Habit 1: Be Proactive

This is a continuation of “It all starts with, Habit”.
Do you feel tired with life? Where everything seems to be out of place and control? Does circumstance makes you feel stressed and worried? Does it give you this great desire to just yell as loud as you can?
Well, my friend, been there done that but I’m happy to tell you that I was able to get out of it, more, I became much better. J

I used to be a pessimist and control freak but luckily I was able to see the light of a different perspective.
It wasn’t like a magic from my fairy god mother but more of a bulb of light that changed the sources of everything, and that’s my thoughts.

I always emphasize this, “Life’s a choice”. Same goes with our thoughts. Almost everything in our life is within our control except for little things call “consequences” that’s beyond or beautifully called, fortuitous. God gave us such freedom though he still controls a part of it.

Habit 1 is about being proactive. For most, proactivity means performers and initiators. But to define more accurately, proactive person is someone who are responsible for their own lives. Their behavior is a function of decisions, not of conditions. They carry their own weather, whether it rains or shines have no difference to them. The opposite of proactive is reactive. Reactive are more concerned of feelings. They feel like a victim of someone else’s behavior which caused their circumstance. They blame everyone and everything for their circumstance except their own self.

During my dark days, it was a struggle. But such struggled changed me a lot. The change was a process that was noticed slowly by those people that surrounds me. But now, I’m amazed coz it seems that this change is part of me. I knew it was but to hear it from someone else, someone I just met, and then I felt that it was real, I’ve changed, I am better. Better is an understatement, coz I feel so great.
Surprisingly, I’ve been recently quoted as person with “high EQ”, and truly, I felt so wonderful hearing it from someone I respect and aim to be. J

Habit 1, talks about proactive people and as I see, people that are proactive are those with high EQ.
And to change a pessimist to a person with a high EQ, how did it happen?

In life, there are circumstances grouped to two, a) Concern b) influence.
Concern is about thing that affects us but we don’t have control while Influence is thing that affects us but we have control. Concern includes annoying people, low pay, and all other bad circumstances while influence is more about our attitude. And to change, we have to be more focus on influence instead of concern. Instead of mourning and complaining, better concentrate on what you can control, that’s yourself and your proper approach to your circumstances. J

”I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor” – Henry David Thoreau

Almost Over

Cherished past
Stranger present
Looking at your shadow
Brings past vigor
Oomph to move
To letting go

Astounded to know
It was easier than thought
Past will be past
Memries be forever
Today can’t be tomorrow
And today,
I’m closed to the door
Geared to go on

8,280 Days

It’s my 8,280th days living, assuming there’s an average of 360 days per year. Haha. Today I’m both happy and sad. But thankfully I have more happiness than sadness. There’s only one thing that saddens me and that's the absence of someone who’ve always made this day really special for me. That’s the only sad part but other than that everything else is great.

Here are the reasons why I feel happy that I chose to continue living despite the tragic and disappointing event that happened to me in the past 360 days. And that’s:

- I’m grateful for life itself coz it feels like I was born again into a totally new person, I felt it’s for the better which most people agree to;

- I’m grateful for HIM who continuously light me in my quest to this jungle called life;

- I’m grateful for my family who guides, loves and cherish my existence;

- I’m grateful for old best friends for sticking with me thru laughter and tears, especially on
those days I really needed someone to lift me up, literally. As well as for the new friends who
keeps me sane and laughs with me thru stress and craziness;

- I’m grateful for people who opposed me for they made me stronger and persevere more;

- I’m grateful for those who criticized me for they taught me how to accept failure and be humble;

- I’m grateful for the over workload that stressed me out a little for they made me confident and believe in myself more;

- I’m grateful for the people that trusted me for they made me realized my potentials and to learn some more;

- I’m grateful for the one I like for he makes me smile;

- I’m grateful for the guy who broke my heart, for he made me discover and appreciate myself, my life and life itself;

- And lastly, I’m grateful that I’m alive.

