“What is Adulting to you?”

I asked my trainees this question as I was training them at work, upon learning about this write-up I have to produce. I got different inputs from the floor that could somehow be summarized into big words like ‘Adventure’, ‘Managing Life’, ‘Taking Responsibilities’, ‘Learning’, etc.

Personally, I see adulting as a transformational process, which could be presented through

Learning;

At the onset of the pandemic, which exacted a toll on the economy and mental wellbeing, many of our people were having a hard time, and some were out of jobs. The entertainment industry was one of the many domains that was struck.

My friends and I then co-founded a platform that hosted a group of talented artists from all walks of life to showcase themselves and support them financially, including Lynn, lead singer from Fazz, Yvonne from BonaHop, and Balqis the singer and content creator.

The learning curve was steep. I managed the growing team of 30 talents for the operation daily and planned for events as the key HR person in the group, like running auditions and recruitment, conducting training and up-skilling workshop and overseeing the welfare of all members.

Our team managed to have fun while generating a meager income for some just for their day-to-day survival.

Giving and Accepting;

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

I remembered vividly a time when I was chairing an International Summer Conference at Guizhou, China, with the goal to empower the senior-year high school students to learn more about the world in general and to speak up. A delegate came running to me, telling me I have been a great speaker and he aspired to be Sheldon 2.0. I felt overwhelmed, yet truly humbled, and came to realization that empowering others was what I envisioned myself doing, to leave an impact on the community.

Recently, I have been appointed as a Trainer for Credited Co-Curriculum specializing in Community Service in a public university, hoping to inculcate values and inspire the undergraduates.

Reflecting on the past, I came to realize most of us were not taught how to take compliments, help, or favors from others; nor to accept critiques and feedback, despite knowing how to give and offer help to people around us. Thus I have been learning to accept help and kind gestures of others with grace.

At the same time, we need to accept the fact that we are flawed and acknowledge that we are not perfect to begin with. It is completely normal if there are days we feel demotivated or simply not at our best, and that does not define who we are. However, we need to acknowledge and be assured that those feelings we undergo are valid and real, only then would we be able to process our thoughts and make the next move.

After all, adulting is a process. We could all live a life exploring endless opportunities in our limited time.