Seth Mendenilla, The ‘Iron Man of Asia’
Seth Mendenilla believes that his life is nothing short of regrets, failures, and mistakes. That people already had fixed impressions about him—mostly downbeat. If the past him didn’t really care, well the new him was determined to prove them wrong.
To quote a line from the inspirational movie, 3 Idiots, “pursue excellence and success will follow, pants down.”
The journey to success is dependent on you. You’ll stumble and fall, dragged down and pulled under. It will never be easy. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what counts is that you always stand right back up. After all, when was anything ever easy in life?
And for someone who was once labeled an underdog, how did Seth go from the bullied, problematic kid to an International Debate Champion?
Who is Seth Mendenilla?
Born as Seth Christopher Mendenilla, this young man sprung from Daraga, in the province of Albay. Currently, he is a 3rd year BS Psychology student.
Raised solely by his mom, he along with his siblings have to endure a life of tribulation. The toxic household, the bullying, his own fears, and doubts, he’d been carrying them around with a smile. But instead of staying in that deep, dark hole of self-pity, he struggled to crawl out of that miserable place.
Loud and rambunctious, his attitude then was always frowned upon by some of his peers. Seth was not the typical good student or according to him, never that academically inclined. On the contrary, he’s just like who you think he is— carefree and happy-go-lucky. He liked to live in the moment and does just about anything in the spur of the moment. In a way, that is how he coped with how life treated him.
He was content with that. Not until he realized he can be something more, someone even better.
‘I am who I am because of my past.’
Change will never be the enemy of growth. And Seth is a firm believer of chances.
I am grateful to my past kasi kung wala iyon, hindi ako ganito ngayon. Pero iba iba naman kasi para sa ibang tao. One thing I learned is not to look up to other people. Nag-focus ako sa sarili ko. Kasi I want to strive to be my own person and not someone else. The change will be me for me.
he says.
Looking back, Seth thought that the biggest factor of his thriving career now is his past and his amazing mother.
All the mistakes, the failures of my past is what drove me to push myself more. Hindi lang ako hanggang dito. I can do more. All those missed opportunities in high school because they thought I couldn’t do it. I took it by heart and used it as the driving force of my perseverance.
Time won’t wait for you. The right time to do better is THIS TIME.
Seth on his Debater Journey
In his early teens, Seth dreamt of being a professional theatre actor. Singing, dancing, acting, were his outlets to let off his frustrations and worries. But life sure had other plans for him.
At the age of 16, Seth admitted how he was already very fascinated by debates, especially in school settings. School debates will never be gone in any school activity no matter the subject. And it was then that he realized he could make this his thing as his first step to grow more.
He started his debate career in College as a debater and an adjudicator at the age of 19.
The first time would always be scary. Seth recalled that on his first try and he lost, he almost wanted to stop. But what good would that do him?
And so he pushed and pushed further until his hard work finally bore fruition. At 20, he received a distinction for Outstanding Skills and Best Position Paper in the Committee of United Nations Human Rights Council representing the Philippines at International Youth Empowerment (IYE).
It is from these debates and events that he acquired the title, ‘Iron Man of Asia’ as his fellow delegates would fondly call him. It was because of his fierce and firm stand while speaking up. And it did not go unnoticed on these occasions.
Seth before he was the Iron Man of Asia
Everything can be rooted in a person’s mindset. So Seth’s advice is for people just like him, who were once invisible, once unseen and disregarded, to change their mindset.
Condition yourself psychologically—change your mindset that you cannot do things you want to. Kasi what I love about what I’m doing right now is that I can apply what I learned all these years. Subok lang ng subok. I used to be very pessimistic and I listen to when other people tell me na hanggang doon lang ako.
Seth inspires me to be a better individual. Amidst all of the accolades he received, he says it’s important to be humble and acknowledge the journey that took you to where you are now.
Go beyond your strength, hazard beyond your judgement, and in extremities proceed with excellent hope. Bear the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best out of any circumstances. Always remember, to serve not only to guide, but more so to inspire.
LEAD. INSPIRE. NURTURE. CONNECT.
Seth Mendenilla has proven himself a champion of his own making. Now, as a CEO and Founder of an organization dedicated to empowering youth leaders of the future.
Padayon, Seth!