Getting Old

A few more days and it’ll be my birthday, a year older. I’ve been living for 23 years exact.
A lot of people are surprised when I say my age. Sadly, most of the time they think I’m supposed to be older. L Sometimes I do feel offended when they say that but at times it flatters me when they say I act and think older than my real age. :)

Since my birthday last year, a lot have changed in my life. Actually, too much that I feel it’s been more than a year now. This past year is the year that a lot have changed and happened. But I realized it’s not just coz a lot happened compared to other years, it seems to be because I think and see things differently now that I recognized and remembered every detail of it. I’m not too pre-occupied to keep track of everything.

I once learned that change is the only constant thing. Everything changes except for change. Nice rhyme heh? Haha. But the older I get the more I’ve proven that this is so true. Also, I’ve proven that the older you get, the complicated life gets.

Yesterday, I went to my old school. Going back there made me remember good ol’ memries that I still cherish up to now. Our school still looks 70% the same while 30% different. The walkway is still there but the structure is different. It’s the same with the lover’s lane and the parking lot. It was Saturday and Valentine ’s Day so there were a lot of students and lovers around our campus. Observing people is one of my hobbies lately, scary huh?hahaha. So while waiting for my friend, I can’t help not to observe this college kids with or without their dates. I remember the feeling, the college days feeling which is btw, three years ago. It made me too aware of how old I am now and how different my life is now. But it made me smile too, coz it’s just three years ago, and for such period, I’ve grown and matured so much already.

As most people say, I act and think older than my age. Before, I’d deny this but now, I do feel happy about it. For some people, they want to maintain their youthful look, and I agree to that. But I guess the ideal person for me is a youthful look but matured mind. Man, if I’m like that, that’ll be perfect. :)

In this financial crisis that we are facing, it’s too hard to keep a stress-free, youthful and bubbly self image. With the double workload and tight deadlines that the companies are imposing, it’s too hard to keep track sometimes. Most companies are on tight cost-cutting type of budget that is actually being burdened by employees like me and my friends. Good thing I was enlighten by some truths that I think and approach things differently now, but unfortunately, as I see it, most people are still unaware of why life is so stressful now.

I grow up believing the same things as what most career oriented people believes in. That’ll be studying hard so I can get a nice job and live happily. I’ve always believed that work will make my life easier. But in this current state that I’m in, looks like the thing I used to believe in isn’t real. Coz at the moment, I’m experiencing work crisis that most is experiencing. I thought before it’s coz I’m just too workacholic but with the way my friends in other companies have been complaining too, looks like it’s coz of the crisis already. This global crisis thing isn’t only affecting us financially but mentally and emotionally. Most of my friends feel lost with what and how they’ll live their life in the next years. They feel unsatisfied.

I feel grateful coz before this thing hit us, I was already aware that it’ll come plus the reason behind it. Tho I’m not fully 100% prepared of it, but I feel great that I’m at least 30% financially ready but 99% emotionally and mentally ready. Unlike everyone else who feels lost with what and how they’ll do plus they feel unmotivated and stressed by it, here I am, fully positive about it enduring but at the same time preparing for my next step. I wanted to share this to people to make them aware of it, and that’s the reason why I write blogs, it’s a reminder for me and for everyone else who reads it.

In total, I’m just so thankful for the turn around that changed my life this past year. It changed me a lot, too much that I can’t imagine how I’ll be now if I still think the way the old will.

To end this, just like to leave this for everyone to contemplate with:

Getting old is natural but growing up is a choice.

P.S.: Why MBA?

I needed to create this for something I want to pursue at the moment, and since I love blogging, it became so easy for me to do it. So unlike of what I used to be. hehe. But hopefully, I'd be able to pursue this and apply it in my goal of becoming free. :D

Here it is.. my personal statement.. why MBA?

I’m a person who values continuous learning. I strongly believe that in order to grow and be better you have to be open and accept new ideas or information. In the ever changing world, such openness to learning is very essential so you won’t be left behind.

I’m a certified professional accountant and have practiced my profession in the most outstanding accounting firm in the country. From there I’ve learned and lived a lot of professional values such as integrity, innovation, excellence and hard-work. Also, with the kind of exposure it had given me, I’ve improved more personal values of patience, motivation and perseverance. These qualities are priceless and essentials if you want to succeed in any field, even life itself.

