Creativity Quotient 75%

One of yesterday's minitivities was rating our own creative quotients with zero basis other than gut feel. Eric Villarama just quickly discussed that just like intelligence and emotion, a person's level of creativity can be measured. Then he asked us, the participants, to rate ourselves: "Using percentages, what do you think your Creative Quotient is?"

I gave me a 75%. No real reason why, other than I'm used to grades in the line of 70s and I actually thought it was a pretty low score already. Turns out, a grade of 75% is still a high CQ.

According to Eric (I quote him as I wasn't quick enough to note his source):

Kindergarten kids average a 95%+ CQ.

Primary students hit around 75.

The average High School senior gets up to just 50.

University grads only 25.

And us measly adults are lucky to reach 10.

So, the pattern obviously is as we age, we lose more and more of our creativity. Sad and true. I mean, ask yourself, right now, do you really even need scientific data to back that up?

Although I have no idea how to measure CQ exactly (there are probably a few artsy-fartsy tests out there which I'll find when I google them) but I think the immediate point to handle here is how can we work on it to bring a diminishing CQ up?

And I realize this is what Y@H is all about for me. The opportunity to bring back a fuel of happy, give that push and spark with the use of the colorful, stimulate the both left and right brains with trivia, games, and laughter. Y@H wants to invade the broken, bland workplace and turn it to something unified and alive.

I am thankful I was given the chance to spend a day with Eric and the rest of my classmates in the 6th leg of Nokia's PEP talks. I'm on an idea overdose now and even though it's confusing, it's also refreshing. And I think I'll stick to my 75 just because a girl can dream.

To Leaps of Faith & Happier Pastures

A wise old man told me today: "I don't really look at this (change) as a move to greener pastures. It's more of happier pastures for me."

So akin to Seth Godin's recent post about perfect problems that cause us to get stuck. Seth talks about how the perfect problems are the ones left behind, the ones we can't seem to get over, because there are assumed constraints and limitations binding the problem to unsolvability.

His solution is to break the constraint, be unafraid of the results and just dare to move. My friend has reached this conclusion I think. He's dealing with the perfect problems of his industry and of his work overall, by breaking the constraints that bind him to it.

I initially thought he's off to greener pastures because where he's likely going will be a place more open-minded about the type of work he does, giving him more freedom and more room to breathe. He thinks of it as happier pastures because, I guess, he's looking forward to a sense of settlement there, whether or not he stays in the same industry he started in here.

I'm happy for him, he's taking this leap of faith to grow not just his career, but his self, too. There's a whole world beyond the borders of one's comfort zone just waiting to be explored and he's taking it. Told him I wished I had that drive, too. Someday soon, I will.

He says, it comes with age. :)

(Dedicated to G-Third. Tanda mo na dude.)

Hi. I'm Tippie and I'm a closet Tom.

(I wrote this entry at the start of the year, for a different blog entirely. It was my online journal, and the stuff that were written there were... not really for public reading of any kind. I decided to let go of that blog but I wanted to save this post. Hope it sheds a bit more light about myself and my state of life right now. Happy reading.)

"Where’d that come from?" you might ask. Well, it came to me after my second helping of (500) Days of Summer which I just watched with my sister, who saw it for the first time and came to the same startling conclusion I did when I saw it the first time... “I’m a Summer.”

I’m a proud Summer. In fact, I'm mostly happy to be one. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked, why don’t you have a boyfriend, and I keep repeating my standard, but true answer of "because I don’t want one."

It’s actually a half-truth. I also don’t have one because I’m not being courted by anyone. And I haven’t been courted for quite some time already. Yeah, yeah, the days of courtship are over. Call me old fashioned but I still believe in it. I haven’t added a guy friend to my current pool in years. I think it’s because I’m also not one of the friendliest people on Earth… Pilipinas Hospitality apparently doesn’t apply to me… but yeah, that’s another entry for another day.

So going back however, proud Summer. Happy to be free, always keeping the icky luuuv stuff away with outstretched arms held up to a halt, not really into the “risky business” of emotionally investing.

But after my 2^nd helping of the movie, I realized there are aspects of Tom that I also can relate to. Such as the reading too much between the lines and finding a sign in every move. Okay granted, I try my best not to do these, but there have been times when I just couldn’t help myself.

