5 Lessons from Best Selling Author Mitch Albom

Last week, Mitch Albom visited Xavier School and we were able to hear him speak about his life story, his books and more importantly, lessons he has learned throughout the years. Not everyone gets the opportunity to hear such an inspiring individual so here’s a few of the takeaways I got from our session with him.

Thankful to have gotten to meet Mitch Albom, one of my all time favorite authors

Lesson 1 

You don’t need to know what you want to end up doing at 15 or 16

Mitch Albom wasn’t always the New York Times best selling author we know him to be. He emphasised in his talk how when he was still a high school student, he never thought he’d write all these books. He was just another ordinary high school student who was into several different activities like sports and music. And he actually wanted to become a record producer and write song.

“Sometimes, the kids here worry about what they’re going to be in life at 15 or 16, but I always tell people what I wanted to do at 15 or 16 wasn’t what I ended up doing. Life is going to change. I wanted to be a musician but it didn’t work out. I went into writing and writing worked out but I didn’t write anything until I was 23 years old.”

Mitch Albom, Inspirational Stories and 6 more days of school

The last few days, I’ve been able to meet some of my biggest idols when it comes to both business, journalism and writing. 

It’s honestly been such a surreal experience getting to meet and talk to the likes of the CEO of Rappler Maria Ressa, the New York Times Best Selling Author Mitch Albom, one of the richest Filipinos in the world Manny V. Pangilinan and a few other inspiring personalities.

 

All of them had such compelling and inspiring stories to tell yet at the same time I realized that just like us they’re also human. They all started out just like us. They were just students who were interested in many different things. They were just individuals passionate about a certain something but what made them become who they are today is that they were willing to go the extra mile, to be different from the rest. I’ve compiled a bunch of notes and anecdotes from the talks I’ve heard in the past few days. Hopefully, I’ll be able to transcribe them soon for never have I been more inspired to follow my passion and try to leave a legacy in this world.

But for now, I got to go back to finishing this week strong. There are only 6 more school days left before Senior year ends. Everything’s happening so fast right now yet I want to take time to remember everything from the Filipino play we had earlier to being able to ask Mitch Albom a question about his works. 

I will truly miss Xavier School but there’s no use in being senti right now for the story isn’t over.

Quotes of the day:

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.” – Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

“Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do somehing else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn’t. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted.” 
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

With Mitch Albom, the best selling author of my favorite book, Tuesdays with Morrie

You can choose to be DAUNTLESS!!

Many people would be overwhelmed with fear when faced with a task of jumping down from a rooftop especially when you don’t know where you would fall or how deep the fall is. However, we can overcome our many fears as proven to us by Beatrice Prior, the main character in the International Bestseller, “Divergent” by Veronica Roth, when she took that step to jump into the unknown. She is a prime example of taking that one step to overcome our fears.

In the book, fear is something that plays a major role in the development of the characters. In the main characters’ attempt to pass the initiation of their faction and become Dauntless, they are pushed to overcome their fears.

We all have fears. Our fears can stem from our past experiences, from our surroundings and from the way we were brought up. The problem with our fears is that we allow it to control us. We allow these fears to hinder us from reaching our full potential. We must try our best to overcome our fears for it is only when we are able to overcome these fears are we able to live our life to the fullest.

How a City of Bones and a Dystopian World Can Teach Us The Value of Choices and Trust!

Just this past week, I delved into the realm of Young Adult (YA) fiction works. I got to watch the movie adaption of the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Claire and I was also able to finish reading one of the hottest books in the Young Adult fiction section, “Divergent” by Veronica Roth.

Divergent – One Choice Can Transform You

These two works of art have gained a strong fan base  and for good reason. From mind boggling plot twists to unbelievable settings, both stories are able to bring you to a world like no other while still keeping the peculiar characters grounded to the limits of reality.

The limits and weaknesses of the characters allows readers to relate to their situations and fully immerse themselves in the story. This is what makes these YA fiction works such a hit among teenagers and young adults.

The tagline of Divergent, “One choice can transform you,” says it all. In life, there will come a point where we will have to make difficult choices. There will come a point where just like the protagonist in Divergent, Beatrice, we will have to make a decision that may not always be in line with that of our loved ones. At the end of the day, it’s about living up to that choice.

