This is part of an on-going series for Filipino young professionals: Biyaheng EDSA. It’s a set of reflections for new graduates about to enter the world of work. At dahil mahalagang transition ito sa buhay, nawa makatulong ang mga reflections na ito in helping you choose your path.

Previous Posts:

Introduction
Monumento: Out of the Way ang Idealism
Balintawak Cloverleaf: Entry Level
North EDSA: Ito Pala ang Rat Race
Timog Avenue: I Just Want to Have Some Fun!

Ortigas: Part 1: Relihiyon, Rebolusyon

Upcoming Posts:

Boni-Guadalupe: Shifting Lanes
Ayala: Traffic sa Fast Lane
Magallanes: Divergent Roads
Pasay Rotonda: In Transit, It’s Complicated
EDSA Extension: Ito ba ang aking destinasyon?
Beyond EDSA: Ibang Daan, Ibang Destinasyon

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On any given day, sobrang traffic mula sa Kamuning Flyover hanggang paglampas mo ng Cubao. But it eases up a little bit pagdating mo ng Ortigas. Marami na kasing mga sasakyan ang sasampa sa flyover, either to go to the Ortigas Business District, or magpatuloy Southbound EDSA. But as you travel through this part of EDSA, you can never miss the imposing statue of Virgin Mary on the left. May chapel din sa ilalim ng statue. Ito na yata ang Northern marker ng Ortigas Business District. Nasa likod lang ng statue ang Galleria, malapit lang din ang Megamall, at napakaraming buildings na nagsisilbing opisina ng mga top multinational and local corporations.

EDSA: The Original. 

Hindi na unusual sa Pilipinas ang malapit na association ng politics at religion. Sa generation ng mga kabataan na ipinanganak noong 1980s at 1990s, it is but a distant memory; pero in 1985, dahil sa panawagan ni Cardinal Sin at iba pang mga religious leaders, libu-libong Pinoy ang nag-congregate sa EDSA para suportahan sina Gen. Fidel Ramos at Juan Ponce Enrile noong nagdeklara sila ng pagbitiw ng suporta sa government ni Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. Kahit napakaraming tangke at mga sundalo in full battle gear, nanalangin ang mga Pinoy at nagpakita ng solidarity sa mga nag-rebolusyon laban kay Marcos. Ang end result nito ay natanggal sa puwesto si Pres. Marcos, umalis siya at ang kanyang buong pamilya papunta sa Hawaii, USA at pinalitan siya ng isang bagong gobyerno under the Presidency of Mrs. Corazon Aquino.

EDSA Dos: Anti-Erap Edition.

And then in 2002, tila naulit ang eksenang ito sa EDSA Dos. But this time, ang pinatalsik ay si Pres. Joseph Estrada dahil umano sa corruption at sa hindi pagbubukas ng Senado sa 2nd envelop ng mga evidences laban sa kanya. Muli, libo-libong mga Pinoy ang nagsasama upang manawagan sa pagre-resign ni Pres. Estrada. Noong EDSA 1, estudyante sa seminary sa Dasmariñas ang tatay ko, at ang sabi niya, kasama niya akong nagpunta sa EDSA 1. Noong EDSA Dos, isa naman akong estudyante ng Political Science sa UP Diliman. At nagpunta rin ako doon para ipakita ang aking discontent at panawagan laban sa corruption ng Presidente ng Pilipinas.

Marami nang pag-aaral na ginawa tungkol sa EDSA 1 at sa EDSA Dos. Marami ring supporters si former President Marcos na ngayon ay naaalala ang kanyang mga achievements. Marami na ring key supporters ng EDSA Revolution ang disillusioned dahil marami sa mga pagbabagong hangad nila ang hindi natupad. Sa totoo lang, kung binabalikan ko ngayon ang EDSA Dos at ang pagpunta ko roon, I’m not sure if tama ang naging pagpapatalsik kay Pres. Estrada. Di ba nga at nagkaroon pa ng EDSA Tres dahil ayaw ng mga supporters niya ang pagkakapatalsik sa kanya sa puwesto?

Ang sabi ng marami, kung ayaw mo ng kontrobersiya sa mga family reunion at social events, iwasan ang mga topics ng Relihiyon at Pulitika. Totoo naman, maraming controversies ang politics at religion dito sa Pilipinas. Sabi nga ng cynical na kanta ng Kamikazee: “Pero walang nangyari, walang nagbago”. Iyan din yata ang rason kung bakit maraming kabataan, at kahit mga matatanda na rin ngayon ang nagiging apathetic at wala nang pakialam sa politics ng bansa as long as they are living good, meaningful lives. Whatever happens in politics or religion, basta hindi ito nagsasama, okay lang.

That is why may provisions sa ating constitution for the separation of Church and State.

Hindi puwedeng manghimasok ang gobyerno sa mga affairs ng simbahan. At kapag ang simbahan naman ang nakikitang nakikialam sa politics, nagrereklamo rin ang gobyerno at iba pang mga sector ng lipunan. Pero hindi lang din sa lipunan nakikita ang ganitong separation. On a personal level, maraming yuppies na rin ang pinaghihiwalay ang kanilang secular at spiritual na buhay. What happens on a Sunday at church stays there and doesn’t really get carried into the workplace.

It’s time to clarify what you really believe.

Bago ka grumaduate, chances are, you may have been with your parents. Most of the time, they may have brought you to church and shared with you their beliefs and their religion. Or maybe you went to a sectarian High School at kasama talaga sa mga subjects ninyo ang religion. You may have been required to attend mass and other religious services, too. Noong nag-College ka, you started the path to becoming independent—from your parents. Mas nagdedesisyon ka na para sa sarili mo, mas marami ka nang mga activities na hindi involved ang family mo. Yes, they continue to play an important part of your life pero this is your life now.

This also means clarifying your beliefs and your thoughts about God, about the world, and your role in it. Puwede kang magkaroon ng mga doubts tungkol sa pinaniniwalaan mo. That is fine. Having faith is not always about having 100% certainty about things. There is room for doubt. There should be room for doubt. Si Jesus nga mismo—he dealt with Thomas, who doubted him.

Okay lang magkaroon ng doubt. Think through your beliefs. Why do you believe them? Has your faith become truly personal? Is it something that resides only in your mind, but not in your heart and lifestyle?

Your beliefs shape the way you view the world and your place in it.

Bilang isang rookie sa laro ng buhay, may mga expectations tayo about the rules. Our beliefs affect how we perceive the rules at kung paano tayo mamumuhay in relation to these rules. Besides, bilang isang individual, paano ka makikitungo sa ibang tao? How do you see yourself in a world full of 6 Billion people? If you’re a Christian, then you probably believe that God created the world, but it rebelled against God and is living in sin and ruin. But God provided a way out—He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross, redeem us from sin and ruin and lead us into having a full life (John 10:10).

Hindi lang iyan, you probably believe too that God is creating a new heaven and a new Earth and that as a Christian, you’re one of God’s ambassadors showing the world what God’s kingdom looks and feels like. What if, on the other hand, you believe that only the strongest survive at kung mahina ka, kakagatin ka ng mga malalakas at wala kang mapapala kundi magdusa? This kind of belief will affect your behavior and your decisions.

Your beliefs determine your behavior and decisions.

How you act toward other people and how you view your work and your life depends on your beliefs. Kung naniniwala ka sa isang dog-eat-dog, high pressure world, then definitely iisipin mo na okay lang mang-apak ng ibang tao maabot lang ang mga pangarap mo. Ang libro ni Ayn Rand na “Atlast Shrugged” ay naging textbook ng maraming mga Wall Street employees sa USA na gustong magpayaman at umasenso sa buhay at all costs. Sabi naman ni Deng Xiaoping, former leader ng China “To get rich is glorious!” These kinds of beliefs will affect the way you behave at work at magsisilbi din itong basehan ng magiging career decisions mo.

Sabi sa Proverbs 4:23 “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (TEV). Our thoughts, on the other hand, are powered by our beliefs. What we believe will manifest in our actions and decisions. Kung titingnan ang mga actions mo in the past few weeks, ano kaya ang magiging conclusion ng mga friends at office-mates mo tungkol sa mga pinaniniwalaan mo?

Your beliefs provide a moral anchor.

Not every behavior and action is good. How can you know if it’s good or bad? Depende yan sa set of beliefs mo. Sa mundo natin ngayon, tila umuuso ang “Success at all cost” mentality. Maraming mga success-oriented people ang wala nang pakialam sa mga officemates at even loved ones nila in the pursuit of success. Ang mga beliefs mo rin ang magiging basehan ng konsensiya mo and it will help you determine what is good and evil.

If you do not clarify your own beliefs, you can be swept away by the dominant belief and thought patterns of the world around you. The generation before us had to contend with the dictatorship of Pres. Marcos. Tanong mo lang ang mga students noong 1970s and 1980s. They were so taken by idealism and the desire for change that a lot of them embraced Marxism and Communism to fight against the repression of the government. Sa mata nila, there was an evil that needed to be fought. For our generation, though, we live in relative wealth and peace that we don’t see the need to clarify our beliefs.

For a lot of faith communities, doubt seems like a sinister word: it is to be avoided at all cost. The more certain ones would say that doubt is an evidence of not having enough faith, and that doubt would get you in trouble with God. Ang nangyayari tuloy, maraming believers ang ayaw i-acknowledge ang kanilang mga doubt. They sweep it under the rug of religiosity. But it doesn’t really go away. Ang problema kasi kung itinago mo lang ang doubts, it would haunt you and will cast a shadow over anything you do in relation to your faith.

Philip Yancey, author of “Reaching for the Invisible God,” said:

“Inquisitiveness and questioning are inevitable parts of the life of faith. Where there is certainty there is no room for faith. I encourage people not to doubt alone, rather to find some people who are safe “doubt companions,” and also to doubt their doubts as much as their faith. But it doesn’t help simply to deny doubts or to feel guilty about them. Many people, after all, have been down that path before and have emerged with a strong faith.” [Source]

But the reverse is also true. May mga Christians na inentertain ang kanilang doubts and ended up rejecting the faith. They found out that did not share the faith of their parents. As a result, umaalis sila sa church and they end up becoming agnostics, atheists, or they just embrace that general term “freethinker.” Yes, it is a risk to doubt, to give in to curiosity, inquisitiveness, and the desire to ask difficult questions.

Would you rather just go with the flow?

Kung hindi mo icla-clarify ang mga beliefs mo, you will lack an anchor.

If you lack an anchor, it’s so easy to be swept away by the flow of the world. You may end up chasing and following kung anuman ang uso sa workplace. May mga bagay rin namang hindi nawawala sa uso na laging pinu-pursue ng maraming tao: money, power, fame, and pleasure. At kung hindi ka maingat, it is so easy to get caught up with the dominant religion of the world today—consumerism.

Marami nang mga observers, writers, at bloggers ang nakaka-observe na ang dominant religion ng mundo ngayon ay Consumerism o ang Market. You cannot miss the churches of this new religion: shopping malls. Sa Metro Manila, every 10 kilometers yata may shopping mall mapa-SM, Ayala Mall, Robinsons, at mga independent mall operators. Apparently, based sa listahan ng Wikipedia, mayroong mahigit 150 major malls, community malls, strip malls, at lahat na uri ng mall. At hindi lang iyan, they are quickly expanding to emerging cities in the provinces. Kung magbabakasyon ka nga sa Tagaytay, sa Baguio, or to just about any emerging city north or south of Metro Manila, makakakita ka ng mall—it’s as if what you left behind in the city can be found everywhere else.

Kung malls ang makabagong churches o shrines ng ating panahon, ang mga commercials at advertisements naman ang mga makabagong missionaries at preachers. Bilhin mo lang ang kanilang produkto and you will be saved from destruction—mas gaganda ka, magiging mabango, matutuwa ang mga tao sa iyo, at magtatamasa ng buhay na marangya. Pero may catch, kailangan isakripisyo mo ang iyong pera para ma-avail ang salvation ng religion na ito.

In an interesting twist, hindi na lang mga Pastor, Pari, at Theologians ang nagtuturo kung paano mag-evangelize. Kung papanoorin mo ang mga old videos ni Steve Jobs, makikita mo na para siyang isang preacher na nagpro-proclaim ng cool at magandang buhay through the products of Apple. Si Guy Kawasaki, dating empleyado ng Apple, ay may job title na “Chief Evangelist of Canva.” Ang Canva ay isang tech company na may website para sa paggawa ng graphics online. In fact, may isang blog post si Mr. Kawasaki na ang title ay “The Art of Evangelism” at hindi ito tungkol sa religion. It is about how companies can promote their brands, win new customers, at kumita nang mas malaki as a result.

Scary thought, right?

Tama ang observation ni Harvey Cox, Professor of Divinity of Harvard University:

“I am beginning to think that for all the religions of the world, however they may differ from one another, the religion of The Market has become the most formidable rival, the more so because it is rarely recognized as a religion.”

Reforming Your Mind

Paul has a great warning about this. Sabi niya sa Romans 12:2 (NIV): “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It’s easy to drift through life, sunod sa uso, pursue the same goals as the majority of people in the workplace and in the world. Iyan na nga yata ang default na pursuits sa society natin ngayon. Thankfully, bilang mga kabataan na kakapasok pa lang sa workplace, we’re not too jaded yet, buhay pa ang idealism. If we want to live by our principles and ideals, we need to be wary of joining the bandwagon of the world.

While you are young, clarify your values and your beliefs. Kahit medyo mahirap, strive to live by them. By the time na tumanda ka and the trials and difficulties come knocking by, you can stand strong and resist the strong temptation to live as the world wants you to live.

Here are a few tips on how to reform your mind:

1. List your core values and beliefs.

Why don’t you just sit down and clarify your values and beliefs about different things in life. This sounds like a tough job and might involved pulling your hair and wracking your brains. Maglista ka lang ng mga pinakamahalagang aspekto at mga bagay sa buhay mo. Para maging mas madali ito sa iyo, puwede mong ilista ang ilang mga pinaniniwalaan mo sa limang areas na ito: God, Family, Personal, Society, at Work. There are other areas of course, pero these areas are a good starting point. Iyong ibang mga values and beliefs mo, magiging obvious kapag nagkaroon ka ng opportunity to make big choices in your life.

2. Take a look at the creed of your religion.

Crucial din ito. Marami sa atin nagiging Christian because of the influence of our families. Hindi na natin ine-examine ang ating paniniwala at pananampalataya. That’s why marami ring Christians ang nagsisimba lang tuwing Linggo pero they don’t really have a good grasp of what they really believe in. Next Sunday when you go to Church, ask for a statement of faith sa inyong church. Or kung member ka ng isang malaking denomination, search for your Statement of Beliefs. Puwede ring tingnan ang Apostles’ Creed for the basic doctrines of Christianity. If you believe in a different religion, then look at the set of beliefs of your religion. Look at the different set of beliefs that you also believe in.

3. Ask questions.

Wala namang masama sa pagtatanong. Isa sa mga basic rights natin ang freedom of expression. Granted, may mga questions that could get us in trouble with some authority figures. But if you do have questions, kailangan maitanong ang mga iyan. Otherwise, it will be bottled up at kung naging matindi na ang pressure ng mga tanong at doubts na iyan, it will explode and you will end up cynical and unbelieving.

4. Make conscious decisions if you are successful or if you’re facing adversity.

By sitting down and identifying our core values and beliefs, napaghahandaan natin ang mga temptations at storms na darating sa ating buhay. Hindi mo naman aayusin ang butas sa bubong sa kasagsagan ng bagyo di ba? The right time to fix a broken roof is during the sunny days when the rainy season has not arrived yet. In the same way, naipakikita ang ating true beliefs and convictions if we are faced with problems and temptations. Ang sabi ni James Lane Allen “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.” Your true character is revealed in times of temptations and challenges.

Hindi lang adversity ang nagpapakita ng ating character. We are also tested in times of success. Lumalaki ba ang ulo mo kapag nagkakaroon ka ng success? Nagiging bloated ba ang pride at ego mo kapag may mga accomplishments ka na? Success also reveals our character. Kaya habang hindi ka pa nakakatikim ng big level success, it also pays to build your character now.

