TM Speech Project 2- Destination: Success

I remember a time when I was just starting to learn how to drive. At that time we only had a car that was driven manually. At first, it was hard for me to shift gears on an uphill road. But even on perfectly straight roads I find shifting gears a challenge simply because I was an inexperienced driver. There was even a time when I was passing thru a hump on the road and suddenly my engine went off and my car slowly moved back down. It was embarrassing and funny at the same time. I immediately looked around to make sure no one saw me. Then I re-started the engine and went away as quickly as I can. As time passed, driving a car became automatic for me. It’s like second nature. Now I can do my make-up, eat breakfast, do my pedicure while driving. Of course the latter is not true. Manicure, yes. Pedicure, no. 

Then I realized that driving to and from places is pretty much like a life’s journey. We determine where we want to go, which road to take and how fast or slow we want to travel. These 3 compose what we call our personal success plan. Do you have one right now?

I hope so because according to Hartford Insurance study done in the U.S. 54% of Americans at age 65 die broke because of various reasons such as lack of education, lack of resources, poor governance but most importantly they failed to have a success plan. In addition, a comparative study was done among the schools and universities also in the U.S. saying that most successful people in the industry today are those who planned to succeed. They have a big dream and a clear vision of the future which fuelled their imagination and creativity that made way for the dream to come true. And because they know what they want, they know how to begin. They know how to follow through. And they are not afraid to take risks.

To further illustrate, let’s say your dream in life can be represented by a place. Let’s say that place is Baguio. May I ask where you are today? Are you getting anywhere closer to Baguio? Or have you been running around in circles, in Manila or probably in Quezon City? I think a lot of men is relating very well on that one huh? Seriously though, where are you now if the goal is to get to Baguio?

We know going to Baguio from Manila may take around 6-8 hours by land depending on the flow of traffic, how slow or fast you drive and also what type of vehicle you are using. Example, (participant) you use a Ferrari and (participant) you use your old grandfather’s car. Who do you think will arrive at Baguio first? Well, it is logical to say that the one driving the Ferrari will arrive first but what if they both were stucked in heavy traffic along NLEX. Do you think the Ferrari could still outrun the old car? No. Moreover, (participant) do you know how to drive? This means knowing how to drive is another thing. It is mastering the skill required to contribute in our pursuit of success.

There are 4 stages in mastering a skill:
1. Unconscious incompetence
2. Conscious incompetence
3. Conscious competence and
4. Unconscious competence.

Does anyone know these? Let me discuss them to you briefly. The first one is the unconscious incompetence stage. It is very simple, you don’t know anything. Probably you’ve seen it done by others but you have never tried. Second, conscious incompetence stage this is where you have tried to do a certain skill but have not mastered the skill yet. Third, the conscious competence stage it is where you wield your power at will. Lastly, unconscious competence is where a skill is natural to you and needs no effort. Just like my example awhile ago of how I learned how to drive.

Hence, the solution in mastering a skill is indeed simple. Learn how to do it. Take some classes, read and expose yourself. You can never be a champion racer if you don’t expose yourself to the race tracks. You can never be a champion swimmer, speaker or even a businessman when you don’t immerse yourself into the world of what it is you want to pursue in life. Success is not like instant noodles. Success is predictable.


Now my challenge to you is this: When you go home tonight, think of these 3 simple things: your goal, your roadmap and your skills. Identify which stage of mastery are you at. Move forward and never give up. After all every person has a dream and those dreams are non-negotiable. Imagine if Howard Schultz, Walt Disney and Thomas Edison after several failures, threw their hands and gave up, there would be no Starbucks, Disneyland and electricity. And if I just stopped driving and dreaming. One thing is for sure. I will never discover what kind of success I can achieve. And the same goes to every one of you here today. You will never discover the kind of success you can achieve if you stop now. So, have a great morning to everyone and good luck to our destination: success!