You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.
— American speculative fiction author Olivia E. Butler
MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — I’ve often heard Syco Entertainment founder
Simon Cowell—that beloved (and irritating) judge in America’s Got Talent (AGT)—saying to contestants that “two minutes can change your life.”
Literally, that has happened to many would-be singers and performers in the popular show and I wouldn’t be surprised if it also happens to most of us and not in talent competitions but in real life.
I recall how my elder sister used to scold me for staying at home during my teenaged days—doing nothing except collating my clippings of news articles and what nots and even comic strips by my favorite cartoonists.
In short, to my sister, I was a bum.
But a second chance gave me something to think about, so I ended where I am now—a self-professed writer of sorts.
This leads me to Manila mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso’s recent pronouncement about the importance of second chances, even as he underscored his own rise from poverty to public office, proving that people can transform their lives if given the opportunity.
At the 1st Parole and Probation Administration (PPA
PPA) Criminal Justice Stakeholders’ Conference at The Manila Hotel, Domagoso reflected on his humble beginnings in Tondo.
He recounted growing up in an environment where many of his peers chose different paths, saying that while they shared the same circumstances, he made a conscious decision to pursue a different future.
I experienced similar circumstances. Studying then in San Beda College on Mendiola Street, my classmates, being sons of government officials. businessmen and other influencial people, had different aspirations which were all contrary to what I wanted.
So I ended up in a quest apart from what they pursued. At first, the journey was critically slow as I was searching for a goal that not only would give me good fortune and success but also self-fulfillment and pride.
Yes, it took me a long time to do it and there was a time that I thought was bound to fail. I encountered obstacle that appeared insurmountable. But I persisted and always got a ‘second chance’ if I failed until I eventually triumphed to reach my niche in society.
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ia/xf