It’s not a one-time process.

Through the years, nagbabago rin ang mga pananaw mo sa maraming bagay tungkol sa buhay. The important thing is to be aware of what you believe in. In your twenties, maraming time to explore and just seem to go with the flow, pero it is important to remember that we are accountable to God. Sabi nga sa Ecclesiastes 11:9 (NLT) “You who are young, be happy and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.” Puwede namang mag-enjoy at magsaya. Let us remember, though, that we are accountable to God for how we live our lives.

Ortigas Part 2: Rebolusyon

Compared with the occasional office gossip or showbiz issue, politics can be a conversation-stopper. It can be contentious and before you knew it, you’d be spewing one complaint after another. But still, as responsible citizens, kailangan pa ring makialam sa politics. Here are 4 reasons why yuppies need to care about Philippine politics, and 3 ways to do it.

Corruption is rampant in the country. You would probably think that after Marcos, we would have learned to be better at managing public funds & demanding greater transparency from the government. But still, we’re confronted by the many faces of corruption, whether they be called kickbacks, pork barrel, SOPs, PDAF, or DAP.

The sad part is, you often feel powerless over many problems and issues in the country.

As yuppies, we are busy and preoccupied, and we don’t want to hear negative things. We have enough negativity at work already. We don’t want to hear the negativity in government. But if we keep quiet and accept things as they are, we become part of the problem.

It’s very easy to be cynical toward the government. But we cannot afford to do that. After all, we are part of this bigger community called the Philippines. That’s why we need to care and make our voices heard in Philippine politics.

Here’s are 4 reasons why we yuppies need to care about Philippine politics:

1. Yuppies are taxpayers.

If you had a choice, you probably won’t go on that O.T. Besides being a big pain in yous sked, the tax on your O.T. might just make you facepalm in frustration. If you pay taxes, it means that you are helping finance the services being offered by the government. That also means that we, yuppies, can demand good services from the government and its agencies. We should be outraged if these services are not being given in a satisfactory way.

2. Yuppies are directly affected by public services (or the lack thereof).

Philhealth. SSS. GSIS. MRT. LRT. LRT2. Highways and public infrastructure projects. These are some of the services that are being provided by the government to us, citizens. Some of these affect us on a daily level. If some of these services are not given, then yuppies will suffer.

Just take a look at the kilometers-long queue of people riding the MRT every weekday? Ever heard of the humongous benefits that the Executives of SSS and Philhealth receive? It’s just crazy! Aren’t you mad that the money we are giving the government is being diverted into someone else’s pockets?

3. Yuppies are directly affected by corruption in govt.

We hear all sorts of confusing things about corruption and other issues in government. We also hear about the corruption at the MRT and LRT. The lack of maintenance because of allegations of corruption against former MRT administrators.

There are serious allegations of corruption in MRT-3 that should be addressed. This is affecting the daily commute of thousands of workers in Metro Manila. And we are losing hours upon hours of productivity by waiting to board the trains for more than an hour every single day!

The MRT-3 transportation problem is just one of the many faces of corruption in government. But is has one of the most immediate impacts in the lives of yuppies in Metro Manila. This is one of the reasons why we need to register our voices and care about politics.

4. It’s the right thing to do.

We may rant about many things that are not right in the government right now. But at the end of the day, since we are all citizens of the country, we need to make our voices heard and make our presence felt. It’s the right thing to do.

How, then, can we show that we care for our country and its political processes?

Understand the times.

You don’t need to know every single issue that the country is facing. But it pays to understand the times–what are the issues affecting us, what are the problems being faced by the country. Everything is interconnected in our country.

At the very least, you should know about the issues that are affecting you–transportation, taxation, labor, and if you keep at it, you will then start thinking about economics, and how decisions are being made in the country. Of course, since we are in a democracy, you will also need to understand whether our government officials are really representing us and our interests.

Analyze.

It’s not enough to know the issues, you also need to look at underlying causes and issues. What do political pundits and columnists say? What are the issues and factors involved? Who are the players involved and how do they affect each other?

Who is telling the truth?

We even need to hold media outlets accountable. Are Inquirer, Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, Rappler, GMA, ABS-CBN beholden to a particular political party, business, or personality? I’m not saying they are, but if you analyze their mode of reporting, or the people who run them, you may see some form of biases towards certain individuals or groups.

It pays to be aware of such biases. It makes us thirst more for the truth.

Demand for and initiate change.

We can use social media to tweet and post about our complaints. We can contribute to the analysis and public discourse through forums and blogs. You can even do your own YouTube show!

The point is, you should also engage your friends and relatives about political issues. Careful though. There’s a nice way of doing it. But there’s also an obnoxious way. Don’t be douchebag.

But here’s a warning. It’s easy to become an arm-chair revolutionary–just complain about everything from the comfort of your chair through Twitter, or Facebook, or even YouTube.

Here’s an important question, though. Are you willing to be inconvenienced so we could collectively demand for change? It’s not bad to join protest rallies and sit-ins for issues you feel strongly about. In some cases, the solution may be to take action in your sphere of influence.

Every morning at work, I try to monitor my Twitter list of people and organizations working with young people. Through this, I have come across interesting research, trends, and articles on youth ministry and youth development work around the world.

The PEW Research Center came up with a new report on how parents are monitoring how teenagers use the Internet in the United States. Here are a few of their findings:

“A Pew Research Center survey of parents of 13- to 17-year-olds finds that today’s parents take a wide range of actions to monitor their teen’s online lives and to encourage their child to use technology in an appropriate and responsible manner.

Moreover, digital technology has become so central to teens’ lives that a significant share of parents now employ a new tool to enforce family rules: “digitally grounding” misbehaving kids. Some 65% of parents have taken their teen’s cellphone or internet privileges away as a punishment.

But restrictions to screen time are not always consequences of bad behavior, parents often have rules in place about how often and when their teen can go online. Some 55% of parents say they limit the amount of time or times of day their teen can be online.”

The report also includes an Infographic of some statistics:

To read the full report, please visit http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/01/07/parents-teens-and-digital-monitoring/

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For more Social Media tips and tricks, check out my book “Get a Life… Online: Tips & Tricks para sa Hardcore na Netizen” available in all major bookstores nationwide and online.

It costs only PhP 75.

Ang SuperEpic Stories ay isang bagong series dito sa aking blog. I will feature stories from characters from the Bible, from history, and in our present day that illustrates the ideas and concepts in the book: “May Powers Ka to Be #SuperEpic.”

Feel free to use this as part of your devotion or study at para na rin matulungan ka para maging mas mabuting leader. Share it with your friends, too.

* * * * *

“What are you going to do about it?”

Iyan ang malaking tanong kay Jay Jaboneta noong nag-post siya sa Facebook ng isang status tungkol sa mga bata sa Layag-layag na kailangang lumangoy at maglakad ng dalawang oras para lang pumasok.

It’s a simple question, right?

Marami rin naman tayong napapansin na mga problems and challenges around us. Kaya lang minsan, we become numb to these realities. And we tend to get distracted by our Facebook timeline, ng kung anong trending sa Twitter, at kung ano ang mga pansarili nating problema.

Naglipana rin ang mga tinatawag na “disaster porn” o di kaya “poverty porn” na nagpapakita kung gaano kahirap ang buhay ng ibang tao. And that if we only type “Amen” at i-share sa Facebook post na yun ay magiging okay na ang lahat.

Jay Jaboneta could have done that.

But no.

Instead, he started looking for ways to help solve the situation of the kids in Layag-Layag. Nag-raise sila ng funds to buy some boats para maitawid yung mga bata papunta sa school.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Nagbigay si Jay at mga friends niya ng boats. But during the low tide in the afternoon, kelangan namang tumawid sa putik ng mga bata. And there are also other problems in the community.

Kailangan ng isang mas matinding partnership with the community.

Hindi lang boats ang kailangan ng mga tao sa community. Through Jay’s project, The Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, tinutulungan nila yung community to find ways to earn money and solve their problems.

Dating Communications Staff ng Office of the President si Jay Jaboneta. But when his initiative started to grow, kinailangan niyang mag-resign to do it full time.

Watch the video below at pansinin kung paano nag-umpisa ang project ni Jay Jaboneta.

Chances are, may mga problems din sa inyong community na kailangan ng solusyon. Chances are, may malaking puso ka rin to start something #SuperEpic.

James 4:14-17 (MSG) reminds us to ACT and not just TALK:

“Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?”

It’s not enough to post something on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Gaya ng tanong kay Jay Jaboneta: “What are you going to do about it?”

* * * * *

Basahin ang “May Powers Ka to Be #SuperEpic” to grow as a youth leader. Puwede mo rin itong gamitin to train others! Just go to http://BeSuperEpic.com

How about you? May #SuperEpic Stories ka ba?

If meron, tell your story in 350-500 words. Puwedeng English, Tagalog, or Taglish. Basta anything that can help other young leaders become #SuperEpic!

This is part of an on-going series for Filipino young professionals: Biyaheng EDSA. It’s a set of reflections for new graduates about to enter the world of work. At dahil mahalagang transition ito sa buhay, nawa makatulong ang mga reflections na ito in helping you choose your path.

Previous Posts:

Introduction
Monumento: Out of the Way ang Idealism
Balintawak Cloverleaf: Entry Level
North EDSA: Ito Pala ang Rat Race
Timog Avenue: I Just Want to Have Some Fun!
Ortigas: Part 1: Relihiyon, Rebolusyon

Boni-Guadalupe: Shifting Lanes

Upcoming Posts:
Ayala: Traffic sa Fast Lane
Magallanes: Divergent Roads
Pasay Rotonda: In Transit, It’s Complicated
EDSA Extension: Ito ba ang aking destinasyon?
Beyond EDSA: Ibang Daan, Ibang Destinasyon

* * * * *

Kung dumaan ka sa Crossing Ibabaw, asahan mong luluwag nang bahagya ang traffic pagpasok mo ng Boni hanggang tumawid ka ng tulay sa may Guadalupe. But then again, it might not. Superepic level kasi lagi ang traffic sa EDSA tuwing rush hour. Nag-calculate nga minsan ang isang friend ko na nagbiyahe from Ortigas to Makati. Sabi niya, ang average speed niya ay 5 kilometers per hour. Imagine! Mas mabilis pa ako maglakad.

Because people are in a hurry to arrive at their destinations, they frequently change lanes sa EDSA, hoping na mas mabilis ang bagong lane na papasukan nila. Swerving ang tawag doon at puwede itong mag-cause ng mas matinding traffic, or worse, magdulot ito ng aksidente. Kaya nga ang six lanes ng EDSA madalas nagiging 8 lanes dahil sa galing sumingit ng maraming drivers.

Hindi lang sa lanes madalas mag-shift ang mga yuppies. A lot of yuppies also shift career several times. In worse cases, some yuppies can work for as much as 3-4 companies in a single year. Hindi ko alam naging collectibles na pala ang dami ng pinagtratrabahuan.

Karamihan sa mga parents natin at mga members ng previous generation, kung ano ang first job nila, doon na rin sila magreretire. That was the norm noong time nila. Sa atin, having a one-track career is the exception. It’s not uncommon to see long resumes of young professionals na nagpapakita ng apat na companies or more within the past four years or so.

Okay lang ba ang madalas na career shift sa panahon natin ngayon?

There’s a big danger to this approach in building your career. Masakit sa mata ng maraming Human Resources professionals ang super habang listahan ng mga companies that you’ve worked for, especially if you are a newbie in the workplace (like, you’ve been working for 3 years or less). Yun bang tipong dinaig mo pa yung listahan ng mga bibilhin ni Aling Bebang sa palengke para sa kanyang karinderya.

The Dangers of Job-Hopping

Nababahala si Mr. Francis Kong, business writer, speaker, and columnist, sa trend na ito. Kaya nga he issued a warning over what he calls as an ‘epidemic in our midst’:

“We have an epidemic in our midst – the emergence of young workers in business organizations today who are impatient, jumping from one company to another, and who are outspoken and articulate but low on substance, mouthing clichés without understanding them and driving HR practitioners crazy.

I’ve had at least seven HR heads from our top business corporations telling me that attrition is high among the young entrants to the workplace. These young people’s work ethics suck, and their work values suck even more. Push them a little, and they whine and whimper. Stretch them a little, and they moan and groan. Correct and reprimand them a little, and they quit right there and then. Mentor them a little, and they think they know more than their mentors.

Fifteen years from now, these young people would probably cover a 10-mile wide industry range and possess a two-inch deep pool of useful expertise and skills. It’s scary to imagine what kind of life they’ll have then.”

Mr. Kong’s statements can feel like an unwelcome, unsolicited advice from your strict uncle. Pero kung pakikinggan natin yung sinasabi niya, we can get several important lessons for our career development as millennials in the workforce.

Impatience or the Fear of Missing Out.

Granted, Mr. Kong belongs to a different generation where the norm was to get a job after college graduation, do it well, then retire after thirty years or so. The world has changed, and our generation cannot seem to get enough of all the good opportunities that we can get in the job market.

Yup, it’s great to have a lot of options. But having too many options can be dangerous, too. Lalo na kung bago ka sa workforce and you’re always looking for the next big thing—mas malaking sahod, mas malaking opportunity for career growth, at mas maraming perks sa company na papasukan mo.

Mr. Francis Kong is right. If you are impatient, you will jump from one company to another, looking for that silver bullet that will bring you more money, more perks, and benefits.

Low on substance.

Kung bago kang worker, kahit na super galing mo nung college ka, you have to admit that there are many things you don’t know. Lalo na sa panahon natin ngayon, super daming lumilitaw na mga trends, technologies, and knowledge na kailangan sa trabaho. The problem is, kung lipat ka nang lipat ng trabaho, you will not learn a lot of things in your industry.

The poet Alexander Pope wrote “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” And that is so true for what Mr. Kong refers to as “low on substance.”

Lalong dangerous iyan kapag may konting alam pero sobrang outspoken mo. You can come across as a know-it-all, but when people scrutinize your statements, and observe you at work, makikita that you are still a rookie, a neophyte, who badly needs a mentor, but who is too arrogant to admit it.

Lack of loyalty, especially at the first sign of trouble.

Kapag pumasok ka sa isang company, your supervisors and peers expect you to perform. They’re not giving you money so you could have a good time, or for you to make new friends. They want you to solve problems for them, and keep their business running. Some companies have better culture than others. But on the whole, expect to have some level of friction and conflict. Ganoon naman talaga eh.

If you put two or three persons in a room and ask them to work together, there will be some conflict. The conflict could be with a team mate, your supervisor or mentor, or somebody from another department. As long as hindi naman pambu-bully or personalan ang conflict, it’s all good. It can lead to your growth. In fact, if your supervisors push you, reprimand you, or correct you, take it and learn from it. Don’t quit right away.

The problem with having too many career choices is that, we tend to run away, and quit at the first sign of trouble.

Mind you, if your resume has a long list of jobs you’ve done in the past, experienced recruiters will know if you’ve ran away from one uncomfortable situation and refused to deal with it.

I have to disagree, though, with Mr. Kong in the last paragraph of the quote above. This is a rehash of that false dichotomy: “Jack of All Trades, Master of None.” It’s not always bad to cover “a 10-mile wide industry range”, and there is nothing wrong in possessing “two-inch deep pool of useful expertise and skills.” In fact, for those who want to be at the top of the corporate ladder, this is exactly what is needed. Just make sure that you don’t frequently change your jobs because of too many absences, attitude problems, money problems, and the unwillingness to learn and follow orders.

Here are several benefits that you can get from job-hopping if you do it right.

1. Find the right fit for your talents and skills.

Bilang isang rookie sa workplace, you may be just beginning to learn yourself, your talents, and skills, more deeply. While you may possess a Bachelor’s degree from a college or a university, hindi ibig sabihin na ang magiging work mo ay directly related sa degree mo. Some people who graduated with an engineering degree end up becoming writers and public speakers. Some lawyers may become pastors or social entrepreneurs. In my case, BA Political Science ang degree ko, but now I am a published writer and a youth worker.

