Personally Pehpot Archive

If it's about me, it's in here.

Reminder To Self: Work Ethics Always and Forever

Something that I have to remind myself all the time.. a work ethic that I must, always and forever, live up to.. if you enter an agreement, however unfair it was for you, basta pinasok mo, dapat tapusin mo and do your very very best to fulfill that agreement 100%.

Lagi na lang eh.. I would say YES to something though my instincts tell me NO. Alam mo nang lugi but because you are a people person, you still say yes. Sometimes it’s because you don’t want to disappoint people, sometimes it’s because you think kaya naman, and sometimes it’s simply because you have this habit of saying yes first before actually thinking about what you are saying yes to. And then in the middle of the job, tsaka mo mararamdaman ang burnout, yung feeling na hindi worth it ng time mo lahat ng nangyayari at mga susunod pang mangyayari. You start questioning why you agreed to it in the first place, why you accepted such a low rate, and why you keep putting yourself in situations like this. Eh kasi nga, you said YES! And now you have to deal with it.

But no!!! PEHPOT! No! If there is a task, a job, a campaign, basta you said yes to it, you have to give your 100%. Hindi pwedeng halfway through the project, bigla kang mawawalan ng gana just because you realized na lugi ka pala. Hindi rin pwedeng babawasan mo ang quality of your work just because you feel that the compensation is not enough. You agreed to the terms, you accepted the deliverables, and whether you like it or not, you made a commitment. And that commitment should mean something. Your work ethics should not change depending on how much you are getting paid. Of course, the amount should determine the scope of work, but once the scope has been agreed upon, you have to deliver what you promised. Hindi naman kasalanan ng client na hindi ka marunong mag-NO. SAKLAP!

And this is something I really need to work on. Because I noticed that when I feel undervalued, I tend to lose my enthusiasm for the project. I start thinking about all the other things I could have done with my time, all the opportunities I might be missing, and all the effort that I am putting into something that is not giving me enough in return. And the more I think about it, the more frustrated I become. The funny thing is, wala namang nagbago sa agreement. The deliverables are still the same, the payment is still the same, and the expectations are still the same. Ang nagbago lang, yung feelings ko about the agreement. And that is something I have to manage.

So how do I make situations like this more smooth sailing? Because knowing myself, this probably won’t be the last time I will find myself in this kind of situation. Hopefully, mabawasan naman. HAHAHA!

5 Steps To Make Situations Like This More Smooth Sailing

1. Acceptance. You said yes, so accept it. Stop thinking about how unfair the agreement is and focus on what needs to be done. Tapos na ang usapan, trabaho na tayo.

2. Do not take it personally. Ah kaya mura ang offer kasi mababa na ang tingin sa akin? STOP! DO NOT OVERTHINK! Not every low offer is a reflection of your worth. Sometimes, yun lang talaga ang budget nila.

3. Plan how to execute it in the least amount of time possible. Work smarter, not harder. Plan your deliverables and find the most efficient way to finish everything without sacrificing quality.

4. EXECUTE RIGHT AWAY. Stop procrastinating just because you’re no longer excited about the project. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Gawin mo na para matapos na!

5. Learn from your mistake and learn to say NO. Remember how you felt and make sure you don’t put yourself in the same situation again. Hopefully, lesson learned na talaga this time.

The Importance of Learning To Say NO

I really need to learn how to say NO without feeling guilty about it. Hindi naman lahat ng opportunity kailangan tanggapin, and saying NO does not mean I am being ungrateful or difficult to work with. Sometimes it simply means I value my time and I know my limitations. I cannot keep saying YES just because ayaw kong maka-disappoint or because nanghihinayang ako sa opportunity. And honestly, saying NO before entering an agreement is so much better than saying YES and regretting it halfway through. Hindi naman masamang tumulong or magbigay ng consideration, but I have to remember that being considerate of others should not mean always putting myself last.

The PEHPOT 4-Way Test Before Saying YES

Inspired by the Rotary Club’s Four-Way Test, here’s my own version that I should probably memorize before accepting another project or collaboration.

1. IS THE COMPENSATION FAIR? If not, may mapapala ba ako in other ways? A good relationship, a brand I’ve always wanted to work with, or an opportunity that might be worth more in the long run?

2. IS IT SOMETHING THAT FITS MY COMMUNITY? Is this something my readers and followers will actually find useful or interesting? Bagay ba talaga sa content ko or pinipilit ko lang because there’s an offer?

3. WHAT’S MY PAST EXPERIENCE WITH THIS CLIENT OR BRAND? Have we worked together before? Maayos ba silang kausap, reasonable ang demands, and okay ang overall experience? Or is this another situation na alam ko nang stressful pero papasukin ko pa rin?

4. IS IT WORTH MY TIME AND EFFORT? Considering the deliverables, deadlines, and my current workload, kaya ko ba itong gawin without sacrificing my other priorities?

Simple lang naman, di ba? If most of the answers are NO, then maybe I should stop convincing myself to say YES. Ang problema kasi, sometimes I already know the answer, ayaw ko lang sundin. HAHAHA!

