The Push Factor: A Young Leader

It says here that it would be low tide until afternoon.
It is just so hot, my skin would be burnt the moment we are through.
I do not want to take part on this activity

Those were some of the words that I heard coming from my colleagues in graduate school when I called everyone to meeting. I was tasked to come up a project for the environment for our class to be able to pass our subject in National Security. Our grades were at my mercy.

My hands were shaking while I was standing in front of them, so I hid it from behind for them not to see. I just finished explaining to them the activity that would conducted a week after the said meeting. I even planned out the mode of transportation, asked for sponsorship on different companies (thanks to Miss Virg and Miss Rox), and everything else.

There were a lot of negative feedback coming from almost everyone inside the room except my classmates who remained calm. Speaking in front of them was actually not easy because these people are public servants and some of them are even head of their respective offices. As the General Secretary of Public Administrator's Guild, I wanted to hide at that moment then.

I cued ate Hannah who is working under the Office of the President. I wanted to talk to her outside the room. She then gracefully exited with me. I felt somehow relieved. I

I showed to her how badly I want to collapse because I never thought that the discussion would end up like this. She just laughed at my reaction. This is not the Miss Tongco I know , she said while patting my back. She tried to console me and told me not to act like a baby. You were able to gain our trust, I know for sure you can also do it with them too.

I called for this meeting so it just means there is no turning back for me. I wanted to make the sign of the cross although I am an Evangelical Christian. I looked at my friends and saw that they have confidence in me. I went back in front of them and thoroughly answered their queries. I never thought I would gain my composure easily that was gone few minutes ago.

After the meeting, I thanked my friends for they have been my push factor all throughout the course of my graduate studies journey. It was hard to handle them since I am the youngest in our class, but later on I realized I was capable of being one.

A week after, our plan has came to reality.

Everyone who have no work schedule were present. We pursued our Mangrove Planting few miles away from the Laguindingan Airport. We were more than thirty people all in all! Aside from that, everyone seems to enjoy the presence of each other.

But wait! Before our activity, Ms. Anj gave us instructions on how to plant the mangrove and the its mortality rate. We were just crossing our fingers that the chances of those seedlings to grow is high.

The one wearing that white NAMFREL shirt is me. I was making jokes to them while we were busy putting sticks beside the mangrove seedling to ensure that the tide would not take it away to some other place.

Although it was itchy, we were able to plant more than five hundred mangrove seedlings. We do not just want to focus in our offices. We also wanted to take part in saving our environment and mitigate the depletion of the ozone layer through our small actions . Planting mangroves is also important to marine wildlife as it serves as a home to different aquatic animals.

I laugh at myself recalling this moment of my life. There are a lot of instances in my life wherein I had been tasked to manage people and delegate the task at hand. At first it seemed impossible that I would be able to carry out. My authority has also been questioned multiple times by different people.

As I look back, I was certainly very different. I just lock myself inside my room and spend time painting different subjects. I never even wanted to mingle with other people because it has been stressing me out before. But one person changed me totally.

Who then is my push factor?
I try to recall and then the image of my sister popped inside my mind. Well, definitely, it has always been her who pushed me to do better in all things. She has been long gone before of cancer but her positive personality still radiates in my life.

I do not usually engaged myself unto contests, except when it is poster making contest. There was just one time then that triggered me to go out of my comfort zone. There was an event at school when I was assigned to participate and represent our section. I really wanted to cry because I felt so bad for myself. I had been anxious few hours before the competition. I did not even memorize the lines for that short story telling contest during Buwan ng Wika because I thought I could not make it. I just got myself familiarize with the story.

The moment I was called, I heard few boos in front of me. I wanted to cry, but my sister moved closer to me and shouted my name. She was supporting me instead of their class representative. I wanted to cry then, not because I felt bad for myself, but because of the energy that she was trying to relay to me. Her friends were even chanting my name. They wanted me to win.

Alas, the announcement of the winners is bound to happen. I won second place. It was not bad though, but rather it was a great experience for me. Because of my sister's positive mindset, I was able to overcome my fear in public speaking.

During my fourth year in high school, although she recently died, I still decided to join a university competition against college students. There were all graduating from college, while I am four or five years below them. I remember all the positive things that my sister told me and then I was able to face the crowd during an Oral Video Critiquing. I was not expecting it but I won.

I wanted to cry and honor my trophy to her.

Whenever I achieve something, I just looked up in heaven and thank her for her positivity that was transmitted to me. I thank her for coming into my life and made me into who I am today.

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Anyway, if you wish to join this #popcontest, you can check the mechanics here: https://steemit.com/popcontest/@karenmckersie/new-steemit-power-of-positivity-p-o-p-contest-18-last-weeks-winners-paying-over-usd21-80-sd-worth-usd261-60-147-00-steem

I wanted to share more photos of me and my sister but unfortunately she deleted all her photos before she died. Anyway, thank you for reading and let us all spread positivity towards each other.