Ask somebody in a call center or in the Business Process Outsourcing industry and you’ll discover that a lot of them come from a diverse educational background. Trying out different kinds of jobs in various industries can help you find out which ones you will enjoy doing, and which ones you will probably struggle with. But take note, hindi nito ibig sabihin na kelangan makarami ka ng work experience within only one year. Ang pagbi-build ng career ay hindi parang Eat-All-You-Can Buffet na lipat nang lipat ng table hanggang mabusog.

2. Learn as much as you can.

Bilang baguhan sa industry na pinasok mo, maaring may mga alam ka na, based on your college training and experience. Pero sobrang dami mo pang kailangang matutunan. Alin mang company ang pinasok mo, at kung alin mang industry iyan—put on your learning hat, listen, observe, and learn. May mga times na feeling mo, nahuhuli na ang company nyo sa mga latest trends and technology ng inyong industry, but it is better to put on the learner’s hat, instead of the arrogant know-it-all.

What should you be learning about? Marami! But to start with, here are several areas you might want to look out for.

Industry-specific systems and processes.

What systems and processes does your company follow? May mga terms ba na sa industry nyo lang ginagamit? How do you measure success in your industry? Read about your industry, too. Halimbawa, sa Pilipinas, the construction industry had been growing in the past few years, and it’s still expected to grow in the coming years. How will you plan your career based on the growth of your industry? Paano kung nagshi-shrink ang industry nyo? How will you prepare yourself in case mag-downsize yung company mo ngayon?

Don’t just focus on your specific job description. How does your role interact with other areas of the company? Kung nasa marketing ka, how does your role affect the product development division of your company? Kung nasa Human Resources ka naman, how does that affect the Operations department? Finance? By doing this, you will be able to arrive at a better understanding of the whole company and hopefully, the industry where you are in. Yes, matrabaho ito, but totally worth it kung gusto mong mag-grow as a professional.

Productivity.

Maraming mga employee, may A.I.D.S. Iyong tipong kapag nandiyan yung boss, kunwari busy: As If Doing Something! Iyon pala super busy lang sa Facebook! Kung magtratrabaho ka din lang naman, ayusin mo na. Galingan mo na. Give it your best shot, and exceed expectations. It almost takes as much energy to do something badly, and to do something well.

And to do something excellently, sometimes all you need is a little extra effort. Kaya mahalaga din na i-observe mo kung sino ang mga productive people sa inyong company at sa inyong industry at kung anong matututunan mo sa kanila. Iyon nga lang, kung nagkataon na napadpad ka sa isang department na maraming tamad, I sure hope that you will learn how to rise above and be a good example in accomplishing great things.

Leadership.

Maybe you feel as a newbie that you are a pawn, a grunt, or a disposable foot soldier. Don’t! Most of the senior managers and top brass in every company started out at the bottom. Observe the supervisors, managers, and bosses in your company. How do they handle leadership? Are they worth emulating? Kung sakaling magiging manager or supervisor ka rin in the future, what traits will you follow, and which ones will you discard?

Mahalaga rin na matutunan mo how you relate with other people at work. Most job descriptions now require a “team player,” so you need to learn your work dynamics compared to other people in your company. This will become the benchmark for future collaborations and working with other people.

Your personal strengths and weaknesses.

Lastly, as you begin working, you also need to understand your strengths and weaknesses. What keeps you excited? What drags you down? This requires you to reflect on your work, your emotional state, and your reaction to different things that happen at work, and in your personal life. Maraming pagkakataon na malalagay sa test ang patience, character, at ang diskarte mo while doing your work. Through all these things, mas nakikilala mo ang sarili mo, and eventually learn how to manage yourself for growth.

In my book “Start Up: Find your place. Engage the world. Sustain your life.” I mentioned the 10,000-hour rule that was popularized by Malcolm Gladwell. The truth is, that is not an absolute number. May mga nagdisprove na rin ng number na iyan and proved that you can become a master in a given domain even in shorter periods.

Tim Ferriss calls this approach “Accelerated Learning” and he claims that you can be a master of a particular domain within 6-12 months of optimized training and learning. I don’t have the time and space to expound on this concept here, but if you are interested to learn more about this approach to learning, please visit the following link: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2013/05/20/accelerated-learning-techniques/

3. Create a wide personal network.

This will only work if you become a good worker at every single company you work for. When you work with various projects, mas marami kang makikilalang tao, they will learn about your skills and your character. Hindi naman ibig sabihin nito na kailangan maging super friends ka ng lahat.

The key word here is ‘acquaintance’, at hindi BFF. As you become acquainted to more people and your skills improve and increase, some people will remember you the next time they need somebody with the same expertise. Or at the very least, you can talk with these acquaintances about the trends and latest improvements in your industry and any tricks of the trade you can do to keep growing as a professional.

In my experience, the best pa ring paraan ng paghahanap ng work—whether you’re a newbie or if you are shifting from one company to another—ay referral ng mga friends and acquaintances.

One time sa Cubao, nakasalubong ko ang kaibigan kong si Alpha by pure chance. We said ‘Hi,’ nagkumustahan saglit, and then she mentioned na naghahanap ng employees ang employer niya. Since ayoko na sa call center na credit cards ang account dahil masakit na tenga ko sa maraming complaints, I ended up resigning and getting accepted at her employer within a month.

4. Get better job offers from companies.

If you have some experience, and you decide to shift lanes, puwede kang ma-offeran ng mas malaking sahod sa isang bagong company. This is especially true in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Information Technology (IT) Industry. Sa laki ng demand for skilled workers for Call Centers and non-voice BPOs, puwede nang magpalipat-lipat. But again, isang makulit na disclaimer, this is not a license to work for three to four consecutive companies within one year.

Ideally, if you want to shift lanes and get a better job offer, wait for two years.

Pero kung hindi ka na talaga makapaghintay, maka-one year ka man lang sa isang company. That should be enough time to learn a lot about the industry, improve your skills, and malay mo, if you stay long enough, baka ma-promote ka pa to the next level.

But don’t do this lightly. Kagaya ng pag-shi-shift lanes sa EDSA, you better observe some precautions to make this work for you.

The Art of Shifting Lanes.

Kagaya ng EDSA, minsan crowded ang career path mo—may mga kagaya mo na kauumpisa pa lang, parang mga malilit na kotse na napaliligiran ng mga dambuhalang bus at magagarang SUV. At minsan, parang ang hirap mag-shift lanes dahil naiipit ka ng maraming sasakyan, and you also have to follow the rules.

Heto ang ilang mga guidelines bago ka mag-shift lanes.

1. Be excellent.

Sabi nga ng philosopher na si Aristotle, “Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.” Ngayon pa lang, decide to become excellent in your work. Give it your best shot. Nakaka-tempt na gawin lang kung ano ang expected. But exceed that. Go the extra mile, and offer something additional. In due time, excellence will be rewarded.

2. Follow through on your promises.

Kasama ito sa pursuit of excellence. If you promised to do something, do it! This will show the people around you that you are dependable and able to deliver. Kapag hindi talaga kaya, then let your peers and your team leader know. Tell them also, kung bakit hindi kaya, and what tips you can offer to make things better.

3. Overcome at least one big challenge at your present work.

Hindi ito para sa supervisor mo, o sa officemate mo, o dun sa HR officer na mataray noong interview. Rather, para ma-test mo ang strengths mo at para na rin tumaas ang confidence level mo. Di ba, sa mga video games, the only way to level up is to complete one big challenge?

4. Don’t jump at the first sign of trouble.

If the company you work for is going through some transitions and your services are needed, don’t leave right away. Malay mo, ito pa ang maging daan para mapansin ang mga talents at skills mo. If a business is growing, you may need to render more time sa office for the same level of pay. Or you may go through a trouble-shooting period for a time. At kung wala ka pa namang asawa at anak na naghihintay sa iyo at the end of the day, spend some extra time at the office.

Kung naggro-grow ang isang company at gusto nilang magpasok ng isang panibagong area of business, you may be asked to take on the role of two people. And if your bosses ask you to do this, it means they trust you and believe in your capabilities. You should also clarify expectations—ask for the requirements of the new responsibilities you will take on and for how long it will be in place.

5. Make sure that the next lane is clear before jumping.

Simple lang, make sure na may lilipatan ka bago ka umalis sa present job mo. Mag-ipon ka na rin ng extra funds to help cover your expenses while adjusting to the new job or career. This is especially important for breadwinners. Kasi kung breadwinner ka at naka-depend sa iyo ang mga magulang mo, or ilang mga kapatid, it is more difficult to engage in job-hopping. But if you don’t have a major financial responsibility yet, puwedeng puwede.

6. But sometimes, though, you just need to take a risk.

Kahit mahirap, kahit uncertain yung papasukan mong lane, but if you feel that it is the right step for you to take, go for it! Noong 2006, I was working for the BPO industry, and I was on the path to take on bigger responsibilities at work. But, a different lane opened up for me. It was a path that did not lead to financial riches, but after praying for and carefully discerning, I felt that God was calling me to commit to a full-time, volunteer position of being the president of a church-based national organization.

Let’s just say that because of that experience, my online skills leveled up and I was able to feed myself, and go on dates with my girlfriend then (she’s my wife now, by the way). But the first three months was just me going broke, and relying on her to pay for our dates.

Hindi ko alam kung daredevil ka, or you’re the planner type. But if you can reduce the risk of shifting lanes, it could work well in your favor.

Okay lang maging Jack of All Trades.

One of the fears expressed by Mr. Kong is for a lot of young professionals now to become jacks of all trades, master of none. But as I said earlier, that is a false dichotomy. You can be a jack of all trades, and master of some. The most famous example of this is Steve Jobs, one of the most iconic business personalities of the computer industry in our time.

Jobs was able to connect dots that at first glance ay hindi related sa isa’t isa. And yet, he transformed many different industries! He introduced the Apple computer and the Mac, which a lot of creative professionals use. He changed the way people listen to music through the iPod. After a few yeasr, he revolutionized the mobile phone industry with the introduction of the iPhone. Kahit movie industry, pinasok niya. He built up one of the most successful animation studios in the world – Pixar, and changed the story lines and public perception of animated films.

Oh yeah, hindi ikaw si Steve Jobs.

But if you want to become innovative in your industry, you need to learn about other industries. By borrowing concepts from other industries, you may be able to introduce new ways of thinking and doing things in your own industry. Hindi totoo na walang value ang pagpapalipat-lipat ng industry. Kaya lang, you should not do it just because gusto mo lang ng bigger salary at perks. Even job-hopping, lane-shifting, should be done strategically to maximize your learning.

What matters in the end is not our becoming but what we become. In the 1950s, Martin Heidegger observed that the looming “tide of technological revolution” could “so captivate, bewitch, dazzle, and beguile man that calculative thinking may someday come to be accepted and practiced as the only way of thinking.” Our ability to engage in “meditative thinking,” which he saw as the very essence of our humanity, might become a victim of headlong progress. The tumultuous advance of technology could, like the arrival of the locomotive at the Concord station, drown out the refined perceptions, thoughts, and emotions that arise only through contemplation and reflection. The “frenziedness of technology,” Heidegger wrote, threatens to “entrench itself everywhere”.

It may be that we are now entering the final stage of that entrenchment. We are welcoming the frenziedness into our souls.

– Nicholas Carr, quoting the philosopher Martin Heidegger, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains

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For Social Media tips and tricks, check out my book “Get a Life… Online: Tips & Tricks para sa Hardcore na Netizen” available in all major bookstores nationwide and online.

It costs only PhP 75.

Ang SuperEpic Stories ay isang bagong series dito sa aking blog. I will feature stories from characters from the Bible, from history, and in our present day that illustrates the ideas and concepts in the book: “May Powers Ka to Be #SuperEpic.”

Feel free to share, use this as part of your devotion or study at para na rin matulungan ka para maging mas mabuting leader.
* * * * *

Napag-utusan lang…

Bata pa si David noon. Bunso, at medyo hilaw pa sa karanasan. At kung tutuusin, parang napag-utusan lang siyang bumili ng suka. Kasi naman, his father Jesse asked him to bring bread to his brothers, who were serving as soldiers under Israel’s first king, Saul.

One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.” David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. (1 Samuel 17:17-19, NLT)

Di ba? Parang inutusan nga lang ng tatay niya na bumili ng suka. But when he arrived at the camp of the Israelites, he was surprised that a giant was cursing the God of the Israelites. At siempre, dahil giant nga si Goliath, takot yung mga sundalo ng Israel.

That angered David. Sabi niya: “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” [1 Samuel 17:26] Long story short, David wanted to stand up for his beliefs and challenge the giant, kahit na bata siya professional soldier.

Here are some lessons we can learn from David’s experience in challenging Goliath.

Stand up for what you believe in.

Kahit scary. Kahit higanteng Goliath pa ang kaharap mo. When you truly believe in something or Someone, you can stand up and do what is seemingly impossible. Sa case ni David, he believed that he can defeat anyone who defies God.

… but expect questions (and some assistance) from those in authority.

Kaya lang, if you stand up for what you believe, it’s not going to be easy. Si David nga, nagkaroon ng opposition galing sa kuya niya na si Eliab. Nagalit pa nga si Eliab at sabi niya kay David: “What are you doing around here anyway?  What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” (1 Samuel 17:28, NLT).

Parang sabi ni Kuya Eliab: “bumalik ka na nga lang dun sa mga sheep na inaalagaan mo!”

Pero hindi siya pinansin ni David and eventually, other soldiers brought him to King Saul. Tinanong din siya ni King Saul kung ano ang kanyang experience sa battle. Siyempre, wala! Pero he has experience in protecting his father’s sheep against lions and bears. At para kay David, parang isang lion or bear lang din si Goliath na puwede niyang talunin.

Wear your own armor and weapon.

In an attempt to help him, King Saul gave David his armor and his sword. Ang problema, malaking tao si Saul at isang youth si David. Kung Medium ang size ng shirt at pantalon mo, subukan mong magsuot ng XXL! Parang ganun ang nangyari kay David. It will not work!

That’s why, when you confront a giant problem, kailangan mong isuot ang sarili mong armor and weapon, hindi yung galing sa iba. Kasi you will find that it may not fit you. And instead na makatulong, baka lalo ka lang matalo dahil sa pagsuot ng armor at weapon na hindi talaga sa iyo.

Big faith, coupled with some training, can slay giants.

Faith matters. But so does training. Look at David. Kahit hindi siya professional soldier, he did have some training. Sabi niya kay King Saul:

“But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”” (1 Samuel 17:34-37)

Kung may mga simpleng tasks na pinapagawa sa ‘yo like maglinis ng banyo, or magtinda ng diyaryo, don’t ever think na walang kwenta ang mga iyan. But if you do it excellently, you will be able to use it to slay your giants in the future.

Sometimes, the opportunity for greatness comes from the simplest tasks.

Look, aminin natin, bilang mga kabataan, minsan gusto nating gawin kaagad yung astig, yung #SuperEpic! Pero ang opportunity para sa mga great at #SuperEpic na mga bagay ay puwedeng magsimula sa mga simpleng utos kagaya ng “pagdadala ng pagkain sa mga kuya mo” in the case of David. David eventually became a great king.

And it all started because he took care of his father’s sheep and obeyed his father.

Ikaw naman…

Anong mga simpleng bagay ang ginagawa mo ngayon na feeling mo walang kwenta?

How might you see those in a different light para makita mo ang potential David moment mo?

* * * * *

Basahin ang “May Powers Ka to Be #SuperEpic” to grow as a youth leader. Puwede mo rin itong gamitin to train others! Just go to http://BeSuperEpic.com

How about you? May #SuperEpic Stories ka ba?

If meron, tell your story in 350-500 words. Puwedeng English, Tagalog, or Taglish. Basta anything that can help other young leaders become #SuperEpic!

