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FIND YOUR WHY


First of all, let me welcome you to my Blog - HRHouR (Human Resources in a Handy Nutshell).  
What exactly is a Handy Nutshell? What does "in a nutshell" mean? 

According to https://www.vocabulary.com, and I quote:

"Use the phrase in a nutshell when you want to make it clear that you're going to sum something up in just a few words. Another way to say this would be "to make a long story short.""

HRHouR is Human Resources summed up in just a few words, to make it clear, handy and relevant.  

The relevance may not yet reveal itself to you now but as you read these nutshell topics I will be posting, you will begin to understand and appreciate the relevance of human resources in EVERYDAY life.

Since this is my pilot HRHouR blog, I won't linger too long with introductions.  What's important is the journey ahead - the journey of many milestones!

Let's begin with my own journey of milestones for the last four and a half years.  It has been:

1,672 days since I met The One who will change my life forever.
1,344 days since I landed my dream job.
458 days since I left that dream job.
434 days since I first landed in the United States.
345 days since I married The One whom I will share my life forever.
13 days since the beginning of 2020.

These "since" dates  are nutshell statements of milestones in the last 4.5 years up until now. 

And NOW, this very moment, I am sitting in front of my laptop, in our dining room, preparing my very first HRHouR blog for January 2020!  And YES, this is another milestone.  CHECK!  

Since we are talking about milestones, I do have a very personal question to ask YOU, my dear reader.  Have you ever thought about your own milestones, significant events or calendar marks in your life's chapter?  

Making milestones or choosing to make one is not really as hard as it appears.  All it really needs is a start, a beginning.  And Plato had once said it clearly in a nutshell:  "The beginning is the most important part of the work".

For my very first HRHouR blog, I choose to share with you a presentation I did in January 2018 when I was the Site Human Resource Manager for a global call center based in the Philippines.  To start 2018, I scheduled departmental Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and presented a short topic called PURPOSE (Find Your Why).


How important is PURPOSE?  Believe it or not, your purpose gives you the reason to get up every morning or burn the midnight oil to prepare for your final exams or manage to juggle 2 or even 3 jobs.  That's how important purpose is.  It's the reason why you start the engine and keep it running!

Simply put, your purpose is your reason for being.   It is WHAT + HOW = WHY.


The same equation is the very essence of IKIGAI (pronounced Ick-ee-guy), the Japanese concept of "a reason for being".  The Japanese secret to a long and happy life.  This concept advocates that everyone has a reason for being - everyone has an ikigai.  BUT, to find it requires a journey of self-discovery.  So it was not given to you as a birthright or an inheritance or a genetic makeup.  You discover it! This journey to your reason for being will bring fulfillment, happiness and make you live longer.



To arrive at your ikigai, you need to ask 4 primary questions:

1. What do I love? (Your Passion)
2. What am I good at? (Your Vocation)
3. What can I be paid for now (Your Profession)
4. What does the world need? (Your Mission)

Ikigai or your reason for being is a convergence or the coming together of your passion, profession, vocation and mission. 

What goes around definitely comes around.  It's a well known saying because it's true.  Your choices in life affect you, the people you love, and even the environment you exist in. It all comes full circle.

It makes perfect sense, if you think about it.  Imagine if you're stuck with a job that does not feed your passion, will you excel in it or will you even love doing it?  If you are dreaming of doing what you love, how do you gain the right skill set to convert your passion into your next or future profession? Do you want to make a difference, a positive effect on the environment around you? How does your set of values fit into that? How can your vocation fulfill your ultimate lifetime goals, whatever they maybe?  

These are just sample questions that I find myself asking not just myself but also those who seek my professional HR advice. Believe me when I say there are no right nor wrong but purely situational answers to these questions.    

I would like to quote Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles in their book "Ikigai The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life" as they  break down the ten rules that can help anyone find their own ikigai or reason for being.

1. Stay active and don’t retire
2. Leave urgency behind and adopt a slower pace of life
3. Only eat until you are 80 percent full
4. Surround yourself with good friends
5. Get in shape through daily, gentle exercise
6. Smile and acknowledge people around you
7. Reconnect with nature
8. Give thanks to anything that brightens our day and makes us feel alive.
9. Live in the moment
10. Follow your ikigai

It also helps when you list down the things that you value the most, the things you like to do, and the things you are good at.  BE HONEST.  It's your list, you don't need to sugar coat it.

As the Site HR Manager at that time, I also came up with my own ikigai at work:

So are you ready to FIND your WHY?  My best suggestion to you, my dear reader,  is to seek your WHY first before you enroll for a college degree or apply for a job or relocate to another state or country.  Ask yourself, what do I love?  What do I like doing?  What am I really good at? 

It's a  journey well worth taking!

#FindYourWhy#HRHouR

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