Would you be interested to learn about the people who mentored some of the Philippines’ most successful people today? Ateneo de Manila University published a truly inspiring and empowering book, Your Success is My Success, a compilation of the behind the scene stories about mentoring and being mentored.
My story along with the help got from Hans Sy, Johnlu Koa, Jose Magsaysay, and Les Reyes, is on Page 227 of Budhi's Your Success is My Success.
Here are some important questions to help you figure out why you can or can’t be successful in life. First, “Do you have a mentor?” Second, “Who is your mentor?” Third, “Are you living the teachings and apply the wisdom of your mentor?” Fourth, “Do you pass the teachings of your mentor to others?” Fifth, “Are you humble enough really to accept a full responsibility in your own life starting today?”
More or less, this is what “Your Success is My Success” book is about. And we thank Ateneo de Manila University for coming up with this moving collection of stories of mentors and protege.
I’m humbled and privileged to be one of those people who was featured in the book along with Felipe Gozon of GMA7, Philippine Star columnist Babe Romualdez, for cabinet secretary Ricardo Saludo, Victoria Garchitorena of Ayala Foundation, and Myrna Yao among many other Philippine luminaries. Being the youngest ever to appear in such publication is indeed an amazing blessing from God.
The story of the Felipe Gozon and his mentor, his mother, is inside Your Success is My Success book.
On Friday, I had the privilege to be part of the book launch. I was amazed by their individual stories and how mentoring has helped them and shaped them into the kind of person that they are now. They are simple stories but really empowering. There where mentoring from the kitchen table to the board room, from the streets to corporate offices, from the church to the gym. Without this one or two people who invested their time to teach, coach, and guide us, their mentees (we are otherwise known as protege), it wouldn’t be impossible for us to be the person that we are now.
I’m writing this story because I understand the importance of having someone by your side to inspire, teach, and motivate you. Just like the old saying goes, “No one makes it alone.” i you haven’t find that person whom you can really learn from on a person-to-person basis, I encourage you to find him. Remember that “finding is reserved for those who seek.”
Lloyd Luna with Babe Romualdez, who was mentored by the late Philippine Star Chairman Max Soliven.
I’m only 28 years old (s of this writing). And yet, many people just keep on wondering how on earth can I become an international motivational speaker, a bestselling author of eight books, a television talk show host, and a business consultants to some of the country’s best companies. Yes, it was never easy. I couldn’t even count the times I failed in my personal pursuit of what many people call success.
But the thing is I have some people who continuously stay by my side. I have a good number of people who I can talk to whenever I need someone to guide my path and help me find my way back on track. These people are not ordinary people although every once in a while I also learn from the people in the streets. But I think I’m saying is I have wonderful people to the likes of Johnlu Koa (French Baker), Jose Magsaysay (Potato Corner), Les Reyes (Reyes Haircutters), and Hans Sy (SM Prime) who taught me how not only to survive in trying times but how to succeed in business and in life.
[box type=”note”]I told my mentoring experience on Page 227 of Your Success is My Success.[/box]
One of the key phrases that I got during the launch was an idea of “being impractical.” People who achieved something great in their lives, like these people in the book did, never had to be practical. They are all impractical. But in what sense?
Tita Cynthia Subijano sent me an email if I can be part of this book project. I said, "Yes" without thinking what I was getting myself into.
It’s not practical to accept a seemingly insurmountable challenge such as taking a leadership role of a media conglomerate such as GMA7 when you’re a lawyer and has perfectly no idea about business. Felipe Gozon was impractical. It’s not practical to still dream to study in Ateneo because it’s expensive. Professor Leovino Garcia of the Ateneo School of Humanities made it by paying only P1 (Philippine Peso) and made it. It’s not practical for a guy like my self to write without a publishing company to print my book. I wrote and published my books on my own and became an entrepreneur at age 23 without any business background.
For practical people, nothing big is possible to achieve. For impractical people, no reason is there not to succeed.
"Lloyd, we are both impractical," Fr. Louie told me after he learned that I'm an author.
May you find your own mentor, someone who will share his wisdom and experience so you can live a better life. May you find that person so you’ll never have to fail over and over again. May you find that person so you can achieve the desires of your heart.
I’d like to thank Tita Cynthia Villarosa-Subijano, members of the editorial team Leo Garcia, Amy Ylagan, Fr. Louie David, who told me that “we are impractical” during our chat, and Flor Tarriela.
Get a copy of Budhi, a journal of ideas and culture, in your nearest bookstore. You can also send me an email and I’ll be happy to arrange the delivery for you.
