This Moment Changed My Life. How You Can Learn From It.

I have this memory of me, as a kid, coming back home with tears welling in my eyes. I was eight years old at that time. It was the last day of being a second grader.

Straight in my bed, I dug my face into my bed and started crying. I was sad. I was demotivated. I felt like a failure. My world was crushed at that moment.

That was the day my grades were released. I have failed as a second grader.

Even at a young, I was very critical of myself.

My mom arrived and comforted me in my plight. I told her that my grades are in the line of 7. Math 77, Science 78, PE 79.

To give you a scale: 75 is the lowest and 100 is the highest.

I was never good at academics.

When I was starting to learn counting numbers, I was always stunned when I reached the number 7. My classmates would make fun of me, repeating how I would stutter — 7,7,7.

My brain would start to malfunction after 7. My small brain couldn’t handle it and shuts down.

5,6,7,7,7. Error Error Error.

No wonder, a few years when I finally had access to the internet, my first email address was nicx_777.

Not that it matters, but my birthday is Sept 8, ’88.

So, my favorite number is… 3.

I was Grade 3 when I transferred to a new school. My mom had a talk with my aunt. My aunt was moving all his kids to the newest school in town.

This new school is a prestigious All Boy’s School — Don Bosco Academy.

This school is of Italian heritage so we had football fields even though it was as foreign as the Japanese language. Back then, jocks were all playing basketball while the oddballs, like me, were on the football field. I would go back home with boogers in my nose and dust in my hair.

I was a loser. I was a nobody. I didn’t excel in sports or in academics.

My dad used to tease my mom about my mental capacity. They would tease one another on who I got it from. I was that bad.

My dad, of course, is entrepreneurial and smart. My mom didn’t finish college and has been taking care of us ever since we were young. They were only joking around. My mom is intelligent in other areas such as cooking, planning, and personal finance.

My life turned upside down when I got in 4th grade. This is where my academic career pivoted.

4th grade was the day I struck gold. I was in the company of the shittiest kids — we all sucked. Bullies, Jocks, and Oddballs were placed in one section.

The other section had all the smartest kids.

I never did anything out of the ordinary but, somehow, after our First Quarter, I emerged as The Best in our Section.

The Best — meaning I ranked first in academic performance. I remember having a general average of 85.

I was the best in a group of misfits.

I was even voted as Class President — the first time people looked up to me. In a flash, I became a leader and an intellect. But nothing really changed, I was just being surrounded by a crowd where I can stand out.

I was ecstatic. My self-confidence increased. I saw myself in a different light — I was not a loser anymore. This led me to a path of wanting to better myself.

I became a consistent top ten in my batch until I graduated high school. I competed in academic competitions, led as president in my clubs and graduated with honors. I was able to enter a prestigious university in our country. I finished college being a consistent dean’s lister.

What a way to finish school coming from someone who can’t count past the number 7.

If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong place!

I disagree. Find a room where you can be the smartest person. I am always in search of that small pocket where I can shine even with subpar skillsets.

You don’t have to stay in this room forever, but it’s a good starting point.

Before leaving for Bali, I had this goal of wanting to become a better public speaker. I attended the local ToastMasters in our town. When I got there, I was so intimidated by everyone. The club was filled with presidents of companies and influential personalities. They were in their business attires and suits.

The meeting was overseen by a distinguished guest. She a luminary figure in the history of ToastMaster Philippines. It was too much pressure for a beginner like me. I was starting on the hardest level.

I saw a stark contrast when I visited the local ToastMasters here in Ubud. People were in board shorts and barefoot. The vibe was polar opposite from my local club. It was relaxing and welcoming. It gave me pressure but not to a point where it demotivated me. It was enough to make me hop on the train and enjoy the ride.

Last week, I performed my first prepared speech and was given compliments. As a bonus, I even won the best speaker for the night.

I watched the video recording of my performance, and saw that it ws far from perfect. I was moving around and that my hands were all over the place.

I’m improving, that’s more important. From not being able to stand up in front of a crowd to performing a decent speech, I have gone far already.

There’s a reason why games have easy levels. This is to get you acclimated before you get to the hard ones. This is to increase your strength and obtain skills to face the bigger boss.

This is happening everywhere.

Brazilian-Japanese-Filipinos migrate to the Philippines to get their modeling careers started.

Casey Neistat moving to YouTube after trying out traditional filmmaking.

Logan Paul (love him or hate him it doesn’t matter) blows up on YouTube after auditioning for Hollywood Films.

There’s nothing wrong with this.

You will transcend this space in the future. But you need this level to propel you to the next one. This is the Grade 4 moment. This is the pivot that gives you momentum to reach greater heights.

Find a place where you can be slightly better than everyone else. Conquer that space and start building traction from there.

This will be your safe haven. You will be ranked first with your current skill level and you will be asked to lead them. This will be your own group of misfits and oddballs.

To the kid out there, who feels like a loser, I’d like to tell you that there’s a special for you to excel — it exists.

Your Grade 4 moment will come. Trust me, I’ve been there.