INVIGORATE THE HEART!

Reverend Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin S.J., officers, deans, and professors of the University,
beloved families and guests, and to our dear graduates- a blessed evening to you all!
A few months ago, many of you were ecstatic for the two remaining live-action movies of
one of our memorable animes: RUROUNI KENSHIN (or Samurai X for most people). Its about
the story of Kenshin Himura, a former ruthless, bloodthirsty killer who vowed to use his sword to
defend the oppressed, rather than kill again. In the first movie, he was a wanderer roaming
through the countryside. Eventually, he was invited by Kaoru Kamiya (his soon to be fiance)
inside her home. One of my favourite scenes was seeing a wooden signboard, with four
Chinese characters that spell these words Invigorate the Heart.
Invigorate the Heart. Buhayin ang puso. These are the only words that I would like to
impart to you tonight. Like you a few years back, I was ecstatic during this moment. No longer
will I have to study for long exams, listen to sleepy lecture, or blow my brains just to understand
meron. And yet, I was anxious. As one foe is vanquished, another emerges. Professors are
replaced with bosses, classes with offices, and exams with careers. Not to mention, theres the
seemingly hopeless case of poverty around us. I believe that if theres anything that can help
you get through the world, its none other than the heart.
You all know the saying, The heart has its reasons that reason knows not of (Blaise
Pascal). It has a hidden power that pushes us to live our lives meaningfully. When the mind can
no longer find reason to go on, the heart still longs to continue. It was puso that motivated our
Gilas Pilipinas team to fight bigger and tougher opponents. And their performance earned them
the respect of every team they went up against.
Invigorate the Heart. While it seems simple, Im sure youll ask How is this possible?
Just remember these letters: G.L.A.D.!
Can you repeat after me? Be G.L.A.D! Four letters that will help you get through life.
G stands for Give Yourself a Purpose. In 1979, interviewers asked the new graduates
of Harvards MBA program: What are your plans after graduation? Eighty-four percent of the
class had none. Thirteen percent had plans but didnt write it down on paper. And the remaining
3% had clear, written plans. Ten years later, the graduates were again interviewed. And guess
what? The 13% of the class was earning twice compared to the 84%. And the 3% was earning
TEN TIMES compared to the 97% put together!
Whats the point here? Simple: Have clear and written goals. That way, your goals send
shivers down your spine. Whether if that goal is personal or not, youll live every moment with a
sense of purpose. Have benchmarks that will tell if youve achieved them. You may not always
reach them at your specified time, but you can easily adjust accordingly.
I only started writing my goals when I was 25. If you havent started, do it when you arrive
home. Let me share some of my goals:

By age 33, I would have P300,000 to start studying for my Masters Degree.
By age 45, I would give P1 million to the Ateneo Scholarship Fund.
By age 55, I would have P8 million to be financially independent.

And so far, I am already on my way to achieving them. Every month, I invest an additional
amount to get closer to them, all because I started writing them down. Action occurs when you
make your goals visible!
L stands for Live Simple. Live with the most essential things in life. The less youre
preoccupied with, the more alive you become. This doesnt mean forgetting your wants. Allow
me to demonstrate with a story.
One night, a wise old man reached the outskirts of a village and rested under a tree. A
restless villager suddenly shook him and said The stone! The stone! Give me the precious
stone! The wise man was puzzled. What stone? he asked. The villager explained, Last night,
a deity told me in a dream that if I went to the outskirts of the village at dusk, Ill find a wise man
who would give me a precious stone that will make me rich forever.
The wise man looked inside his bag and pulled out a stone. It was a diamond, as big as
a persons head! This must be it, the wise man said. I found it on the forest path some days
ago. You can keep it.
The villager gazed at the stone with awe. He merrily took it and went away. All night, he
tossed it about, but he was unable to sleep. At dawn, he ran back to the wise man and woke
him up. The villager then said, Give me the wealth that made you give this diamond so easily to
me.
Living simple is more about not letting anything possess you, and not just possessing
less. Let go of things that bind you to unfreedom- unhealthy jobs, unreal expectations, and
inauthentic relationships to name a few (and yes, it includes BEING FRIENDZONED!). This is
the true spiritual poverty that the Jesuits practice. And you can too. Youll can be truly alive if
youre not chained to anything!
[I only realized this when I was working. I used to handle the payroll and timekeeping
system of the company. Personally, I didnt like it but I was paid more. Every time the 15th of the
month will come, I often rendered overtime to check the attendances of every employee. I would
leave at 10 pm, with only the guard and I remaining.
It became a habit to the point that I suffered. My vision blurred and my head ached.
Various pains would stab my body like a thousand knives. I became depressed, thinking that I
will be stuck in this cycle for eternity. At 3 am, I would wake up, crying that I dont want to work
anymore. At one point, I realized that in exchange for money, I have taken for granted not just
my health but my self-respect. After two years with the company, I resigned and rested for three
months. Eventually, I was able to find a more fulfilling job. ]
Lets do a quick recap: G is for Give Yourself Purpose. L is for Live Simple.
The third letter, A is Always Learn. Famous businessman Henry Ford once said,
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty of eighty. Anyone who keeps learning
stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. Learning is about growing.
Stop learning, you stop growing. Stop growing and your heart stops burning with life. Thats why
its important to never stop learning. Keep your mind open for learning opportunities: read books,
seek mentors to imitate, befriend positive people. Treat failures as learning opportunities too.

