Almost 6 years since I graduated college, I am now on a journey that leads me back to my Alma Mater.

Last 2012, I graduated at University of the Philippines Cebu with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. And now, I am on my way to pursue a Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) and the Bridging Courses that I am currently taking is just the start of a lot of new things to come.

THE PAST.

Way back in college, I was never really into my studies. My goals and past times were also very much different. I live and study just so as I can get the cut off grades for my scholarship; and as long as I can pass my subjects, I'm good. The Honor Roll was not really my goal. I can still remember the times right after classes that were spent inside internet cafes. I remember the times, the long days and 3-day straight playing nothing but computer games. I remembered those times when I was in a very tight budget, just so I can have some money for playing. Yeah, I was a computer addict. Been there, done that. It has been a joyride.

Source: PixaBay

THE PRESENT.

Now? Everything was different. A lot of things has changed, for the better. I now have a career as a Development Engineer in one of the largest Filipino owned IT Company in the country. I have a family of my own, and a 6 week old daughter. The carefree life was now a thing of the past, and I have slowly embraced the life of a family man. As a breadwinner, a husband, and a father, I need a lot of growing up to do. It takes work and conscious effort, but slowly, I hope I am closer to my goals than yesterday.

Source: PixaBay

REALIZATIONS.

Looking back, I realized how many hours I have wasted. I could have make good use of those times on something much more productive. I could have upgraded my skill set and learned a lot of things. I understand that we all undergo phases, but I hope that we will not get stuck on those very unproductive phases. The sooner we can snap out of them, the better off are we.

Don't sacrifice your life goals for what you want in the moment. Don't waste your life on fleeting and momentarily happiness when you can have much more. Much more than we can ever dream of. So let's start working on those dreams and fight to make those a reality, it will all be worth it in the end.

Past is past. I can no longer redeem the time that I have lost, but I do have a choice. A choice to do better in the days to come. A choice to excel, a choice to lead, a choice to become a learner, a choice to be happy. Everyday we make thousands of choices, and I hope we also make a decision on things that are of great value to our lives.

Source: PixaBay

REFLECTIONS.

“The law of the harvest governs; we will always reap what we sow—no more, no less.” – Stephen Covey

This is a simple quote that I hope I will be able to apply in my life. The idea is that, you reap what you sow - no more, no less. This concept is applicable to pretty much everything and anything that we do in life. Whether for personal growth and development, at work, and even in the community. In whatever we do, we need to give our best effort, and learn to pursue excellence, after all we will just be reaping the things that we sow.

You Reap What You Sow

by Alberto Casing

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

BUT

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

THE CHALLENGE.

I want to live.
I want to lead a productive life.
I want to make an impact.
I want to excel in my career.
I want to become better.
I want to focus more on things that are of great value to me, my family and to the community.

In every aspect and area of my life, I want to become better at it. It will take a lot of work, but I will commit myself to be better. Many trials will come, but I hope the lessons and drive that I have will be more than enough to get me past through it with ease. I hope that my past and future experiences will help mold me into the kind of person that I wanted to be. And I do hope that the life that I live will encourage and motivate everyone to pursue excellence.

At this point, one of my major goals is to finish my MBA. The next three years will be very challenging, as I will be juggling my time for my family, work and my studies. In order for this to work, I need to make a lot of adjustments. Time management will be the key. I just hope that I will be able to maximize the limited time that I have to pursue my studies without sacrificing the time for family and work. It will take patience, a lot of determination and hardwork.

Just like the image below, I am a work in progress.

“Through steady, accumulated effort, one achieves sudden breakthroughs.”