Monday, May 13, 2013
My favorite 'P' word
I once told a friend that we belong to the Passion
generation. I don’t know how true that is for everyone else but I want to
believe that it is true for me. As what Celine shared during her The Better
Story Project workshop (read story here), it is
exceptionally amazing how you can be anyone you wish to be in this era.
Compared to our parents whose choices were probably limited to what constitutes
the word “professional”, we can now make a living out
of being a hair stylist, a fashion stylist, a blogger, a fitness
instructor, just about any other job that doesn’t directly stem out of a formal
degree. We are no longer confined to the choices we made when we filled out
College application forms at 16.
Celine’s journey, of turning her back at the corporate
world, taking a risk and putting all her faith into her passion, truly made me
think of what it is I am passionate about. After Celine’s talk, we were asked
to make a sort of vision board of what represents our passion. This is what I
came up with:
I am an accountant, people, please be very forgiving if my work doesn’t
mirror any kind of vision to you. Anyway, I’ll just explain it briefly. I
understand how hard it must be to interpret my work correctly. Basically, the
words “on the job” and the stiletto-wearing foot with the never-ending leg
represent my passion for my profession. I know it may be difficult to believe,
but I like what I do. I like the challenge and the structure it brings in my
life. But, as signified by the black and white picture of a woman with
colourful eye make-up, I will never be content with a life solely about that. (See?
May lalim ang vision board ko. Hindi lang obvious!) I need space to accommodate
all the other things I like that add color and spice to my life.
That night I learned that I do not hate my job. Actually, I
like it. Geek alert!!! I like crunching numbers, as long as you don’t mix them
up with letters in one equation or what I know to be the ultimate enemy of my
existence, Algebra; let’s not even go to Calculus. I like providing solutions
to day-to-day operation chaos. I like being ambushed with questions and be
forced to think on my toes. I hate long meetings, except when they include
really experienced people because that is when I learn the most. I like taking
charge and, as much as it breaks my heart, being held accountable for the
consequences. I realized that I do not drag myself out of bed on most mornings.
At least, not anymore. But is this what I am passionate about? Is this what I
want my life to be aimed at?
Not entirely.
For the longest time, I am sure about two loves in my life
(people excluded): reading and writing. Reading helps me make sense of this
fascinating Universe, while writing is my validation that I truly get it. The
Passion workshop made me recognize one more thing: learning.
I am passionate about learning.
I love asking questions. I love listening to what people
have to say. I love school; I sincerely look forward to my graduate class every
Saturday. I don’t mind recognizing that someone knows better, so much better,
than I do. I like that, actually. I love that you can never run out of things
to try in this lifetime, as long as you make a move. And
you can never, ever run out of things to learn about, as long as you are humble
enough to recognize that there are so many things you do not know yet.
I realized I do not have to turn my back on my day job to
pursue my passion. Being an accountant is part of who I am. Letting it go is
chipping a piece of me away. My personal challenge is to maintain balance: to
constantly have an empty space in my life for new things to learn, to experience,
to read and write about, despite everything else that goes on. For someone handling a corporate job and under Finance, at that,
this definitely requires effort and constant priority check.
Regardless of when I’m 30 or married with 5 kids (Oh, Lord)
or 65, regardless if it’s diving or baking or crocheting,
I need to unreasonably allow myself to learn. Always.
 |
| The Better Story Project: 4/29/13 'Til next time, girlies! |
# posted by Liana : 6:25 AM
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