This is part of an on-going series for Filipino young professionals: Biyaheng EDSA. It’s a set of reflections for new graduates about to enter the world of work. At dahil mahalagang transition ito sa buhay, nawa makatulong ang mga reflections na ito in helping you choose your path.

Previous Posts:

Introduction
Monumento: Out of the Way ang Idealism
Balintawak Cloverleaf: Entry Level
North EDSA: Ito Pala ang Rat Race
Timog Avenue: I Just Want to Have Some Fun!
Ortigas: Part 1: Relihiyon, Rebolusyon
Boni-Guadalupe: Shifting Lanes

Ayala: Traffic sa Fast Lane

Upcoming Posts:
Magallanes: Divergent Roads
Pasay Rotonda: In Transit, It’s Complicated
EDSA Extension: Ito ba ang aking destinasyon?
Beyond EDSA: Ibang Daan, Ibang Destinasyon

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After crossing the Guadalupe bridge, you’ll soon approach the intersection of EDSA and Ayala Avenue. If you turn left, you’ll go to the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, where a lot of big name companies hold their offices. If you turn right, you’ll find yourself in the middle of Ayala Avenue that serves as the main thoroughfare of the Makati Central Business District.

Either way, maraming nagtataasang buildings ang makikita mo, and on any given workday, maraming well-dressed yuppies ang naglalakad mula EDSA papunta sa mga offices nila. Nevermind the morning heat and the sweat, mas mabilis pa ring makakarating sa office if you walk.

Isa rin ang Ayala Avenue sa mga parts ng Metro Manila na hindi natutulog. Kahit gabing-gabi o madaling araw, maraming yuppies ang nag-uumpukan sa mga baba ng buildings for their coffee and yosi break. Several years back, nagtratrabaho ako sa isang Call Center sa PBCom Tower at nagkataong 4am ang umpisa ng shift ko. Pagdating sa Ayala corner Makati Avenue, may taxi na nakatigil dahil naka-red ang traffic light. Tumigil din yung taxi na sinasakyan ko. Noong nag-green na ang traffic light, umusad na kami. Iyong taxi na kasabay namin, nandoon pa rin at nakatigil. Apparently, nakatulog yung pasahero. Ang siste, pati driver nakatulog pala!

Kapag uwian na sa hapon, magsasabay-sabay namang magpunta sa MRT o sa bus station ang mga yuppies at magbabakasakali na makauwi nang maaga. Thankfully, may covered walk naman na parallel sa Ayala Avenue. At least, nasa lilim ka habang naglalakad. At siempre, dahil isa kang yuppie, kailangan well dressed ka! Even if you’re suffering from the Pre-Payday Poverty Syndrome (3PS) dahil paubos na ang pera mo at three days away pa ang payday, you still have to dress well.

The problem, though, is that habang papalapit ka sa MRT galing sa office mo, kailangang dumaan ka sa ilang malls: Greenbelt, Landmark, at SM Makati. Marami kang temptation na dadaanan. So kung may 3PS ka at narinig mong nagrereklamo ang tiyan mo, wala kang magagawa kundi

1. Dumiretso sa MRT at kunwari hindi narinig ang tiyan, or
2. Magtiis sa siomai na mabibili sa MRT Ayala Station, or
3. Magpalibre sa kaibigan na kasabay mong naglalakad.

At habang naglalakad ka, you keep promising yourself na hinding-hindi ka na ulit magsa-suffer sa 3PS. Ever. Again.

Whether we like it or not, bahagi ng buhay natin ang pera. Madalas itong panggalingan ng worry, lalo na nga kung madalas kang magkaroon ng 3PS. Madalas din itong pinagmumulan ng away lalo na kung may kaibigan kang pinautang. Tapos kapag singilan time, biglang Out-of-Coverage area na siya. At kapag magsasalubong kayo sa mall, bigla siyang lilihis ng daan dahil nakita ka at kunwari hindi.

Money, Money, Money.

Kung nakapagtapos ka na at nag-umpisang mag-work, of course, kailangan mo ring kumita. Sa panahon ngayon, marami nang opportunities ang mga yuppies to earn a lot of money, especially sa mga industries na malaki magpasahod kagaya ng IT at BPO among others. With your salary, marami kang opportunity na makapag-ipon, makabili ng mga matagal mo nang pinapangarap na gadgets, puwede ka na manligaw dahil may pang-date ka na at hindi mo na hinihingi sa magulang mo ang allowance mo. And on top of that, puwede ka na magpaka-independent, umalis sa bahay ng parents mo and try to live life on your own.
Bukod sa salary mo, here are several things that you should be mindful of.

PAG-IBIG na walang kinalaman sa puso at iba pang mandatory membership.

Bukod sa tax, may mga ilang bagay pang kinakaltas sa salary mo. Kaya kailangan mong busisiin at tingnan ang payslip mo. Mag-iingat ka lang though, kasi sa umpisa, baka atakihin ka sa puso kapag nakita mo ang laki ng tax na binabawas sa iyo. Lalo na kung malapit sa 30,000 ang suweldo mo.

May mga government-mandated membership ka rin na dapat mong i-monitor at pakinabangan gaya ng Social Security System (SSS) para sa mga private sector employees at Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) para naman sa mga employees ng government. May counterpart ka na payment dito at may counterpart din ang employer mo. Kung sakaling magkaroon ka ng emergencies o important expenses kagaya ng maternity, sickness, o kung trip mo lang bumili ng kung ano or magbakasyon, you can apply for a loan.

At kahit hindi okay (or non-existent) ang buhay pag-ibig mo, puwede ka rin namang mag-housing loan sa PAG-IBIG Fund after making contributions for 24 months straight. Isa ito sa mga biggest regret ko in my early twenties. Kung alam ko lang sana ang tungkol sa PAG-IBIG Fund, I would have requested for a loan para sa sarili kong property, just 2 years after I started working. Para may bahay na ‘ko. Later na lang ang aking ‘maybahay’.

Okay lang din naman if you don’t intend to do this right away. You may want to ask yourself kung saan mo ba talaga gustong mag-settle down—sa Metro Manila ba or somewhere in the province. Siempre, kung hindi mo pa alam tapos bumili ka na ng lupa at bahay or Condo unit, baka ma-lock in ka sa isang financial responsibility na hindi ka pa pala ready.

Health is Wealth, sabi nila. And Philhealth will help you maintain your health. Kung kailangan mong maospital dahil sa dengue, accident, or kung may nakain ka na nakasama sa tiyan mo, sobrang laking tulong ng Philhealth. At kahit na may Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) card ka, kailangan pa rin ng Philhealth bago nila i-process ang assistance sa iyo.

Mutual Funds, Stocks and Other Investments.

Kailangan matuto na rin tayong mga yuppies sa pagkakaroon ng savings at ng mga investments. While you are young, it is really best to start saving and investing. Hindi na sapat ang simpleng Savings Account sa mga bangko ngayon. Bakit? Dahil sa inflation. Ang interest rate ng ordinary savings account sa bangko ay less than 1%.

Imagine?! Kung ang inflation rate ng Philippine economy ay nasa 4-6%, mabilis bumaba ang halaga ng pera mo. Kung dati ang P200 ay sakto lang para sa Hamburger at upsize ng French Fries at drinks ng dalawang tao, in the next two years, kulang na iyan. In the same way, ang value ng money natin ay nababawasan over time. Kaya kailangan din nating mag-invest in other financial instruments.

Hindi ako financial planner at lalong hindi ako personal finance guru. But if you search online, you will find a lot of information about mutual funds, stocks, at iba pang klase ng investments na puwede mong pasukin. This will depend on your level of risk tolerance. Magkano ba ang pera na puwede mong i-invest? Please lang, huwag na huwag mangungutang para mag-invest. Make sure na may ipon ka at may emergency fund ka rin para magkaproblema man, hindi mo kailangang mangutang at mamulubi.

Extra Income.

Lipas na ang panahon na tocino, suka, at ice candy lang ang puwedeng pagkakitaan na raket. These days, kung marunong kang magsulat, mag-Twitter, Facebook, at iba pang Social Media, puwede ka nang kumita ng extra income on the side. Through the Internet, marami nang online work na puwede mong gawin on your spare time. You can devote at least one hour para sa ganitong trabaho.

Or if you have a lot of time, kahit buong maghapon, karirin mo na ang pagraraket. In fact, dumarami na ang mga Pinoy na may online raket. If you search information from the freelance websites ngayon, there are around 600,000 to 1 Million Filipino online freelancers ngayon. Why don’t you try it? It can help you fund some of the projects na gusto mong pasukin.

Don’t jump blindly into these things, though. Kailangan mo ng matinding research para hindi ka malugi. Especially in risky financial instruments like stocks and some mutual funds, crucial ang research. Do your due diligence at huwag lang magpatangay sa uso.

Mga Financial Matters na Dapat Iwasan

Marami ring mga money matters na kailangan iwasan. Hindi dahil may pera ka ay invincible ka na. In fact, kung hindi ka maingat, you may end up losing a lot of your money at hindi lang dahil sa pagimik-gimik. But if you bite into the temptation of living “The Yuppie Life”, baka maubos ang pera mo, mabaon ka pa sa utang. Here are several pitfalls na dapat nating iwasan.

Consumerism.

Karamihan ng mga offices ng local at multinational companies ay malapit sa mga business districts, malls, at iba pang pagkakagastusan. Kung tutuusin, lahat na lang ng bagay sa Metro Manila, kailangang bayaran—pati nga yung mahaba na manipis na tabla na inilagay ng mga tambay sa ga-talampakang baha, kailangang bayaran ng piso. Iyong pedicab tuwing baha, nagkakaroon ng 200% fare hike! Pero there’s a more sinister force at work sa ating mundo ngayon. It plays on our emotions; on our desire to be “cool” at sa kagustuhan nating makiuso.

We want to have the latest gadgets, experience the latest entertainment thrills. Uso ang travel to Bali, Thailand, and Europe, join din tayo. Di bale nang ma-max out ang credit card, maubos ang sahod, at manghingi pa sa parents, makasama lang at maka-keep up lang sa “yuppie lifestyle.” Wala namang masama sa mga bagay na ito. Pero ang guidelines diyan, gaya nga ng sabi ni Vic & Avelynn Garcia ng Unleash International, dapat “kurot” lang ito sa overall finances natin. Eh kung hindi lang kurot kundi ibinuhos na natin ang lahat-lahat, gudlak na lang sa future na sinusubukan mong buuin.

The problem with consumerism is it forces us to enjoy the “good life” now at all costs. Hindi na natin naiisip na kailangan nating mag-impok, kailangang isipin ang kinabukasan. And if we live only for the present, we might even spend the money for our future: we go into debt.

Utang, utang kayo diyan.

Public School teacher ang mother ko. At sa totoo lang, kung hindi sa mga naging loans niya noon, my sister and I would not have made it through College. In fairness, hindi lang mga teachers ang may problema sa pangungutang. Uso na ngayon ang pagsasanla ng smartphone, ng mga laptop at iba pang gadgets. Balita ko nga, uso na rin ang pagsasangla ng ATM! So ang mga nangungutang, hindi na sila ang unang nakakatanggap ng sahod nila. Kukunin na ng pinagsanglaan nila ang bayad sa utang bago ibalik sa kanila ang ATM.

Hindi man mag-Cash Advance o magsangla ng ATM ang mga yuppies ngayon, marami naman ang tila isinangla na ang buong kinabukasan nila through various credit cards! Masaya kasi mag-shopping lalo na kung hindi cash ang dala mo. Nakakita ka ng magandang tennis shoes: swipe it! Ganda ng bagong iPhone: swipe it again. Travel to Boracay? Online booking and pay via credit card. Before you know it, may utang ka na na 80,000 Pesos!

Look at that amount again. Kung ang suweldo mo monthly ay P20,000, how long will you need to pay that loan?

According to my friend Sha Nacino, it took her exactly three years of grueling experience para mabayaran ang amount na iyan. She learned a lot! Because she worked for a multinational bank, nabigyan nga siya ng credit card na may malaking credit limit. Because she lacked the discipline to use it wisely, she ended up with that amount. Pagkatapos ng pagtitipid at maraming emotional outbursts, she managed to pay it off. Thankfully, that gave her such a life-changing experience that she was able to write a book about it.

Thankfully, marami nang mga personal finance books, blogs, at seminar ngayon. Educate yourself. Learn how to manage your finances. Huwag kang padadala sa bugso ng damdamin at gastusin ang pera na nakalaan sana sa kinabukasan mo. Don’t ever use a credit card until kaya mong bayaran in full ang credit limit na na-assign sa iyo.

Failure to Save.

If you are pursuing a materialistic, consumerist lifestyle, napakahirap mag-save ng pera. But seriously, if you could just save at least P200 per month. You would have 2,400 for the year. If you can increase that to P500, you’ll have P6,000 for the year. The more you save, the more amount you can have at the end of the year.

But why do most yuppies fail to do this? Because we don’t think about our future. Because we lack the discipline to do it. Essentially, the failure to save is the failure to prepare for your future. Don’t just live in the moment. Kahit mahirap isipin at ma-imagine ngayon na nasa twenties ka pa, you will eventually grow old and if you don’t save now, you may end up working well into retirement age. And even that might not be enough.

The Breadwinner Predicament.

There is, however, another reason why a lot of yuppies fail to save. This one is related to our culture and our responsibility to our families.

Part na yata ng culture natin na expected ang mga anak, particularly ang panganay, na tumulong sa family finances—kailangan mapagtapos ang mga kapatid, matulungan ang mga magulang sa kanilang monthly expenses, at i-set aside ang personal na pangarap for the sake of the family.

This is not an easy responsibility to bear. Sa isang banda kasi, bilang breadwinner, you are happy to help your family. Natutulungan mo ang mga kapatid mo to achieve their dreams, napapasaya mo ang mga magulang mo. Pero paano naman ang mga pangarap mo para sa sarili mo? What about your own happiness? May mga breadwinners nga na tumatandang dalaga o binata dahil sa pagtulong sa family. Minsan din, dahil nasanay na ang mga family members sa tulong ni Kuya o ni Ate, hindi na rin sila nagpupursige para matulungan siya sa family finances. Ang masakit pa minsan, they feel entitled to the money galing kay Kuya o Ate at kung kulang, nagdadabog pa!

So, how can you hope to deal with this?

Ask for help.

Puwedeng magkaroon ng family conference at humingi ka ng tulong. If puwedeng mag-part time work ang kapatid mong college, let him do it. Divide the responsibilities. Kung may iba kayong kapatid na nagtratrabaho na rin, divide the expenses among yourselves. One can take care of the household expenses, yung isa naman could pay for the allowance of the college student. Tapos yung tuition fee, pagtulong-tulungan.

Magtira para sa sarili.

Parang lovelife lang din ano? You also need to pursue your dreams and your passions at huwag maging sobrang busy in the name of helping your siblings and your family. Kailangan ma-envision mo ang sarili mo in the future that you are pursuing your dreams and your visions.

Magtakda ng deadline.

It will help you to know na may hangganan ang lahat. Kahit sobrang nahihirapan ka ngayon sa pagpapaaral at pagsusupport sa family mo, matatapos din iyan. Don’t lose hope and look for ways to help yourself and your family in the long run.

Becoming a breadwinner is one of the best expressions of love you could show your family. Yes, it is tough and difficult, pero your sacrifice could be felt by family members in the decades to come. Kaya lang, huwag na huwag mong kalilimutan ang sarili mong mga pangarap. For that, you will need discipline and perseverance.

Disciplined Travel sa Ayala

Sa Metro Manila, normal nang makakita ng mga jeepney, bus, at mga kotse na naggigitgitan. Kung saan gustong bumaba ng mga tao, doon sila bababa, walang pakialam sa “No Unloading” sign na pagkalaki-laki. At kahit may napakalaking overpass na puwedeng gamitin sa pagtawid, gusto pa rin nilang makipagpatintero sa sobrang daming sasakyan sa highway.

