Book Launch Speech

"With my classmates and mentors"

 Sure I only do have one position title but the truth is that I joggle between being as a Project Engineer, an ISO Management Specialist, a Lead Auditor and an in-house Trainer. In short, my work requires a 4-in-1 employee. But I am paid for only one employee.

Have I ever considered quitting, you may ask? Oh yes! Not just once or twice but many times! But I remain to stay. Why? How? That's what I share in the book “How to Survive Mondays.”

Since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to become an author someday. So when I grew older, I took a few small steps to make my dream come true, like learning how to write, learning how to publish and of course writing every day. But it is only when I joined the 90-Day Book Writing Challenge that I finally materialized my first book.

And I owe that to our mentor, Sha Nacino. The guides that she gave us make writing a book accessible to anyone, even if you have complicated work loads, like myself.

Through this course, I was blessed with a community of like-minded people, my classmates. We only meet virtually online and today is our first time to meet in person, but the bond we formed is very special to me. Because without them, without their contagious enthusiasm, without their encouragements, perhaps, I would not be able to survive writing “How to Survive Mondays.”

But why Mondays? Why not Tuesdays or Saturdays?

"It's a surreal feeling"

During my early years of employment, I despised Mondays! I would drag myself to work on a Monday morning. I would glance at the clock every other minute. I would groan to myself, I wish it was Friday again!

When three of my closest friends resigned from work on the same week, I was so devastated. I said to myself, “Why am I still here?”

I was jealous of them leaving the company. So I wrote a very emotional resignation letter.

But when you are at the height of emotions, you have to avoid making a big decision. Instead, you have to cool down. Sure, if I resigned, I would be free from work stress. I could do whatever I want. And perhaps I could change the world.

But at time, changing the world was not my number one priority. My two sisters were still in college. And a portion of my salary was allotted for their tuition. So if I quit, they would also have to quit school. That, I could not allow to happen.

So instead of submitting my resignation letter, I took a vacation leave. I said to my boss, “Sir, I need to cool down.”

That day, I went to Ormoc City, which is just 45 minutes away.

While inside the van, I took my tab and wrote the article “How to reignite your work-life excitement.” It’s just a short article to encourage myself.

When I submitted it for the company newsletter, a few people responded to it positively.

When I posted it on my blog and became my most viewed article, I was so thrilled. I wondered perhaps I was not alone after all. Perhaps many people could relate to my employment situation.

I read my blog over and over as if it were written by someone else. And I would say, somehow it worked! Because until now, I still work for the same company for 8 years. And I plan to stick around for a few years more.

Mondays also symbolize my first few years of employment, which was really a struggle. Because I needed money for the college education of my siblings, I decided to stay. But I had to find ways to make my stay worthwhile.

I prayed for mentors and I was blessed with plenty of them. I learned from them not only how to survive my Mondays but also how to enjoy my job and find meaning in doing what I do.

My simple wish is to share the lessons I learned from my mentors to those who easily get burned out at work, to those who lost the excitement in their job and to those who feel stuck in their career.

I hope that this book “How to Survive Mondays” will bless you in your job and in other aspects of your life.

 

"With fellow authors"