Thursday, April 04, 2013

Gratefully Happy

Gratefully happy this Easter Week
Sharing on coping with challenges and letdowns

The last 8 months have been trying times both personally and professionally. It is not business as usual in our work place. Our company has been going through a transition where new owners with their version of business model to apply to the organization will result in structural change. Drastic changes have been put in place starting January 2013.

Related to work but for the family, I am working on a project initiated by my parents as early as year 2006 involving the government and farmers which has been forever under process for less than a decade. I am targeting to complete it by 1st quarter of 2013.

On a level very close to me, my parents are in their mid 80’s. I want them to live their lives to the fullest. At their age, health issues are perennially a concern.

I’ve been coping so far with these letdowns through my spirituality and personal leadership.

In every opportunity where I can pray or hear mass, I pray for my intentions following a simple formula of prayer; give praise, give thanks, ask for forgiveness and ask for favor and guidance (Pagpuri, Pasasalamat, Patawad, Paghingi). The favors and guidance I consistently ask for are good health for my parents and me, processing the family project, providing me and my family with the resources to coast through the day-to-day needs comfortably and lastly to bless and protect the members of my family, close relatives and friends.

Consciously, I apply a personal leadership concept which I have embraced as a guiding principle. I am sharing it as it has worked well for me mainly for the technical and professional tasks.

“Leaders have an important task guided by a plan with not enough time to complete. They are fact-based measured by a handful of controlling objectives. When faced with a quasi crisis, reserves show up to complete the task. Leaders look to the future with optimism.

Learning is an added knowledge manifested in a behavior.  Behavior repeatedly done becomes a habit. Habit extended over time is embedded as a personal value.

The crises I am faced with are quasi.
          There is still work to do. I am involved in the pilot projects of the new owners.
          Parents are coping with their ailment and are gaining strength for full recovery.
          Slowly still slowly, the project is moving bringing to closure concretely closer to the targeted deadline.
          Resources are coming in. Relatives and friends are around. And indeed reserves show up making me hurdle life’s setbacks both on and personal and professional level. Medical experts are there generously and compassionately applying their expertise with dedication to heal ably supported by capable and gentle medical support staff. Each one of them is an angel coming to rescue during trying moments.
          A great deal of the reserves comes from various sources to which I and our family are grateful for.

As I survive these crises, I also learned in the past an effective way to deal with with greater challenges: extend kindness and goodness to others. These secrets I intend to continue as I still look to the future with optimism.

Overcoming these letdowns and quoting from the Easter Message said at the Gesu by Fr. Jett Villarin, “Let us therefore be gratefully happy.”

How shall our happiness be grown from gratefulness? Simply by acknowledging that everything, all that we see around us, all this is gift. Life is gift. We did not ask for life. It was just given us. Even this terrifying freedom that allows us to mean our choices, some of which hurt us, this freedom is gift. That is what gifts are all about: they are not bought or even deserved. They are just given gratis (i.e. freely) ex abundantia cordis, out of the abundance of the heart of the giver.

Happy Easter!

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

My comment to Bam Alegre Wholly Week blog article. Bam is a GMA TV news reporter who speaks and writes in English and Pilipino. He is an active Twitter. Bam is product of the UP CMC.

My view on Holy Week is a reverse of penitence. As an urban worker, time spent at work is in a way my sacrifice looking forward to  Holy Week as my redemption. During my active extreme adventure days, extended weekends were spent travelling, communing with nature, escaping but not forgetting at the end of the Lenten season to be gratefully happy for work and the play.

For you as a broadcast journalist, it seems work and play are one.  

Happy Easter!