Passion, a word I used to hear but somehow took time to understand. I grew up as a man who always help and support other people. As young as the age of 6 I already started helping out in our business, either it is selling hardware products or acting as a cashier in our store. I helped out in anything my dad does it includes fixing everything in the house, electrical, plumbing and mechanical works in the family car. Like any other kid who is asked what do you want to be when you grow up, people asked me the same, and I would answer like any other kid I will answer that I like to be a pilot, astronaut and later on a lawyer. This question haunted me when I grow up. I tell my dad I don't know what I want to become multiple times. I can't seem to craft my own dream. I said to myself I will connect myself to a dream of another person or say another company whose mission I can relate to and connect with. One day an opportunity came, I joined an organization, it is a BPO company but unlike any company, this company is wholly Filipino owned. They take pride in the value of malasakit. This word actually connected with me in multiple ways. Aside from being Filipino, it started something within myself that changed when I joined the organization.
Most Filipinos are not proud to be one, but I am not like any other Filipino, I take pride in telling people what a Filipino can do and are capable of doing. When I started in the organization I thought, I can provide people jobs and if I do well I can create opportunities for people here. This passion started to burn the more time I spend thinking of what I can do the path becomes clearer. This passion now evolved to a passion to create opportunities for the Filipino people that they no longer have to leave their families and go abroad. I want to bring the opportunity here, closer to home. I worked on bringing in processes that are less clerical and more analytical. I started working up the value chain and proving each time Filipinos can do more. It was a big challenge; I am going against the typical culture of Filipinos that do not believe in themselves. The culture of not being outspoken is also a challenge so as a build my team we always keep this cultural mindset in our radar so we would be able to reinforce to people that it is ok to speak up, that being Filipino does not make your voice and smaller or less important than others. We belong at par with the world. The world is full of people just like each and every one of us and we can compete. Now this spread from me to my team we are now working with the world's best and being recognize for the value we create.
Now this passion I have started 7 years ago is starting to spread, I have a few leaders I have mentored to share the same passion. Every year we talk about excellence, being the best, developing talent. We push to get to higher ground every year. We are working to provide people further education. If God permits one day, a hedge fund management company will be put up in the Philippines, whereas we would have people here analyzing the way the stock market works in the worlds. They will help create wealth and a good retirement for people and institution. One day Filipinos would not be a word to describe lazy people who are just helpers in different part of the world but rather we will be known to be the type of people who enable organizations to become globally competitive and a group of people who drive things up the value chain.
While I actively wait for these things to happen, I continue to teach, my small group everything I know, train people mentally and emotionally how to handle people of the western world. I figure out how to run budgets so as to create opportunities for people to travel. I believe travelling is still one of the way for people to develop their understanding of different cultures and broaden their perspective. Last but not the least I continue to inspire people from different walks of life and showing them how we can change our country, make a difference, and change a person's life. Our circle of influence always starts at home and to at least one person. I make my time with an individual count. Make sure I will make a lasting impression and hopefully it becomes something that would help us all to be proud of our nation one day.
(refer to guidelines on reflection paper>
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