That’s why when you go to Ayala Avenue at sa Bonifacio Global City, para kang lumalabas ng bansa—disciplined ang mga sasakyan, hindi basta-basta bumababa ang mga pasahero kung saan nila gusto at masunurin ang mga tao sa batas trapiko.

Imagine! Puwede naman pala tayong sumunod sa traffic rules no?

Traffic rules are meant to make our lives easier. Through these rules, nagiging secure ka na pagbibigyan ka ng mga sasakyan kung time mo na para tumawid. Simple lang naman ang mga traffic rules kung tutuusin. Go kapag green. Stop kapag Red. Huwag kang mag-U-Turn or Left Turn kung nakalagay na bawal. These things protect you from harm at nakakatulong din para hindi ka makasakit ng ibang tao o sasakyan. Imagine kung Red light na tapos binilisan mo ang pagpapatakbo sa intersection.

What if may mahagip ka na tumatawid? That’s why we need to adhere to traffic rules. Kailangan ng discipline.

In the same way, kailangan mo rin ng discipline sa pagiging yuppie, especially pagdating sa pagma-manage ng pera mo. Here’s a simple equation para sa pagma-manage ng pera mo ayon kay John Wesley: “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.”

Earn all you can.

Magpakasipag ka. Kung may opportunity to do additional work sa office, do it. Kung kailangan mag-overtime, do it. Siempre, huwag namang araw-araw. Imposible namang 12 months of the year eh nag-oovertime ka. Baka naman may mali na sa time management skills mo niyan. But if you have opportunities to earn, go for it, as long as it is legal and within the bounds of acceptable behavior.

Given the demands for work these days, you might be asked to render overtime work. Hindi lang naman din ito usapin ng pera. By taking on work if you’re asked to, it will show that you care for the company at kaya mong mag-rise up against challenges na ibinibigay sa iyo.

Save all you can.

Ito ang isa sa mga pinakamahalagang habit na dapat mong i-develop bilang isang yuppie. When you start receiving a salary, make sure to save at least 10%. Kung kaunti pa lang ang suweldo mo, okay lang kahit maliit lang din ang maipon mo at first. Ang mahalaga, you are building the habit of saving money. At kapag nag-save ka ng money, huwag mong ubusin kaagad sa gadgets, sa pasyal, at sa kung anong luho. Look for better investments that can help you earn more money in the future.

Give all you can.

Give your tithes to God, acknowledging that the “Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1, NLT) If you’re not a Christian or a religious person, you can always choose to give away around 10% of your income to a charitable institution like World Vision or Compassion Internation. Bakit mahalaga ang pagbibigay?

Generosity prevents greed from taking root in our hearts. By giving wholeheartedly and sacrificially, ipinapakita natin that we are the Master of our money, instead of Money being our master.

Kahit ma-traffic ka pa sa fastlane ng buhay yuppie, if you cultivate the right habits and the right attitude towards work and money, you will eventually reach your goals. You’re not competing with your fellow yuppies. Don’t fall into the trap of Comparisonitis. Walang ibubungang maganda iyan kundi Envy or Pride. Kaya nga, when you start receiving money, be disciplined in managing it and always, always use it for good.

Open awareness creates a mental platform for creative breakthroughs and unexpected insights. In open awareness we have no devil’s advocate, no cynicism or judgment–just utter receptivity to whatever floats into the mind.

But once we’ve hit upon a creative insight, we need to capture the prize by switching to a keen focus on how to apply it. Serendipity comes with openness to possibility, then homing in on putting it to use.

Life’s creative challenges rarely come in the form of well-formulated puzzles. Instead we often have to recognize the very need to find a creative solution in the first place. Chance, as Louis Pasteur put it, favors a prepared mind. Daydreaming incubates creative discovery.

– Daniel Goleman, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence

Ang SuperEpic Stories ay isang bagong series dito sa aking blog. I will feature stories from characters from the Bible, from history, and in our present day that illustrates the ideas and concepts in the book: “May Powers Ka to Be #SuperEpic.”

Feel free to use this as part of your devotion or study at para na rin matulungan ka para maging mas mabuting leader. Share it with your friends, too.

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Ateneo Graduate Pero…

Kung graduate ka ng alin man sa mga big universities sa Pinas gaya ng UP, UST, Ateneo de Manila or La Salle, people generally expect you to pursue a career in the corporate world or doon sa mga prestigious at medyo mataas ang sahod na trabaho, like the BPO industry.

Pero kung Ateneo de Manila graduate ka tapos mag-aapply ka sa isang public school bilang isang teacher? A lot of people might question your sanity. Gaya ng nangyari kay Sabrina Ongkiko.

In a TedX event at the Ateneo de Manila University in 2013, she told the story of how and WHY she chose the road less traveled and applied as a public school teacher at Culiat Elementary School.

Sa isang banda weird nga siguro kasi ang hinahanap ng maraming malalaking companies sa Pilipinas ay mga graduates ng big universities: UP, UST, DLSU, at AdMU. [Source: Jobstreet via Inquirer.net].

Given a choice between a salary of P18,000 or P50,000, siempre, mas maraming pipili nung P50,000! Mahirap pulutin at ipunin yan no? Kung pipiliin mo yung P18,000, puwedeng sabihin sa iyo ng mga magulang at kaibigan mo: “Sayang ang pinag-aralan mo!’

So imagine the surprise of other applicants and teachers sa DepEd nung nag-apply si Ms. Ongkiko.

Ikinuwento niya ang kanyang experience sa kanyang TEDXTalk:

Yung mismong interview ko sa Division Office ng Dep-Ed, tinanong ako ng interviewer, tiningnan yung papel ko, sabi niya “O ang ganda ng credentials mo. O bakit hindi ka na l ang magturo sa private school o kaya ituloy mo iyong pagdo-doctor mo.” Parang ako “Ma’am, parang hindi yata ako tanggap,” di ba? Mismong iyong mga co-teachers ko nung una, sinasabihan ako na baka sayang lang yung oras ko sa Culiat Elementary School na makikita ko na mahirap magturo sa public school at lilipat din ako sa private.

Parang lahat po sinasabi na mali yung desisyon ko.

Idealism at Work.

Ganyan siguro talaga pag tinamaan ka ng matinding idealism and a sense of responsibility–na gusto mong maging part ng pagbabago, na may power ka to help change the world.

Kung ipupursue mo ang iyong youthful idealism, there is a price to be paid. Puwedeng hindi ka yumaman. Okay lang ba yun sa iyo?

Iba-iba tayo ng path na sinusundan. Pero what I like about Ms. Ongkiko is that she held on to her idealism. Alam niya ang cost ng pinili niyang career path.

Naalala ko tuloy yung sabi ni Jesus sa Matthew 16:25-26 — “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

Sometimes becoming #SuperEpic means embracing the uncertainty and choosing the path less traveled.

Watch her full TedXTalk below:

* * * * *

Basahin ang “May Powers Ka to Be #SuperEpic” to grow as a youth leader. Puwede mo rin itong gamitin to train others! Just go tohttp://BeSuperEpic.com

How about you? May #SuperEpic Stories ka ba?

If meron, tell your story in 350-500 words. Puwedeng English, Tagalog, or Taglish. Basta anything that can help other young leaders become #SuperEpic!

Compassion builds on empathy, which in turn requires a focus on others. If self-absorbed, we simply do not notice other people; we can walk by utterly indifferent to their predicament. But once we notice them we can tune in, sense their feelings and needs, and act on our concern.

Moral sentiments drive from empathy, and moral reflections take thinking and focus. One cost of the frenetic stream of distractions we face today, some fear, is an erosion of empathy and compassion. The more distracted we are, the less we can exhibit attunement and caring.

– Daniel Goleman, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence

This is part of an on-going series for Filipino young professionals: Biyaheng EDSA. It’s a set of reflections for new graduates about to enter the world of work. At dahil mahalagang transition ito sa buhay, nawa makatulong ang mga reflections na ito in helping you choose your path.

Previous Posts:

Introduction
Monumento: Out of the Way ang Idealism
Balintawak Cloverleaf: Entry Level
North EDSA: Ito Pala ang Rat Race
Timog Avenue: I Just Want to Have Some Fun!
Ortigas: Relihiyon, Rebolusyon
Boni-Guadalupe: Shifting Lanes
Ayala: Traffic sa Fast Lane

Magallanes: Divergent Roads

Upcoming Posts:
Pasay Rotonda: In Transit, It’s Complicated
EDSA Extension: Ito ba ang aking destinasyon?
Beyond EDSA: Ibang Daan, Ibang Destinasyon

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Paglagpas mo sa intersection ng EDSA at Ayala Avenue, you will approach Magallanes Interchange. Kung pupunta ka sa Manila, take the outermost lane. Kung didiretso ka naman ng EDSA papunta sa Pasay Rotonda or sa Nichols, take the left-most lane at aakyat sa flyover na diretso lang.

Kung pupunta ka naman sa Alabang, sa Airport, or sa ano mang city or municipality sa Laguna o Cavite through the South Luzon Expressway, take the middle lane. Aakyat ka rin ng flyover pero it will curve to a circle and bring you towards SLEX. Ngayon, kung hindi mo alam ang tamang lilikuan mo, you might end up going back to where you came from: mapapa-North Bound ka na naman sa EDSA.

In the past decade or so, ang laki ng development sa South. You have progressive cities such as Alabang, Parañaque, and Las Piñas. If you go further South, you’ll also encounter Dasmariñas and Tagaytay in Cavite. At siempre, makikita mo rin ang rapid developments sa Sta Rosa. Bukod sa mga Real Estate developments sa mga lugar na ito, makikita mo rin na maraming companies ang nagtatayo ng offices dito. In fact, if you want a less hurried life compared sa Metro Manila, you could probably relocate in these areas.

Even job websites such as JobsDB.com.ph notice that more and more job hunters are considering location when they look for jobs. Kung kaya mong kumita ng salary na katumbas ng sa Metro Manila pero ang expenses mo ay pang-probinsiya, mas makakaipon ka, right?

Hindi lang naman sa Laguna at Cavite ang development. Even if you go straight through EDSA, you can’t miss the developments near the airports. Sobrang dami nang International Hotel brands ang tumayo near NAIA 3. Magkakaroon na rin ng Expressway to our airports. At super aggressive din ang pag-reclaim sa parts ng Manila Bay to pave the way for more buildings, malls, and other developments.

You can also go abroad. Madali lang mag-abroad ang mga Pinoy na may skills na puwedeng ioffer sa mga job markets abroad. Magkakaroon na ng greater economic integration ang mga member countries ng ASEAN. Ibig sabihin niyan, mas madali nang ma-absorb sa Southeast Asian countries ang mga Pinoy na willing magtrabaho sa alinmang bansa rito.

All of these things reflect on the economic and infrastructure development of the Philippines. We now have a lot of career choices. Maraming directions. Parang pag-akyat lang sa Magallanes Interchange. Pero ang tanong, saan ka ba talaga pupunta? Given all these available choices, how can you make the best decision while in your twenties?

Too Many Options

You know the best thing about being a young professional these days? Maraming options. You know the worst thing about being a yuppie? Too many options!

We’re living in exponential times at nakikita natin ang maraming opportunities. There are many kinds of jobs that could pay you a significant amount of money. Ang mga magulang natin at mga grandparents natin noon, kung ano ang trabaho nila after graduating from College, doon na rin sila magreretire. Exception noon ang palipat-lipat ng work.

Not our generation. Ang exception ngayon ay maging empleyado ng isang company sa loob ng matagal na panahon. Pagdating sa employment, wala nang forever. Marami kasing options. Our parents were, more or less, consumed with only one thing—get out of poverty as fast as they could. Hindi na rin nila masyadong iniisip kung nag-eenjoy ba sila sa trabaho. For a lot of them, work is something you do from 8am to 5pm. And then you live your life. In our generation, gusto natin extension ng identity at pagkatao natin ang trabahong ginagawa natin. That’s why if you hate, or don’t like our line of work, it feels as if our lives are being squeezed away from us. Nakaka-drain. Nakakapagod. At parang nakakabobo na rin.

So ito ang tanong, how do you choose a path for yourself?

Ang direction mo ngayon, puwedeng galing sa parents mo or galing sa mga tao sa paligid mo. This is what they expected you to do since you were young. Puwede rin naman that you succumbed to the pressure from your parents. Your parents may be more controlling than others. Or they may want you to become part of their family tradition or that ikaw ang magtuloy ng family business. There’s nothing with this as long as gusto mo rin ito. Otherwise, it will be a source of frustration in the future. It would be like an itch that you could not scratch, a wound that would not heal, and a desire that may never be fulfilled.

You may still be trying to figure out your own direction. You may not know your path right now. But you’re trying things out, looking for that something that you could definitely pursue for the rest of your life. The danger with this, though, is that you may find yourself lost sa dami ng twist and turns na dinaanan mo. You could also end up going back to where you started from.

Here’s an important question: where do you get meaning and purpose?

Ano-ano ba ang mga bagay bagay na ginagawa mo where you feel really, really great. Yung tipong kahit hindi ka bayaran or kahit na minsan ikaw pa ang gumagastos, okay lang. The types of activities that you could just do all throughout the day at kahit na minsan magdamag pa. Eric Liddell, isang Olympic gold medalist, found his purpose and meaning in running. Sabi niya “When I run, I feel [God’s] pleasure.” He was able to connect his deep faith with the one thing na gustong-gusto niyang gawin—running.

How about you? What activities do you enjoy deeply?

If money were not a problem, what would you be doing instead?

A lot of us are caught up in the rat race. Kailangang magtrabaho para kumita, masuportahan ang mga kapamilyang umaasa sa iyo. Or puwede ring nagtratrabaho ka para may pambili ng air ticket, gadgets, at iba pang mga luho. Still, may mga yuppies na kailangang-kailangang magtrabaho para may pambayad sa pagkarami-raming utang. Kumbaga, lubog na sa utang at ilong na lang ang nakalitaw.

But what if money were not a problem? What if, puwede mong i-pursue ang misyon mo sa buhay, what would you be doing instead?

If you could find the answer to this question, then you’ve found an important clue to your purpose. If you knew your purpose, waking up in the morning is more enjoyable. It’s as if you’re looking forward to the things you will be doing. As you work hard that day, you’ll look forward to the end of the day and take your well-deserved rest. Masarap magpahinga after a full day of working on things you really love.

Kaya lang, even if you know your passion at alam mo rin kung ano ang purpose mo, kung may roadblocks, then you may need to look for an alternative road. In that case, puwedeng mag-detour. But you should always hold on to your destination dahil at some point in the future, you could go back to your original direction. If you need to take a detour, here are some tips on how to pursue your passion and your purpose.

Create a buffer: secure your needs.

Hanap ka muna ng isang career na puwede mong pagkunan ng source of financial support. Earn money and save aggressively. Look for sources of extra income. That way, makakabuo ka ng buffer so that in time, you can chase after your dreams and your passion without endangering your financial situation.

Try new things until you stumble on something you’d really, really love doing.

I keep saying this, because it is true. Your twenties is really the best time to explore and do different kinds of things.

So if you don’t have a lot of responsibilities at wala ka namang ibang pinagkakagastusan, then by all means, try different things that you could pursue eventually. This could be risky, though, because it might mean abandoning some of these pursuits midway through pursuing them because it’s no longer working. The problem, though, with this approach, is that you may end up starting a lot of things without waiting for things to end properly. At baka rin sa kaka-try mo ng something new, you may end up making big mistakes that will prevent you from doing more things in the future.

What if you get stuck?

A lot of twenty-something yuppies feel stuck at some point in their life and career. There are times that you feel that you’re no longer growing, you’re not learning anything new, and that you’re stuck. And sometimes, you start becoming anxious and worried. You start second-guessing yourself, while asking if you are in the right path. If this happens, you can even start showing some signs of depression.

The Comparison Trap.

