VETERAN actress Dolly de Leon served as the commencement speaker during the graduation ceremonies of the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Arts and Letters on Saturday, July 29.
She shared how she was comparing her life to others after graduation.
“Over the next few years of doing that, I witnessed the rise of my contemporaries, ‘yung mga batchmates ko, umangat, habang ako I remain stagnant,” de Leon said.
“Most of them are living the life, playing the parts I could only dream of, working with the directors I admired for so many years,” she added.
Over time, the veteran actress learned that you should focus on yourself and not seek validation from others.
“What I was doing wrong was I was comparing myself to other people, effectively doing myself such a disservice because when we compare ourselves to other people, we base our worth on somebody else’s achievements, constantly seeking validation,” de Leon said.
“But the reality is every individual has a unique set of talents, knowledge, and experience, this is what makes all of us special, the truest and most meaningful competition we face is ourselves and no one else, and the only way to create the greatest version of ourselves is to embrace our strengths, acknowledge our weaknesses and constantly strive for self-improvement,” she added.
“Instead of being weighted down by the achievement of others, we need to focus on our progress and development.”
De Leon got international acclaim for her role in “Triangle of Sadness” as Abigail, a toilet cleaner at a luxury yacht who, thanks to her skills, becomes the leader figure among the mega-privileged passengers when they get stranded on an island. (ABS-CBN News)