Failures are your fertilizers for success. When you learn from them, you can thrive in any
endeavour!
When I worked in Colayco Foundation, I was lucky to learn from various people. There
was the financial godfather Francisco Colayco. He reminded me of the basics of personal
finance, when I screwed up at a certain task. The second was my supervisor who enlightened
me to begin always with the end in mind. Because of that, I became more creative on how to
achieve it. Theres the big, bald, and ala-Donald Trump boss whom I consider a father-figure.
His most memorable lesson to me was to prioritize the things I can control over those that I
cannot.
And how can I forget the clients I talked to? Because of them, Im reminded that every
individual is unique. Thus, I should approach them differently. To all these people, no matter
how different, Im thankful for what they shared. My life became more dynamic. And you can too,
if you always seek to learn!
Finally, D stands for Dont give up. Persist until you reach your goals. The pains of
the world are more dreadful than any honour crushing Fs or heartbreaking losses to La Salle.
But dont allow these to extinguish your inner fire. With laser-like focus and perseverance,
youre sure to reach your goals.
One of the major challenges youll face is finding work. The toughest one I had was
resigning from my second job. I passed my resumes to around 64 employers via Job Street, but
only 20 responded to me. Every day, I went to two or three companies to be tested and
interviewed. With no personal car, I rode the jeep, bus, and MRT wearing a long-sleeved polo
shirt, black slacks and leather shoes. When I am done with one company, I would quickly
commute to the next. I even ran from my first venue to the next when I was applying for a job in
Makati!
There were times when I didnt take a full lunch. I had to carefully budget my money so
that it can last me for days. Once, I only ate a Dewberry strawberry cookie when I was applying
at a call center. There was even a time when my lunch consisted of tuna pandesal, Cavendish
banana, and a plastic cup of water at Starbucks when I was applying in Makati!
Back then, I would go home fatigued and frustrated. My lower back was aching, breath
racing fast, and vision blurring. It didnt help that I failed most of my applications. In others, I had
to wait for notices before I can come again.
And yet, I persisted. I was desperate to get hired. It wasnt easy. I blamed myself for
resigning prematurely, for not ensuring that I have a job to immediately transfer to. The only
thing that pushed me was the desire to help my aging mother. Shell retire a year after, and I
needed to find a job quickly. Thus, I strenuously continued applying, preparing for interviews,
and praying for a miracle. After two months of non-working, I finally landed a job.
Invigorate the heart. Buhayin ang puso.
For the past four or more years, you were instilled values of excellence, leadership, and
service. Overall, youre called to give your life for your neighbour, community, country, and God.
Most of you may think you need to do this in a blaze of glory fashion. It reminded me of a joke
about three friends from UP, ADMU, and DLSU, who bragged about which among the three
schools was best.

The Iskolar ng Bayan said, We produced the most presidents.

The Atenean countered, We produced the most heroes. Then the Iskolar said, But
they ended up dead anyway.
Not wanting to be left out, the La Sallian said, Well, we produced the most celebrities!
This school NEITHER wants you to throw your lives mindlessly nor seek vainglory. My
challenge, dear graduates, is not for you to die heroically. But rather, TO LIVE HEROICALLY!
This is the same challenge Hiko Seijuro (Kenshins master) had for him, when Kenshin was
trying to master the ultimate sword technique of their style. Become a LIVING TESTAMENT!
Whatever career you choose- government, corporate, entrepreneurship, and others- live. Youre
more active in making a change, and empowering others to do the same. And this is why your
heart should always burn with the vigor for life.
Invigorate the heart. Buhayin ang puso.
Give yourself a purpose, live simple, always learn, and dont give up- put together, they
spell GLAD. Be GLAD, and the heart burns with vigor. Congratulations, batch 2015! Live life
to the fullest, invigorate your heart, and empower others to do the same.
I wish you all the best. Thank you.