Isa sa mga puwedeng mag-trigger nito ang comparison trap. Especially these days na may social media na. Habang nandiyan ka at iniisip ang directions mo at kung ano ba ang mali sa mga naging choices mo in the past couple of years, one glance on Facebook at makikita mo ang mga bagong kotse o bagong bahay ng mga batchmates mo nung High School and College. You’ll see them enjoying the beach in Boracay, or nakakabiyahe na sila sa Europe or somewhere else. And then the comparison starts. The questions whisper in your mind at sobrang hirap nilang i-control.

You end up questioning your own skills. Maiisip mo na mas matalino ka naman kaysa sa kanila. That you were a better student than your friends ever were. And then you may start thinking na baka may ginagawa silang kababalaghan para magtamasa ng kayamanan. That’s the power of the comparison trap. It brings out the worst in you. At kapag hindi mo yan napigilan, it may blossom fully to envy at baka maapektuhan ang relationship mo with your friends.

Just keep in mind that Facebook does not show the entire picture. Most of the time, pino-post lang natin sa Facebook ang pinakamagagandang anggulo ng selfie natin. We also want to portray all the new things, the best and enjoyable things in our lives so far. At ang mga problema at trials sa buhay? Why post them online, di ba?

Quarterlife Crisis.

Sometimes, the quarterlife crisis can come early on, like right after College. Puwede mo rin naman itong ma-experience in your mid or late twenties. Nakaka-stress ang quarterlife crisis. Magkakaroon ka ng unsettled feelings—marami kang questions tungkol sa life, sa direction, at sa worth mo bilang tao, bilang isang individual. Sometimes, it can even lead you to do crazy things.

Don’t worry, it’s a normal phase to go through. Hindi naman lahat ng twenty-something ay dumadaan dito. Pero I’ve seen my fair share of friends who went through this. At the heart of this crisis ay isang tanong—ano ba talaga ang gusto mong gawin sa buhay mo?

May mga yuppies na dumaan dito and emerged as better persons, more sure of their direction and discovered new friendships and relationships that help them achieve their dreams. When I first talked with Ace, she just resigned from her job of two years dahil napapagod na siya and she felt stuck. So she took up MBA, met new friends and expanded her networks. Nag-try siya ng ilang businesses. But along the way, she was able to clarify her goals, nakilala niya ang sarili niya, and a year after, she was happier because she was confident that she was on the right path.

Lui, another yuppie who graduated with a degree in Nursing in 2011, went through the quarterlife crisis after graduation. Iyon nga lang, he was not able to indulge himself because his father died. Kailangan niyang tumulong sa family niya. But along the way, he managed to get several online jobs. Eventually, he started his own blogs, which led to significant income na nagsupport sa kanya at sa Nanay niya. Hindi lang iyan, he also managed to establish Filipiknow.net, an expression of his passion for Philippine History.

Keep Moving Toward the Right Direction

Dahil masyado tayong maraming options sa panahon ngayon, if you found your calling, go fot it. Keep moving toward the right direction. More options will be presented to you. Mas maraming mga tao ang puwedeng magsabi sa iyo to move into this or that direction. But if you have found your calling, then stick to it, even if at first ang feeling ay parang walang nangyayari.

Paano?

Make sure you’re on the right road.

May iba’t ibang daan tayong tinatahak. Ang tawag dito minsan ay “career” o “field.” Nasa tamang field ka ba? Kung gusto mong makarating sa Ilocos, siempre, sa NLEX ka dadaan at hindi sa SLEX. If you know your destination, figure out the best vehicle na puwede mong sakyan. Do you want something safe and secure? Then go on the road well traveled, be an employee. Trips mo ba ng risk and growing your very own enterprise at kaya mong mag-raise ng funds para sa mga personal projects mo? It makes sense to go the Entrepreneur Route. But if your heart is breaking for all the pains of the world and gustong-gusto mo to make a difference, the path of the Social Servant might be for you. It is a difficult path pero sobrang rewarding. (Footnote: Inexplore ko ng mas malalim ang mga paths na ito sa aking aklat na “Start Up: Find your place. Engage the world. Sustain your life.”)

Read the signs.

Bago ka bigyan ng drivers license, kailangang maipamalas mo na kaya mong kontrolin ang sasakyan mo, at kaya mong magbasa ng mga road signs. This will help you stay safe on the roads, at para maiwasan mo ring makadisgrasya ng ibang tao. In the same way, if you are traveling the road toward your dreams and your aspirations, you also need to read the signs para malaman mo kung nasa tamang daan ka nga ba at kung ano ang mga gagawin mo in case may mga aberya sa daan. Makikita mo rin naman sa mga road signs kung gaano na kalayo ang narating mo at gaano pa kalayo ang kailangan mong daanan.

May mga times na guts lang talaga ang tanging basehan mo kung nasa tamang daan ka nga ba. Minsan kasi, ang tingin natin sa will ng Diyos para sa ating buhay ay isa lang. Parang destiny: that we are created to do ONE thing and ONE thing only, at kapag hindi natin yun nagawa, may mga mananakot sa atin at sasabihing “hihintayin mo bang mangyari sa iyo ang nangyari kay Jonah?” Tapos, after that, parang magui-guilty tayo doing the things we love doing kasi hindi iyon ang “THE” will of God para sa buhay natin.

Adjust as needed.

Siempre, walang silbi ang mga road signs if you don’t respond properly. Kung alam mo nang sarado ang isang bridge o daan dahil under repair, aba, kailangan maghanap ka na ng alternative roads. Otherwise, ma-stuck ka lang sa traffic kahihintay magbukas ang saradong daan. Lalo na sa mundo natin ngayon na sobrang bilis ang takbo, maraming pagkakataon na kailangan mong mag-improvise at mag-respond sa mga issues at bagong obstacles na lilitaw sa daan mo.

Ayos din naman kung may plans ka, pero don’t let those big plans lead you astray from God’s plans for your life. Si Moses, na-disrupt ang buhay dahil sa isang burning bush. Dahil sa encounter niya with God, he said goodbye to his sheep and took on the role of a prophet. Sina Peter, Andrew, James, at John, nagbago ang buhay nila at ang career directions nila just because they met Jesus. If you encounter a problem sa career path mo, don’t dismiss it right away. Don’t just look for the quick solutions. Instead, isipin mo rin kung anong sinasabi ng heart mo, at kung ano ang plano ng Dios sa buhay mo. You might be surprised: pleasantly surprised for what God has in store for you.

Tools and plans are great, but don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Since nagkaroon ako ng smartphone, medyo naging dependent na ako sa Google Maps sa paghahanap ng directions. Para mag-check ng traffic, binubuksan ko ang Twitter at ang Waze app. These are great tools. They make our lives easier. Kaya lang, in times na nagmamadali ka at kailangan ng quick solutions sa problema mo sa direction, mas nagiging practical ang pagtatanong ng direction sa mga taong nakikita mo sa paligid mo.

So if you feel lost and stuck sa highway ng buhay, check your own plans. But that may not be enough. Ask people. But the thing is… don’t ask just about anybody. Kasi kung naliliga din yung pinagtanungan mo, then pareho lang kayong maliligaw lalo! While your own friends and peers might provide you with social and emotional support, they may be at the same place as you—trying to figure out this thing called life.

Instead, hanap ka ng kuya o ate na hinarap na ang problema o challenge mo. Let them tell you the stories of how they faced their own challenges at paano sila nagpatuloy o nag-change ng direction sa buhay.

Ask mo rin si God. Remember the Bible verse “ask and it will be given to you…” (Matthew7:7)? Yes. God can answer your prayers. Pero it might not exactly be what you expect. Oftentimes, God’s answer may even get you started on a new direction.

Listen. And listen well. For such a change will be super life-changing, indeed!

People who are most likely to multitask… are those with the most inflated view of their abilities…

– Sonbonmatsu, Strayer, Medeiros-Ward, & Watson, Who Multitasks and Why?

source

Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
by Jeff Sutherland & JJ Sutherland
ISBN: 038534645X
READ: Jan 4, 2016

RATING: 9/10

This is one of the best books I’ve read on Productivity. Together with Personal Kanban, the Scrum methodology is helping reshape the way I do my work and manage my projects.

I’m publishing my notes on this book, and hopefully sometime in the near future, I will be able to describe in full what my productivity system looks like now.

* * * * *

Chapter 1: The Way the World Works is Broken

The Takeaway

Planning is Useful. Blindly following plans is stupid. It’s just so tempting to draw up endless charts. All the work needed to be done on a massive project laid out for everyone to see–but when detailed plans meet reality, they fall apart. Build into your working method the assumption of change, discovery, and new ideas.

Inspect and Adapt. Every little while, stop doing what you’re doing, review what you’ve done, and see if it’s still what you should be doing and if you can do it better.

Change or Die. Clinging o the old way of doing things, of command and control and rigid predictability, will bring only failure. In the meantime, the competition that is willing to change will leave you in the dust.

Fail Fast so you Can Fix Early. Corporate culture often puts more weight on forms, procedures, and meetings than on visible value creation that can be inspected at short intervals by users. Work that does not produce real value is madness. Working product in short cycles allows early user feedback and you can immediately eliminate what is obviously wasteful effort.

Chapter 2: The Origins of Scrum

OODA: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act – expounded further in Chapter 8

Jeff Sutherland helped deploy ATMs throughout the USA.

The old method of doing software development, the waterfall and supported by lots and lots of Gantt Chart is useless.

Scrum was inspired by the Japanese thru the HBR paper published in 1986: “The New New Product Development Game” by Hirotaka Takeuchi & Ikujiro Nonaka, which highlighted the importance of cross-functional teams and faster, flexible way of working.

“Measure what exactly is being done, and how well, and to strive for ‘continuous improvement.” p34

W. Edwards Deming came up with a version of the OODA: “Plan, Do, Check, Act”

The following except could be a good team building exercise:

“When I train people how to do Scrum, that’s what I use: paper airplanes. I divide people up into teams and tell them that the goal is to build as many airplanes as they can that will fly across the room. There are going to be three roles on the team. One person will check how many planes are built that can actually fly. Another will work as part of the assembly process but will also pay attention to the process itself and look for ways that the team can make better planes and speed up their production. Everyone else will concentrate on building as many planes that can actually fly the distance in the assembly time allowed.

“I say we’re going to do three six-minute cycles of paper-airplane building. The teams have one minute each cycle to Plan how they’re going to build the airplane, three minutes to Do–to build and test as many airplanes as they can that can actually fly. And finally they’ll have two minutes to Check. In this phase, the team looks for how they could improve their paper airplane–building process. What went right? What went wrong? Should the design be changed? How can the construction process be improved? And then they will Act. In Deming’s world “to act” means to change your way of working based on real results and real environmental input….”

Takeaway

Hesitation is Death. Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Know where you are, assess your options, make a decision, and act!

Look Outward for Answers. Complex adaptive systems follow a few simple rules, which they learn from their environment.
Great Teams Are. They are cross-functional, autonomous, and empowered, with a transcendent purpose.

Don’t Guess. Plan, Do, Check, Act. Plan what you’re going to do. Do it. Check whether it did what you wanted. Act on that and change how you’re doing things. Repeat in regular cycles, and by doing so, achieve continuous improvement.

Shu Ha Ri. First, learn the rules and the forms, and once you’ve mastered them, make innovations. Finally, in a heightened state of mastery, discard the forms and just be–with all the learning internalized and decisions made almost unconsciously.

Chapter 3: Teams

Scrum is based on teams.

Questions to ask during a Sprint cycle:

1. What did you since the last time we talked?
2. What are you going to do before we talk again?
3. And what is getting in your way?

Nicola Dourambes – salesforce.com

Team size: 7 persons ideal, 3 persons minimum. Anything greater than 9 will slow down the team’s velocity.

“More resources make the team go slower.”

Fred Brooks: “Brooks’ Law” – adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.

Nelson Cowan research – maximum items in short-term memory: 4 distinct items, NOT 7.

Takeaway

Pull the Right Lever. Change Team performance. That has much more impact–by several orders of magnitude–than individual performance.

Transcendence. Great temas have a purpose that is greater than the individual; e.g. burying General McArthur, winning the NBA championship.

Autonomy. Give teams the freedom to make decisions on how to take action–to be respected as masters of their craft. The ability to improvise will make all the difference, whether the unit is reporting on a revolution in the Middle East or making a sale.

Cross-functional. The team must have every skill needed to complete a project, whether the mission is to deliver Salesforce.com software or capture terrorists in Iraq.

Small wins. Small teams get work done faster than big teams. The rule of thumb is seven team members–plus or minus two.

Err on the small side.

Blame is Stupid. Don’t look for bad people; look for bad systems–ones that incentivize bad behavior and reward poor performance.

Chapter 4 Time

“We’re lousy focusers”

The Sprint: sprints — building working features one by one

Backlog –> To Do –> Doing –> DONE

Put as many tasks from Backlog to Doing that could be done in a week (or within the Sprint cycle)

Daily Stand Up: 15 minutes maximum

1. What did you do yesterday to help the team finish the sprint?
2. What will you do today to help the team finish the sprint?
3. What obstacles are getting in the team’s way?

p.78: Mapping Information/Communications flow can help spot bottlenecks and where information bogs down.

“The greater the communication situation, the more everyone knows everything–the faster the team.”

Meeting rules:
Everyone is present. Same time everyday (or every week).
15 minutes maximum. Get most actionable and valuable information in the least time possible.
Everyone actively participates.

“A team has to demand greatness from itself.”

Time is Finite. Treat It That Way. Break down your work into what can be accomplished in a regular, set, short period–optimally one to four weeks. And if you’ve caught the Scrum fever, call it a Sprint.

Demo or Die. At the end of each Sprint, have something that’s done–something that can be used (to fly, drive, whatever).

Throw Away Your Business Cards. Titles are specialized status markers. Be known for what you do, not how you’re referred to.

Everyone knows Everything. Communication saturation accelerates work.

One Meeting a Day. When it comes to team check-ins, once a day is enough. Get together for fifteen minutes at the Daily Stand-up, see what can be done to increase speed, and do it.

Chapter 5: Waste is a Crime

p.87 Types of Waste

• Muri – waste through unreasonableness
• Mura – waste through inconsistency
• Muda – waste through outcomes
• Do one thing at a time

“People who are most likely to multitask… are those with the most inflated view of their abilities…” -“Who Multitasks and Why?” by Sonbonmatsu, Strayer, Medeiros-Ward, & Watson

Do one thing exclusively before moving on to another project…

“Doing half of something is essentially doing nothing at all.”

“Jobs that aren’t done and products that aren’t being used are two aspects of the same thing: invest effort with no positive outcome. Don’t do it.” p.97

Do things right the first time. Fix errors and bugs right away upon catching them.

Working too hard makes more work: “People who work too many hours start making mistakes” (This is related to willpower fatigue or the concept of “ego depletion)
Takeaway

Multitasking Makes You Stupid. Doing more than one thing at a time makes you slower and worse at both tasks. Don’t do it. If you think this doesn’t apply to you, you’re wrong–it does.

Half-done is Not Done. A half-built car simply ties up resources that could be used to create value or save money. Anything that’s “in process” costs money and energy without delivering anything.

Do It Right the First Time. When you make a mistake, fix it right away. Stop everything else and address it. Fixing it later can take you more than twenty times longer than if you fix it now. (This seems to run contrary to the principle of ‘batching’)

Working Too Hard Only Makes More Work. Working long hours doesn’t get more done; it gets less done. Working too much results in fatigue, which leads to errors, which leads to having to fix the thing you just finished. Rather than work late or on the weekends, work weekdays only at a sustainable pace. And take a vacation.

Don’t Be Unreasonable. Goals that are challenging are motivators; goals that are impossible are just depressing.

No Heroics. If you need a hero to get things done, you have a problem. Heroic effort should be viewed as a failure of planning.

Enough with Stupid Policies. Any policy that seems ridiculous likely is. Stupid forms, stupid meetings, stupid approvals stupid standards are just that–stupid. If your office seems like a Dilbert cartoon, fix it.

No assholes. Don’t be one, and don’t allow the behavior. Anyone who causes emotional chaos, inspires fear or dread, or demeans or diminishes people needs to be stopped coled.

