The Game of Life

September, 2004

Every person has a dream, a goal to achieve. Everyone has his own game and is a player in his own. The road leading to the fulfillment of these dreams may be rough and hard for some but smooth and easy for another all depending on a number of factors, some are even beyond the control of the dreamer. The goal in every game may also be rough. A game as it is, there would always be winners and some may unsuccessfully finish it and lose.

In the early part of my life, I have once dreamed of becoming one of the renowned scientists and discover something of great significance to the life of the human race. I have also wanted to become an engineer and help build the nation and improve the industries. It was ironic though that I have never seen myself as an accountant then and I don’t even know that such profession exists. But indeed, these were just a dream and as dreams they remained for our family was part of the middle class. We are six in the family with only a mother who supports and works for us since the early nineties. I lost my father when I was nine. I am the second to the eldest and the only son. We could not afford financially to study in one of the prestigious universities in the country but were able to settle into a competitive university in our locality which proved also to be one of the best in the region. Because of these, my interests changed. Realizing that I could not really force those dreams into reality, I have humbly accepted such fate and turned my face to the best that the world has offered me with every little resources we have. And so the game plan changed.

Becoming an engineer however may have been possible. Our university offers one of the competitive courses in engineering and even produces students who are competitive nationally as shown by their exemplary performances in the Engineering Board Examinations. But during that time, getting a high grade in the College of Engineering is remotely possible. To help my mother in the finances, I took up BS Accountancy under a scholarship offered by the university. As time passed, I began to like the subject and dreamed of becoming a Certified Public Accountant.

Now here I am, very fortunate enough to be employed in one of the biggest auditing firms in the country… earning enough, saving a little, helping my mother in the finances, and learning a lot each day to add to my treasure box of knowledge and to my professional growth as well. But life does not stop there and it definitely would not end here. Learning is a continuous process and dreaming never ends.

After two or three more years in the firm, I’m planning to tread a new path and start a new career in a formal learning institution. I plan to take up Bachelor of Laws and open the road to becoming one of the country’s lawyers after 5 more years. The love of the subject during my college years and the knowledge of its impact and applicability to every people’s life made me decide firmly to enter the College of Law after passing the CPA Board Examination.

Considering the present circumstances, I know that the road for me will be tough and will be really hard. We are already faced with a lot of strenuous activities at work and the College of Law would definitely not be an ally. But these would not stop me from getting into my goal for a couple of reasons; one is that doing something you really love to do does not cause stress and the other is the inspiration around me to do these things and face every challenge ahead. My determination and the support coming from my loved ones give me the courage to move on each day until I become a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

But above all these, I regard my own family to be ahead in my list of firsts. A wife and a child or two to whom all these efforts will be devoted. The thought of coming home from work to a woman I have dreamed of and seeing a baby running around the house just makes me feel delighted and relieves every tension that I feel. By that time, both of us are already lawyers. I see my self having an established accounting career and a growing profession in the field of law. I may be working in one of the large multinational corporation or in the Central Bank of the Philippines. The goal may still be unclear and foggy but one thing would be constant; I would definitely be having my own family around and spend some of my time teaching in one of the universities here in Metro Manila after office works.

I have been in this game for 22 years now and I can say that I have played well. But I know that I still have many things to improve on and the game would still be long.

This is how I see my life. This is my game plan in this game called life. And like the greatest players, I view every game as if it is the last game that I could play thereby giving everything that I have and everything that I can. In this life, I will see to it that I give my best each day. When things seem worse and I’d feel exhausted, quitting will never be the answer as it had never been before. For I know that there is Someone up there who knows what we need and what we can do, and there are many people around me who are there to help me, coach me, and even be my teammate as I play my game called life.