What did I regret after landing my first job?
Why should you not let one thing define your whole personality?
The year was 2019. It was the best year of my life yet. I was able to graduate on time and with flying colors in the premier university in my country, the Philippines. After a month, I was able to land a job that never in my wildest dreams would have come true. Back then, it excited me and also scared me that almost everything was going well on my side.
As a naive fresh graduate back then, I devoted 24/7 of my life to my work. I unintentionally skipped friends’ celebrations. I missed my family members’ birthdays. I was not able to go home during weekends and holidays. I lacked sleep. I lost weight. In short, I failed in balancing my personal life and work. I forgot to take care of myself.
It was probably one of the mistakes I’ve done after landing my first ever job. I let my work define me. I let it consume the time that should have been allotted for my personal life, passion projects, and advocacies.
For someone like me who craves bonding time with family and friends, I needed to start changing things. I must go against the flow and change my path. I need to start recalibrating things.
After finishing my contract back in 2020, I returned to doing the things I love. I reignited my passion for doing calligraphy. I started watching KDramas and TV series again. I explore new things, actually, a lot of things! I volunteered online. I taught online. I raised funds for a cause online. I connected with people from different parts of the world.
After all that I’ve been through for the past months, I realized that we should not let one thing define who we are. Let’s be more open to doing more of the things that we love and care about. We are more than our 9–5 job. We are made for greater things. ♥️
