Last August 15,2014 we had our Acquaintance party at Venue88, General Santos City. And I would like to share this inspirational message given to us by our guest speaker, Atty. Raymond Fortun:
OF MOVING MOUNTAINS AND BEING THE BEST
Dean Moslem, teachers and students of the Mindanao State University GenSan campus College of Law, may’ng gabii kaninyong tanan.
I am very honored to have been invited to speak before you today. A person is commonly invited to speak before his peers because he is regarded in high esteem and possesses qualities that are worth emulating OR could be a good source of words of wisdom to become successful in his profession. I hope that my presence here today is because of what I have done in the legal profession and not because of the notoriety of, at one time, being the spokesman of Cedric Lee.
To be candid, I am not too sure if I’m the right person to be worth emulating. You see, I didn’t really do too well in school during my elementary, high school and undergraduate college days. Hindi po ako mahilig mag-aral nung bata ako. Mas mahilig po ako na maglaro ng cops and robbers and patintero than do my assignments. I still vividly remember the times when I would be sent to the Prefect of Discipline’s office for playing near the convent, which was an off-limits area. Nambabato po ako dati ng chalk sa mga bakla and almost got expelled for bringing my brother’s pocketknife to school.
Of course, I’ve had my bright moments, which were mentioned during my introduction. Kaya lang, and unlike most lawyers and politicians, I am uncomfortable talking about myself. To this day, I am incredulous about the amount of attention I attract whenever I go out in public, eh hindi naman ako artista. Hindi po ako ipinanganak na mayaman at wala po akong planong yumaman. I have not been instrumental in the passage of any significant legislation. And so while I feel that I may not be worthy, God may have his reasons in convincing Ms. Hannah Villaflor to invite me over. And so allow me to share with you a few of my thoughts on how to excel in the legal profession, in life and in whatever you want to do.
I would like to throw a question to all of you. “To excel and be successful, one must have the brains for it.” Tama ba o mali? I say, success is determined not so much by the size of one’s brain but by the size of one’s thinking. Kaya po tayo hindi umaasenso, whether inside the classroom or outside, ay dahil na rin sa pag-iisip na pumapalibot sa atin. All around us is an environment that is trying to pull you down. It tells us, “que sera sera, whatever will be will be”, that your destiny is outside your control, that “fate” is in not in your hands. Feng shui is not only a movie starring Kris Aquino, but a must in any working environment. So forget those dreams, forget that nice house in Forbes Park, forget the good life. Accept the fact that you will forever be anonymous and poor. So lie down and wait to die.
This does not have to be. As the prophet David once wrote, “As one thinketh in his heart, so is he”. John Milton in his novel, Paradise Lost, also wrote, “the mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven.” And even Shakespeare observed, “there is nothing either good or bad except that thinking makes it so.”
I am sure everyone in this room wants to excel and be successful. The problem why we do not excel is because we have been led to believe that we won’t. Hindi ba merong biblical passage na “faith can move mountains”? Believe, really believe, you can move a mountain and you can. Not many people believe that they can move mountains. So, as a result, not many people do.
Of course, it is foolish to think you can make a mountain move away simply by saying, “Hoy mountain, umalis ka nga dyan.” But believing in the “I Can!” generates the power, skill and energy needed to do just that. When you believe “I-can-do-it”, the “How-to-do-it” develops. Without an unwavering belief that man can travel in space, our scientists would not have the courage, interest, and enthusiasm to send a man to the moon. Belief in great results is the driving force, the power behind all great books, plays, scientific discoveries and is behind every successful business, church and political organization. And for those of you here who dream of being a lawyer someday, believe that you can be a better lawyer than Raymond Fortun, and you will achieve it. (Pause) Sabagay, libre lang ang managinip, and when you really ARE better, retired and bungal na ako by then anyway.
How, then, do you develop the power of believing in your own excellence and success? Firstly, think success, don’t think failure. At work, in your home, kahit sa lovelife, substitute success thinking for failure thinking. When you face a difficult situation, think, “I’ll win, “ not “I have no hope of winning.” When you compete with someone else, think, “I’m better than you”, not “I’m no match.” When courting a girl, think “Sasagutin ako nito!” not “Mababasted ako.” Thinking positively conditions your mind to create plans that produce positive results. Thinking failure does the exact opposite. Secondly, remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are not supermen. People who excel are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Thirdly, think big. The limits of your success is determined by the limits of your belief. Aspire for little goals and you can expect little achievements, but think big goals and you are able to achieve big dreams.
When you go deep into the study of people, you will discover that unsuccessful people suffer a mind-deadening thought disease which Dr. David Schwartz calls, “excusitis”. Excusitis explains the difference between the person who is going places and the fellow who is barely holding his own. The more successful the individual, the less inclined he is to make excuses. Pero yung tao na walang patutunguhan at walang plano na merong makamtan ay may pinakamaraming palusot kung bakit hindi nila matupad ang mga pangarap nila. Persons with mediocre accomplishments are quick to explain why they haven’t, why they don’t, why they can’t, and why they aren’t.
Kanina, natanong ko kung kelangan nga talaga ng talino para magtagumpay sa buhay. Most of us have two basic errors with respect to intelligence: one, we underestimate what our brain is capable of; and two, we overestimate other people's smarts. Because of these errors many people sell themselves short. They fail to tackle challenging situations because “hindi naman ako matalino.” What really matters, however, is not how much intelligence you have but how you use what God has given you.
Remind yourself several times daily, “My attitude is more important.” At work and at home, practice positive attitudes. See the reasons why you CAN do it, not the reasons why you can’t. Develop an “I can do this” attitude. Put your intelligence to creative positive use. Use it to find ways to win, not to prove you will lose.
What we can achieve is limited only by the extent of our imagination; what we can accomplish is dampened only by the lack of belief in oneself. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the message of the ordinary, physically and intellectually less-gifted person standing before you today: you CAN do well in school. You CAN capture the heart of the prettiest girl/handsomest boy on campus. You CAN be the best lawyer in Mindanao or even in the Philippines. And if we all truly believe that this country can rise up from its present mediocrity and be great again, it will be. The power to do all these things, whether you realize it or not, is in all of us all this time. Believe, and you can move mountains.
Thank you and I wish you all the best.