After that, I’ve worked as a financial analyst in a business process outsourcing firm of Shell Company in the Philippines, Shell Shared Services Centre Manila. In this company, I’ve worked with different kinds of people, both local and foreign. With such exposure, I’ve learned to deal and observe behaviors. Unlike my previous job, not everyone is highly motivated and career-driven, indifferences as they call it. But from there I’ve earned a great value called respect. Despite my young age, the company has helped me discover my leadership capabilities. They’ve stretched my ability by fully trusting responsibilities I could never expect to be performing in my one year service to them. I got promoted to a senior position and was elected as the officer-in-charge of our team to perform back-up works of our control accountant and at the same time assisting our team leader. Such trust boosted my confidence and guided me to think of improving myself more to be able to reach the next level of our organization.

I’ve been working for three consecutive years now and I can say I’ve changed and grown a lot, both personally and professionally. In three years time, I’ve excel and been recognized to be outstanding. But as they say, even how good your own experience can teach you, there will come a point that you’d still be needing guidance and help from others. You need a mentor or a coach who will teach you their tried and tested knowledge in the field you are pursuing to. From them you’ll learn the trick that you can use to improve yourself more both professionally and personally. And that’s the reason why I’ve decided to take up further studies in one of the most reputable school of business in our country. Ever since high school, I’ve always dreamt to study in DLSU. Not only because of it’s accessibility from our house, but because of the school’s reputation of building and teaching a person with its success potentials. But due to financial incapability, my dream wasn’t fulfilled in my undergraduate school. And now that I’m working, I want to continuously learn from the school I’ve always dreamt about.

Continuous learning is very essential despite the number of good professional qualities you may have. In the professional world, you will meet different people and discover a lot of new ideas. And the best way to approach this ever changing world is to be prepared. Graduate studies are valuable in my professional growth and at the same will guide me to succeed. By learning and knowing deeper the business management skills and other relevant courses, I’d be prepared to the next level of opportunity that I’d be handling.

In the next five years, I hope to see myself in a managerial and executive position of a successful and reputable multinational or local company. If possible, I also would like to see myself managing and operating my own business. With this huge dream, I need to be prepared and seek much learning as early as now.

And since our world is continuously changing, in order to survive successfully, we need to change with it and be prepared to face it. In this century, everything moves fast, thanks to technology advancement and increasing educated people. But despite the amazing positive change we have, we are still faced with one that’s larger than anyone could ever imagine, and that’s the global warming. Working in an oil company, I’m very much aware of the increasing demand of oil/gasoline but sadly decreasing supply, notwithstanding, the great effect it causes our environment. With that, renewable resources have been the hot cake that’s being tackled now both by our government and private sectors. That topic not only caught my interest but also made me aware of its effect in our environment that I’ve signed up as a donor and supporter of the group, Greenpeace. And if I’ll be doing a research/thesis, my concentration will probably be on this. Because I want to study any possible solution that can helped our country, as well the world, to discover other means of sustaining our ever changing world plus protecting our environment.

Filipina Girl: Will You Make The First Move?

I was typing this blog when suddenly my sis interrupted me and asked me a survey question from COSMO that she wanted me to answer so she can get freebies. After answering her question, my attention focused to the current month topic, that’s “Would you make the first move with a guy you like?” hahaha, just exactly my topic right now. :)

I’m a proud pinay, raised and lived n PI for 22 years. I can’t say I’m Maria Clara but I’m not too liberated either. I still have this ideal pinay values that’s being reserved and shy especially on topic of love, guys or even dating. These traits sometimes make me proud but at times make me feel uncomfortable. Uncomfortable coz I know it’s not that practical to be like this nowadays.

With a regular guy, I mean, friend, I can approach and talk to them so casually, but when it’s the guy I like, I don’t know why I tend to be really shy and reserved. If it’s an ordinary guy, it’s too easy for me to invite him for lunch or to ask help on something, but when it’s him, damn, too hard coz I’m too conscious, guilty as it is. That’s the usual pinay attitude that I want to change but I’m still trying my best to do so.

