1) Notes do pay off in the end
– I once fell into the trap of relying on my flash drive to produce “unique” notes for all of my classes and the results weren’t pretty. We must come to realize that the only way we could get to answer those essay questions from London is to listen to our professors and decipher it’s meaning to us as students in the form of our notes. Stories shared in class also turn out to be great examples!

2) A fight should not end a relationship of any kind. It may be the reason for a timeout but in time mixed with effort and forgiveness, it can be reestablished, rekindled and rediscovered.
-And I do mean a relationship of any kind. One with a parent, a teacher, a boss, a friend, a ‘special’ someone, a sister… you get the point.

3) If you have nothing to say, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. Counting slowly to ten is optional.
–Opinions are very valuable things but words can never be taken back. If it’s going to start a fight or hurt someone severely it’s best to keep certain things to ourselves. Trust me; I learned it the hard way. Also, when mad, it would be better to first count from on to ten than throwing off a nasty remark that you would regret later on.

4) Kaizen: “Never stop improving one’s self”

-I learned about Kaizen in my marketing classes and adopted the Japanese technique into my very own life. It has inspired me to always aspire for grander things in life and see failures as one of the tools that would continually help me improve myself.

5) Respect precedes all great things
-Respect must be the core foundation of any working and personal relationship. With it, things are less likely to be rocky.

6) There’s nothing wrong with being different, eccentric, weird, an outsider, a geek, a freak…(please feel free to fill the most common label used to describe you)
-Most people are often afraid to show who they really are because of the labels that may ensue out of it. No one likes to be judged which is why we step into the same mold in the hope of becoming well-liked. As I’ve learned in college, the most well-liked people are those who are not boring and who are not afraid to reveal who they really are (Top 3? Nolan Diosana, Jonafer Penales and Rowell Miraflor). Being a once people pleaser myself, I’ve learned to stop doing what people expect of me. I constantly remind myself of who I am as not to be swayed ever again. As a quote says, “It’s better to be hated for who I am than to be liked for who I’m not”. Once you’ve embraced who you are whole heartedly, there’s no reason to be afraid. Besides, words can only hurt you if you allow them to.

7) An opinion is called that for a reason.
-Don’t even bother trying to change one’s mind, everyone’s crafted to have an argument other than your own, even the ones closest to you. You have to disagree at one point but it’s not really a bad thing.

8) If you don’t ask, you don’t get
– It’s okay to ask the Ws in life (you know, Why, What, Where). Especially in classes, your professors do have the wisdom we could only dream of having.

9) Compassion is the answer to all of life’s boo-hoos
-Before you go on a, “Why Me?” mantra whenever life’s not treating you well. Why not look around first and you’d see someone who has greater problems than your own. Instead of focusing too much on our problems, why not help someone out? You don’t have to be Angelina Jolie or Drew Barrymore, you could help through the little things like buying your friend ice cream when she’s not having a good day or even lending your notes and spare time to someone who badly needs it!

10) Once you’ve worked hard, you have your whole life to party hard!
-A very famous local DJ just said that once you’ve completed your Bachelor’s Degree course, life entitles you to one big party. I totally agree. “Partying Hard” could also mean different things for different people; it could be dancing and drinking, chatting the night away at a coffee shop, DVD marathons or even watching movies! There’s a satisfaction in “partying” when you’ve done all your homework and studied for all of your tests. It’s more fulfilling.

11) Continually stay in love
– I bet this number captured your eyes first! This doesn’t apply to just romantic relationships but generally to what we’re passionate about! Continually be passionate about something. Be in love with reading, writing, a sport or a new hobby! Always have something (or someone?) that you’d get excited over, that would make you try harder. Once you’ve found that one great passion in your life, you’d always have that twinkle and glow. It would keep you going!

12) Take Risks
-I used to be the biggest scardey cat in the entire world. After awhile, it wasn’t fun anymore being sidelined for so long. We always have a choice to either experience life with all its bumps and humps or be a wallflower and yes, not experience pain but at the same time not be engulfed by the other emotions that life has to offer. Taking risks allowed me to become better and the adventures are stories I’d carry with me for a really long time.

13) Laugh at yourself
-Just because you’re in college doesn’t mean you have to be prim and proper all the time. You’re just taking a course that would direct your life but in no way are you boring! I’m the biggest klutz in the world but the trips I’ve had in college are the moments I look back to the most.

14) Except for greater things in life
-As the book The Secret goes, “Expectation is a powerful, attractive force”. It really works and it has been one of my well-kept secrets! If you expect to fail a test, most likely you will but if you expect to pass it, sooner or later your mind will follow through your actions! There’s nothing wrong with being optimistic. Expect good things and I’m sure it would come your way.

15) Keep your inner child alive
-Children are amazed with the world because everything’s new to them. If we continue looking at the world with a fresh set of eyes each day, everything would be miraculous. (Solitaire Mystery) Keep believing in the wonders and magic of this world and each day would be great.

16) Get to know people from outside your “clique”
-Just because you’re a ‘jock’ doesn’t mean you cannot find things in common with a ‘geek’. I learned this lesson in college and not in high school because unconsciously there are still cliques in college and often they serve as protection but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get out of the protective barriers every once in awhile and get to know other people. It would make your experiences richer.

17) Our very own inner strength is what allows us to get up and follow through with our dreams. Again, our inner strength, not our parents’, friends’ or significant others although they may create the spark, the inspiration or refuel the passion.

18) Put God first and everything else will follow