Reaching for the Star

From being a scavenger of junk to being the first ever The Voice Kids Grand Winner… That is Lyca Gairanod’s Cinderella story.

Her powerful performance of Basang basa sa Ulan, originally by the local band Aegis, captured the heart of the viewers thus earning her a standing ovation not to mention getting the highest percentage of votes. From not having enough to now owning millions-worth of properties and cash prizes, her life was changed forever. After nine years of poverty, Lyca was able to turn her life around through her God-given talent in singing.

As used by Milo for its tagline, great things indeed start from small beginnings and Lyca is the epitome of this popular saying.

The kid’s story is close to my heart because it reminds me of a friend’s journey to being a Certified Management Accountant (CMA). He did not scavenge junk but instead, scavenged a lot of disappointments before he finally became a CMA.

Failing three times was not easy. It broke his self-esteem in shattered pieces. To fail once was tolerable, twice was breaking but three times? Can you just imagine how so down he felt to not make it the third time? However, like Lyca, he was determined to make his dreams happen. He perfectly knew that the only way was to take the exam again.

And so he did.

He used his disappointments to push himself to give more. He hung on to his faith that he was meant for greater things such as being a CMA, and beyond. He studied night and day and in between breaks during weekdays and was almost an anti-social during weekends. He treated his goal as if his life depended on it. He believed in himself and never entertained negative thoughts during his conquest.

After two to three months of waiting, his determination and commitment to win over his failures rendered him positive result. Alas, he passed. True enough, nothing worth having comes easy. He’s now working as a Senior Finance Analyst in one of the biggest utility companies in the Middle East.

I cannot picture the amount of positivity that my friend still has even after failing three times. Could you?

I guess it’s really just about perspective:  Seeing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.

Nonetheless, the fact that he never stopped believing in himself played a vital role on his success. His is a story that is worth sharing and also inspiring in so many ways. Perhaps, it’s through his story that we may realize that our failures do not seal our future. What we do after failing in our individual endeavor does. It is not what we achieve but the setbacks that we overcome that really matter. That’s what makes the fruit of every labor and sacrifice so much sweeter.

How we are able to rise above unfortunate situations is what makes us a better person. Like my friend, let us use our failures and struggles to better our self, equipped with the realization that obstacles are thrown our way to test us and our resolve from time to time on how much we really want to achieve our goals.