What is the measurement of SUCCESS?

I was browsing through the internet this morning and I stumbled upon this photo. And right then and there, I asked myself, what is the real measurement of success? How can you even say that a person was successful in life? It bothered me even more when I saw this article written by a Japanese, Aya Imura, about a situation that was happening in Singapore which in her perspective was shocking!

According to her article in FIVE STARS AND A MOON, her concern came from a mom pointing at a hardworking gardener who's cutting grass while telling his son to study hard or else he'll end up being like him in the future. As a Filipino, this was not a surprise for me. Ever since we were kids, we were raised to study hard. However, my opinion for this mindset is now slowly changing.

THE GOOD

Education will always be a vital part of our culture, of life. It is important that people be encouraged to dedicate a portion of their lives for learning and new discoveries. It has always been my dream to be on the top of our class, to graduate in a top tier university, pursue my MBA (I actually wanted to be a LAWYER before), and land myself on a corporate job outside of the Philippines. This mindset made me feel that anything is impossible with Education and that life is easier when you're always in front.

In this mindset, we were able to develop a sense of fulfillment of what we have achieved and took pride in it. In a country wherein Education is more of a luxury rather than a privilege, it was important for my generation that we study hard and be successful in order to pay back the hard work our parents did.

THE BAD

However, is some situations, this type of mindset creates unnecessary pressures to people. We tend to try and pursue greatness with a false mindset. For example, the story about the kid, the gardener and the mother. In that situation in itself, it could create an image in the mind of the kid that being a gardener is bad. But the fact is, it's not! 

According to Sir Ken Robinson in his "Changing Education Paradigm" (PLEASE take some time to watch it, it's worth your time), there are two types of students: the academic and the non-academic. However, we were molded in the idea that when our grades are bad, or if we do not excel in academics, it means we are stupid, BUT IT'S NOT! 

THE DOWN RIGHT UGLY

As we grow older and follow our dreams we end up asking ourselves at one point of our lives, "is this what I really would've wanted?", "If money didn't actually matter, would I still have pursued this path?". I bet your answers would have varied. Because of this Paradigm that were raised with we are then restricted by a false thought. 

I do ask myself the same question, and I've asked myself many times. What is the true measurement of success? Quoting from Ms. Hilary Cooper:

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away."

Pursuing an MBA: Time well spent?

Reminiscing the past: It's more fun in IIMBA

Two years of my life were spent within the walls of the Institute of International Management and Business Administration at National Cheng Kung University here in Tainan, Taiwan. The program was filled with case discussions, student debates, factory tours, and extra-curricular activities. Now, was it worth it? Was it worth sacrificing two years of potential solid work experience in exchange for two years of learning theories? And with all honesty, here's my answer:

Yes, it was worth it!

You might be wondering why it was worth the time? So, I listed some of the things I did during my time in IIMBA and how was I able to apply it now that I'm working at my full-time corporate job.

DIVERSE

I attended various classes: Finance, Service Marketing, E-commerce, etc. and did you notice something? One of the things that I made sure during my MBA days was to get as much knowledge as I can from the world of business. Often times, I get faced with questions like "which one did you major in during your MBA?" and I'd be dazzled with the type of questions they asked because in fact the major idea of having an MBA would be to have the grasp of the bigger picture of business administration! This means you have to gain background in every facet of your company's business may it be marketing, finance or sales. As an MBA graduate, you have to be the JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES.

Now that I'm working, I can work issues out faster and clearer at all points of view. It's because I got to have an "idea" of how each issue works. For example, I am an Area Manager who's in charge of the Philippine market. Included in my job would be to promote and sell our machines in our designated market while taking into account the costs in all aspects of the business transactions like, freight and shipping, taxation, cost of manufacturing, and more. It's important to have a wider view of the horizon rather than enclose yourself in a box. Anyways, our goal is to become a manager/supervisor/director in the future right? How would you be able to guide or even discuss matters with your subordinates if all you're hearing are jargon to you.

IMMERSE

My first thought when I started in the program was to have myself involved in as much student activity as possible. I immersed myself in the richness of culture in the program. There were numerous students from at least 30 different countries! That's right 30 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES! It's like travelling the world, for free! Not only that, we had numerous backgrounds! Some of them were from I.T. Companies, music industry, or into linguistics, finance and banking, and a lot more! I spent most of my time interacting (group discussions and meetings), socializing (drinking and having a simple chat) and even playing (sports and other extra curricular activities). I joined the IMBA Student Council to even further develop my relationship with the whole student body. I was staying at the student lobby in order to meet new people and interact with them (to a point that people felt weird if they couldn't find me there and that they gave me an award, the Research Room Resident).

So what does having fun during my MBA got to do with doing well at my work? It gave me tons of confidence (in a good way!). Interacting with customers from other countries has been a breeze! Plus, I gained the knowledge on how to properly converse with other nationalities. In my job, I'm required to speak with customers worldwide most especially if I have to attend huge exhibitions! Since i'm already accustomed to having foreigner friends around me, having a conversation and a laugh of two with customers has been a fun experience for me already.

DISPERSE

Now you're packed with wonderful memories from your MBA degree. You've learned and passed your classes and earned your rights to that diploma you so much sought of! Now it's time that we challenge those theories! That even if we feel that currently we're not allowed to handle large decisions, we should be glad to have the chance to at least understand these situations better than anyone else. Sooner or later you'll be given your own moment wherein you have to make decisions by yourself. And when that time comes, you'll do great!

If there's a certain quote that I would never forget during my IIMBA days, it would be the one that I got from my senior who was the president of the IIMBA Student council that time. His name is Thomas "Tom" Bailey, he told me these simple words: What you do is what you get. I guess it goes to everything that we do in life, right? If you just came to class, yet you never even got to know the name of your seatmate, then what's the point of your MBA?

I'll be honest, I asked myself this question a lot of times. And finally, with what my classmates, friends and I are achieving right now. I think I'm confident with my answer.

It's still a YES! :)