The last of the 3s: Save the best for last

March 17, 2022

Today, I enter the last year of one of the most transformative decades of my life.

In the last 10 years, I’ve switched jobs, switched coasts.

I’ve traveled to 5 countries, organized 6 trivia bowls, and worked at 7 news companies.

I’ve met some of the most incredible people who have left an unforgettable impact.

I’ve never been more challenged in my life, but yet felt so alive.

Through this period of growth and maturity, I now look at everything with gratitude, something I would have never done during the waves of crisis and pain.

But as with everything with life, to live it fully, you must have the good, bad and everything in between.

NYC is in the heart

The pandemic cut my time in NYC shorter than I would have liked but I’m grateful for the decade I spent there.

It’s true — that city changes you in ways you never expected. I’ve crossed paths with people I would have never encountered if I wasn’t in the Big Apple.

NYC is such a vital chapter of my journey, I can’t imagine a life without some connection to the city that taught me to be a better version of myself.

Now I’m back in my home state of California (for now), I’ve been given the opportunity to rediscover the things I took for granted here — the beaches, the theme parks and the beautiful weather year round (sorry NYC ;-) and of course time with my family.

As an only child, I didn’t have many family members growing up such as siblings. My core family is firmly rooted in SoCal.

I’m forever thankful for this chance to get to know my mom, aunts and uncles in ways I would have missed out on as they enter their 80s and 90s.

If there’s anything the pandemic has taught us, it’s that time is a non-renewable resource, you have to maximize these moments before they are gone forever.

I don’t regret leaving NYC in March 2020 because I know I’ll be back in some way. NYC is now part of me, part of the journey, part of my identity.

Growth through pain and joy

The connections I’ve made in the last decade have challenged me in ways that allowed me to grow, no matter how scary or painful it is.

It’s through pain, the greatest lessons are delivered.

It’s through pain, where the greatest gratitude is bestowed.

Likewise, it’s the unexpected alignments, where the greatest joys find you when you open your heart, mind and soul.

It’s through this lens, I can confidently look back and see where the whole picture wasn’t apparent to me at the time.

This is the gift — the gift that now stays with me as I navigate the trials and tribulations of what life throws my way.

The difference now from 10 years ago is the network, connections and relationships that have been grown and cultivated.

The connections that may not be “new” but growing in different ways.

I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in luck and miracles when you open yourself to receive them. They manifest in ways you couldn’t imagine and this is where true magic happens. And I’m here for it all.

Follow the sun

Every decade, you go through some type of crisis. Whether that’s a crisis of faith or identity, this crisis comes at a time when you think it’s impossible to overcome.

But this is where the greatest growth occurs.

It is often the reset you need to get re-centered with what is most important.

For me, that was 2018, where I experienced the most disruption in my professional life and prompted me to seek out who I am.

Through that experience, I rediscovered my love for my culture, in essence myself — my northstar, my sun.

That experience led me back to my Filipino roots and it put me on a path I wouldn’t have imagined I’d be on.

It also made me a better version of myself.

And I’ve made it my mission to give that transformative experience to others.

Going with the flow

As I spent my birthday last year near the ocean, it calls to me (even though I’m a pisces who cannot swim!). I will do the same again this year.

Perhaps it’s because of our ancestral wayfaring ways but there’s something calming about bodies of water no matter how intense they can be on the surface of crashing waves.

Our true selves run deep if you dare to look and embrace whatever you find in there.

I’m excited to see what this last of the 3s has in store before I join the house of 4s next year — or the big 40 in 2023.

For now, I’m going to enjoy this ride to close out an incredible chapter that has a lot to be thankful for.