Strive for Flow. Choose the smoothest, most trouble-free way to get things done. Scrum is about enabling the most flow possible.

Chapter 6: Plan Reality, Not Fantasy

Takeaway

The Map is Not the Terrain. Don’t fall in love with your plan. It’s almost certainly wrong.

Only Plan What You Need To. Don’t try to project everything out years in advance. Just plan enough to keep your team busy.

What Kind of Dog Is It? Don’t estimate in absolute terms like hours–it’s been proven that humans are terrible at that. Size things relatively, by what breed of dog the problem is, or T-shirt sizes (S, M, L, XL, XXL) or more commonly, the Fibonacci sequence.

Ask the Oracle. Use a blind technique, like the Delphi method, to avoid anchoring biases such as the halo effect or bandwagon effect, or just plain stupid groupthink.

Plan with Poker. use Planning Poker to quickly estimate work that needs to be done.

Work Is a Story. Think first about who’ll be getting value from something, then about what it is, and then why they need it.

Humans think in narratives, so give them one. As an X, I want Y, so that Z.

Know Your Velocity. Every team should know exactly how much work they can get done in each Sprint. And they should know how much they can improve that velocity by working smarter and removing barriers that are slowing them down.
Velocity X Time = Delivery. Once you know how fast you’re going, you’ll know how soon you’ll get there.

Set Audacious Goals. With Scrum it is not that hard to double production or cut delivery time in half. If you do it in the right way, your revenue and stock price should double as well.

Chapter 7: Happiness

I feel that this is the least useful chapter in the book.

“We are not rewarded for enjoying the journey itself but for the successful completion of a journey. Society rewards results, not processes; arrivals, not journeys.” – Ben Shahar, Happier

Happiness precedes outcomes

During Sprint Retrospective: look for what went right, what could have been done better, what can be made better next sprint

1. On a scale of 1-5, how do you feel about your role in the company?
2. On the same scale, how do you feel about the company as a whole?
3. Why do you feel that way?
4. What one thing would make you happier in the next Sprint?

Implement improvements right away – define success and check next Sprint Retrospective
Happiness for individuals and teams: Autonomy, Mastery, & Purpose – relate to Dan Pink’s “Drive”

Scrum Master – keep the team from pride and complacency

Takeaways

It’s the Journey, Not the Destination. True happiness is found in the process, not the result. Often we only reward results, but what we really want to reward is people striving toward greatness.

Happy is the New Black. It helps you make smarter decisions. Plus, when you’re happy, you’re more creative, less likely to leave your job, and more likely to accomplish far more than you ever anticipated.

Quantify Happiness. It’s not enough just to feel good; you need to measure that feeling and compare it to actual performance. Other metrics look backward. Happiness is a future-looking metric.

Get Better Every Day–and Measure It. At the end of each Sprint, the team should pick one small improvement, or kaizen, that will make them happier. And that should become the most important thing they’ll accomplish in the next Sprint.

Secrecy is Poison. Nothing should be secret. Everyone should know everything, and that includes salaries and financials. Obfuscation only serves people who serve themselves.

Make Work Visible. Have a board that shows all the work that needs to be done, what is being worked on, and what is actually done. Everyone should see it, and everyone should update it every day.

Happiness is Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Everyone wants to control their own destiny, get better at what they do, and serve a purpose greater than themselves.

Pop the Happy Bubble. Don’t get so happy that you start believing your own bullshit. Make sure happiness is measured against performance, and if there is a disconnect, be prepared to act. Complacency is the enemy of success.

Chapter 8: Priorities

Product Vision is the intersection of “What you can implement”, “what you can be passionate about” and “What you can sell”

The Backlog should have everything that could possibly be included in the product: p. 174

The key is what you decide to do first:

• Big impact?
• Important to customer?
• Make money?
• Easiest to implement?

Aim for REVENUE first, figure out the 20% of input that yields 80% of the output.

Answer the key question fast: “Will we make money doing this?”

Build the Minimum Viable Product

“Figure out where the most value can be delivered for the least effort, and do that one right away. Then identify the next increment after that, and the next.” p.175

Three Scrum Roles

Product Owner: What the work should be. Translate productivity to value.
Scrum Master: How the work should be done
Team member: does the work

Building the Minimum Viable Product means Rapid Prototyping (example in the book: Toyota Prius)

In a non-tech setting, how can we do rapid prototyping?

Principles of MVP, Lean startup: TEST, TEST, TEST: put it to end-users as quickly as possible, get feedback, then iterate.

Takeaway

Make a List. Check It Twice. Create a list of everything that could possibly be done on a project. Then prioritize it. Put the items with the highest value and lowest risk at the top of that Backlog, then the next, and then the next.

The Product Owner. She translates the vision into Backlog. She needs to understand the business case, the market, and the customer.

A Leader Isn’t a Boss. A Product Owner sets out what needs to be done and why. How the team accomplishes it and who accomplishes it is up to the team.

The Product Owner. Has knowledge of the domain and the power to make final decisions. He or she is available to answer questions and is accountable for delivering value.

Observe, Orient, Decide, Act (OODA). See the whole strategic picture, but act tactically, and quickly.

Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. It’s better to give than to receive. Get inside your competition’s OODA loop and wrap them in their own confusion.

Get Your Money for Nothing, and Your Change for Free. Create new things only as long as those new things deliver value. Be willing to swap them out for things that require equal effort. What in the beginning you thought you needed is never what is actually needed.

Chapter 9: Change the World

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” T.E. Lawrence: Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Takeaway

Scrum Accelerates All Human Endeavors. The type of project or problem doesn’t matter—Scrum can be used in any endeavor to improve performance and results.

Scrum for Schools. In the Netherlands, a growing number of teachers are using Scrum to teach high school. They see an almost immediate improvement in test scores of more than 10 percent. And they’re engaging all sorts of students, from vocational to gifted.

Scrum for Poverty. In Uganda, the Grameen Foundation is using Scrum to deliver agricultural and market data to poor rural farmers. The result: double the yield and double the revenue for some of the poorest people on the planet.

Rip Up Your Business Cards. Get rid of all titles, all managers, all structures. (I don’t agree). Give people the freedom to do what they think best and the responsibility to be accountable for it. You’ll be surprised at the results.

People are moving to the cities. It’s not just to the big cities, but also to the small cities in every province or region. Most of the time, it’s the young people–students, professionals, and workers–who are greatly affected by rapid urbanization.

This process of urbanization provides an opportunity for the church to reach out to more people who are moving to the cities. As such, the Church, particularly the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, needs to review its ministries to address the rising number of people in the cities and help young people find their place in the city.

Here are some thoughts on youth, urbanization, and church ministry. Since, I’m a United Methodist, that identity shapes the following insights.

Urbanization is increasingly becoming the way that we, humans, organize and live our lives. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) “54 per cent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 66 per cent by 2050.” The percentage of urban population in 1960 was only 34%!

Based on a report from UN DESA, here are several trends to expect in the next decades with some local developments and observations that I have added:

1. Mega-cities with more than 10 million people are increasing in number.

“in 1990, there were ten “mega-cities” with 10 million inhabitants or more, which were home to 153 million people or slightly less than seven per cent of the global urban population at that time. In 2014, there are 28 mega-cities worldwide, home to 453 million people or about 12 percent of the world’s urban dwellers. Of today’s 28 mega-cities, sixteen are located in Asia, four in Latin America, three each in Africa and Europe, and two in Northern America. By 2030, the world is projected to have 41 mega-cities with 10 million inhabitants or more.”

Metro Manila is one of the world’s top 20 megacities with 24.1 Million residents. The huge population of Metro Manila is creating big problems in transportation and delivery of services. Roads are becoming more congested and the mobility of the population is becoming severely limited.

2. Small cities are numerous and many are growing rapidly.

This is also true in the Philippines. In every province and region of the country, there is a small, but rapidly growing city. Just in Northern Luzon, the following cities are exploding, in terms of infrastructure, economy, and the population:

• Tuguegarao (Cagayan)
• Cauayan, Ilagan, & Santiago (Isabela)
• Solano, Bayombong (Nueva Vizcaya)
• Tarlac (Tarlac)
• Baguio City (Benguet)
• San Jose, Cabanatuan, Gapan (Nueva Ecija)
• San Fernando (La Union)
• Vigan, Candon  (Ilocos Sur)
• Laoag (Ilocos Norte)

When you go South of Manila and even the cities in Visayas and Mindanao, you’d see lots of development there. People are moving to the cities. As result, rural populations tend to decline.

3. Rural populations expected to decrease as urban populations continue to grow.

The majority of Protestant churches are in rural areas. It’s safe to say that most ministry models of Protestant churches developed in a rural context. With urbanization knocking these ministry models left and right, I couldn’t see a lot of new ministry models being developed.

Urbanization brings with it important economic, social, and cultural changes. Among these changes is the coming of big, bad, shopping malls to the countryside. People now have access to movies, more places to shop, more restaurants to eat at, and more leisure activities to do, urbanization also brings with it the dangers of consumerism.

It’s interesting to see the juxtaposition of poverty in the countryside and the seeming opulence and the dizzying array of products meant for middle class and wealthy consumers in these small cities.

4. Sustainable urbanization is key to successful development.

There’s no escaping urbanization. It is coming and is an irreversible feature of our 21st century world. If we look at Metro Manila, it seriously lacks urban planning. Even Baguio is now hot and crowded. For people in small cities to thrive, sustainable development should be the priority agenda of policy-makers and political leaders.

Youth and Urbanization

Young people are at the forefront of developments in urbanization. They are the students, and the professionals and workers who populate the cities.

Cities are the gateways to the world.

Sociologist Karen Tranberg Hansen, in Youth and the City in the Global South, observes that “cities are the gateways to the global world…” and that in developing countries, the youth make up the majority of the populations in these cities.

In the Philippines, a lot of multinational companies, particularly the Business Process Outsourcing industry, have set up shop in emerging cities because of abundant and relatively cheaper human resources.

This is a welcome development for a lot of young professionals, because they don’t need to go to Metro Manila to seek better employment.

Where’s the Church in All These?

If you visit a lot of these emerging churches in the Philippines, several enterprising, and new church movements (Victory Christian Fellowship and Christ Commission Fellowship among others) have set up shop. They usually rent a movie theater inside a mall, or a place with frequent foot traffic for their worship services.

This one thing is for sure: Protestant churches are losing thousands of young people to these CF’s as they’ve set up shop in these emerging cities.

I don’t know their philosophy and strategy in planting churches, but these CF’s (as Protestant friends often refer to them) are very, very good in using technology, relationships, and relentless follow-up to encourage new recruits to attend their Bible Studies and their worship services.

I know that it’s not about competition, but we cannot deny that these CFs are getting members from Protestant churches because of many different reasons. If you want to explore this matter further, I’ve written several blog posts at http://PinoyYouth.org why young people leave traditional, mainstream denominations:

• http://pinoyyouth.org/why-filipino-young-people-leave-traditional-christian-denominations/
• http://pinoyyouth.org/why-young-people-leave-the-umc-a-reaction-from-ms-m/

New Ways of Doing Ministry

It’s not all Doom and Gloom.

There are several United Methodist Churches in Metro Manila and in some cities in the provinces that have discovered new ways of doing ministry with young people. But there’s only a handful of them. We need more.

I would like to beg you, dear sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.

– Rainer Maria Rilke, 1903, from Letters to a Young Poet

I’m not really sure if young Filipinos still know the song “Isang Linggong Pag-ibig” by Imelda Papin. But, it accurately describes the kind of whirlwind romance not meant to last.

These days, though, love has moved to cyberspace and Virtual Pag-ibig is everywhere: lovers who have to deal with LDR (Long Distance Relationship) because one of them needs to work abroad; those who fall meet their beloved through online dating sites; maybe that hopeless romantic waiting to captivate a boyfriend (or girlfriend) from a rich country to spice their love life and save them from poverty; or just the usual boy or girl who connects with their loved one online.

It doesn’t just happen during Valentine’s Day, but here are ways that people break up relationships online.

Seenzoned aka Disappearing Act.

Sobrang sweet niya nung una–may reply agad ang mga text mo, may mga pinapadala pang heartwarming quotes. At ipinangako na rin ang mga bituin at pati ang buwan. Kinantahan ka pa ng Harana ng Parokya ni Edgar. But the past few days, or weeks, though, ayaw man lang magparamdam sa iyo. And when you checked his Facebook account, may picture naman ng pagkain niya sa isang fastfood.

But when you send a message, ang tanging nakikita mo ay ang blue check mark. Alam mong nakita at nabasa niya ang message mo. But… NO. REPLY. Seenzoned na nga yan!

Changing Relationship Status on Facebook.

For some couples, a relationship status on Facebook isn’t really a big deal. But in our Super-Connected world, ito na ang major-major na paraan para i-announce sa mundo na KAYO NA! Depende rin sa couples yan, pero minsan source din ng away ang hindi pagpapalit ng “In a Relationship with…” kapag naging kayo na.

Pero if ang BF or GF mo ay biglang nagpalit ng Relationship Status mula sa “In a Relationship” to “Single”, i-check mo na ang phone mo at baka may text na rin siya. Maybe something like: “It’s not you, it’s me.” o di kaya ay “Kung tayo talaga, magiging tayo pa rin in the end.” or some other lame excuse of a breakup.

Breaking up through a Facebook or a Text Message.

Siguro, ito na ang isa sa mga valid reklamo ng mga magulang at mga lolo at lola natin–na dahil virtual na ang pag-ibig, virtual na rin ang proseso ng breaking up. Sabagay, may mga nag-meet naman online na talagang na-fall in love sa isa’t isa. Pero you need to be careful in entering and nurturing a purely virtual relationship.

Malay mo ba kung picture niya talaga yun? O di kaya, baka scammer yan, or member ng isang sindikato.

Don’t believe me? Here’s one episode of one of my favorite podcasts Reply All:

It’s about scammers calling a woman in the US and building a relationship with them with the intention of getting money.

Anyways, I digress. Pero kung may karelasyon ka at kelangan na talaga ninyong mag-break (pero bago mo gawin yan, I suggest, mag-isip isip ka muna nang malalim at wag magpadalos-dalos), please lang, your partner deserves a face-to-face breakup conversation at hindi yung Facebook or Text message lang.

Ingat sa Public Breakup.

If you decide to breakup, please don’t do it in a very public place: like a fully-packed airplane or train, wag din sa rollercoaster. Ang problema kasi, kung may drama moments at may mga nakapaligid sa inyo na may camera at Internet access sa smartphone, baka makita mo na lang ang video or picture ninyo online.

Gaya na lang ng isang mag-jowa na nag-away or nag-breakup sa loob ng airplane: http://bit.ly/greatplanebreakup. Siempre, may nag-Live Tweet sa drama moments nila.

Ito pa, huwag makipag-breakup habang nasa rollercoaster at huwag magpa-video dahil baka i-upload ito.

At kung kayo naman ang may camera at maging saksi sa ganitong klase ng breakup, just respect their privacy kahit na hindi kayo agree sa ginagawa nila in public.

Bottomline: Respect

If you enter into any relationship, you should respect each other. Be honest with each other–even if it means that the relationship has come to an end. Maraming reasons yan and gaya ng isang relationship status sa Facebook: It’s Complicated! Either way, just remember to respect your partner and he or she deserves a face-to-face conversation in the case of a breakup.

* * * * *

For Social Media tips and tricks, check out my book “Get a Life… Online: Tips & Tricks para sa Hardcore na Netizen.”

Available for only PhP 75 in all major bookstores nationwide. Also available on Ebook sellers: Buqo, Flipreads, & Google Play.

…in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.

– Herbert Simon

“A poem is not a straightforward article; is meaning is not self-evident; it can be ambiguous, and if it is, it is dangerous, the more so at a time when the “sensitivities” of special interest groups play a decisive part in limiting free speech on campus and everywhere else.”
– David Lehman, from the Foreword of Best American Poetry 2015.

“If mortality is our first and last problem, the need to say farewell is continuous. Death is the mother of beauty; poetry is a valediction forbidding mourning.”

