Speech about Being True to Real Self When I am 80 Years Old

My Speech at 80
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My Speech at 80
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for sparing time to celebrate 80 years of a wonderful life with me. It has been 80 years of ups and downs, but the bigger picture is that life has been fantastic on this side. It feels good to know that even at 80, you still have people by your side; people who wish you well at your end of life. All I can say is that I have lived life if you know what I mean. I have enjoyed the best life that I could, not short of shortcomings, though. The most exciting part of it is that I feel I have lived a holy life because I think I have lived true to myself.
I was born in a very humble background, with my father being a cobbler and my mother a street hawker. I was the second in a family of 13, being born to parents who had never set foot in class, and thus also making it challenging for them to communicate in English. Everyone around us believed that we could not achieve anything in life and that our destiny was decided; to be street urchins. Being in a foreign land and born to poor parents motivated me. I dared to dream. I dared to rise above the situation and set my sights on becoming a successful entrepreneur. As I sit in my bed today, you all can bear me witness that this has been a dream well achieved. I chose to go for it when nobody believed in me. When everyone thought I was destined to be born poor and die poor, I felt God had called me to be successful and overturn our family's fortunes. The milestones I have achieved in my business, just because I dared to dream, make me convinced that I am holy because I remained true to myself.
As you sit here today, you also see my grandchildren surround me with faces filled with joy. Nothing at this poin...