GLETTE-YZAK MURING
TEDx Talks is a platform for public speaking where pressing social or current issues are discussed before a live audience. Last June 29, TEDxCSB tackled “Focus: Where are we headed?” at De La Salle College of St. Benilde (DLS-CSB).
Held at the Duerr Hall, the discussion featured Rowel Roxas of DLS-CSB and Carlo Ople of Unbox.ph.
Giving talks on “love” were professor Mark Arriesgado and Monster Radio student jock Julia Winternitz.
RJ Duco, a teacher at DLS-CSB, spoke about making a living out of one’s advocacy and passion, while travel blogger Trisha Velarmino capped TEDxCSB with a talk on exploring one’s personality.
Motivational
The talks were very motivational especially for me, a DLSU freshman.
I found myself thinking about how my decisions from hereon would define my future, and I couldn’t help but wonder where I was headed— and if I was even following the right path.
According to Roxas, when one tries to set a goal, it must be something vital and very much needed. It also has to be something one can give 100 percent of one’s efforts for; it should be something one strongly believes in.
Achieving a goal involves a long series of learning and unlearning, said Roxas. One has to learn the ins and the outs of a venture.
One lives in a world that is constantly changing, and one has to keep up with its demands. Learning should be continuous because that is how one progresses. However, one also has to unlearn old habits that hinder one’s progress.
The road to achieving our respective goals is a bumpy one. Along the way, one will stumble and fall, and when that happens, it’s important to remain humble, said Ople. One must accept that one has much to learn, and that there is nothing wrong with asking for help, making a mistake or failing.
In his talk, Arriesgado emphasized the importance of staying hopeful, recovering and focusing on learning rather than being hard on oneself for committing mistakes.
Beautiful journey
There will be people who will try to bring one down, who will make one feel that one is not good enough.
One should not find one’s value in others. No one and nothing, not even media, no matter how powerful they are, can tell one who one is and is supposed to be.
One must accept and love who one is and find one’s worth within one’s self. No matter what people throw, one can stand firm and keep focused on the goal.
After listening to the speakers, I realized that college life wasn’t that scary. Rather, it is something I should embrace. Velarmino said that achieving goals would come slowly and quietly—but it would be a beautiful journey.
Let’s be guided by the strong feeling of doing something we want to do, something we are passionate about, and not if it is right or wrong. We shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes, and we shouldn’t escape detours because it’s OK, no one’s got life figured out yet. No one lives a perfect life.
If anything, this is the best time to explore the many different versions of who we are. We can keep trying and, somewhere in between the learning, unlearning, struggles and the set-backs, we will get there.
We should not obsess over the future. We have to live in the present.
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