Commitment is a big word. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Commitment means (out of other definitions) a promise to be loyal to someone or something.
As a kid, you never really think about promising your life, time, and resources to anything in particular. We are all brought up in an environment of transience.
First, we start kindergarten then you graduate and start elementary school. You move grade to grade, probably with most of your pre-school classmates but also with new faces. People come and others go. Life just goes on.
One day, you probably even moved to a new town and enrolled in a new school, leaving behind people you may never see again. You meet new faces, faces that eventually turn old. Once again, some come and others go. Permanence was never something you had to worry about.
Then there was college. As a 16-year old in a typical school (no special curriculums), the decision to enroll in a major that would dictate the course of my life was scary. Suddenly, commitment was required of me when I jumped from one grade to the next without any thought.
From that day on, the rest of my life seemed to be on the line. I admire those who are decided on their career at such a young age. Those who are decided on things like pre-med and all, at such a young age must have such strong willpower.
Now more than ever, I see how commitment is woven into all aspects of adult life.
1. Committing to childhood dreams
I wish the education system in the Philippines would no longer shame people from making mistakes. Society and educational systems should allow kids to freely fail and get up again without a tainted record or public disgrace. We learned to only celebrate the first honors, but what about those who had to hurdle twice as much just to hit the passing mark?
The system is flawed.
Someone dear to me learned to hate math just because their teacher shamed them for not understanding a problem. Learning the complex concepts on their own, this person realized math is not something to shy away from.
In the University, shifting courses and graduating late still feels taboo. Filipino families take great pride in children graduating with degrees in engineering, architecture, accounting, nursing, or degrees that lead to medical/law school. This is an attitude that is typically Asian.
No one tells you about astrophysics, molecular biology, coding, creative writing, film school, and other forms of art. Growing up, the former is what you see in the lives of the people you interact with every day. The latter are roles you see in foreign Television, not a hint found in regular conversation.
I always loved ballet but dancing here is merely a hobby. Not a career.
Looking at the perspective of my family, my mother’s siblings are either doctors, engineers, or an architect. Uncles and aunts on the father’s side were also engineers, a medical technologist, and some accounting-related course.
With this kind of environment, it is easier to eventually follow in the footsteps of the people around you. As kids, we learn to absorb the routine and habits of those around us as early as nine years old. No wonder kids dream to be like their parents. But then, what about personal inklings and interests? How do people live up to a decision they make as teenagers?
When I was in high school, nursing was the craze. All older cousins and family acquaintances were nurses or studying to become a nurse because it was in demand (not in the Philippines but in other countries). Many of these people either shifted courses in the middle of their college life or decided to do different things with their careers.
I know for a fact, many specially licensed professionals do not practice their degree. Not that I am a licensed professional, but I work in a financial institution where most of my counterparts are certified public accountants. I never had to review for a board exam and we do the same things day in and out.
As a person working in the corporate world for 5 years, I see how flawed it is to ask a teenager to make such a big commitment when they still have not fully grasped the ways of the world. I bet my colleagues who are certified accountants do not miss accounting principles one bit. They left the audit world and are now pushing buttons for wealthy businessmen to get more money.
Schools never teach you what the actual work environment is. But then after you graduate high school you are shoved to choose something you will have to do until the day you retire.
On top of that, shifting courses feels more taboo in the perspective of tuition fees costs. Unlike student debt in the United States (30% of the adult population is still paying off their debt), you are not allowed to take final exams in the Philippines without paying your dues for the semester. Instead of student debt, graduates here mostly owe their education to the hard work of their parents or siblings. You could not graduate if you owe the schooling anything. With the minimum wage in this country of only about $6-$11 per day, you could not pay for your own education (plus living expense) solely on a part-time job.
The whole thing is flawed.
And so, this is a reminder that the flawed system may be the reason you feel stuck. It doesn’t matter what society says, you can mess up at young age (or whatever age). Just because changing courses and careers seem taboo, does not mean that you should stick to a decision you made as a kid in a messed-up system. Just like you, the world evolves, and work demand shifts as well. So why are we asked to stay in a box?
So graduate from a course you probably hate, shift courses if necessary. Take your time.
Don’t give up finding where it is you truly want to be.
2. Commiting to a Company
In a recent job interview, I was asked how long I could commit to the position I was applying for.
Being honest and naïve, I said one to two years.
I continue: “I am in a stage in my life where many things could still happen”.
I did not want to set anything in stone. I am too young to say, “I see myself retiring here”. I hope that is respected and understood by recruiters. I know for a fact they would prefer my honesty than feel slighted after a year.
In order not to turn the recruiter off, I tried to make the minimal number of years a positive thing. Emphasizing my commitment to my work and how I am looking forward to challenges.
I tried to wiggle myself out of the sticky question. So why was it so hard for me to commit to the position?
If I was honest with myself, maintaining a nine to five comes out of necessity. Applying for the position was not out of my desire to work specifically there but to work for an employer in general.
Nailing myself to one company feels wrong at the moment. I would love to live abroad while still young and single. I would want to study again and I would want to start to work on things that I care about, not for other companies for the rest of my life.
