10 things 2019 has taught me (Part 2 of 2)

6. Be more self-aware. It helps in your decisions. Big or small, the way we know ourselves makes our decisions either for the better or for worse. Our dispositions can either make or break us in our decision-making. I remember that I was told several times not to make decisions when you are either too happy or too sad as your judgment is clouded by your emotions at the moment. After a toxic life in my workplace, I quickly decided to quit my job without any fallback and it resulted to me being almost penniless for two years.

7. Foster creativity. Develop your talents. This has helped me a lot in boosting my self-confidence and my sense of purpose in the past year. I have been a writer for quite some time and I have not explored other avenues of communication until I started being assigned as emcee or host during events in our office and in gatherings hosted by friends for guests. It has become another outlet to explore creativity and develop a talent which has not been utilized in the past. Other avenues for creativity can be a way to de-stress. It can also be a source of extra income later on.

8. Be silent. It can save you from trouble. Silence is so rare nowadays as people mostly want to talk instead of listen. There are also a lot of distractions that prohibit us from experiencing silence. I learned that being silent helps us to communicate with our self and also with God. In my conversations wherein I am a receiver of information, including gossips and controversies, my silence has greatly helped me find peace amidst the chaos. During times when the environment has become toxic, my silence helped me avoid unnecessary trouble.

9. Keep on learning. Learning never stops. I have enrolled in Accountancy on and off for 10 years already. It’s difficult, it’s costly and it’s also impractical in a sense but there is joy in learning in school that life-long learners like me find aside from the lessons that the real world offers. I appreciate every time I get invited to participate in trainings and also when I get invited to speak for topics like Journalism and effective writing. I impart learning while I myself is also learning in the process.

10. Know your worth. Sometimes people don’t see our worth that in the long-run we are convinced that how they see us also equates to how we see ourselves. It’s sad but as we continue to struggle everyday and find joy and meaning, we should learn to value ourselves. I always tell myself that I know my value. What others think of me will not matter. Even at work, I always want to make sure that I am putting value in what I do as I always see my work as an extension of myself. If I think I should get promoted or have a salary increase then I should ask the right people. My works speak for my value and I don’t want to be called cheap. Period.