Choosing to be well despite the circumstances

Trying to apply well-being in the way we manage our students, I have come to appreciate that well-being can be conceived as a state (as in, a certain level of a well-being dimension at a certain time). From an administrator and researcher perspective, this may make sense.

However, from a personal or first-person perspective, there seems to be a choice and belief involved should one aim to thrive or flourish.

The “-ing” in “well-being” implies that it can be perceived as a process instead of just as a state. And our challenge is to have a more proactive rather than a reactive view. In other words, how do we choose and pursue to be well regardless of circumstances, instead of blaming external forces for our well-being (or lack thereof)?

One and a half weeks into my fatherhood journey, I have come to intimately understand that growth and development is not convenient and painless. There are a lot of anxieties, watchouts, sleepless days and nights, and cries that must be soothed.

But to be well is not just a state; it is also a choice. And maybe that’s why the Christian love story sounds so compelling – if a person can choose to love while suffering, how much more graceful could love be when we love while flourishing?

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John 5:1-16. “Do you want to be well?”… Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-080: MARCH 21, 2023]

Willfull ignorance, comfort zones, and complacency

Willful ignorance can be framed as the deliberate decision to avoid or disregard information that conflicts with our preexisting beliefs and opinions. It is a common tendency that can be linked with our desire to remain within our comfort zones.

But if we are often willfully ignorant, our comfort zones turn into “complacency zones”. We settle, wither away, and decay if we remain complacent. Comfort is resting to recover; complacency is avoiding personal accountability.

To wish for comfort or even salvation presupposes that we are willing to do the work.

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John 9:1-41. If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-078: MARCH 19, 2023]

How do we know if we have loved with all our strength?

When we have imagined all scenarios, what ifs, and alternative courses of action, but find ourselves choosing to commit and developing an immovable yet peaceful resolve…

We may have already taken that leap of faith to love with all our strength.

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Mark 12:28-34. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-076: MARCH 17, 2023]

The days are long but the years are short

It’s fascinating how slow things move when in the moment. But when we begin to look back, it’s as if the moments have moved in such a hurry. If we’re not careful, the moments we cherish will only become a blur; we need to be present and pay attention so that the moments turn into lasting memories.

What does it mean to have an offspring? One to two decades ago, I would have answered in such a way that my child would carry on my dreams. My child could be my instrument to live vicariously for whatever dreams or goals I cannot accomplish in my lifetime.

But as I begin to understand the reflections of my students, make sense of my own journey, and witness how my child seems to grow so fast, I realize that my former line of thinking is selfish.

Those who come after us should not be burdened with an inherited responsibility. They must grow, discover who they are, and find out how they can become the best version of themselves.

What we can reasonably offer to them, then, is faith and love. Who knows, maybe in a few moments, they will be the one carrying us to a future of flourishing we have not even imagined yet.

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Matthew 5:17-19. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-074: MARCH 15, 2023]

Of adventures, treasures, and clichés

Franco seems to like stretching his arms after we remove his swaddle. He’s so animated when he stretches!

His movements reminded me of a game I used to play when I was around 3 years old when I’m alone and bored. I would imagine a fantasy world while lying in bed – acting out anime moves (kamemaheha!) and different characters. (Yes, sometimes, toys just don’t cut it!)

So many stories have been told about fantasies and searching for treasures (Dragon Ball, One Piece), which is typically found in the shonen genre of Japanese manga and anime. The cliché would be something along these lines:

“It’s the journey, not the destination.”

“The true treasure is the friends we made along the way.”

From a passive viewer’s perspective, these clichés seem dull or even corny at times.

But as I embark on a new journey as a father and also reflect on what we’ve been teaching about managing and organizing… the clichés seem so true when we are not viewers anymore, but proactive actors in the stories we write.

And as I start this journey, my hope is that I won’t be taking anything for granted – be it the clichés or the unique things that would make us different from the journey of others.

It’d be such a thrill to both witness and help Franco in his battles and journey towards becoming the best version of himself!

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Luke 4:24-30. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-072: MARCH 13, 2023]