By Nanel Lacson (Grade 10 – Rizal)
As we go through the deep and heavy paths of life, we may find it burdensome to take a step forward towards our dreams. Life always finds its way to toss hurdles onto us here and there that we find it challenging to “seize the day”. Misfortune continues to befall upon us, and we start to discover ourselves completely vulnerable, allowing emotions to muster: regret, anger, guilt, pain. I myself am no different.
As a mere human being, I carry moments where I become powerless. I get sucked into profound and devouring emotions, whether they are my own…or others’. But deep within me, a consuming urge that refuses to accept the way things are screams out, knowing I can make a change in a fragment of myself with just one small step. Each problem cast onto me, I recognize them as steps and my vigorous training to a brighter future. And so I gladly cast aside all my worries, insecurities, even just for an instant, and take a tiny movement for a better end. By facing overbearing calamities, I can be content with withstanding these challenges and pursue to reach my dreams.
Dreams are hard to claim but still achievable. Little by little, I continue to stand and walk. But I’m all familiar that it is demanding to search for strength because human emotions resemble those of fathomless and dark waters. Because I’m aware of how frail I can be, this only causes me to hunger for any form of resilience: the determination to stand up for my ideals, confidence, and the ability
to defend others. I tell myself, with overwhelming vigor, I can easily overcome life’s hardships; however, I had an epiphany. The strength that I gathered for myself was not merely my own but, too, contains the power of the people around me. Each individual I encounter, I perceive their golden qualities as what makes them an admirable person in my eyes. And the strength I see within them, I absorb and turn it into my own. To put it simply, other people bestow me courage, which grants me the ability to fight for myself and them; therefore, I require relationships and sincere connections with different individuals. They each help me grow and learn, which most likely goes similarly for others, too. And to describe the term “seize the day”, it is where we abandon our fears and strive for a greater purpose that can benefit others more than ourselves. But, we must apprehend the importance of patience and that we are unable to see progress in just a short amount of time.
Struggling to find the tenacity to advance is a phase each of us has to confront. After all, it is one of humanity’s talents. Factors could be perfectionism, the desire to be incapable of making mistakes. It could be waiting for a “perfect moment” to come before us, or maybe even over-analyzing, which can lead to a plummet of confidence level. And yet, why do we remain to exist? Why are we still here? Why do we endure? It is because there lies an underlying power, a formidable resolve hidden deep within ourselves that anchors us to this world. It is either known or still lingers as a mystery to us, and it is what I purely call potential. It is the potential to take risks, to survive, and to evolve. I believe all of us possess the potential to empower, to take the reins, and to push to extensive heights to experience for ourselves the satisfaction of being triumphant at the end of each day.