If there is one mantra that President Marcos has constantly reminded himself of, especially during his presidency, it is to never stop.

Witnessing first hand his own father ruled the country for 21 years, Marcos, who also became the Philippine President 36 years later, learned a basic trait he continues to live by—to keep going.

"I think the basic thing that I learned from my father is 'don't stop.' If you believe in something that you're doing for the country, for your people, do not stop," Marcos said in the recent episode of his podcast when asked by the college students what lessons he learned from his father.

"You will have to sacrifice, ganyan talaga ang trabaho (that's just how the job is). You will have to sacrifice, masasaktan ka. You will have to make sacrifices, but don't stop. You will fail, you have to stand up again. Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't stop," Marcos added.

Even to this day, the President said he still remembers many of the things he learned from his late father which often aid him in his decisions and responses.

Teaching by example was also one of the things he learned from his father which he also applies as a father to his three sons.

"One thing I truly believe in is that you teach by example, because in my own experience, all the things I learned from my father, hindi yung uupo ka dito, the lesson for today is ganito, ganyan, ganyan (It wasn’t the kind where you sit down and he tells you, ‘This is the lesson for today, this and that')," the President shared.

"Wala walang ganun, basta nakikita ko lang yung ginagawa niya. Kung minsan magtatanong ako sa kanya, bakit ganun, bakit si ganyan, bakit hindi, sasagutin naman ako (There was none of that. I just watched what he did. Sometimes I would ask him, ‘Why is it like that? Why that person? Why not?’ And he would answer me)," he recalled.

While the Chief Executive treasures the lessons from the past, he believes that he should no longer be doing things the same way, especially in the decisions he makes as the country's highest elected official.

"We don't do things the same way anymore. You shouldn't be doing the same things as you were doing in 1975 or 1980s. This is a different world," Marcos said.

He revealed that he spends hours with his advisers daily to master thinking out of the box and coming up with new ways of doing things.

"Every day, we spend hours with my advisers, think out of the box. Stop thinking the same old way. It doesn't work anymore. My hope and the reason of the structural change is important is because kahit wala na ako rito, sana yung mga pagbabago ng nasimulan namin o na tumatakbo na, matuloy tuloy na para hindi na matanggal (even when I am no longer here, my hope is that the reforms that we have started and are now being implemented remain and will not be removed)," Marcos said.

"Do it in such a way that it will continue, it will even get better, especially if we choose our presidents well," he stressed.

Through the years, Marcos said he has mastered to manage to work under immense pressure and expectations. Having seen his father's presidency, he has gotten used to the challenges that come with it.

When asked how he manages his mental health amid the highs and lows of being a president, Marcos said "I'm fine. Perhaps over the years I got used to it."

He recognized the "huge advantage" he has in this aspect, given that he grew up in Malacañang.

"So for 20 years, napapanood ko siya. Sabi ko, alam ko ang hirap na trabaho ito. So you have to learn to manage it," he said.

However, Marcos underscored that he had to teach himself to take a break, stressing that "you're not as clear in your thinking when you start to get tired, or you're not as fast."

The President also shared how he processes big problems, noting the importance of clarity.

"Ang sistema ko 'pagka may malaking problema (I have developed a system in handling big problems). My approach is always like this: learn everything about the problem and then go away and do something else. Do something completely different na hindi mo maiisip (that you won't think of). You come back usually you have a new idea, usually that works for me," Marcos shared.

"So you have to take that break somehow. I don't mean vacation— two month's vacation. I'm talking about taking three hours off. Doing something, listen to music, make kuwento with your kids or something. But something different," he added.

"I've been through hell and high water, you know. I don't panic anymore. Hindi na ako natataranta (I don't get flustered), so that's my advantage," he went on.

Marcos further shared that exercising really helps him in relieving stress.

He shared that he also pushes himself to keep working, noting that in reality, whatever he does will never be enough. Thus, he said, "you just have to keep going until you drop."

"I'm here to serve. I'm not here for myself. But I really think that there are many things that I could do. And I say you're not doing it. Hindi mo pa natatapos (You have not finished it yet), go, go, go, go, go. Keep doing it. Keep working," he said.

"Kulang pa. At saka ang katotohanan diyan lagi namang magiging kulang 'yan, e kahit ilang taon mo nang trinabaho 'yan, kulang pa rin 'yan kasi hindi natatapos ang trabaho (It is still not enough. The truth is, it will always be lacking — even if you've worked on it for years, it will still be lacking because the work never ends).”

Asked if he would ever think or wished to be born in a different family, the President said he will not have it the other way around.

"Would I want to have been born into another family? Absolutely not," Marcos responded firmly.

"Parang ang tingin ko sa sarili ko, ako na ang pinakaswerteng tao na kilala ko. Wala na akong kilala na tao na maswerte pa sa akin. Dahil ganyan ang naging ama ko, ganyan ang naging mother ko, naging experience ko (It’s like I see myself as the luckiest person I know. I don’t know anyone who’s luckier than I am. Because that’s the kind of father I had, the kind of mother I had, and the experiences I went through)," he further said.

"Kasi lahat naman ng experience kahit hindi ka nag-eenjoy, may natutunan ka di ba (Because with ever experience, even if you're not enjoying it, you still learn something, right).But it was niche, what doesn't kill you."

The President did not think of entering politics, so he opted for business school. But, he stressed, life does not always go the way you want it, you cannot predict it.

Although he was not keen on becoming a politician, he does not regret any of it.

In his recent podcast, Marcos was being interviewed by three students from different universities in the country— Agripino John Patrick Ga-an of the West Visayas State University, Janine Lagbawan of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), and Kathleen Anne Millonte of the University of the East (UE) Manila.