When the Road Seems Impossible, Just Keep Walking

The road to success is always 

under construction. ~Lily Tomlin

I only have ten pesos left in my pocket.

It's 8:30 PM and I haven't had my dinner yet. I have scattered jobs and earnings I call virtual money (simply because I don't have them in hand) but I don't have cash. Being hungry and penniless aren't new to me. I have even survived 3 days of "forced fasting". Forced because I didn't have any choice.

Some friends ask me how I survive this foolishness. It's all very simple.

Because I love history and the stories of people who marked the timelines, I easily make them my role model. I am a walking example of Ghandi, Prisoners of War, Anne Frank and Corrie Ten Boom-- Combined! (Not as good as them, though). I learned through their experience and even when things are getting tough and impossible, I never said No.

Walking from Minglanilla to Manalili (roughly 15 kilometers) was one of the craziest things I've ever done. And whenever I'm in an impossible situation, I look back to that experience. I often tell them that I did it in order to take the examinations but that's honestly too shallow for such a big deed. A huge part of me was trying to "prove" that I can make it. I was a rebel, and on that day, I was driven by my pride. The reason wasn't noble after all.

Every time I make decisions that are too big and take risks that are almost impossible, there's always an emotional story behind. Doing these things might make me look tough but if you dig deeper, I was nothing but immature. I was driven by the anger and pain of being pushed down. But I never regret that experience.

Even if I haven't eaten anything before I did that walk.
Even if I had a fever the next day.
Even if I didn't reach the examinations on time.

If you analyze your failures, you will see secrets to success. And since  I have experienced something that big, whenever I experience misfortune, I often look back to that experience and use it to my own advantage. It became one of my big motivators. It's always great to be inspired by your own story.

But I also had an inspiration the moment I've decided to take that walk.

We had a book entitled "Stories of Great Escapes" which was published by Reader's Digest. The stories were inspired by real life struggles of men and women during the World War. There was a story entitled "The Long Walk" about 5 prisoners of war who escaped and walked for 2 years from Russia to India. Only 2 of the 5 prisoners reached their destination. The other 3 died.

I took the story seriously and applied it in real life.
I thought, if they were able to walk several miles in order to reach their destination, what stops me from walking a few kilometers?

There were times during my walk that I wanted to stop and go back but I'm already halfway there. I just can't stop. I was under the heat of the sun, hungry, penniless and mad. I was only 15 and I was immature enough to be fueled by such an impossible novel. But I made it to the finish line.

I've had so many experiences that were fueled by my adventurous thinking.
That's the reason why I'm not afraid to take risks.

Apart from the fact that I'm fond of wearing myself thin and taking risks, my adventurous soul seeks the true meaning of life. I belong to an unhappy family, we had so many trials that were impossible to bear because we don't unite. We hated one another.

My family situation made my life almost meaningless. But meaningless doesn't mean meaningless forever. That's why I keep on searching for a meaning. I've done things that hurt but they all give me lessons. Somehow, I've gained confidence from my experience. When I was 18, I have learned a lot about life already.

As I travel in this new chapter of my life, I'm experiencing recycled trials. When I'm alone, I kneel down at the edge of my bed and pray. I often tell God "Lord, I don't know what these things are for but I embrace them with all of me."

Failures aren't really signs that tell us that we're getting nowhere

So whenever you feel like everything seems impossible, keep walking. If you stop, you might realize that you have stopped digging 3 meters from the golden treasure. You don't stop climbing the mountain because it's getting higher and harder. If you are passionate about your goals, there is no reason to stop. Failures aren't really signs that tell us that we're getting nowhere. You don't win your way to success, there will be bumps along the way. Keep the faith and believe in yourself.