A Reminder To Myself

PEHPOT, please lang.. THINK BEFORE YOU SAY YES! Hindi lahat ng offer kailangan tanggapin, and hindi lahat ng opportunity worth your time. Learn to say NO when something doesn’t feel right, but once you say YES, panindigan mo. Give your 100%, deliver what you promised, and stop complaining about an agreement you willingly entered into. You can be kind and accommodating without always saying YES to everyone. And hopefully, the next time your instincts tell you NO, makinig ka naman. Kasi ilang beses na ba natin ito pinagdaanan? HAHAHA!

From Almost Crying to Planning Again

Just when I was feeling so beaten, broken, and about to cry, things fell into place. Not magically into their right positions but things just became clearer. Decisions made seemed better and brighter. And now from being broken, beaten, and sad, I am excited, light, and so ready to plan again.

So what really happened? I am telling everything not to dwell on it but more to remind myself that this happened and I was able to rise from it.

We have a family getaway coming soon, one that I am the mastermind of, in planning and in financing. So that part was a bit difficult to overcome but I did it. Imagine planning and trying to book a hotel for 18 adults and 3 kids.. and paying. To say I am so stressed is an understatement! I can’t explain how I felt but it was not pretty. I was down, felt like this was too much for my budget.. too much for me to shoulder all the financial burden. But there is nothing I can do, I am the only one who can 🙁

How I was able to pull myself out of that well was really amazing.. I remembered a time when my kids were really young. If I am not mistaken, I already had four kids then but they were still young so bed sharing was always an option. I saw a blog post of a blogger telling how they had to book 2 rooms now because their kids were older. I still can remember the anxiety I felt upon reading that. What do you mean my kids will get older and I will be needing to book at least 2 rooms?!? I can barely afford to book 1 room with some extra beds. We will never be able to have a vacation when my kids are older. The anxiety was so real back then.. But look at me, booking for 18 people?!? Suddenly all my worries and whatever down/depressing thoughts I had disappeared. Gulay! Ang layo layo ko na!

Then comes part 2 of my emotions.. we were booked for 2 days 1 night in a hotel in La Union, then 3 days 2 nights in Baguio.. so imagine the toll on the driver. I thought me, my husband, and our younger kids should leave 1 day earlier so that my husband could have proper rest as the designated driver and also be in time for the hotel’s Halloween party. So I messaged the hotel if they wanted to collab with me again just like last year.. and while waiting for their reply, my plan B was to just check in to another accommodation if they said no. I waited and waited and when I finally got the answer, which was a no, the other accommodation I was eyeing was already booked. SAKLAP beh.. Kakayanin ba ni Mister ang back-to-back travel?

For context, these travel plans are for my nephew who will be home for a week from the UK. Bakit naman 1 night lang sa La Union? Because his arrival date only allows for that. The day we were supposed to leave earlier was his arrival day, but very late already.. so ito na nga yung I was so broken… so beaten, and was about to cry moment when I realized, wait, it seems more exciting if we just travel on the same date? So I asked the husband if ok sa kanya? Kaya daw.. and then I got excited! What do you mean I can now sundo my nephew at the airport? And I can rummage through his luggage bags for all the pasalubong.. then I asked my sister from the province if she could come here earlier para talagang bonggang convoy na! And she agreed!

My excitement is building up.. after fetching my nephew at the airport, wala nang tulugan ito! After checking all the pasalubong, we’re gonna cook our breakfast and pack. Anong oras aalis? Saan mag-stopover for breakfast? Picnic time na naman! Nakaka-excite talaga.

Moments like this make me realize how sometimes I stress myself too much when in fact things are easier to resolve than how I see them. Imagine, a few hours ago I was so broken and almost crying, tapos ngayon excited na excited na ako magplano kung saan kami mag stopover at kakain ng breakfast. Wala naman nagbago sa gastos, sa schedule, at sa dami ng kailangan kong asikasuhin. Pero biglang gumaan lahat. Mas madami pa yung oras sa paglungkot lungkotan kesa sa aha moment eh.. Gulay talaga!

Time To Run Again

Whenever I read my old posts here on this blog, I would always tell myself how much I miss writing and that I should write every day. Kahit musings lang or a short life update.

So today is Sunday, and I’m writing this at 5:53 in the afternoon, after I tried running for 3 KM. Of course, I failed. I haven’t run for quite a while, kahit lakad wala na recently.

My morning energy’s devotion is now weight lifting. Naks naman, di ba? But really, I do find lifting or working out in the morning most productive. I plan on running/walking in the afternoon sana, perooo nakakatamaran.

Now I have no choice because I have one 5KM kit for the Lactacyd Run. And the run is on Sunday na! I only have one week to prepare. Iba din, di ba?! May pagka luka luka talaga. Here’s the plan: Sunday — try to run for 3 KM or as long as I can, just to have a basis. Then increase by 1 KM a day until I can do 5KM.

But this is not really a run-run. Today, I managed to “run” (more like jog) for 5 minutes straight. So I will work on that. Tomorrow, I’ll try to increase it to 8 minutes straight until I can do a full KM of jogging (which is already considered running for me). Then 1 minute walk/rest, always.

Of course, weight lifting will not be sacrificed. I will still do my usual Push, Pull, Glutes workout in the morning, then the run-jog training in the afternoon. Although it may seem impossible for me to perform well on the 5KM run on Sunday, I’m still doing this. Hopefully, my body catches up, gets used to the afternoon runs, and will eventually want more of this.

Good luck talaga!