Like, when someone suddenly YMs out of the blue. Or when someone is the very first person to congratulate you for something that makes you wonder, "How'd he even know about that?" Or when he comes to an event you’re attending, too but decides not to sit with you (Gaaah! What do you make of that!). Of course no one knows these insane little thought balloons, none of my friends know… because I think I’d never get the courage to finally admit I think I could’ve found the one.

What makes me a Summer… I’m not doing anything about it. I’m afraid my one (if at least one for the right now stage of my life) has left the building and moved on. I compensate by acting that way, too. The ship has sailed… another line I’ve said one too many times.

Maybe someday, I’ll find another one who’ll be able to pry my Tom-ness out of its closet. Because as of right now, I just think its safer for my Tom to stay in there and let my jaded Summer face roam free.

That doesn’t mean I don’t look forward to the day. Someday. I won’t be a closet Tom, and hopefully like Summer in the movie, that’ll be the day I fall in love.

ABvertising

I pass this billboard of JAG near Nagtahan, northbound on Lacson, daily on my way home.

It's the one with Robin Padilla, halfbody, good as naked with his shirt undone, 6-pack exposed in all its glory, leaning back on a car I think. Can you say distracted? Thank God, I'm not the one driving.

But seriously, after you've seen it in on a daily basis, you get to study what the ad is all about. It's for JAG's weather beaten jeans. Go ahead, take a 2nd, 3rd and 4th look at it... there's barely any demin to be found on. Heck, hardly any sort of textile is in the picture. Its all Robin and his 6-pack abs.

This brings up the question, does ab-vertising work? I wonder how sales of JAG for this particular item is doing. Or maybe their goal wasn't to sell just this SKU but the whole JAG brand in general.

However, I am reminded of this one ab-vertisement that's forever carved in my brain.Zac Efron on Rolling Stone. (*wipe laway away, ladies*) Although I wasn't able to get a copy of this issue, I would've loved one just for the sake of staring into those baby blues and that delicious cut! Ok, so fine, Rolling Stone always has scantily dressed celebrities in the mag, but I think Zac Efron doing the cover ushered in a new generation of giddy girls like me to be part of the Rolling Stone potential market.

I think ab-vertising works in terms of imagery and brand building because sex sells. Not exactly sure how it translates to actual sales but maybe a JAG or Rolling Stone marketer will stumble unto my site and give us enlightenment.

So 'til then, let's have fun drooling.

Apples to Oranges is Erroneous

On the way home yesterday, this blacklight challenge of an anti-dandruff shampoo went on-(radio)-air. (Inasmuchas I'd have loved to have a link of the commercial, I could not find it online.)

It went on saying how their brand has bested other products in the blacklight challenge and how great (blah blah blah) their stuff is. Then at the end, the VO goes something like this: "Results from testing C**** Anti-dandruff shampoo versus other non-antidandruff shampoo products."

(insert A-NYE-NYE! here.)

Okay... so if this were a TVC, that final VO would've been a fine print at the very, very, very bottom of the screen, right? But it was a radio commercial. The VO of the "fine print" was just as loud as the claims of the entire ad, and ergo made the whole thing erroneous.

People, this is why the masses think we're liars! We don't tell them the exact truth, we give a semblance of it and hope to God no one notices the fine print. But they do! Consumers are smart nowadays. If you're seriously claiming to be the best anti-dandruff shampoo in the market, then release the results with your direct competitor. Don't be saying, "Oh, these results are versus products of similar use, but not necessarily of same niché." Don't think you're market is dumb!

Lying to your market may have been the cool thing to do two or three years ago, but the masses have evolved and so should you. Be the storyteller now. If your brand failed the scientific blacklight study versus directly competing brands, then go for another angle. Say you're the best smelling, the long-lasting, the non-drying, WHATEVER! It doesn't make you less of an anti-dandruff shampoo.

Needless to say, I'm not buying that particular brand should I ever need to use an anti-dandruff shampoo. I'll go for their competitor, with the idea that it probably bested this brand in the C**** Blacklight Challenge.

This li'l blog o' mine... should I let it shine?

I am a new fan of Chris Guillebeau, writer and global entrepreneur of the genius mindset "The Art Of Non-Conformity." He has this excellent entry in his website that led me here.

Havi Brooks is yet another successful blogger, with a story very similar to Chris': she is self-made and heavily reliant on technology to spread her gospel on anything under the sun. She's into destuckness.

