Public speaking competition 2014

Living through the hallways

Theme: Life is the most difficult exam

I think that our life sets its beginnings when we become teenagers. Because before that,we lived on the principles that our parents taught us. In adolescence,we tend to spend more time alone and that way,we begin to discover ourselves. We start to realize our perspective towards every aspect of this world,and most of the times,our perspective is way different than what we have been taught.

                These had to be said,because what I am about to do,has to make sense. Let’s play a game. Imagine that your entire life is like the years you spend in high-school. And we start high-school in our teenage years. Remember how scared you were as a freshman,walking for the first time on such big hallways? That’s where it all starts for every one of us. We wander confused through the entire building,not knowing where to go. But then we meet some people that are just as lost as we are and they might lead us to the right or maybe the wrong path. In real life,I like to call these people in a simple way: “friends”.

After all those circumstances that you have considered scary,given the fact that every start is pretty frightening,you get into your class and you meet the teachers. In life,your mistakes are the greatest teachers. Later on,you are given tests,like crossroads. Take an interesting fact here: you can’t quite copy. Because everyone has a different question paper. You cannot live your life based on someone else’s. Just a second,I take this back. Of course you can live someone else’s life. But where will this actually get you? Every person has its unique personality and way of doing and dealing with things. It’s like you’re given the same directions as another person,just on different maps. So you’ll be stuck at the same crossroad until you realize that you should learn your lessons and go on your own way.

As time goes by,you start to get used to the way things happen. You already know most of the people that are going to your school and you don’t get lost anymore in the building. You are also used to be given tests,because they are almost at the same difficulty all the time and you don’t try so hard studying for them anymore. This is not a bad thing,as you might think. In life,this is gaining experience. But don’t worry. The waves of change never passed anyone without touching them. Some of your teachers might leave,and other strict ones will replace them. Lessons are getting harder to understand,you will probably fail some of the tests and start freaking out. In those moments you have to recall the experience you have gained and update it. As far as I’m concerned,nothing is impossible if your will to accomplish something is alive.

For example,through my life so far,I have failed a lot of tests myself. I never seemed to bother,never seemed to care. I was soaked and stuck in my own misery,never determined to study,as in learning my lessons,no matter how hard my teachers,my mistakes bugged me. I was making up excuses after excuses,shouting that that’s the way that I am and I have to be accepted. I was always lying to myself,believing that I’m always right. But one day it just hits you,just like it hit me,when you don’t have anything to do on an idle Tuesday. Or maybe you need a big impulse,a huge mistake to smack you in the head. It got me thinking: What am I doing with my life? It took me a while to get back on the track,but at least now I’m at peace.

The tests will always be repeating. You will be constantly learning,making your way right to the end,shaping yourself through all the lessons,mistakes and people that you’re going to interfere with,along  the path that you’ve chosen. Because life is what you make it and your whole life is a story. Make sure it’s inspiring.

Afterwards,everything comes to an end. I guess there is a rather interesting feeling when you’re close to this. I think life itself is not an exam. It’s actually a sequence of tests that lead to a final exam. That exam consists in one simple question: Am I happy with what I’m leaving behind? After that,who knows what happens? But as the wise Dumbledore said: “To the well-organized mind,death is but the next great adventure.”

Public speaking contest 2012

 

                                                         The wonder hidden within us
                                                         Theme: The wisdom of youth

       Have you ever been wondering what is really going on through your mind? Have you ever even stopped for just ten minutes to figure it out? When you come home from school what do you do? I bet you go straight to the TV or computer and stay on until your eyes hurt. Or you find yourself locked in your room listening loudly to your MP3 all day. Every day? I think your mind needs a little break from all these.
        
      Turn off everything that might bother you. You don’t need to check the notifications on Facebook every single minute and surely you don’t need to text your friends about what you’ve seen on TV a moment ago. Close your eyes and take your time. Or just get up,maybe grab a bike and go to the park. You need to clear up your mind.
         
      Teenagers are free spirits. We think with our hearts and the possibilities of our imagination are endless. It’s more effective than magic. We have that strength to get up untouched when we fall and we move on quickly. And we are often falling because we walk with our heads up all the time. Maybe we are holding it too high sometimes and we lose ourselves in the deep blue sky. Is it a good thing? Yes. We start with small steps towards failure so we can cope with it later. Will you? Why cope with failure?  Because you learn from it and it’s going to hurt less and less each time. I,for example,try to think differently. I embrace every aspect of this life with huge open arms. I don’t do things because they are technically correct. I do them because that’s how I feel. And if I fail,it’s funny. I start to laugh because the world isn’t ending right now.  We should be proud that we can stand up for our opinions now. We can stop and turn our backs to whatever they say,unraveling that the truth lies only within us. Our generation needs imagination beyond borders, predominance of courage over timidity and apetite for adventure over the life of ease. The secret is to translate our dreams into reality.
          
      We have discovered how it is to have a true friend when we need him,how to listen to other people’s problems and try to help them without expecting to get something back. We have learned how to love. You know,that unique moment when you feel like flying and the world is coming down at your feet,with all its shivers and butterflies. Unfortunately we have learned how suffer. You all know how it is to have a deception,to have a back turned on you,to be disappointed and not be able sleep at night. We try to be happy,to party and to enjoy life in every way. Please,don’t tell me you didn’t feel all these things! It would be a shame. All these little things made me the person that I am today. And we’d be nothing without the important people in our lives. We share emotions,things and even wisdom with them,without exactly knowing what we’re doing. It’s all about conversation ,understanding and caring. These are the tools that make swords,guns and machines powerless.
          
       I will tell you a story about a childhood friend of mine. Let’s call him John. His father died in a car accident on the way to the hospital when John was born. His mother blamed him his whole life for his father’s death and she treated him badly. She is now married in another country while John is here only with his sick grandmother,taking care of her,of himself and the house. He is much more educated than many boys at his age,unfortunately he cannot have really good grades at school,because he hasn’t much time to learn at home. But he still has dreams for college and for becoming a doctor. John has been only through failure,he never felt the true love of his parents. And if it hadn’t been us,his friends,to help him cope with these,I don’t know what could have happened to him. Still,he never gave up.
        
       Are you a bit more aware now? It didn’t kill you to try this,did it? You know,adults would give anything to get back where we are standing now,with a mind like ours. They are longing for the years when they were fresh and new,when they could dream and discover all the important things and feelings. They knew how to appreciate it. But what about us? I think sometimes we are just wasting too much precious time. Our minds are full with information,coming from oh so many ways. But the trick is to catch only the right things.
        
       Run away,live your life and get out if this box. Don’t believe in coming backs,don’t even try to look back. The future stands there waiting for you to shape it in your way. You can shoot for the moon,and even if you miss,you will land among the stars. We are now stronger than ever,we are ambitious,no one can stop us. Now tell me,what’s going on in your mind?