All about L-I-F-E!!!

Like so many of you, this humble author I will tell you has walked her way through LIFE'S road. That's every human being's dream to be able to overcome the crossroads of LIFE. And so today, we are living it.

First, LIFE has no limits. LIFE has been unpredictable, thrilling and awesome. And to live LIFE fully, we've got to seize opportunity, roll with the punches, be a little daring, and above all, keep our head in the game!

To succeed, we've got to have focus- the ability to see the big picture, the courage to dig in and persevere -- so that when LIFE throws us a curve, we don't get derailed.

Because LIFE keeps us guessing.

Sometimes the road stretches straight ahead. Sometimes you're stuck in traffic of problems in LIFE. Sometimes we're just trying to find the nearest exit.
And one thing we'll discover is that--more often than not- what at first appear to be roadblocks and setbacks are the very things that'll get you where you were meant to be.

I certainly never thought I'd be in the DepEd ARMM Regional Office, working as Regional Coordinator for Reading. When I was working my way through college, when I spent years uncertain of my career path, I could never have predicted or planned where I find myself today.

But, while I may not have always known where I was heading, I had focus and faith. If you believe in yourself, others will too. And if you have confidence in who you are, there is no end to what you can accomplish.

As I tell myself: Stand and Deliver.

When I first got to the Regional Office, I felt completely out of my element, surrounded by educators with high positions in the department. But, I stood and delivered. I did my best. And before long, I was meeting with Schools Division Superintendents, Education Supervisors, Principals, talking with Literacy people and other Reading enthusiasts and helping the DepEd Secretary perfect his plans for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. We're still positively working for the SUCCESS of these plans.

It just goes to show the only boundaries to what you can achieve are the ones you set for yourself.

Always aim high. Don't settle for what you know you can accomplish. Challenge yourself to pursue the impossible, and you'll go further than you could ever imagine.
So, don't let anyone else take the measure of your worth and capabilities. Always stand proud in who you are!

We must remember this - "If all we ever do is all we've ever done, then all we'll ever get is all we've ever got."

It's easy to get caught up in LIFE'S routine. Take time to pause and make sure that we're living LIFE and LIFE isn't living us. Have a plan, but don't be afraid to improvise. Get off the beaten path. Explore the detours and back roads. Don't be in such a hurry to get where we're going that we miss some amazing scenery along the way.

No matter what we do in LIFE, let us find some way to give back. The impact of that choice will not only improve the LIVES of others, it will enlarge and enrich ours as well.

We're all LIFElong learners. So let us go forward. Believe in ourselves. Never give up. And have a LIFE lived well and with purpose.

Come with me to this LIFE's ventures...

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,......

My favorite poem of all times is Desiderata. It has helped me many times in my life especially when times come that I feel all alone in this dark world. Forgive me for it is very long, but it is worth the read.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.