The particular entry linked above talks about how social networking is an intergral part of getting ideas, outputs and possibly profits. She points out, as a brain in the world wide web, you have to be able to make sure your word gets communicated across the board and that you're consistent about it. And that you have to make use of every available resource, while they're still FREE.

It made me wonder if I'm ready to go truly public with this lil blog o'mine.

I made this blog to get inane thoughts and ideas out into the crazy world. It's my outlet. I mean, I'd rather the crazy thoughts be out there than just bugging me all day in my head. I think if I didn't start this blog, my parents would've been forced to institutionalize me loooooooong ago.

But, I also made this blog so I'd be public about my persona. I wanted it to be my searchable self. That if a potential new employer/client/customer/boy wanted to stalk me, they'd end up here and know a bit of myself before even actually talking to me.

But I'm scared! I don't know if what I have to say is important enough. Let me tell you, right here, right now, it never is. I'm just a tiny wee-brain with too much gas.

So, the question goes back. To shine or not to shine. That is the question. If you found this entry thru a link on FB, it means I chose to shine. Hope you like the other entries you find here. :-)

Action/Reaction

When a butterfly flutters it's wings in California, a cyclone is formed in Japan.

When a foster mom abuses a child she only opted to care for to get welfare checks in the mail, a serial killer is set loose on the world the moment the child turns 18.

When someone inadvertedly leaves a lit cig on the ground strewn with dried leaves and twigs, a fire could ensue in minutes.

When a boy, out of the blue, tells a girl he loves her, magic could happen and the world is less two lonely people.

Newton's law is only accurate in motion. Reactions are not always equal or opposite. They're not always immediate, and not necessarily affecting the 1st actor.

Always think about it, people. Everything we do has consequences, whether we get to face them or not. Are you ready for the prospect of anything?

ARGH!

What's the point of having office-based outlook if it keeps f-ing up on you!?!?!?!

This is why I rely on gmail. Google is KING!

MS, you can SUCK IT!

Bad communication leads to frustration

I got caught between my mom and dad in a mini-argument yesterday. My dad was driving and he wanted to clarify something from my mom, so I had to talk to Mama on the phone while he drove and be their go-between. In hindsight, I guess I could've used the handsfree option of the mobile phone I was using but I didn't, therefore I ended up trying to communicate what the both of them had to say to each other at the same time.

Confusing? Imagine how I felt!

I couldn't help but get angry as well. I couldn't understand why my dad couldn't have just waited for my mom's reply to his text message to get the answer he was looking for, and at the same time I couldn't understand why my mom had to be so vague with her first reply, causing Papa to question her.

I've always been a firm believer of the two-steps-ahead principle. When informing someone a certain details, I believe it's always best to give as much information as possible. So instead of a situation going like this:

Mama's text: Call the driver to tell him to wait for Dad.
My text: Ok, why?
Mama's text: Because I asked him to come here.
My text: Ah okay? To pick you up?
Mama's text: No.
My text: Then why did you ask the driver to go there?
Mama's text: To bring home the car I brought to Arlington.

It could have been a simple straight forward message, like this:

"Call the driver to tell him to wait for Dad. Because I told him to come here and bring home the car I brought to Arlington so that we'll only have one car out of the house."

See! Simple. Everything needed to be known by the parties involved in one text message. I really don't get why some people like to give information in such piecemeal fashions, when the world would be so much simpler is everything was just laid out on the table.

Then on to my dad. Impatience personified.

Dad: What did Mom say?
Me: To call the driver because she asked him to go there. (So I call the driver and tell him to wait.)
Dad: Why did she want the driver there?
Me: I don't know yet, she hasn't responded to my message.
Dad: Call her. I want to know now.
Me: I texted her already, we can wait.
Dad: No, call her. She might not have heard your last message.

Note, my last message to Mama then was sent out not two seconds previously. He just could not wait! Can you say, headache?

So that's how I ended up calling my mom and her answering my query about the driver in this high-pitched "I'm-getting-angry" voice. To which I couldn't help but counter with my own high-pitched angry voice.

These are two things I see in their relationship that I hope to God I never adopt. Vagueness and impatience. Okay, so we may be a bit to late on impatience. I think it runs in the blood. But vagueness, that's something I think I can still work on.

This is communication at its finest, for me. Clear. Concise. Undemanded. And direct between the two parties involved. When a relationship's communication is honed and perfected, all would be merry. It's such an easy thing to do, not at all difficult to practice yet so many people fall into the trap of miscommunciation.

