Remembering back when I was in Grade 2 at our then Palawan Teacher’s College (now Palawan State University)..Class representative for an upcoming competition. I had to memorize a very long declamation piece in English (at age 8 believe me, I didn’t understand the meaning of complicated words). Add to that pronouncing every word correctly with the appropriate intonation. And as if that was easy (it was not), I had to apply gestures and time it precisely.

My teacher at school coached me, at home my mother made sure I practiced & my personal tutor spent hours checking and rehearsing with me.

Then the big day came. It was a timed competition and participants from various levels all came prepared. Everyone was watching excitedly at our audio visual room.

Then it was my turn..I stood on stage having my solo moment. Seconds passed by, and then some minutes. Until I heard the buzzer & time was up. NOT A SINGLE WORD CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH. This was one of the most embarrassing moments of my childhood. Was it stage fright? Was it the pressure of the competition? Why did I experience mental block?

One year after in 1983, I was once again representative of our Grade 3 class. THANK YOU to my teacher & classmates who had faith and believed in my potential. And this time around, by God’s grace we won the 1st Place finally! 😊

LESSON LEARNED: There are no shortcuts! To succeed, there are times we need to experience failure.

I Stand Out & Shine! I
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