Admittedly at 38, the best Filipino motivational quotes in over 15 years of speaking

DearLloyd,

Ihavefollowed you sinceI first heardyouspeak inourschool.I mustsayIhave been inspired byyour motivaM tionalspeech thatI missyourwitand message, especially thesedays. Asyou mayknow,staying athomeforstudentsisn’treallyfun.Whatdoyou thinkIcanreflecton tohelp mepreparewhen schoolreopens?

CJ

Cj,

Last week, I ran out of space. As promised, I’m posting the last 12 motivational quotes I’ve made in over 1U years of inspirational speaking. It never occurred to me that it has been that long already. Perhaps when you’re really in love with what you do, time simply passes by and often, you won’t even notice that it does.

Reflecting on my own journey during the nowmodified enhanced community quarantine, I can’t help to appreciate my personal journey — a mix of wins and losses, pains and gains, joys and tears. It was never easy. In fact, nothing was. But every bit of it brought me to where I am now.

Your destination is never final, I believe. Unless, of course, God calls you home. The journey is always on. Unfortunately, not too many people appreciate this or worse, understand this. Unable to make sense of what your journey is like, you may many times hate it for what it’s worth. Hate leads to suffering. Maybe that’s why many people are unhappy and often confused and disoriented.

As a student of life, you must be aware of your own journey. Don’t wait for the perfect time to start because as I said last week in quote number 26: “You will never know where life will take you next until you take one step away from where you stand.”

27. “When you don’t give people a reason to stay, you give them a million reason to leave.”

28. “The ultimate measure of leadership is not what happens when you are around. It’s what happens when you are in the background.”

29. “Seek the courage to give up what is easy and you will find what is difficult to be surprisingly rewarding.”

30. “If you want to get something, stand up, leave the crowd, pay the price and get it.”

31. “Life gives you whatever you ask of it if and when you’re ready.”

32. “Don’t mistake an assumption from the truth.”

33. “The process of falling out of love starts when logic becomes reason, when reason becomes greater than emotion, when emotion becomes just another option.”

34. “No one expects you to look good after your battle for love.”

3U. “The tears that cloud your vision are the same tears that clear it. Cry if you must, but please don’t die.”

36. “Life doesn’t end when you’re done. It ends when you are dead.”

37. “The things that you build eventually build you.”

38. “When stuck between choosing to succeed or to love, choose to love. For it is only in the magical expression of love that real success is made and found.

At 38 — confident and proud — I couldn’t have wished for anything more. Well, I have some ideas, but I guess they will come in at a later time and I know I can afford to wait. In the meantime, I’m here to enjoy the moment. Besides, I guess it will be really boring if I get everything I want right now. Plus, I wouldn’t have any more reason to continue the journey.

I’m a work in progress. I believed it then, I believe it now and I will believe it tomorrow. And knowing that God isn’t done with me yet is a gift in itself. I never had a perfect life. But does perfection really make people happy? Will I be happy if my life is always in order? I won’t.

Imperfection is a trade I’m always willing to make if perfection means boredom. There’s always something to improve. Thus, perfection is never achievable. Falling into the trap of perfection sometimes takes your eyes off of your journey and the blessings that you get in the process.

My journey, therefore, isn’t about seeking for perfection. It’s simply living my life to the fullest knowing that I’m able to touch the people I get to encounter along the way. To have inspired and motivated them over the years — and to have served them with my time, love and talent — is by far the most incredible honor I have in the past 38 years. Or, 37. Lloyd Luna, RSP, is the firstregistered speaking professional in the Philippines. He is a motivational speaker on leadership and best-selling author of

Stepback: The Lost Art of Filipino Leadership. Heis the chief executive officerof Stepback, a leadership and culture development company that helps leaders and organizations see the bigger picture in life and at work. Visit his website www.stepback.phor email him at lloyd@stepback.ph.