Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all! This famous line from the song popularized by George Benson is my dream song that I would like to belt out in a singing contest someday and sing it with full of conviction and emotion.
Looking back, I started working at the age of 21 as a Filing Clerk under a manpower agency. I was very excited because it was my very first job and chance to earn money after 14 years of schooling. As a fresh graduate, I was full of energy and excitement to work, only to find out that I would experience being treated like a Utility man in the office. I don't have anything against those kinds of people but I remember my colleagues then who are regular employees of the bank where I worked who would always ask me to buy snacks for them. I even remember buying a 'band aid' for one lady and I thought that she would ask me to buy her a napkin too. Wow! That was indeed quite downgrading for me and painful because my hand had to get all the cuts and bruises from the fasteners every time I was asked to get a file of documents.
After few months, I was given a chance to work in one of the biggest groups of companies in Makati as a Personnel Clerk. I consider this as the most traumatic and embarrassing experience in my entire career life because my spinster boss just loved to humiliate and scold me in front of my office mates. I even remember crying like a child in front of her while she was admonishing me from failing to meet her work expectations. I pitied myself so much but I had to persevere and endure her because I was afraid to lose my job for it was very difficult then to find one. Most especially, it was hard for me to think that I would not be able to help my parents financially.
After many years of working in companies and schools, I was given a chance to work abroad as a Guidance Counselor in Jakarta, Indonesia. This time it was a totally different environment working with people from different backgrounds and orientations. I enjoyed being with students but it was a very challenging and hell- raising experience to have a rude, despicable, and slave driver bosses. They would ask you to do the job no matter what it takes. They don't care if you are sick and the worst is that they don't totally mind at all if you are grieving for a death of a loved one. I remember the time when I lost my first nephew to a motorbike accident. I was devastated that I couldn't go home to the Philippines to see the last remains of my beloved nephew. In fact, my sick boss was asking me to report for work. I raised my voice and told her that I am a counselor who needed counseling at that moment.
This time I am here in Dubai and seemingly I am reliving the same experience. It takes a lot of humanity for someone to swallow his pride, values, and even personal happiness just to earn money. Sadly, for many Filipinos who work abroad they send the fruit of their pain and hardwork to their families back home. From the very first day I started earning up to this time, I never experience enjoying fully the fruits of my labor. It was my choice but I think that I am not being fair to myself and at the same time not loving myself that much.
Now, I finally realized that I have to love myself first before I can continue to love others especially the people who are close to my heart. As I grow older, I know that I can only rely on my own resources and the unfathomable love of God for me.
Looking back to those significant moments of my life, I never thought that I would be able to survive them. I will never allow that to happen again because this time I have learned that I have to love myself more than anyone else. My love for God will be the ultimate reason for my living and loving but learning to love myself first more than anyone else is the greatest love of all because how can you love someone if you don't have enough love within yourself?
Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all!
Looking back, I started working at the age of 21 as a Filing Clerk under a manpower agency. I was very excited because it was my very first job and chance to earn money after 14 years of schooling. As a fresh graduate, I was full of energy and excitement to work, only to find out that I would experience being treated like a Utility man in the office. I don't have anything against those kinds of people but I remember my colleagues then who are regular employees of the bank where I worked who would always ask me to buy snacks for them. I even remember buying a 'band aid' for one lady and I thought that she would ask me to buy her a napkin too. Wow! That was indeed quite downgrading for me and painful because my hand had to get all the cuts and bruises from the fasteners every time I was asked to get a file of documents.
After few months, I was given a chance to work in one of the biggest groups of companies in Makati as a Personnel Clerk. I consider this as the most traumatic and embarrassing experience in my entire career life because my spinster boss just loved to humiliate and scold me in front of my office mates. I even remember crying like a child in front of her while she was admonishing me from failing to meet her work expectations. I pitied myself so much but I had to persevere and endure her because I was afraid to lose my job for it was very difficult then to find one. Most especially, it was hard for me to think that I would not be able to help my parents financially.
After many years of working in companies and schools, I was given a chance to work abroad as a Guidance Counselor in Jakarta, Indonesia. This time it was a totally different environment working with people from different backgrounds and orientations. I enjoyed being with students but it was a very challenging and hell- raising experience to have a rude, despicable, and slave driver bosses. They would ask you to do the job no matter what it takes. They don't care if you are sick and the worst is that they don't totally mind at all if you are grieving for a death of a loved one. I remember the time when I lost my first nephew to a motorbike accident. I was devastated that I couldn't go home to the Philippines to see the last remains of my beloved nephew. In fact, my sick boss was asking me to report for work. I raised my voice and told her that I am a counselor who needed counseling at that moment.
This time I am here in Dubai and seemingly I am reliving the same experience. It takes a lot of humanity for someone to swallow his pride, values, and even personal happiness just to earn money. Sadly, for many Filipinos who work abroad they send the fruit of their pain and hardwork to their families back home. From the very first day I started earning up to this time, I never experience enjoying fully the fruits of my labor. It was my choice but I think that I am not being fair to myself and at the same time not loving myself that much.
Now, I finally realized that I have to love myself first before I can continue to love others especially the people who are close to my heart. As I grow older, I know that I can only rely on my own resources and the unfathomable love of God for me.
Looking back to those significant moments of my life, I never thought that I would be able to survive them. I will never allow that to happen again because this time I have learned that I have to love myself more than anyone else. My love for God will be the ultimate reason for my living and loving but learning to love myself first more than anyone else is the greatest love of all because how can you love someone if you don't have enough love within yourself?
Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all!
i love myself!!! hahaha
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