Dean _____, fellow professors, barristers, law students, friends,
I am most grateful for your invitation to give an inspirational message in tonight’s send-o party for our barristers this year. year. I remember when we had our last review class two weeks before we went to anila for the bar e!ams, there was a dinner for us all reviewe reviewees es sponsored sponsored by the revie review w center. center. "ne of the lawyers lawyers told us something to this eect # that our performance in the bar e!ams would determine how much each of us hunger to become a lawyer. $ince the day you enrolled in law school, you have been carrying a big placard for all the world to see that says %I want to be a &'()*+ and in our case before, it was a violet t-shirt with the words %I will be a lawyer. I brought that shirt with me during my review and I wore that too during the one-month self-review prior to the e!ams. e!ams. It served as as an armation armation of all the eort and the times spent on reading, studying and more reading and studying. )our )our graduation from law school speaks highly of you and of o f your drea dream m of of bec becom omin ing g a lawy lawyer er.. ong o ngrat ratul ulat atio ions/ ns/ )ou have have successfully hurdled the challenges and the hardship of a law student. 'nd now you are about to take take the 0ar *!ams. 1hey say that the 2hilippine 0ar *!ams is the most dicult licensure e!amination in the country country and the most dicul dicultt bar e!am e!am in the world. world. 1hat’s 1hat’s pretty intimidating/ 0ut you want to become a lawyer/ )es, you will because you can. In the 'c3uaintance 2arty of the ollege of &aw last school year, I was tasked tasked to give a essage. I have 4ust taken taken my oath then as a new lawyer, and I remember so well that the opening paragraph of my speech was % I knew this was gonna happen # that I shall be addre addressi ssing ng you and talkin talking g about about my succes successfu sfull taking taking of the bar. bar. 5ow did I know that6 I knew because I saw it happen many times times before before my eyes, eyes, inside inside my mind. mind. &et &et me empha emphasi7 si7e e the power power of positi positive ve thinking thinking.. learl learly y visual visuali7e i7e what what you want want to hap happen, pen, see your your nam name in the list of pas passers sers,, if not not in the the topnotchers, feel the atmosphere of 4ubilation in the party which you you ar are e thro throwi wing ng beca because use you you pass passed ed the the bar bar e!ams. !ams. "the "thers rs would term this as the power of attraction. attraction. 'ttract good good vibes by
thinking positive thoughts. (hen you think and do the right thing, good stu has a way of happening. 8+andy 2ausch, 1he &ast &ecture9. %0ut there’s always the possibility of failure, your inner self would say. (hen that thought would raise its ugly head during the times I was studying, or thinking about the investment which I and the whole family have put in in my studies, in my review and in my taking the bar, I would acknowledge it. I would speak to myself, %)es, that’s true, it’s a possibility but at this time, I refuse to consider it. &ater, when the result is out, I’ll deal with it. :ot now. 'nd I would consciously order my mind to vividly think of my passing the bar e!am. 1his means that you have to avoid negative thoughts and negative-speaking people. 0ut people you can never do without. In your 3uest for the achievement of your goals, you have to get people to help you your family, friends, your oce mates, ac3uaintances, even the friends of your friends, or relatives of your most distant relatives. (hen I decided to take the bar, I wanted that to be known only within my family and only among my close friends. I didn’t want others to know, because my reasoning then was that if I didn’t make it, at least only a few would know. 0ut then, my friends which include a handful of priests, would say, %I will pray for you and they would give words of encouragement and oftentimes, even ;nancial and material support. It felt good to hear their words and I wanted more of them, more so the ;nancial support. 2rayer, I know prayer becomes more potent when shared by many. 'nd so I reali7ed I couldn’t possibly get all the help I can if I contain the information only among a few persons, and anyway, my name would be published if my application to take the bar is approved< and so I better tell everyone who cares to know. 1hat I did and for which I am very thankful. During the four $undays of "ctober, I had prayer warriors imploring heaven for me to pass, which was granted. y dear barristers, be earnest in asking others to help you. It is said that a 3uitter never wins so don’t give up. In the last weeks prior to the ;rst $unday of the e!ams, you may ;nd yourself overwhelmed by a mi! of emotions and even of physical a=ictions, but remember that they are 4ust tests to your mettle. 1he >riday before the ;rst $unday of "ctober ?@AB, I was hospitali7ed. I could not read when there were still so many
things unread. I asked my husband to do the reading for me in the hospital. $aturday night came, I still had fever. 1he doctor would not let me out. I told her, I would sign a waiver 4ust so I could get out. I signed the waiver and was able to get out of the hospital at C o’clock in the morning of the ;rst $unday of the e!am. 0y EB@ am, feeling lightheaded and still basically sick, I was inside of F$1. (hen the e!ams started, I was in %*!am ode. 1he kind of person that you are would show during these trying times. :ever give up. 'lways keep that dream and go for it. y dear barristers, in the pursuit of your dreams, you come across pits, torture, brick walls. +andy 2ausch, in his 1he last &ecture said brick walls are not keeping us out from our dreams, %brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. 1he brick wall is there to stop people who don’t want it badly enough. y dear barristers, how much do you hunger in becoming a lawyer6 (ould you be stopped by a brick wall6 1hank you. Goodnight everyone.