Fears

I believe acknowledging one's fears is the first step to fight them off.

I am afraid of...

...the dark. Some find it comforting. I find me uneasy in it. Maybe it's because of the books I read. I've been brainwashed to eternally believe in the boogey man. I think I read the Witching Hour too young.

...heights. I remember this one time in Subic, my dad and his friends were fishing out on the edge of this pier, which to get to, I had to cross a concrete footbridge with a hole in the middle. It was roughly a 10-foot drop. Yes, drop. I stood frozen on the safe end until my dad put down his rod to get me. A fish took his hook and bait as he helped me across.

...tight spaces. Elevators with too many people in them. Crowded rooms that you can barely move thru. Other people invading my personal space. I honestly think that people who don't know each other should respect a 3-feet radius.

...being alone. Not alone, by myself. I'm actually fine like that. My me-time is my time with a good book, or my time to run, or my time to just think. I am afraid of my friends leaving me, of my family... I can't even say it. My parents are not allowed to die before me. Selfish, yes. So, sue me.

...everything reptilian and amphibic. Deathly afraid. I can't even type out the words! I'm too grossed out! This is my greatest fear, EVER! And it's totally senseless how I got it. I was an idiotic kid with too much time and clay in her hands. I ended up forming a creepy cold-blooded crawly with this grey clay, and then threw it to my unsuspecting yaya. She freaked! So freaked that it freaked me out, too. Been scared of them since then. I failed 3rd quarter Bio in high school because of this fear.

So what's the point of this exercise? I thought I'd be fighting my fears in the end but after writing all that... I'm left with is the affirmation that I am afraid of these. Okay, so I could be willing to work on fears 1, 2, 3 and 4... but 5... I'd rather be afraid than even attempt to overcome it.

P.S. I forgot to mention needles and blood extraction. Friends who'll ever need blood won't get any from me.

As we wait in joyful hope

One time, a priest's homily focused on a single yet powerful line in the body of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

"As we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ."

(then we reply, "For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.")

This stuck with me. It's been more than two weeks since that sermon but I still go back to it every now and then.

There's something about waiting that never appealed to me before. I hate the idea of waiting, and of making other people wait for me, ergo I'm either the person who is always on time (or earlier) or the one always spot-on-the-money on where I am and how soon I'd be at my destination.

But these simple words, wait in joyful hope, tells me there are things worth waiting for: Salvation, love, happiness, gratitude, release.

Admittedly, I'm not the most patient person in the world but there are two things in my life right now that I think are worth the wait. One is work, and the other is the possibility of not being alone. It must be noted, however, that my waiting is not an idiotic let's-sit-and-see game. I'm taking control in my own way but at the same time, patiently awaiting what unfolds next.

I've never been like this before. True that I could be waiting for nothing here, but it's a risk I am openly willing to take. Whatever comes of these two things will be what they are and I gladly anticipate the result of whatsoever may come out of it. No regrets.

Here's to things worth waiting in joyful hope for. May you have yours soon enough.

Ang sayang tumakbo (Running is F-U-N!)

I rarely get passionate about anything. I consider few things to be among my real loves (family, friends, dogs, desserts, books & recently board games) and none have ever involved any type of sport. The closest thing I had to love of sport was tossing a frisbee on the beach.

But then, my friends got me into running. I started out as their resident cheerer, then eventually I found myself running alongside them. And I don't know what about running gets me high, (according to my best friend, its the endorphins) but I just love it.

There's just something about running with my favorite playlist in my ears, by my solitary self, just letting random thoughts fly by me and not caring what I look like to other people. Its, I guess, a sense of oneness and peace that overcomes me when I run. I run for the heck of it at home, when I want to get rid of an impulse. I run to get away from the world and at the same time to indulge in it.

I'm running my first 10k race on 10.10.10, for a cause I know is worth fighting for. My rate right now is 10 mins per km and I know I have to up my performance to clock in a good time for the race. Me and my friends have named my NB running shoes and it's gonna be the first race of Lula. Looking forward to hitting the pavement to train!

I never thought this day would come, but running... I love you.

Y@H - this could be the start of something amazing.

Inspiration struck like lightning today and I love my renewed energy because of it.

I'm in love. With books, board games and business. And I think it's possible to marry all those into one cohesive, profitable and FUN start-up!