How “How I Met Your Mother” Became “Contagious” “For One More Day”

The long weekend and the several days of suspended class has given me a lot of extra time and has allowed me to really sit back and relax.

I know that there are lots of Filipinos suffering out there because of the heavy rain and I pray for their safety but in a way, I am thankful to God for the suspension of classes the last few days for it has really given me a chance to slow down and take a break from the speedy roller coaster pace of my Senior Year.

During these last few days, I was actually able to find time to do things I enjoy doing that I haven’t really been able to do because of my hectic Senior Year schedule. I was able to watch a few episodes of my favorite television series, “How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM),” and just the other day, I was also able finish two books that I’ve always wanted to finish reading, “Contagious,” by Jonah Berger and “For One More Day,” by Mitch Albom.

Contagious – Why Things Catch On

After reading the book Contagious, which basically analyzes several different products and explains why something catch on and why others don’t, I couldn’t help but think about why “How I Met Your Mother,” became such a popular show and has lasted for such a long time (imagine that, HIMYM already has 9 seasons of 24 episodes each). I also used my new found knowledge to analyze why “For One More Day,” and several other books of Mitch Albom (who is quite frankly my favorite author) has become best sellers and has been sold to millions of people.

There are many different factors as to why things spread quickly and become contagious but I’d like to focus on a few factors that are seen in both the HIMYM series and the book, For One More Day.

My Last Second Day – Maximizing All The Resources in Xavier

Today was my last second day in Xavier (hehehe are the “last” everything getting annoying?). Similar to yesterday, we had a few different orientations again. This time, we were oriented and given talks by our principal, assistant principals and student activity programs head about the different issues and things that we should keep in mind in our final year in Xavier.

They stressed the importance of making the most out of our last year and not wasting it by doing stupid things. They encouraged us to all be more involved in the different clubs and committees. As seniors, it is our responsibility to lead and be role models to the younger batches. Being a “senior” in Xavier hasn’t really sinked in yet. It seemed just like yesterday when I was a freshman looking up to the seniors and thinking that they were so amazing and that I wanted to be just like them.

A few quick years and here I am, a senior myself. This year, I will definitely try my best to step up, inspire my fellow Xaverians and simply leave a mark. Today was another chance to do just that. Just like yesterday, a few of my batch mates and I gave talks again to the lower batches and really tried to empower them to try out new things, take every opportunity, make the most out of high school and create lasting memories.

Something I really learned today is that we students pay so much to study here in Xavier that we should really maximize what the school has to offer and all its resources. We should take our studies seriously. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions and debate with our teachers. We should try out new things and join the different clubs and committees. We should use the different resources like the gym and library. SImply put, we should make the most out of our stay in Xavier.

The power of the internet has definitely changed the way we live but how has it also affected the way we think?

All these things are things that I wished I did earlier. I guess it’s never too late to change. I still have one more year and I really will maximize this last year. Aside from joining a few comms already, today, I actually visited the library and borrowed two books. Imagine that? Who actually still visits the library to actually read and borrow books in this day and age where everybody is so addicted and engulfed in their gadgets and in the internet?

It was only really last year that I discovered a love for reading books. Knowledge is power and instead of buying books, why not save money and borrow from the library? So this is what I’m trying to do this year. I’m going to try my best to read as much as I can and maximize the resources in our library.

The first book that I borrowed is titled, “Is the internet changing the way you think?” and the second book is titled, “In search of history.” From the titles themselves, these two books seem like very interesting books and from reading the first few pages, I’ll definitely be learning a lot more.

Excited to learn more about the transcending events in history!

Reading books about different topics helps you learn about things that you don’t learn inside the classroom. There are thousands and thousands of books in the library and I’m sure you’ll find one that will interest you. Knowledge is power and learning never stops, so the library is one of the best places you can go to in school!

To end this blog post, I want to share with you a quote that our assistant principal shared with us from the “Man of Steel” movie, “One day, you’re going to have to make a choice. You have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be.”

Senior year will definitely be about making choices and will play a vital role in helping all of us decide what kind of men we want to grow up to be as we enter college year from now!

Tomorrow will finally be the start of regular classes and I just can’t wait to meet my teachers for the school year!

