Ad Astra Per Aspera
(Part 1)
"Hindi sa tala sa langit, kundi sa buwang nakasilip. Ibigay ang hiling ng matang nakapikit.
Do you still find yourself wishing on a star, whether it be twinkling & diamond-like, and wonder what they are? A starry, starry night to all.
Toastmasters are, first and foremost, dreamers. I firmly believe this is to be true. We are dreamers because we wish to become better version of ourselves – we join Toastmasters because we wish to become better communicators, better leaders, and in the process, hope
we also become better-looking.
I wish to thank a young man, who I never even knew 3 months ago, but who is now someone I count as a very good friend. He is someone who I believe exemplifies what Toastmasters is here for – the younger breed of Toastmasters who hold so much promise & potential, so much confidence & drive – thank you Pueblo Verde President Jannus for choosing the theme.
Stars hold a special symbolism for me and our family. You go to our house, and the WiFi password is "A sky full of stars". So the theme is something that resonates with me deeply.
Ad astra per aspera – to the stars through difficulties, or the accomplishment of great things through the endurance of hardship.
As a coach, a trainer, mentor, as a writer and teacher, I firmly believe in dreams and make it my life's purpose helping and guiding people to achieve self-actualization – to better improve themselves through either skills acquisition, new knowledge or tools so they can believe and perceive themselves to be confident, competent, and caring individuals. I hope to impart with you some nuggets of wisdom that I hope will resonate with you as you search for excellence and self-improvement.
1st - Be Bold. To be truly excellent, dare to dream big, bold, wild, outrageous and audacious dreams. I remember, my mentor Mr. Ronquillo in Aboitiz, the one who founded my mother club – the Aboitiz Toastmasters
Club, he would ask participants in our 7 Habits of Highly Effective People training programs, that we would facilitate in all Aboitiz companies nationwide, he would ask – what is your greatest dream? People would share how they dream of sending their kids to school or to a great college, or of finishing their masters, or building a house or buying a car, and he would immediately lecture, get made at them and say – that is not a dream, that is your obligation as parents, or that is progressive or necessity-driven goal, but that is hardly inspiring at all. Is that the best you can dream? I remember him most of all, saying: Dreams are for free. Why do you limit yourself so? Dare to dream your biggest dreams.
Dare to dream – let your aim be higher than your reach. When you set high expectations for yourself, then you just might end up surprising yourself with the things you can achieve.
2nd - Be Clear. There are an infinite number of stars in the sky - which star do you want to pursue and guide you by in your adventure through life? Clarity is important - be clear as to what it is you want. Even if you don't have any idea how you're going to make it happen.
Clarity is power. The more clear you are about what you want, the more likely you are to achieve it. When you have the clarity of intention, the universe conspires with you to make it happen.