Even for a short period in my life on earth, I want to feel free from the burden of society’s standards. A part of me wants to disappear, maybe. And so, committing to a job for years feels like cutting off pieces of a rope ladder that should lead me to my heart’s desire.
I know that committing to only about two years may be minimal, but I was being frank. A word of precaution, this will certainly taint your chances of getting hired. I honestly think it did. Once again, I was rejected for the position and I am pretty sure this was one of the reasons for their decision.
If you were a recruiter you would want to hear candidates tell you they would love to work with you. That their future is tied to the position you will offer them. Hearing otherwise will make you root for a more dedicated candidate.
I did not want to lie and say what they want to hear. Putting up others’ expectations and failing them is worse than disappointing on the get-go. Maybe, your hesitance saved you anyway.
In the wake of being honest, I was also frank that I could not say in position until I have tested the waters for myself. Don’t be afraid to truly say what you think during these interviews. A recruiter that truly respects the autonomy of their employees will understand that they do not own and control their people.
Flattery and being a ‘yes’ man may help you land the job now, but it may not be worth it tomorrow.
3. Committing to Work
As we are approaching the end of 2021, the deliverables for the year in my current position are closing in. At the moment of writing, I still have about six accounts that I have to process and approve.
If I were to resign within the year, I would love to make sure these accounts are good to go. This is a commitment I have with work. Keeping and having the integrity to do what has to be done. Even if no one requires me to finish off the year, I know that I am paid to complete these tasks. Even if I could just resign and leave my deliverables for other people to pick up, I choose not to do that. That would be very selfish of me.
In another interview, I was asked how soon I could start in their company and as much as I want to leave my current job, I could not say immediately. Even if I wanted to abandon ship, I would not want to burden others.
I know that my 30-day notice would feel too tight to complete these deliverables. I also know that hiring a replacement would take time. What more when you add training and turnover to the list?
To be frank, I was hoping to get all accounts for the year done by the end of October and latest by the first week of November. That way I could resign knowing I did not leave loose ends. Sadly, clients have not been submitting their requirements on time despite regular follow-ups since July. Now I have to rush accounts that have somewhat meddled with my plans to finally resign.
I may not be committing my life to this specific company, but I am committing myself to the work I was hired to do until the minute I am officially severed from their payroll. I have my calendars planned out on which accounts to start and what to work on each day and what has to be completed each week so I could end the year on a high note. And so my supervisors would not have to figure out the end of the year without me.
Same with thing with your side hustles, you have to commit to the work so that things will get done. Writing has been very elusive to me. I tried to write every day but to no avail. Now, after deciding to commit to publishing more I am stuck writing a mess of words I hope would end up into something concrete (this post is one of them).
It takes self-discipline to make sure you get the work done. It takes commitment to ensure the work is done completely. Just because you do not like the position, or the company you are in does not mean you have to sacrifice the quality of your output, your work. I was always reminded to work as if I was working unto the Lord, not men. It takes more than merely being hired to get a job done. Know the difference.
Do not accept a job you would not plan to live up to. Spare yourself from wasting time, spare the company from once again, hiring new talent.
4. Committing to Yourself
After looking into your commitments with work and your career path, what about yourself?
If your job or title in an office does not define you, then the commitment to yourself must weigh ten times more than anything previously mentioned.
What are you doing for yourself? Taking a master’s degree in Business Administration may help you climb up a corporate ladder, but how does that make you a better version of yourself?
What things are you committing to for yourself?
With work and home responsibilities, it is easy to forget to keep up with self-development.
Sometimes I could be so preoccupied with getting my monthly quotas done while job hunting at the same time. I forget to focus on what my heart, soul, and mind truly need. In my blog post last April 2021, I realized that I pushed aside the thing I cared about. And so, I decided to read again, begin journaling, meditating on the Word, and stretching. These are vital things that help me keep my balance. Things I know I should commit to, but I do not.
Even starting this blog was a commitment test. This blog was a personal project outside of my career. I wanted to write more and reach out to people to hopefully find myself. But pressing the gas on this idea meant that I should dedicate much time and effort to making it work.
To be honest, I know that I haven’t fully committed to this platform. I write only once a month. There are months that I even skip publishing. I know that for this blog work, I have to truly commit time and effort to it. I have to be consistent and resolved. I honestly hoped to ramp things up but I feel like life has not permitted this over the last year.
Thoughts of inadequacy and producing terrible writing had more than hindered me from pursuing stories of other people. On top of that, I have the vision to capture people I interview in the rawest, most beautiful state they can be through better portrait photography. I want to create an environment that celebrates who these people are especially those who feel like are lost too. This perfectionist mindset has hindered me from reaching out and trying.
To this day, I am disappointed at how half-baked my commitment to this blog is when it is something designed to help me.
In the troughs of life, holding to the commitment we made to protect or better ourselves may be our only savior at the end of the day. It may also be the most difficult to keep. It is incredibly sad to see people hit their retirement at 60 but instead of enjoying their lives, they are lost without their nine-to-fives. Your life is so much more than that.
Busyzi 