To keep going is to live God’s purpose in your life.
The bigger world that awaits us is not an ideal and perfect one. In fact, it’s a world full of hurt and pain. It will surely test our being a Lasallian every day. Just recently, the business world was confronted with security issues in the banking sector and loss of confidence in the public accounting sector. In the government, there exists a widening gap between the opposition and the administration made worse by fake news left and right.
Just the same, choose to be a Lasallian always. I still believe that the root of all these problems is moral decay and values corruption. Being a Lasallian achiever entails that we live as salt and light to the world. The salt prevents moral decay and the light shows the way.
Another problem that results from moral decay and values corruption is selfishness. One thing I love about our university is the discipline we instill even in our simple clean-as-you-go policy. More than ensuring physical cleanliness, it advocates values preservation and promotes care and concern for others which deter the attitude of self-centeredness.
The bigger world is also a world of constant outsmarting each other. It is just alright to be competitive but do it in the most gentle and honest way.
Living your purpose also means you live a life of restoration. Restoration is when you correct others without passing on misinformed judgment.
Likewise, living your purpose entails being a person of honesty and integrity especially when no one is watching. Very often, the most difficult is to remain good when we are all alone.
Nugget of Wisdom #2: Embrace your being a work-in-progress, do not settle
The Lasallian business education envisions its graduates to become nation-builders who are exemplary and innovative. More specifically, they are expected to possess the following attributes, and everyone knows these: critical and creative thinker; effective communicator; service-drive citizen; and reflective life-long learner. Whether you realize it or not, fellow graduates, you are seated right now, next or a seat or seats apart, to a Lasallian nation-builder. Look at that person. Eleven terms ago, fifteen or even more terms ago than that, that person was a diamond in a rough. The university chose to accept that person not because he or she was perfect but because that person needed to be worked on. I, too, needed to be worked on. And the university was gracious enough to see the potential in us, our minds that need teaching, our hearts that need touching, and our lives that need transforming. As a matter of fact, our being worked on does not end today. Our being a work-in-progress will never stop. And the good thing about that is we keep on getting better each day.
To embrace your being a work in-progress is to not settle.
The bigger world is a world of continuous improvement. As we build our niche, let us be reminded of the word “exemplary” in our RVRCOB vision-mission. To be exemplary is to manifest excellence and quality in everything we do, when we do business, when we deliver goods, when we render services. We also reflect excellence and quality as we seek for higher learning and continuing professional development.
Pondering further on our being a work-in-progress, I believe that big improvements do not happen overnight. As such, we need to advocate an attitude of affirmation. Let us learn to celebrate victories, however big or small they are.
Moreover, let us not settle for what is comfortable and convenient. Challenge where we are and dream big. There will always be ways to improve and become better. Dream of a better nation, a better government, and let us find our roles in achieving them. Getting there may be long and tough but it has to start somewhere.
Fellow Lasallians, keep going, live God’s purpose in your life. Fellow Lasallians, embrace your being a work-in-progress, do not settle.
Let us be Lasallians for God and country. Let us be Lasallians for others. Let us be Lasallians for ourselves. Let us be Lasallians, especially when no one is watching.
All glory to God, God bless you all, thank you. And Animo Lasalle!
Dr. Tugas graduated October 14, 2017 with a degree of Doctor of Philosphy in Business. This was his response, given on behalf of graduating masteral and doctoral students, during the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business Recognition Rites. He is a full-time faculty member of the Accountancy Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. He specializes in Auditing and Assurance, Basic Accounting, and Management of Information Technology courses. He can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.