LIFE’S LESSONS
By Henrylito D. Tacio
“Every man is said to have this peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say, for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellowmen, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition is yet to be developed.” – Abraham Lincoln, American president
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I grew up in poverty, although we were able to eat three times a day. My father, Generoso, was a company mechanic who never finished elementary school. Even in his 70s, he was still working (although we begged him to stop doing it). My mother, Saturnina, who just turned 80 this November, was a plain housewife. She never knew her real family, as she was given to her adoptive parents by her mother when she was still a little girl; all she remembered was that her mother was crying when she left her. She was attending high school when she met my father. She had several suitors, and didn’t want to entertain anymore, as she wanted to concentrate on her studies.
To discourage my father from coming, she told him that if he was interested, he could bring his family to discuss marriage. Hearing those words, he left her and she felt relieved. What she wasn’t expecting was that two days later, he would come back together with his parents. To make a long story short, they got married.
They were already blessed with eight children when I was in high school. After transferring from one location to another, and a total of three different tries, they managed to buy a lot of their own, and build a machine shop, where the family also lived.
Another baby came – and thus, there were nine of us.
As there were so many mouths to feed, we were barely able to eat three times a day. Our birthday celebrations were just two family-sized bottles of soft drinks, and some bread. But despite that — we had a great time with those treats!
During the summers, I had to travel from our hometown to Davao City, to sell newspapers, magazines, and comics in bus stations. Before each summer was over, I already had enough money to buy school supplies for my siblings and myself. The rest of the money I earned was used to pay for the whole year’s tuition, so I won’t then have any problems during my exams.
As I write this piece, I am in the United States. It’s my sixth time to be in this country; so far, I have been to about 23 states already. In addition, I have been to Australia, Canada, South Africa, and most Asian countries, like China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. I was able to have all these travels because of my work as a journalist. Thanks to almost three dozen awards I have received, I have been invited to cover international conferences, and attend seminars related to my work.
So, at this point you may begin to wonder how I was able to get to where I am now. Let me give you five points which you can apply as you continue to walk in this endeavor called LIFE:
Know what you want in life. This is very important. Because without any objective in life, you won’t go far! You will be content with what you have in life right now. There will be no challenges at all. More often than not, you may follow what your parents are doing. And before you know it, you are already old and haven’t really accomplished much in life.
Work to attain what you want in life. It’s pointless if you have an ambition, but won’t work for it. Do the best you can, on how you can attain what you want in life. Yes, there are struggles along the way, but all these prepare you to become a better person. Some of those lessons can be used later when you are already working.
Find a job to attain what you want in life. Sometimes, the college education you may take may not be what you really want in life. There are those people who take a certain college course, just because those are their parents’ wishes. There are also those who get a course just because some friends are taking it. Or maybe because it is the only course their parents can afford.
You may not have the profession you want in life, but you can do it once you have finished something. Find a job to support yourself. Remember, the choices you make today define who you will be in the future.
Don’t rest because you have already attained what you want in life. You dreamt of becoming a doctor, and now you are a doctor. You work in one of the most sought-after hospitals, and you have helped a lot of people already. So, what’s next?
More often than not, we become complacent in life. When we get something, we stop working. When we get good grades in school, our tendency is to enjoy the moment, and not think of tomorrow.
Actually, the truth is that, if your grades are now good, you have to work harder to make these grades even better. That is why there are other individuals who, after graduating from college, in pursuit of their own betterment, still go back to school and take masteral degrees. And there are a few who pursue more – getting doctorate degrees.
In my case, I may have won awards one after the other. All in all, I have now collected 31 journalism awards. But I consider those awards as just a bonus for what I do. I am still writing, not because I want to get more awards, but because I still want to inform the public of the news and features that I feel they need, and have a right to know.
Share what you know so others may also attain what they want in life. It’s simply moral payback! You cannot exist without the help of others: your parents, your siblings, your teachers, your friends, your colleagues, and other people. This is the reason why you need to share your blessings with others – in the form of your time, talent, and treasure. And above all, honor God, who is the originator and creator of all things in this world.
You live in this world only once. If your work hard, may you look at others who work harder? Remember, being successful doesn’t only mean having cars, big houses, power, and fame. It also means being happy, having peace of mind, and nothing to worry about as you sleep at night.
How people will remember you is up to you. No one can do it for you. Will those memories about you be good, or will they be bad? Only you can answer that! – ###