– David Lehman, from the Foreword, Best American Poetry 2015

This is part of an on-going series for Filipino young professionals: Biyaheng EDSA. It’s a set of reflections for new graduates about to enter the world of work. At dahil mahalagang transition ito sa buhay, nawa makatulong ang mga reflections na ito in helping you choose your path.

Previous Posts:

Introduction
Monumento: Out of the Way ang Idealism
Balintawak Cloverleaf: Entry Level
North EDSA: Ito Pala ang Rat Race
Timog Avenue: I Just Want to Have Some Fun!
Ortigas: Relihiyon, Rebolusyon
Boni-Guadalupe: Shifting Lanes
Ayala: Traffic sa Fast Lane

Magallanes: Divergent Roads

Upcoming Posts:
Pasay Rotonda: In Transit, It’s Complicated
EDSA Extension: Ito ba ang aking destinasyon?
Beyond EDSA: Ibang Daan, Ibang Destinasyon

* * * * *

Paglagpas mo sa intersection ng EDSA at Ayala Avenue, you will approach Magallanes Interchange. Kung pupunta ka sa Manila, take the outermost lane. Kung didiretso ka naman ng EDSA papunta sa Pasay Rotonda or sa Nichols, take the left-most lane at aakyat sa flyover na diretso lang.

Kung pupunta ka naman sa Alabang, sa Airport, or sa ano mang city or municipality sa Laguna o Cavite through the South Luzon Expressway, take the middle lane. Aakyat ka rin ng flyover pero it will curve to a circle and bring you towards SLEX. Ngayon, kung hindi mo alam ang tamang lilikuan mo, you might end up going back to where you came from: mapapa-North Bound ka na naman sa EDSA.

In the past decade or so, ang laki ng development sa South. You have progressive cities such as Alabang, Parañaque, and Las Piñas. If you go further South, you’ll also encounter Dasmariñas and Tagaytay in Cavite. At siempre, makikita mo rin ang rapid developments sa Sta Rosa. Bukod sa mga Real Estate developments sa mga lugar na ito, makikita mo rin na maraming companies ang nagtatayo ng offices dito. In fact, if you want a less hurried life compared sa Metro Manila, you could probably relocate in these areas.

image credit: jaydigital via Flickr

Even job websites such as JobsDB.com.ph notice that more and more job hunters are considering location when they look for jobs. Kung kaya mong kumita ng salary na katumbas ng sa Metro Manila pero ang expenses mo ay pang-probinsiya, mas makakaipon ka, right?

Hindi lang naman sa Laguna at Cavite ang development. Even if you go straight through EDSA, you can’t miss the developments near the airports. Sobrang dami nang International Hotel brands ang tumayo near NAIA 3. Magkakaroon na rin ng Expressway to our airports. At super aggressive din ang pag-reclaim sa parts ng Manila Bay to pave the way for more buildings, malls, and other developments.

You can also go abroad. Madali lang mag-abroad ang mga Pinoy na may skills na puwedeng ioffer sa mga job markets abroad. Magkakaroon na ng greater economic integration ang mga member countries ng ASEAN. Ibig sabihin niyan, mas madali nang ma-absorb sa Southeast Asian countries ang mga Pinoy na willing magtrabaho sa alinmang bansa rito.

All of these things reflect on the economic and infrastructure development of the Philippines. We now have a lot of career choices. Maraming directions. Parang pag-akyat lang sa Magallanes Interchange. Pero ang tanong, saan ka ba talaga pupunta? Given all these available choices, how can you make the best decision while in your twenties?

Too Many Options

You know the best thing about being a young professional these days? Maraming options. You know the worst thing about being a yuppie? Too many options!

We’re living in exponential times at nakikita natin ang maraming opportunities. There are many kinds of jobs that could pay you a significant amount of money. Ang mga magulang natin at mga grandparents natin noon, kung ano ang trabaho nila after graduating from College, doon na rin sila magreretire. Exception noon ang palipat-lipat ng work.

Not our generation. Ang exception ngayon ay maging empleyado ng isang company sa loob ng matagal na panahon. Pagdating sa employment, wala nang forever. Marami kasing options. Our parents were, more or less, consumed with only one thing—get out of poverty as fast as they could. Hindi na rin nila masyadong iniisip kung nag-eenjoy ba sila sa trabaho. For a lot of them, work is something you do from 8am to 5pm. And then you live your life. In our generation, gusto natin extension ng identity at pagkatao natin ang trabahong ginagawa natin. That’s why if you hate, or don’t like our line of work, it feels as if our lives are being squeezed away from us. Nakaka-drain. Nakakapagod. At parang nakakabobo na rin.

So ito ang tanong, how do you choose a path for yourself?

Ang direction mo ngayon, puwedeng galing sa parents mo or galing sa mga tao sa paligid mo. This is what they expected you to do since you were young. Puwede rin naman that you succumbed to the pressure from your parents. Your parents may be more controlling than others. Or they may want you to become part of their family tradition or that ikaw ang magtuloy ng family business. There’s nothing with this as long as gusto mo rin ito. Otherwise, it will be a source of frustration in the future. It would be like an itch that you could not scratch, a wound that would not heal, and a desire that may never be fulfilled.

You may still be trying to figure out your own direction. You may not know your path right now. But you’re trying things out, looking for that something that you could definitely pursue for the rest of your life. The danger with this, though, is that you may find yourself lost sa dami ng twist and turns na dinaanan mo. You could also end up going back to where you started from.

Here’s an important question: where do you get meaning and purpose?

Ano-ano ba ang mga bagay bagay na ginagawa mo where you feel really, really great. Yung tipong kahit hindi ka bayaran or kahit na minsan ikaw pa ang gumagastos, okay lang. The types of activities that you could just do all throughout the day at kahit na minsan magdamag pa. Eric Liddell, isang Olympic gold medalist, found his purpose and meaning in running. Sabi niya “When I run, I feel [God’s] pleasure.” He was able to connect his deep faith with the one thing na gustong-gusto niyang gawin—running.

How about you? What activities do you enjoy deeply?

If money were not a problem, what would you be doing instead?

A lot of us are caught up in the rat race. Kailangang magtrabaho para kumita, masuportahan ang mga kapamilyang umaasa sa iyo. Or puwede ring nagtratrabaho ka para may pambili ng air ticket, gadgets, at iba pang mga luho. Still, may mga yuppies na kailangang-kailangang magtrabaho para may pambayad sa pagkarami-raming utang. Kumbaga, lubog na sa utang at ilong na lang ang nakalitaw.

But what if money were not a problem? What if, puwede mong i-pursue ang misyon mo sa buhay, what would you be doing instead?

If you could find the answer to this question, then you’ve found an important clue to your purpose. If you knew your purpose, waking up in the morning is more enjoyable. It’s as if you’re looking forward to the things you will be doing. As you work hard that day, you’ll look forward to the end of the day and take your well-deserved rest. Masarap magpahinga after a full day of working on things you really love.

Kaya lang, even if you know your passion at alam mo rin kung ano ang purpose mo, kung may roadblocks, then you may need to look for an alternative road. In that case, puwedeng mag-detour. But you should always hold on to your destination dahil at some point in the future, you could go back to your original direction. If you need to take a detour, here are some tips on how to pursue your passion and your purpose.

Create a buffer: secure your needs.

Hanap ka muna ng isang career na puwede mong pagkunan ng source of financial support. Earn money and save aggressively. Look for sources of extra income. That way, makakabuo ka ng buffer so that in time, you can chase after your dreams and your passion without endangering your financial situation.

Try new things until you stumble on something you’d really, really love doing.

I keep saying this, because it is true. Your twenties is really the best time to explore and do different kinds of things.

So if you don’t have a lot of responsibilities at wala ka namang ibang pinagkakagastusan, then by all means, try different things that you could pursue eventually. This could be risky, though, because it might mean abandoning some of these pursuits midway through pursuing them because it’s no longer working. The problem, though, with this approach, is that you may end up starting a lot of things without waiting for things to end properly. At baka rin sa kaka-try mo ng something new, you may end up making big mistakes that will prevent you from doing more things in the future.

What if you get stuck?

A lot of twenty-something yuppies feel stuck at some point in their life and career. There are times that you feel that you’re no longer growing, you’re not learning anything new, and that you’re stuck. And sometimes, you start becoming anxious and worried. You start second-guessing yourself, while asking if you are in the right path. If this happens, you can even start showing some signs of depression.

The Comparison Trap.

Isa sa mga puwedeng mag-trigger nito ang comparison trap. Especially these days na may social media na. Habang nandiyan ka at iniisip ang directions mo at kung ano ba ang mali sa mga naging choices mo in the past couple of years, one glance on Facebook at makikita mo ang mga bagong kotse o bagong bahay ng mga batchmates mo nung High School and College. You’ll see them enjoying the beach in Boracay, or nakakabiyahe na sila sa Europe or somewhere else. And then the comparison starts. The questions whisper in your mind at sobrang hirap nilang i-control.

You end up questioning your own skills. Maiisip mo na mas matalino ka naman kaysa sa kanila. That you were a better student than your friends ever were. And then you may start thinking na baka may ginagawa silang kababalaghan para magtamasa ng kayamanan. That’s the power of the comparison trap. It brings out the worst in you. At kapag hindi mo yan napigilan, it may blossom fully to envy at baka maapektuhan ang relationship mo with your friends.

Just keep in mind that Facebook does not show the entire picture. Most of the time, pino-post lang natin sa Facebook ang pinakamagagandang anggulo ng selfie natin. We also want to portray all the new things, the best and enjoyable things in our lives so far. At ang mga problema at trials sa buhay? Why post them online, di ba?

Quarterlife Crisis.

Sometimes, the quarterlife crisis can come early on, like right after College. Puwede mo rin naman itong ma-experience in your mid or late twenties. Nakaka-stress ang quarterlife crisis. Magkakaroon ka ng unsettled feelings—marami kang questions tungkol sa life, sa direction, at sa worth mo bilang tao, bilang isang individual. Sometimes, it can even lead you to do crazy things.

Don’t worry, it’s a normal phase to go through. Hindi naman lahat ng twenty-something ay dumadaan dito. Pero I’ve seen my fair share of friends who went through this. At the heart of this crisis ay isang tanong—ano ba talaga ang gusto mong gawin sa buhay mo?

May mga yuppies na dumaan dito and emerged as better persons, more sure of their direction and discovered new friendships and relationships that help them achieve their dreams. When I first talked with Ace, she just resigned from her job of two years dahil napapagod na siya and she felt stuck. So she took up MBA, met new friends and expanded her networks. Nag-try siya ng ilang businesses. But along the way, she was able to clarify her goals, nakilala niya ang sarili niya, and a year after, she was happier because she was confident that she was on the right path.

Lui, another yuppie who graduated with a degree in Nursing in 2011, went through the quarterlife crisis after graduation. Iyon nga lang, he was not able to indulge himself because his father died. Kailangan niyang tumulong sa family niya. But along the way, he managed to get several online jobs. Eventually, he started his own blogs, which led to significant income na nagsupport sa kanya at sa Nanay niya. Hindi lang iyan, he also managed to establish Filipiknow.net, an expression of his passion for Philippine History.

Keep Moving Toward the Right Direction

Dahil masyado tayong maraming options sa panahon ngayon, if you found your calling, go fot it. Keep moving toward the right direction. More options will be presented to you. Mas maraming mga tao ang puwedeng magsabi sa iyo to move into this or that direction. But if you have found your calling, then stick to it, even if at first ang feeling ay parang walang nangyayari.

Paano?

Make sure you’re on the right road.

May iba’t ibang daan tayong tinatahak. Ang tawag dito minsan ay “career” o “field.” Nasa tamang field ka ba? Kung gusto mong makarating sa Ilocos, siempre, sa NLEX ka dadaan at hindi sa SLEX. If you know your destination, figure out the best vehicle na puwede mong sakyan. Do you want something safe and secure? Then go on the road well traveled, be an employee. Trips mo ba ng risk and growing your very own enterprise at kaya mong mag-raise ng funds para sa mga personal projects mo? It makes sense to go the Entrepreneur Route. But if your heart is breaking for all the pains of the world and gustong-gusto mo to make a difference, the path of the Social Servant might be for you. It is a difficult path pero sobrang rewarding. (Footnote: Inexplore ko ng mas malalim ang mga paths na ito sa aking aklat na “Start Up: Find your place. Engage the world. Sustain your life.”)

Read the signs.

Bago ka bigyan ng drivers license, kailangang maipamalas mo na kaya mong kontrolin ang sasakyan mo, at kaya mong magbasa ng mga road signs. This will help you stay safe on the roads, at para maiwasan mo ring makadisgrasya ng ibang tao. In the same way, if you are traveling the road toward your dreams and your aspirations, you also need to read the signs para malaman mo kung nasa tamang daan ka nga ba at kung ano ang mga gagawin mo in case may mga aberya sa daan. Makikita mo rin naman sa mga road signs kung gaano na kalayo ang narating mo at gaano pa kalayo ang kailangan mong daanan.

May mga times na guts lang talaga ang tanging basehan mo kung nasa tamang daan ka nga ba. Minsan kasi, ang tingin natin sa will ng Diyos para sa ating buhay ay isa lang. Parang destiny: that we are created to do ONE thing and ONE thing only, at kapag hindi natin yun nagawa, may mga mananakot sa atin at sasabihing “hihintayin mo bang mangyari sa iyo ang nangyari kay Jonah?” Tapos, after that, parang magui-guilty tayo doing the things we love doing kasi hindi iyon ang “THE” will of God para sa buhay natin.

Adjust as needed.

Siempre, walang silbi ang mga road signs if you don’t respond properly. Kung alam mo nang sarado ang isang bridge o daan dahil under repair, aba, kailangan maghanap ka na ng alternative roads. Otherwise, ma-stuck ka lang sa traffic kahihintay magbukas ang saradong daan. Lalo na sa mundo natin ngayon na sobrang bilis ang takbo, maraming pagkakataon na kailangan mong mag-improvise at mag-respond sa mga issues at bagong obstacles na lilitaw sa daan mo.

Ayos din naman kung may plans ka, pero don’t let those big plans lead you astray from God’s plans for your life. Si Moses, na-disrupt ang buhay dahil sa isang burning bush. Dahil sa encounter niya with God, he said goodbye to his sheep and took on the role of a prophet. Sina Peter, Andrew, James, at John, nagbago ang buhay nila at ang career directions nila just because they met Jesus. If you encounter a problem sa career path mo, don’t dismiss it right away. Don’t just look for the quick solutions. Instead, isipin mo rin kung anong sinasabi ng heart mo, at kung ano ang plano ng Dios sa buhay mo. You might be surprised: pleasantly surprised for what God has in store for you.

Tools and plans are great, but don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Since nagkaroon ako ng smartphone, medyo naging dependent na ako sa Google Maps sa paghahanap ng directions. Para mag-check ng traffic, binubuksan ko ang Twitter at ang Waze app. These are great tools. They make our lives easier. Kaya lang, in times na nagmamadali ka at kailangan ng quick solutions sa problema mo sa direction, mas nagiging practical ang pagtatanong ng direction sa mga taong nakikita mo sa paligid mo.

So if you feel lost and stuck sa highway ng buhay, check your own plans. But that may not be enough. Ask people. But the thing is… don’t ask just about anybody. Kasi kung naliliga din yung pinagtanungan mo, then pareho lang kayong maliligaw lalo! While your own friends and peers might provide you with social and emotional support, they may be at the same place as you—trying to figure out this thing called life.

Instead, hanap ka ng kuya o ate na hinarap na ang problema o challenge mo. Let them tell you the stories of how they faced their own challenges at paano sila nagpatuloy o nag-change ng direction sa buhay.

Ask mo rin si God. Remember the Bible verse “ask and it will be given to you…” (Matthew7:7)? Yes. God can answer your prayers. Pero it might not exactly be what you expect. Oftentimes, God’s answer may even get you started on a new direction.

Listen. And listen well. For such a change will be super life-changing, indeed!