Answering the topic, will I make the first move? I guess my answer will be YES but not to the point I’ll push myself to the guy. I’ll give him some signs but if he doesn’t read it, then it’s his loss. Hahaha.

Honestly, it’s easier said than done. Coz right now, I do like someone. For me, I’ve already gave him signs, but as my friends say, looks like he doesn’t know how to read it or maybe he’s just not interested. Some says how can I say so when he may not even know? Coz I don’t say it directly to him? That he may probably be clueless?

That’s the sad part being a “Filipina girl” coz all I can do is wait for the time he’ll realized that I’m giving him signs. Worse, I might wait in vain. Hahaha. I’m dying to tell him that I really do like him, to know him more, it’s not that I fear rejection (partly) but more of the Filipina culture of “nakakahiya coz I’m a girl” keeps me from doing so.

It’s a choice anyway, to wait or to try? For now, I’ll wait for the day he’s not too busy and too preoccupied to finally see me. Until when? Till the feeling is here. :)

It’s almost valentine, and I’ve already accepted the fact that this will be my first “alone” valentine after 5 years. Huhuhu. But that’s okay, he’s probably busy for now, but I do hope that someday, he won’t be. :)

Corporate Glam

One of my favorite movies is Spiderman. From there comes this famous line, “Great power comes great responsibility”. Such phrase didn’t make that much sense to me until now that I’m working and in the real world.

Lately, my bro’s high school friends have been camping in our house almost every day. He’s studying from my old exclusive high school where boys are separated from girls, so imagine the pack of naughty high school boys loitering in our house. We really don’t mind it coz we’d rather have them around our house instead of not knowing where they are. Hanging out with them makes me miss my high school days and it makes me amazed on how different my world moves now as compared to my high school days.

Just like them, I used to hang around with my friends house during high school. We play music, talk about boys, watch tv, laugh like hell and just plain chilling. We don’t worry too much on anything, even our grades. Life was too simple then, we just worry about passing our subjects and graduating. Things only begin to get serious when we got in our senior years that we had to think about college admissions and think about what we really want to be in life. I’m lucky and blessed coz so far, I’m into the field I was imagining I’d be.

Going more backwards, as early as grade school days, I’ve been exposed to the mainstream of high rise buildings in Ayala, Makati. My mom’s a great influence on where I am now since she’ve been working all her career as an accountant too. She always brings us to her workplace that’s why even then I wanted to be a successful corporate woman.

Now, I’m here living that dream. Working in Ayala, Makati inside the 31st floor with a table complete with desktop computer, telephone and everything else I need to work well. In three years working, somehow I can say I have a quiet say in my field, recognized and promoted, and will soon rise to the next level if I continue the way I perform. I am happy with the recognition and trust their giving me but sometimes it makes me go back to Peter Parker’s “Great power comes great responsibility”. Success in the corporate world does indeed require great responsibility, sometimes too much.

Looking at my bro’s friends and just chilling with them makes me want to be a bummer even for awhile and escape the stress and speed of the corporate world, of real life. Hanging out with them makes me go back and appreciate the simple things in life. Their innocence and happiness with just having each other makes me envious to their life. They’ll go online and check their Friendster instead of opening their outlook with hundreds of emails that requires attention. They only have to explain why they failed in a quiz or even subject instead of explaining why they didn’t complete the report within metrics. Not submitting project will only mean lower grade compared to non-completion of reports that leads to numerous feedback and self-humiliation that sometimes makes your morale and self esteem go deeper in the ground, if you’ll think and accept it that way.

Corporate world requires fast-moving, efficient and dedicated professionals. If you want to succeed in it, you need to have all those or else someone else will take charge of you. Corporate world is not all beneficial. It’s linked to the word, “busy”, that’s defined as one of the devilish acts. “Busy” steals the most important thing for us, that’s “time”.

Good thing my bro’s friends are loitering here in our house, coz they remind me to appreciate the simple things in life that this corporate world is keeping me from coz of the glamour and power it shines.