In Retrospect
“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one. ”
And just like, another year has passed. So many things happened for us the past 365 days -- having the opportunity to travel to different places, the rebranding and restructuring of our company, letting go of certain people and making new connections, and a health scare, among others. I've come to realize that each experience, whether positive or negative, has some sort of lesson that we can take to heart.
I jotted down my life lessons one slow afternoon this holiday break and after reading it again today, I thought that it would make a nice year end entry to this site (I hope, haha). Sharing with you some of my life lessons learned, as well as some of the places I've been to, the past 365 days. Sometimes sappy, a bit cheesy, but definitely something I can look back to as a reminder to myself.
Baguio, January 2017
I unfollowed a bunch of people on social media, I stopped watching or listening to certain celebrities, and I cut ties with people who have zero integrity in their bones. It was hard at first but once I started it felt so good going through my day without any form of interaction with these people. Letting go of them helped me get rid of all the negative vibes going through my head.
Ignore people who do crappy things to you and you'll be waaaaay ahead in the happiness game.
Somewhere over Benguet, photo taken on a Philippine Airlines flight on our way to Hongkong, December 2017
If you can't follow the KonMari Method when it comes to your material things, then do it with your thoughts. Tidy up your mind, let go of unnecessary clutter in your head, channel Peter Pan and think happy thoughts. This is also connected to letting go of the crappy people in your life because if they're out of sight, then they're out of mind, right?
I had a health scare a few months back when I couldn't move my arms and hands properly. I couldn't even open a water bottle! I went to a neurologist who asked me to go through a medical exam to check if I had carpal tunnel syndrome. But I didn't follow this doctor, I went to a chiropractor instead who told me that all the stress that I go through, coupled with bad posture over the years, took a toll on my body. I was asked to stop carrying heavy things, to stop going to the gym for a few weeks, to get a better office chair with lumbar support and to learn how to unmicromanage (can't find a better word) stuff both at home and at work. The chiropractor even asked me to retire already -- oh, that would be the dream! Early retirement at 38 y/o! But yes, the mind is definitely a powerful force and when I followed the chiropractor's advice, coupled with a few sessions of therapy, I'm now functioning properly.
Tokyo, December 2017 (backpack from Don Quixote)
Eat your veggies, don't sleep too late, and DON'T SLOUCH! Ah, just a few of the countless reminders from dear mom which I never really listened to until I started feeling weird body pains. Now I have to use either handbags or backpacks to distribute the weight evenly on both shoulders or else it's back to the chiropractor for alignment and therapy.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way mom told you in the beginning.”
Tokyo, December 2017 (rucksack from Googoo and Gaga x Gouache)
Tokyo, December 2017 (Erin's backpack from Chibi Momo, my backpack from Don Quixote)
Hongkong, December 2017 (my backpack from Don Quixote, Miguel's backpack from Flight 001)
Banaue, January 2017
I said yes to waking up early to chase sunrises, eating in a hole in the wall in a foreign country, going to that teeny bopper concert with my 11 y/o, signing up for two-year mentorship program, being part of an online ad -- anything that's way beyond my comfort zone. Don't waste time and don't let a great opportunity pass you by as you think about the pros and cons (guilty!). Grab opportunity by the balls and more often than not, you'll figure things out as you go along. Each time we say yes is a guaranteed deposit to our memory banks and based on my own experiences, it also leads to great and funny stories to share with others over a glass (or two) of whiskey. Kampai!
LANY concert in Manila, August 2017
Bohol, February 2017
Hongkong, December 2017
Yummy x Maggi Shoot, July 2017
Batangas, September 2017
And in as much as I learned how to say yes to new experiences, I also learned how to say NO, NO, NO to things I don't really have time for, or don't really feel like doing even if I had all the time in world. No to face to face meetings if I feel like the agenda can be covered on email / Viber / Skype (I am deathly afraid of Manila traffic). No to organizing that family reunion if I'm drowning in work. No to working straight for hours on end -- if my body tells me I need to take a nap, then I will take that one (or two) hour nap. This is honestly one of the hardest things for me to do, to just say NO, but if I don't follow this advice then I don't have the right to complain if I end up doing stuff against my will.
Hongkong, December 2017
This has got to be my favorite business lesson for the year - STOP DEALING WITH BROKE PEOPLE! Or, stingy big corporations. I'm looking at you, top 500 corporations who think they can pull a fast one over a small company like ours by saying that they can only afford to pay us peanuts but we'll get a lot of mileage in return. Bah, humbug. If the company refuses to acknowledge the value that we bring to the table, or if they really can't afford us at all, then it's not worth our time and effort to pursue the project. Move on to the next one. And don't even get me started on clients with collection issues!
From the movie Jerry Maguire, 1996 (Holy crap, I felt my age as I typed the date!)
A lot (if not all) of these things are pretty basic and I feel like a noob for acknowledging the gems behind these realizations just recently. But better late than never, right?
And that's it for 2017! Wishing you all an adventure filled 2018!
