Shuffling Back and Forth

Of the fine tuning and tweaking my work situation required, more than the people I have to manage and the departmental business units mine has to partner with, or the obligations I have to be accountable for, it’s the proximity of the other site I oversee that I really needed to adjust to. It’s what made me hesitate all this time. A matter of location kept that fast lane to a promotion clogged. I didn’t want to be inconvenienced with driving or commuting to a site that’s not fifteen minutes away from home. I wanted to stay with the familiar laps.

Or perhaps I refused to take up promotions because I didn’t want to be in another rat race. On hindsight, all these refusals of promotions over the years and the career drone of staying in a low-key supervisory level for most of my twenties actually paid off. While still gaining hands-on trade knowledge and deepening my competencies, it also helped me account for all other areas of my life and build a lifestyle that I can maintain. That drone also warded off the stress I could have encountered if pushed myself to be higher up the ladder knowing that I need to muscle my way through. If I did insist on success, or to throw all of myself towards a career, I couldn’t have ended with the life that I cherish now.


I often think that the call-center industry grew too fast. The industry leaders are often all too young, aggressive but inexperienced, and pushed into positions because of need instead of merit. If that happened to me, I know I would expend too early.

Here I am now, at my own, still-peaceful pace. In running terms, I won’t be chasing the Kenyans. Somebody else is going to win this race. The only person I have to win over is myself.

Unlike many other players, I didn’t gamble on going all-in. I guess any idiot could have gone to where I am now given the right persistence. But I saw the danger of letting this job eat me whole (or maybe it has). Whether it’s eaten me or not, this is how I played. I chose what I thought was the right time to put my chips on the table. I say cheers to the others who’ve already grown a more sizeable stack. I’ve lived to enjoy certain comforts and I’m still in the game. In the end, while I don’t have that much, I am grateful for the humility and grace I’ve gathered.

I’m amused with how I make out the humility and grace as part of what drives me in my new position at work. It complements the industriousness I imagine I have. On top of the long 11-12 hours I usually spend working, coming home is now a 2-3 hour commute. I shuffle back and forth the two sites, hurrying to make it in time for the office-provided shuttle on the way, and floating sleepless on the bus or train on the way back.

Humility, grace, strangely, blessedly keeps me on. But ultimately, the truth that makes all these ventures worth taking is coming home. Coming home to D. and Mighty Mighty.

For them I’d shuffle back and forth a thousand times over. For them I’d bleed myself dry.