Most people that I know live a routinary life. Some others follow the same format but adds up a little flair into it. For me, there is nothing wrong with it. As long as you are contented with what your life is, there wouldn’t be a problem.
I can honestly say that I am once like these kinds of people, but change is inevitable. And this is a portion of my story.
The Responsibility to take actions for Change
Most of the employees we might know spend more time at work rather than staying at home. I had this experience before because of clientele bulk up. I usually exceed my working hours just to finish everything, and that happens almost everyday. It felt very toxic that I couldn’t properly function when I get home, thinking of the deadlines I need to meet on the next day.
It’s unavoidable especially if you really love what you are doing (unless you just stop and quit the job). But as we all know we work to sustain living, not living to work. This caught my attention especially when I became one of the Supervisors of a department. I felt the need to take actions and do some changes.
Catching deadlines had become a daily staple for my team and with a shortage of employees, work became harder. I cannot do anything about how the system works, or if I could, it would take a lot of time to implement. So I thought, maybe improving the work area would at least help my teammates relieve the stress. I decided to change a little by adding up some of the following things:
- We decided to change the colors of the walls
- Installed a huge cork-board in one sides of the wall for them to decorate with
- Installed a ring for basket playtime
- Added small details like dim lights, scents and even putted plants in the corner (Some of my team members even brought a dog ones to roam around the office)
- Bought a speaker to play relaxing music
- Added a small dining area we sometimes converted into a meeting place
Years passed by and the department I was supervising eventually expanded. Eventually I felt the need to let go and change my routine. I may have left things in the past but I still believe that there will be things that will remain the same.
American author Napoleon Hill once said “You are the master of your Destiny, you can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.”
Some things stay the same
After leaving, I decided to focus on to something that I also love – travelling. My chosen path has brought me to places, and up until now, the ground I’m covering is still expanding. I’ve tried different things already and learned a lot in life. But still, with this new foresight, I still manage to maintain other things that I love in life. I guess I call this an upgrade instead of a major overhaul.
While I’m passionately doing what I love, I still manage to do what I need to do, which is my job. It was a choice I made. Each of us has full control of our life depending on our liking. Whether we want to work or play, to skip breakfast or eat brunch, to sleep more or just lay down, every individual gets to decide on how we live our life.
I may not be the same person years ago but I can say I am the same person you once knew (weird line). What I mean is, what I have become is a result of who I was. It is just like this;
I am still the person you would see commuting, the guy who adores animals, or the kid who will always dip his pandesal in his morning coffee. I still remember how my mom buys a pack of Gardenia Pandesal for breakfast, and even reserves a few to make it my baon to school. She always tells me that the Gardenia Pandesal is enriched with Vitamins A, B1, B2, Calcium, and Folate. Which, I actually didn’t fully understand back when I was a kid, although, I think I am still guilty of having that kind of moment nowadays. Eventually, my liking was expanded on not just pandesal but with loaf, specifically Gardenia High Fiber Wheat Raisin Loaf. This was when I decided to be concerned with my health.
(P.S. I love how the sweet and juicy California raisins are embedded in the soft and moist Gardenia Wheat Bread. Did you know that one slice of it is already equivalent to 29% of our daily dietary fiber needs? That is why I always keep a pack of that at home.)
On my weekly grocery list, you will always find my favorite noodles, candies and canned goods (that I mostly convert into spread for the Gardenia Classic White bread). Back when I was a kid, I always enjoyed white breads, with a combination of margarine and sugar to use as spread. I loved experimenting back then, trying to create my very own sandwich recipe by using different ingredients for filling, may it be marshmallows, chocolate marbles, to even that gooey tira-tira or any sugary items kids love. Now, the Gardenia Classic White bread will remain a staple at home, along with my usual peanut butter and jam.
The bread section also always attracts me too. I will always end up getting an Amazing Black Forest Loaf from Gardenia. I actually consider this as a reward, most especially if I finish a task for a day or two.
(Take note: The Amazing Black Forest loaf from Gardenia have these luscious cherry bits embraced in generous dark chocolate swirls on soft and moist Gardenia bread. It’s amazingly indulgent!)
I guess life is like bread. There is a different bread for a different purpose. Taking it all in will sum up to who you would become. You get the liberty of choosing either white or wheat. Spice up your habits by having Gardenia Black forest Loaf or Pandesal with stuffing. It’s like putting more flavor into your life.
