Courage in Ruins
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” –
Theodore Roosevelt.
People think that only special type of people are the only ones who can dream big and achieve it;
that you need a specific skillset for you to be successful and to achieve your dreams. That’s why a lot of
students just go for mediocrity because they believe they don’t have those specific skillsets. They are
bounded by the belief system that you have to align your dreams to the level of your skill; that for those
who have higher level of skills, they have the right to dream big, while those who only have moderate
skills are not allowed or are not encouraged to dream big.
Let me tell you that the only skill that you need is courage—courage to dream big and courage to
work hard for it. Even though I am way behind compared to those who are in my age group in terms of
career, achievements, finances, relationships, etc., I still dreamed that I will be able to achieve my
dreams. There were a lot of hardships and heartaches that I had to face before I was able to pursue my
scholastic dream again; and it didn’t end there. There were more failures, anguish and trials I had to go
through during my journey in NCBA. There were a lot of tears shed and hopelessness that I never
thought that I would encounter. I thought that since NCBA is a humble and simple school, my life and
studies here will be easier compared to my previous school which was a top university. But I learned
that it is not about the school or the people in that school that defines the level of difficulty your life or
studies will be.
Hardship, just like change, is constant. The only thing that differentiates a person from the rest is
his courage. So, even if you chose a different path from the others that are deemed “easy”, there will
always be hardships, trials and obstacles along the way. The question is, will you have the courage to
push through or will you just give up. Sadly, a lot of times we chose the latter than the former. This is
natural because compared to the other option, giving up is way easier. You failed a subject? Give up the
specific course and just shift to a course you don’t like. You failed a year in your dream school? Transfer
to another school. Ruined 5-year relationship? Just go find another partner. Easy, right? But the thing is,
even though you have chosen this “easier” path—which was giving up—you will still face trials. So how
long will you run away just because you have no guts to face these trials?
After I got tired from running away and started facing them, I was able to take a step forward
towards my dreams. And then the day comes and I was able to achieve one of my dreams—which was
to finish my bachelor’s degree. People say that I was bound to finish it, but they didn’t know how much
courage it took in order for me to start, continue, and finish this journey.
I may not know you, your current situation or current standing in your studies, but all I know is
that it only gets harder each day. Whatever your dream is—may it be big or small—you will face trials.
And once you start that journey, there will still be hardships. So, take the courage and dream. Take
courage and take the first step. Take courage when you are tired. Take courage even if there is a detour.
And just like me, you will just one day wake up and see that you already achieved your dream.
As quoted by Elizabeth Gilbert, “we all want things to stay the same. Settle for living in misery
because we are afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to
transformation.” The year 2020 was the same for each of us – a year of ruins. Ruined dreams, ruined
plans, ruined relationships, ruined family, ruined property and a ruined self. But how we perceive and
respond to these ruins will make the difference. Will you let the ruins confine you to your fears or will
you take courage and let that year transform you and pave you a new road towards your dreams?