down. Fourth point is PROPER PRIORITIES. Listen, graduates! Always, always, always value your time, your money, your energy. Huwag niyong sasayangin ang mga ito sa mga bagay na walang katuturan. Most of us, find ourselves stuck, looking down on our gadgets: Facebooking, tweeting, COC-playing. While these are not bad themselves, but bear in mind that you should spend yourselves or the portion of yourselves on things that would eventually build your character and career, your relationships with other people, and your connection with the Lord. What you always feed your mind is what you do and who you become. A successful person knows how to identify the things that are need-to-be-done from the things that are nice-to-be-done. This leads me to my last point. Joyce Meyer said, "Spending time with God is the key to our strength and success in all areas of life. Be sure that you never try to work God into your schedule, but always work your schedule around Him." So for me, the last but definitely not the least component of success is, PRAYER. Life wouldn't be successful if not God-given. Prayer keeps you grounded knowing that without

God, you really can do nothing; but at the same time, prayer pushes you up leading you closer and closer to your success. As you surrender your plans to the Lord, He blesses your hearts' desires and gives you the success better than you could imagine and even better than the one you could ever work hard for. That's the power of prayer! And time and time again, I have proven in my life that prayer is a powerful tool to succeed. The mere fact that I'm standing in front of you right now is an evidence. Kung alam n'yo lang. My beloved graduates of STI College Novaliches, you are here on this event proving that God is current busy on writing your success stories. As you begin the next chapter of your lives, accept the fact that life if tough in the so-called real world, but always choose to be tougher. Press on toward the goal of succeeding. Be passionate. Be persistent. Be positive. Be wise on your priorities, and be prayerful. Reach for your dreams, STIers! You can make it!! Congratulations and good day!