Teambuilding in Canyonwoods

Last Thursday and Friday, the whole FSS (Financial Solutions and Services) Group went to Canyonwoods Residences in Tagaytay for its annual teambuilding activity. It's my first teambuilding in P&G and I had a good time. It was engrande and I know that there will be a lot more to come. Meaning, I should work more diligently then because I realized the company is ready to give you whatever you need if you prove you're deserving enough to have them.

Must Do a Life Plan

Yes, I need to do my life plan now. I just realized that I should carefully plan my direction especially that a lot of things have been happening to me lately - to my family, to my work, to my love life, to everything! I needed something which I can hold on to when things go out of my way. I wanted to ground myself because I have a tendency to decide impulsively and follow whatever is currently flowing.

I need a family plan. My mother is ill now. She has kidney problems on top of her returning asthma and myoma. I could not express more how depressed I am for not being able to be physically present at home. I wish to take care more of my mother, I wanted to save my family. That's my goal. Right now, I content myself by giving financial assistance to them - for my mother's medication, for my brother's tuition and hopefully for my father's recovery from middle life crisis.

I need a work plan. I need to know what are the immediate things that I have to accomplish as I go live to real jobs. I'm already on my 4th month and I should have a clear direction on where I am going. I know that until now I am somehow and still struggling inside given my personal passion and career interest so I should definitely clear out my options.

Also I need to have a personal plan. I need to know how I can fully sustain personal relationships given the situation that I am in. I learned that love is not enough and that sometimes, you have to have certain things and certain capabilities in order for love to grow (I hope I'm right). Right now, no matter how hard I try, it all leads to the point when the answer really is "I can't".  I have to have a plan so that someday I could finally say, "I can."

All these plans I must reflect and make. Each one affects one another and there is no way that I can isolate one from the other. I should make a life plan - a plan that can help me direct my life better. I need a life plan because I learned that when you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. And I certainly don't want that to happen.

Just only one thing: I know that God has a plan for me and I have to reflect, listen and talk to Him more. I know that I can't create my life plan alone. I surely need Him. And so as I create my life plan, let my hands write what He wills for me.

Work-Life Balance

[Excerpt from my 3rd Monthly Progress Report]

It was one Wednesday night when I first played badminton with my rowmates.  I know it was a weekday night already but since I like playing the game and it has been a while since I last played it, I joined.  The next day, I feel more energetic and more determined to work.

One Friday night, I made a plan what to do for the weekend.  The next two days, I decided to clean our beloved adobe, go out for a dinner party with other friends and had a good time.  When I woke up the following Monday morning, I saw myself looking more forward to work.

So I realized that having a work life balance drives you more to work. It allows you to recharge your energy and make the most out of life, which is definitely bigger than work life.  For me, having a work life balance does not mean deviating from work. I think it is complementary to work.  I’m looking forward to plan for a regular activity which can provide a work-life balance and it turn drive me more to work.

Stones First Before Sand

[Excerpt from my 2nd Monthly Progress Report]

Imagine this.  You have a big empty glass and your goal is to fill it with both stones and sand.  The question is what will you put first – the sand or the stones?  If you fill the glass with sand first, then there won’t be any room for the stones anymore.  If you choose the stones instead, the sand can just seep through the gaps and you will then accomplish the task.

For me, this picture is the simplest yet the most practical and effective analogy for priority-setting and time management, as mentioned by Ann So.  In your work, you need to know what your stones are so that you can prioritize on them.  Be careful not to entertain too much sand and make sure they are maintained when the stones are already set.  After all, your goal is to accomplish not only one but both stones and sand.

Thinking Globally Here

[Excerpt from my 1st Monthly Progress Report]

After learning that P&G Manila Service Center is one of the GBS centers in the world and was awarded the Asia Shared Service of the Year last August 2006, I cannot resist being proud of what our people can prove to the world.  I am moved by the fact that the Philippines can indeed participate in the movement towards globalization and that MSC is the proof.  As part of the PVP and success drivers, P&G indeed leverages on capability and with the culture of excellence, it thrives to improve even more.

With this insight, I begin to shift my paradigm from a traditional and quite conservative outlook in life towards a proactive global approach.  This mindset directs me to deliver results as best as possible by thinking globally here.