-DOitChoco

The Peaceful Shore We’ve All Been Looking For

The school week has finally ended and it’s friday again, and I’d like to share two quotes that I came across this past week that really caught my attention. These two quotes come from two very different books written in completely different languages.

The first quote is from the classical book “Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare (a book we are currently tackling in English Class):

“Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare

“Men at some time are masters of their fate. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

Given the timing of me starting my own blog and making a resolution to stop passing on opportunities, this quote was something I could really relate to. We are who we want to be. We can become who we want to become as long as we do what it takes. We are given thousands and thousands and opportunities and choices, and the decision always falls into our hands. Based on what we choose, our life changes accordingly. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as destiny, for we are responsible for our future.

We are who we are today because of everything we’ve done in the past. I remember what my Filipino Teacher told us when we were tackling the different problems in society, “It doesn’t mean you were born poor, you’ll die poor.” Too many people these days are wallflowers who are afraid to do something about their lives. People complain left and right, blame different people, not knowing that ranting and feeling sorry won’t help them. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not saying that everyone will be the next rags-to-riches story, but one must never lose hope. It’s about fighting your hardest and enduring the pain even during the hardest of times.

Hand in hand with the previous quote above from Julius Caesar, another remarkable quote that really caught my eye during this week was from, “Dekada 70” by Lualhati Bautista, another must read book that we tackled just recently in our Filipino class.

“Dekada 70” by Lualhati Bautista

This particular quote reinforces the previous quote about getting what you deserve and how life just gives us what we work for.

“Ang payapang pampang ay para lang sa mga pangahas na sasalnga sa alimpuyo ng mga alon sa panahon ng unos.” (in english, “The peaceful shores are only for those daring enough to put up with the whirlpool by the waves during times of storms/typhoons.”)

This quote is so true and really shoves into our faces the reality of life; the fact that life is harsh, and only the strong will survive. Those who are willing to go the extra mile; those who are willing to fight for what they believe in no matter the odds or circumstance; those who are willing to stick it out even the most difficult of times; those who won’t quit just because they don’t get what they want; They’re the only ones, who’ll be able to make it to the peaceful shores. They’ll be the ones standing on top and achieving their goals and dreams. And when they’re standing on top of the mountain they just conquered, ask them if it was worth it. Without a doubt, I’m sure they’ll look you straight into the eye and tell you that every blood, sweat and tear it took them to get to the peak were all worth it.

How far are you willing to go to reach the Peaceful Shore?

Life is the hardest battle one has to face for it is a showdown between you and yourself. Who’ll come up victorious can only be decided by one person, and that person is YOU! When the going gets tough, don’t be afraid; don’t fret for it’s just another storm you’ll have to put up if you want to see the peaceful shore!

-DOitChoco

My Quote Fetish (The Reason Quotes Turn Me On)

I have always been fascinated by quotes by both famous people and even not so famous people. Quotes are able to sum up different life lessons, truths and themes into a few words that one can easily remember. Reading quotes has become a hobby of mine especially during times when I am confused and dumbfounded about life. Quotes have a way of helping us fathom the perplexity of life. From inspiring us to keep fighting to sparking a light deep down in our hearts, quotes, especially the good ones, are able to transcend our lives and blow us away.

Throughout the years, I’ve gained an unusual fetish for famous quotes and whenever I hear or read quotes/quotable lines, I feel very vibrant and alive. In other words, it’s as if a switch inside me is turned on and I am ready to face the different challenges in my life.

There are a thousand different quotes out there in the world and even you can come up with your own, but what separates the quotes that are able to impact lives to the quotes that are just shunned into the corner, is the ability of the quote to engage the reader and reach unchartered territory of humans, their heart and the feelings that are clasped deep down.

This series/segment of blog posts will contain write-ups regarding different quotes and lines that may come from famous people, movies, books, friends or even maybe an original quote/s from me that are worth mentioning and sharing to the world.  I will share why it was able to reach my inner feelings, and what it made me realize. This is something that I am doing not only for myself but also for the people out there who needs inspiration. Honestly, what better way to be inspired than by getting your quote-fix for the day by reading my posts in this segment.

It truly is mind-boggling how a few words put together can change our entire perspective about life but I’m not shocked anymore about the impact quotes are able to generate for like they say, “Great things come in small packages.”

-DOitChoco