Have something to look forward each day

Let’s accept it. Our professional life involves stress. We go to work five or more days of the week as required. We look forward to weekends to unwind and do what we like. But is this enough? Working in my field involves understanding complex functional/technical designs for software, talking to clients (some of them difficult to work with) and going through competition with peers. Furthermore I spend an average of 10 hours for the 5 working days of the week. Imagine the ratio between the challenges at work and my free time. Though I am lucky that I do not need to commute since I live in a flat near the office and only walk to and from work.

image from: taringa.net

Have everyday activities that rejuvenate your mind and body

In order to cope, I found out the going to the gym at least 1 hour in the morning before preparing to work helps to achieve a better frame of mind. The very thought of improving/maintaining a healthy body and staying in shape is enough to destress myself. At night I set time to work on my personal project building an app that I can use to manage my finances and which I also hope to release to be able to help more people. This coding type hobby is what I like, writing code makes me happy. These are mainly the two things I look forward every working day to have balance my life. 

We cannot just let everyday stress wear down our body and mind. We should deliberately find ways to balance it up. We do this not only for ourselves but for those who depend on us. Our family, friends, relatives and the community where we live. We have more impact to the people we interact with than we realize. Stress can trigger ailments so we better fight it by adopting a healthy lifestyle. 

There are many types of activities like running, yoga, playing an instrument, swimming among others. We just have do decide and really take action to do them. There maybe things that we have no control in life like the economy, politics and others. But there are also things which we have control. Like how we spend time everyday. Set aside time to do things that rejuvenate your mind and body. Things that you look forward to each day, aside from bonding with my loved ones of course. These will counter the stress from work and generally from the environment we live in. 

Do you have other activities that make you look forward for each day? Share them in the comments below and let us help people to balance out their life.

When the going gets tough

Life always gets tough no matter what walk of life you are on. I have learned not to waste my time living someone else’s life. Let us not be complacent and contented in our career that is really not our passion. Time will come when things will get tough uncontrollably which will make you raise the question: With all these challenges that are pressing me from all sides, am I really climbing a ladder that leans on the correct wall? Therefore, are my pursuits going according to the life I want to live and the things that I am passionate about? Is facing these challenges worth it?

image from: bonvitastyle.com

Facing difficult situations in our life is a catalyst of change. It clears the fog in our mind to search for what is truly our inner desire. Steve Jobs said that the only way to make great work is to love what you do. 

While it is necessary to build first our financial stability sometimes by taking on a job that does not align with our passion, there is nothing wrong with starting on that job as long as you will eventually pursue your passion. 

At this stage in my career I have decided in pursuing what I love to do which is developing an application that people can use as an everyday tool. Though there are many uncertainties like setting up the SDK and not having a formal training in the platform that I chose, what keeps me going is the passion that I have with this type of work, no matter what challenges arise.

I am thankful for the recent challenges in my day job that brought me again outside my comfort zone. It made me ask myself if I have really given up on this dream and is it really worth it to continue living someone else’s life. Now it is clear to me, I have to follow my heart and do what I am passionate about. Though there is uncertainty of success, fulfillment still comes in doing a work where your passion is.

We have a limited time, it is either we pursue are passion now or regret it later on in life. 

Have you already found the thing that you are passionate about and are you already working on it? Add your comment below.

Disrupt Yourself

Prolonged equilibrium means death, we must be disrupted.

In any field, humans must continuously innovate in order to stay relevant and survive the times. A study from one Harvard scholar has shown that organisms that have prolonged their stay in a certain state eventually turn extinct due to disruptions made by nature. We all know of a very successful telecommunications company that eventually sold their mobile phone business due to the disruption made by two new smartphone operating systems: iOS and Android. The company that once dominated the international mobile phone business suddenly lost for they failed to see what is coming and failed to innovate.

image: mindjet.com

The law also applies to organizations not just biological systems. Companies that stayed in an equilibrium state for a long time eventually get knocked off by new disruptive organizations. Unless they innovate their processes or their products and services.

What does equilibrium mean in your professional life? It is stagnation in you role. Staying at your level or at your current responsibilities for a long time without progress. You must continue to push yourself to always get out of your comfort zone and set new initiatives. Acquire new roles and responsibilities to stay relevant. Always be in the forefront of positive change within your organization.

In order to stay on top of my work, I decided to be open to learning the best practices in my field, Software Test Engineering and disrupt my comfort zone so went for certification exams. I took up ISTQB and Test Automation certifications to further improve my skills. It proved to be a good move since I have applied the valuable concepts acquired from these certifications as I moved up the corporate ladder. I also attended several soft skill trainings like time management and coaching in the workplace. These sessions helped me grow significantly in my career.

It is not easy to disrupt yourself but it is essential for your survival in the corporate world. It is still survival of the fittest out there. Only the landscape has changed into a concrete jungle. But competition is still the norm. You just have to decide and actually do step out of your comfort zone. Acquire new skills, propose and adapt new strategies in your work, be more visible with your leaders and clients.

Recently, I am trying to move into an employee-entrepreneur state. I am working on a small business and carefully manage it to grow (i.e. reinvesting profits back to the business and coming up with strategies for growth). I believe we must not remain in an employee mindset. If we are to reach our full potential, we must work on things that give value to more people.

Do not get complacent in a seemingly good position in your company, for the times are always changing and you don’t know what new trend, organization or person will impact you.