I want to set-up Y@H (pronounced as Yah.), short for Young @ Heart. The place where professionals can act like the kids they really are. Filled with graphic novels, fantasy books, fiction, non-fiction, business, in-pursuit-of-life books, anything under the sun that gets rave reviews! Filled with cranium, taboo, trivial pursuit, toss across, architecto, scrabble, etc etc etc!

Hold your business meeting there and play a round of battle ship as a breather! Get to interact with the great staff, who may even be better at the games than you. Eat classic chips & dips as you play your fave board game, or as you read Neil Gaiman's latest release, or just as you surf the net.

THIS IS IT! This is my (for-now) passion! I think I've nailed it! ACTUALIZATION NEXT!

Excellent Video!

Perfectly illustrates what not to do when making presentations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORxFwBR4smE

Now here's good marketing.

I've been regularly getting emails from Salt & Light Ventures since I attended their Al Ries talk back in '06 but this is the first time they actaully piqued my interest.

I got this email today and I instantly click on the link to sign up. What made me decide I want to join this seminar?

1. It's spearheaded by Nokia. Nokia is one of the leading (if not the leading) brands in the telecomm industry today. Their continuous development of new technologies fit for the untechy-savvy person, such as me, has kept me a loyal Nokia user since my college days. I have never even thought about switching to another brand, even when Apple released the iPhone.

2. The way their material is designed exudes exclusivity, something that appeals to someone like me very much. The dark hues and the minimal use of the Nokia logo doesn't scream tacky. It's simple, straight forward and attractive. If this design were a guy, he'd be someone I'd fall for. Oooh, plus the fact that it's limited to only 40 participants. I want to be part of the 40!

3. IT'S SIGN UP FOR FREE! Anything FREE always, always, always has my vote. So, fine, they'll most likely sell you stuff when you get to the actual event but at least you know that's likely to be part of the deal you signed up for. This is not only a chance to listen to a speaker talk about Creativity and Effective Leadership, it's not only a chance to broaden my network, but it's also an opportunity for me to learn more about myself more, even in just the simple act of signing up.

Too bad the link doesn't work properly... yet. I was a bit irked at first but then again, it doesn't mean I won't be checking the website every 3 seconds to ensure I get my slot. This for me is good marketing. Good job, Salt & Light and Nokia guys. :)

(to sign-up, visit www.nokia.com.ph/peptalks)

Interruptive marketing doesn't work

I've been bugged by the WWF agents in the Ayala underpass often enough! High time you kids learned your lesson and got thru your head that what you're going isn't helping anyone.

I'm all for the cause of WWF, and I get the need to involve the regular Juan in their efforts to conserve our precious environment but interrupting the lives of people on their way home from a long day of work is NOT the way to do it. Interruptive Marketing never works. No one likes being stopped in the middle of a brisk walk by a total stranger. No one likes it when a sales agent suddenly gets in your face, with that stretched and worn-out smile. Heck, no one likes receiving spam. And you are SPAM PERSONIFIED!

I bet you guys close ZERO sales in your half-day stint in the underpass. Its because no one likes what you're doing! And I bet, you don't like it either.

There are better ways to get people to "buy-in" your cause. Sponsor a race, get runners or bikers to sign-up to save the environment, say the proceeds will go to the WWF fund, then SET-UP your booth there! That way, you've already narrowed your market to the people who actually signed up for the interruption.

Never ever be the irritating fly on the wall. Not when you've got such a great cause behind you.

Delivering Happiness Entry #2

I finished the book yesterday. As excited I was to get to the end of it, I also didn't want it to end. One, it had become a refuge. It created a place for me to escape from my daily boring routine, to dive into the inner workings of a clear and preset genius in the very much alive body of Tony Hsieh. Two, finishing the book scared me. It meant I'm done with my first step of learning, now comes the greater task of making something out of it.

The final two chapters of Delivering Happiness focused on long-term happiness and harnessing it. Tony pointed three types, two of which were discussed at length as he told his story, PROFIT & PASSION. He feels they've achieved both fairly well in Zappos. Profit was $1B in 2008, two years before their projected 2010 target. Passion was customer service excellence, and believing that "customer" wasn't limited to those who paid cash to help them achieve $1B, but literally everyone.

Now, he's on the path of fulfilling their 3rd degree of happiness. PURPOSE. Tony and his team believe they work not just because they have a responsibility to their investors and board of directors. They work because they're trying to be the forever-guinea-pig role model of great business and great living. They work because their work helps change lives for the better. His only wish is they started doing it sooner.

