The past months were a gift of time to reflect on what I wanted in life. Having lived 63% of the average life expectancy of a Filipino, I asked myself if I am living life as I wanted it to be. Part of me says yes. And part of me says I need to improve on it to make my remaining years worthwhile.

Last year I lost the job that I thought will lead me to my retirement. I am glad it happened because I realized that is not the job that I wanted. It was a job that I needed for monetary reasons but it is not a career where I can grow as a person. I was not in an environment that is not aligned with my values and principles. I was miserable but I denied it because I needed the job. And I feel responsible for the people that I am leading. 

There are times in our lives that we refute the red flags to give us comfort. Or because we have high hopes that things will change. Well, the sad part is most of our expectations will frustrate us. I moved on and I regained myself in the process.

In the last 5 months, I realized these 10 lessons in life:

1.   Never trust a person who tells you that you should not trust anybody.

2.   Some people will only support you until they have personal gain from it.

3.   Avoid people described in numbers 1 and 2.

4.  People who trust and respect you will remain in whatever circumstances you are in. They are your few but real gems in life.

5.   Keep people who are always with you through thick and thin. Support them in the best that you can. You are each other’s support system.

6.   Listen to yourself. Observe what makes you truly happy.

7.   Your dreams should not be a deterrent to living your life meaningfully.

8.   You have your own race. Work on it. Make the opinion of others only an opinion. Do not live for other people’s satisfaction or affirmation of their beliefs.

9.   Your love of family will be your greatest driving force.

10. Be intentional in making a positive impact in this world. Yet do not expect that others will follow, be thankful, or acknowledge it. But never stop moving forward.

Thank God I was given time to reset and do what makes me happy. I reconnected with friends. I met new people who share the same passion and beliefs. I was connected to networks that will support my aspirations. I learned a new way of doing things to meet my goals. I have time and reflection with my family.  I always knew what I wanted in life since I was young but I let the circumstances pushed me away from it. In my little way, I am doing what I wanted to do. And continuously thinking of ways to improve it. It was a good restart. 

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