Today marks a new beginning.
The year 2020 has been crazy, one of a kind! It brought people to their knees, and it showed people why it's important to live, and not just merely exist. The struggle it brings due to the economic crisis and business closures truly gave people a glimpse of chaos and mayhem. The hunger it brings due to unemployment and lockdown exposed people's character and priorities.
I am one of the fortunate for 2020 for; I'm still alive and breathing, I'm still able to feed my family, I'm still able to sustain the needs of my circle, and I still have a source of income because the company I belonged to has managed its way to survive. Internally, we have to make tough decisions just to meet ends in the organization, and it has affected a number of people who lost their job. However, nonetheless, retrenchment packages are given to make sure they're being taken care of as we part ways.
The company restructure and other business decisions gave me a window of opportunity to re-assess myself and the things I'm working at. And it gave me an opening to go back to the ground that I belong to, the ground that I am built for, the same ground where it all started -- to be an engineer once again. And since 2020 sends out a clear message to all of us about life being short, I wanted to explore other domains and work on systems I haven't touched throughout my career. So I'm chasing that dream, and this is why I left Onerent.
Over the course of my stay, I learned a lot. And I believe, this learning is best shared so others can also learn from my experience.
Do not be defined by your title and position. Sometimes, promotions get too fancy and you get to see yourself living a life that is defined by what you're holding (ie. title, position, possessions). These labels and belongings sometimes push you for entitlement and could lead you to be so self-righteous. And if in case you fall into these traps set by society, you will eventually lose yourself in the making.
Do not settle for less, your value should be based on potential. Some people do well, as it's a proven working ingredient for promotion -- being effective on the job, accomplishing the tasks in a timely manner, being a team player, doing the extra mile, and etc... However, once they got promoted, they always bank on what they've done rather than what they still can do. People who got promoted usually talks about how "good" they were in the past, yet didn't add anything more to their arsenal. They assume that their past achievement is enough of a cornerstone for themselves to be recognized by the company. Other common pitfalls in getting promoted are what they call "The Peter Principle" and "The Dunning-Kruger Effect", make sure you know more of these two so you won't be like the rest.
Know your roots. The best way to test if you are really knowledgeable of something is your ability to teach it. As you progress in your personal development, make sure to bring some people with you. Do not keep the knowledge to yourself, teach people what you know so they can earn as much as you're earning. Bring prosperity to others, especially to those who are striving.. and remember, not those dreamers who just dream, not those mediocres who just do the least, but those who are striving for excellence and who are always challenging themselves to their limit. The more people you help, inspire, and mentor, the more fulfillment you acquire in whatever you're doing.
... and so you might ask, why give up all you have just to start all over again? Here are some of my daily reminders to myself. It takes courage to discount what you already have, and the same courage is needed to explore more aside from what you already know.
Go for what you're passionate about and be addicted to it, in the sense that you wanted to be known for it.