I don't believe a person necessarily has to achieve profits first before getting to passion then purpose. Maybe it can all happen simultaneously, or maybe even profit can wait.

So the question is... what is MY passion... and to what purpose do I want to work towards. Inasmuch as I'm afraid to admit that I have absolutely no clue... I realize my cluelessness is just a for-now concern. Nothing happens overnight. Zappos' success was all through a 10 year process, and it's still going. I guess it's okay for me to be a bit scared now... I know this will someday turn to confidence and bravery once I've secure my footing and started working towards my happiness.

nerdie birdie + frugality = three new books for me! :)

I am the eternal opportunist. I try my best to take advantage of every situation that I know will not have any (overwhelming) negative effect on me but at the same time gives me my best possible results. ;)

For a few months now I've been growing my e-book library. I discovered that I can almost find any book I fall interest in thru the wonders of the world wide web when The Lost Symbol's hype died down and the fear of losing my job (late last year) cropped up. Instead of stressing about my job insecurity, I centered my daily life on finding a free copy of Dan Brown's latest release online... Lo and behold, after a few searches and life-risking link clicks, I found one! I read it in a week and went to Doc Gino, my eye doctor the weekend after. (No, the e-book reading did not affect my eyesight... so much...)

After that, I've been on a rampage! I found me a copy of Warbreaker, a novel by my latest favorist fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson. And I also got a copy of Perdido Street Station by China Míeville (yet another fantasy novelist)! Then one of my best finds yet happened. A two-for-one link: World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide, both by Max Brooks.

I love my ebook finds, but reading off the monitor gives me a headache. So today I decided to use the office printer to make myself books. (*BOW*)

The mix of my new print outs are funny, though, from an outsider's point of view. Book 1 is World War Z, of which I've read halfway on my PC. Book 2 is Good to Great by Jim Collins, a book mentioned a lot by Tony Hsieh in his Delivering Happiness. And Book 3 is Screw It, Let's Do It! by Richard Branson, my idol. His island will be the blueprint of mine someday.

Reading has always been a part of my reality, (my first ever "big" novels were Jurrasic Park and Interview With A Vampire in Grade 5) and I'm just so happy that with the beauty of the internet, this wealth of information is literally on the tips of my fingers. Plus with the technology of the printer/photocopier, I can actually turn this softcopy wealth into something hardbound (courtesy of UP Diliman book binders).

I was able to add three amazing titles to my ever growing collection without denting my wallet! Today is a happy day.

I want to be Indispensible.

Seth Godin believes that every person has the ability and opportunity to be a linchpin. According to wikipedia, a linchpin is a fastener used to prevent a wheel or other rotating part from sliding off the axle it is riding on. According to Seth, a linchpin the person who is absolutely indispensible to a business. That doesn't mean simply delivering the most sales for the quarter. It doesn't mean submitting the weekly report the earliest. Not coming in early and leaving the office late. Not mundane, not routinary, not just doing the things anyone else can do.

To be a linchpin in a society, an individual must be able to deliver these:

1. Provide a unique interface between members of the organization.

2. Deliver unique creativity.

3. Manage a situation or organization of great complexity.

4. Lead customers.

5. Inspire staff.

6. Provide deep domain knowledge.

7. And possess a unique talent.

(http://howto.performancesocialmedia.com/additional/7-abilities-of-the-linchpin/)

To be a linchpin, you must deliver results that you, and only you, can churn out. No one else.

My problem is... I don't exactly know how to be a linchpin, and I'm not entirely sure if I even want to be one here. I am currently a farmer, a factory worker in the company I'm a part of and it kills me that I've been reduced to a "Yes, Maam!" employee. I used to be able to dictate how a certain personal care product gets displayed on-shelf. I used to conceptualize and implement radical below-the-line activities that moved a brand closer to the hearts of our niché, meet people with wide networks and great powers of influence.

It's so sad that I'm now looking back on my past because I'm stuck in this present, and seemingly unable to move into the future. But I've decided now, I want to be a linchpin. It may not be in this office, heck it may not even be related to work at all, but I want to be indispensible. I must be able to find my way thru the muck of today, search my inner being to pinpoint what exactly I'm good at, how I can be great at it, and turn myself invincible.

Step one is realization. (check!)

Step two is actualization. (in process.)

Step three would be to keep on going. Wish me luck.