Just Passing Thru: creative writing and thinking

Reflections on my Birthday Amidst Covid-19

9:55 PM

My Convergys Story

4:25 PM

“I will retire at age 40” - this was my fearless forecast for myself, determined to be free of the need to work by this age when life is supposed to begin. I envisioned myself giving my full time and attention to my family. This dream I got, with an unexpected twist.

After only a few years of working with a commercial bank, my husband and I decided to take a leap of faith and opened our own business. The rewards outdid the challenges. We were a two-man team performing all the roles to keep a business going and flourishing. After about 10 years, my husband took the lead while I found myself answering to the call of community service.

The position: Chairman of the Board of Directors of a Credit Cooperative in Manila. The goal: To rehabilitate the Cooperative which was in a very delicate financial condition. The position came with all the bells and whistles in terms of authority, prestige, and respect. What many didn’t know was that there was hardly any talk about pay. I accepted the position as a way of giving back for this Cooperative which was our main source of funding from the time we opened our business. The return was to come much later when we found ourselves facing our own financial challenges.

During the six years I worked for the Cooperative, my husband provided for our family’s needs wonderfully. I decided to retire after six years, feeling accomplished not only because I was leaving it in a stable financial condition but also because I was leaving it with land and building to its name. And so there I was, smugly claiming my dreams for retirement at age 40 after giving birth to my youngest child.

I became a full-time homemaker while my husband continued with the business. It was during this time that I discovered writing, initially as a hobby and eventually as a means to earn while at home. Nothing can be more perfect.

Two years into this, that perfection was shattered. During a routine physical check-up, an anomaly in my husband’s heart was discovered. Our world was literally turned upside down.

When my husband was asked to slow down at work and had to eventually close the business, I had to step up. I made a career out of my online writing and was rewarded for my efforts accordingly. As our children grew however, it became evident that we needed to earn more due to the ballooning expenses. Education was very expensive. Add to that the fact that we were just starting to pay for our home improvement loan when sickness struck my husband. I literally felt I was drowning.

Amidst the protestations of my husband and eldest child, I made a decision to go back to work. My explanation was very simple. When faced with challenges that threaten the welfare of the family, one does not ask why. The question is how one can contribute to the solution. It was final, I will look for work and retain my most critical writing jobs while my husband takes over the rest.

I did a job search online and found an ad from Convergys Nuvali. Apparently, it was ramping up on hiring Customer Service Representatives for a particular account. I just asked one question from the contact person indicated in the ad. Is there an age limit? The answer was none. With that out of the way, I came knocking on the doors of Convergys at the age of 50.

I will not proceed to lie that my level of confidence was high on the day I applied. Having zero call center experience and seeing applicants young enough to be my children created doubts in me that I almost turned my back and gave up without even trying. I forced myself to go through the application process and was rewarded with a job offer before leaving the premises. It was liberating.

The training period that followed was not as uneventful as I had hoped it would be. I passed the English training part easily but cannot say the same for the technical/product training. I would dread doing the mock calls and floundered repeatedly in navigating the system.

I probably wouldn’t have passed the training without the solid support of my wavemates. While my mommy teammates were morally supporting me, my younger teammates literally carried me through by volunteering to be first to do the mock calls whenever that darn fruit machine mocked me by picking me first.

My first day for actual calls was an epic fail. Accounts were piling up one after the other as calls came in before I even had the chance to close each, after every call. Customers were getting angrier instead of being pacified. I was supposed to be an experienced public speaker, thanks to my stint at the Cooperative and my speaking engagements as a writer/blogger, but there I was shaking to the core as I answered calls. I can only think of one thing: What have I gotten myself into? It was truly a humbling experience.

For the first few months, I went home always on the verge of tears due to exhaustion and confusion. I refused to let my family see me this way for fear that they will call in the caravan to make me stop working. It wasn’t easy and I didn’t always succeed in hiding what I really felt.

One day after being rebuffed by a supervisor on the production floor for asking what I suppose was seen as a stupid question, I finally burst into tears upon closing the car door when my husband fetched me. I was ready to hear the worst “I told you so” statements from him. To my immense relief, he just kept quiet and allowed me to cry and cry and cry.

After some time, he asked why I was crying. I answered that I felt so stupid and that is a very difficult thing to accept. He then asked if I wanted to resign and I said no. He added, “What do you want to do now?” and I simply answered “go to work tomorrow”. He smiled and told me not to worry as it will become better in time. He further assured me that I will always have my family to go home to whatever happens and that comforted me a lot. That is why I love my family so much. We can argue to the highest level but once a decision is made,we support each other all the way through.

So eventually, it did get better. I am now much more comfortable in my work. I am thankful for all the learnings provided by trainers, supervisors,co-agents, and even customers. I am thankful for the friends I’ve gained in all age brackets. Most of all, I am thankful to Convergys for giving opportunities to people like myself in a real work setting where age is often discriminated against.

I may have dreamt of retiring early but when fate changed the course of my life for me, I’m happy to know that life can begin at any time, career-wise.

Originally published at RBG Herald's The Few (Featured Employee of the Week) / March 2017 Convergys Nuvali

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52nd birthday

Thoughts on Aging Gracefully

6:26 PM

Medical experts agree that the key to aging gracefully lies primarily on attitude. It is accepting the inevitable changes whether it is physical, emotional, social, or in the perception of other people. Failure to accept these changes can lead to unhappiness or even depression for some.

Human beings grow old and included in this process is the natural decline in physical and mental capabilities. It also comes with a lot of health issues. Although proper care for the body can help in avoiding certain medical conditions, health issues will always be a primary concern in aging.

Physical aging however is not the main issue for most people past 50. It is more on the feeling that they have somewhat depreciated in value and usefulness. Society and family have a lot to do about this "feeling". Many well-intended actions of loved ones and people in general tend to put older people in a specific mold beset with limitations.

My Thoughts When I was 12

When I was about the age of 12 and my parents where even younger than I am now, my perception of them was that they are old. I was under the impression that they are no longer able to do most of the things that young people can. While it may be true for many physical tasks, being in the shoes of my parents now made me realize how mistaken I was when it came to other aspects. Age does not necessarily limit the possibilities.

I felt I can do anything and everything at this age. I wanted to accomplish them fast before I get too old to finish them. Then life taught me that not everything is based on age.

My Thoughts Forty years After

Working in an environment where the bulk of the work force belong to the young generation has brought me back several times to my 12 year-old perceptions. This time however, I am now looking at myself from the other side. During a recent reunion with my college friends, we all marveled at the fact that we never really thought of ourselves as old. Our numerical age says we are "old" but all of us felt that nothing really changed, setting aside our medical woes.

We still felt we can do what we want but this time armed with the wisdom of acceptance of the realities of life. We no longer look at life through a single straight path towards our goals. I would like to believe that we have learned to find meaning along our journeys as we faced the many intersections thrown at our paths. It would seem that we have discovered the art of aging gracefully.

My Say

Aging gracefully is certainly not merely about looking youthful even as we advance in age. Although eternal youth is admittedly a much desired physical state, aging with grace can be achieved with acceptance of the changes that is part of life. We can do that by finding meaningful activities that will make us happy and fulfilled.

What is extremely wonderful about every additional year that is given us is the wisdom we can only acquire through time. We can proudly say we are survivors because we have to realize that growing old is a privilege not given to everybody. We can do more by focusing of what we can still do instead of what we can no longer do.

That said, let no one dictate what you can or cannot do, not even your age. You know yourself better. I will always keep that in mind as I celebrate my 52nd birthday today with gratitude and deeper understanding of my purpose in life.