Love the Process

[Music]

hello everybody

i hope everyone’s safe and healthy

during this difficult time of the

pandemic

how i wish i could see your faces but at

least

you can see mine i’m ecstatic and

excited to be here today

i am cj rojes and today i will share to

you the story of the dream weavers

and the lesson that i have learned from

them that changed my life

forever weaving a dream

is a figurative phrase which means

to create something but for the deebly

women

of the highlands of the province of

south cotabato in the philippines

weaving a dream means everything

friends i came from a place in the

philippines where a certain tribe claims

that the inimitable patterns that they

weave

came from their dreams then they make it

into a fabric

called tinalak i am talking about the

tiboli women

of the province of south cotobato

commonly known

as the dream weavers it was six years

ago when i had the opportunity

to meet and have a conversation with

them up close from my college thesis

along with my group mates we hiked the

highlands to gather relevant data

the focus of our study is to capture

quantitative information as to how much

these dreamweavers earn thus

the title of our thesis is the

profitability

of pinala during the course of our study

we observed that weaving tinala

is nothing but a tedious process

which involves numerous steps for a

single claw

to be completed making

in simple term is a lot of work

but despite the labor intensive process

in weaving

the cloth’s richness in cultural value

the intricate and authentic

craftsmanship

involved that the nala cloth

costs almost nothing

the first thought that came to my mind

is

why why would this tiboli women do

something laborious

without getting well compensated i mean

what’s in it for them would you do

something laborious without getting well

compensated

i wouldn’t confused at the time

i can’t help but ask why

sudhi one of our respondents and one of

the dream weaver said

that represents the achievement of their

dreams

and no amount of money can remunerate

their feeling of joy when weaving

she also added that their greater

happiness

lies in enjoying the process

of weaving at that time i said to myself

what is she talking about weaving

enjoying the process it just doesn’t

make sense

you see people can only be happy

if they achieve their dream

don’t you think i’m correct talking

about dreams

let me tell you something about mine

ever since i was a little boy

i’ve always dreamt to travel the world

at a very young age i was very

inquisitive i always ask myself the

question

how how could i be able to do that

how could i be able to realize my dream

at that time

i have two options it’s either i’m going

to be a pilot

or a cabin crew however the first

option seems not an option at all since

my parents

couldn’t afford it so i set my eyes

in option number two and that is being a

cabin crew

while i was in the university i made

sure that i improved myself

so i could be able to fit in the job

communication skills check

appearance double check

height 50 50

but my confidence was a hundred fifty

after finishing my studies i got a

permanent job

in a government agency in the

philippines they say

that as long as you don’t commit

anything illegal you can keep the job

until you die others find it reassuring

i on the other hand find it terrifying

what terrified me the most is not being

able to give my dream

a shot before it’s too late

the urge to explore and defy limits has

always been inside me

and i felt i couldn’t contain it any

longer

it’s why a year after i resigned from

that job

used all of my savings and booked a

one-way ticket

to doha impulsive

i know but i was full of hopes that one

day i am going to become a cabin crew

and ultimately i am going to be happy

i arrived in doha near 2016 during the

month of ramadan

under a one month validity tourist visa

with no one in here but a single friend

crazy and risky right that’s why

i don’t i don’t recommend people to do

it

and on top of that i wasn’t informed

that most of the people here during

ramadan are busy

feeling hungry and sleepy

however i persevered the office timing

constraints

and the humidity as well and i was able

to submit my applications

and guess what a week after cj

got his reply

i regret notice i said to myself

never mind one rejection should not stop

you

from achieving your dream i became more

determined

i sent countless applications and i got

countless rejections one

after the other at that time my visa was

expiring

my money was tight i got no one in here

to support me

just like the reals in my pocket i felt

the hopes of fulfilling my dream

started to vanish

and then just like an answer prayer i

received an email

that says we are hiring for a welfare

officer

are you interested i thought

cabin crews are overrated well

i didn’t want to go home as a failure so

i accepted

the offer i ended up working and living

in elkor

in a porta cabin at least

it’s a cabin but

feeling isolated from the rest of the

world feeling lost

i dreaded every single day

of my life i asked myself

what now cj

this is not what you have dreamt of

i felt i’ve lost my dream

when was the last time you felt you’ve

lost yours

at that night i decided to go out and

gaze at the stars

hoping to find some answers some clarity

in my situation

that’s when i remembered my way up to

the highlands

and i recalled zubi’s words

happiness lies in the process

i realized i was so caught up in

achieving my dream

that i ignored opportunities limited

my happiness to being a cabin crew alone

and most importantly i missed life’s

precious moments how about you

are you enjoying the process since

that day i started to appreciate the new

pattern

that life has presented me in the porta

cabin where i discovered my gift in

human resources

and communications i got promoted in my

job

actually i find a better opportunity

when it comes to my job

and the most important thing and the fun

thing too

i was able to travel the world i didn’t

need to be a cabin crew after all

in life when you stop the pressure of

chasing your dream

your dream starts chasing you

when you enjoy the process you feel

grateful

that pulls your dream towards you

enjoying the process made me

notice the smallest things in life

that are very important i was able to

value and strengthen my relationships

i was able to connect with a lot of

people

and most importantly i was able to find

peace within myself

when you enjoy the process you grow more

that pulls your dream towards you

enjoying the process have led me to

explore some areas in my life

that i didn’t know i was capable of such

as public speaking

back in 2018 i joined philcom

international toastmasters club

one of the premier toastmasters club in

doha qatar

which helped me honed my potentials

and helped me become the speaker that i

am today

when you enjoy the process you live with

more

purpose that pulls your dream towards

you

enjoying the process made me realize my

why in life

and i have learned that it is not

something that you find

but it is something you decide to become

as for my why it is to be able to

inspire people with my

stories and ultimately help them become

the best

version of themselves

today is a proof how far enjoying the

process can take you

i didn’t plan this yet here i am

sharing my story with you

last year who would have known that i

would win qatar talks 2019

and would be able to inspire connect

with people of different nationalities

from all over the country

i didn’t know i could speak in public

and win an award

once you allow yourself to enjoy the

process

you’ll never know what you’ll become

friends what is your dream

what is your tinala

now tinalaka has already walked the

streets of paris

milan and new york all because the

tiboli women

enjoyed the process of weaving

in the tapestry of your life your

weaving may sometimes fall short of

strands

fibers may get tangled or even break

loose

achieving your dream is not a guarantee

the only guarantee is your choice

to enjoy the process

today we are faced with a new reality

we’re achieving our dream feels like

not a guarantee perhaps you feel

scared depressed

or discouraged don’t be

this is not the end of your dreams but

just a part of the process

to all the youth out there wherever you

are

in the world i invite you

to continue to aim for your dream and

remember happiness lies

in the process enjoy the process

and awaken the dream weaver

in each one of you thank you