Erick’s Two Cents
Introspective and Moving Forward in 2026
2026 is here! Despite everything that’s happened, we’re still here… for better or for worse.
It might be considered a cliche but the first month of the year is always a good time to have an introspective. This helps a lot, at least for me, to figure out the mentality I should have for the new year laid out in front of us.
Personally speaking, 2025 has been a roller coaster of a year that crashed spectacularly. To be specific, the last two months were not particularly kind. Despite it, there have been nuggets of gold sprinkled here and there.
To be more specific, I was entering 2026 without a job per se. I was informed in November that my department would be put on “floating” status by the end of 2025. To those not familiar with the term, the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry uses the word “floating” to indicate someone who was without a client or project but still employed by the company. However, the employee is in a “no work, no pay” situation.
The company does its “best” to provide the employee with a new client or project but it is often not aligned or similar to the work you originally applied for. In my case, my company is trying to put me in voice roles. To Filipinos, this is commonly known as call center agent roles. This is a far cry to what I am as a professional because I am, and always have been, a writer.
The situation is quite frustrating. I had a conversation with one of my co-workers and we jokingly expressed a willingness to resign if the company HR forced us into one of its open positions; like shoving a square block into a circular hole.
In an eye-opening twist, I am thankful that I didn’t jump the gun and resign as early as I could. To clarify, I am thankful for my decision to be patient and not for the rut I am in.
Why?
Merely days after the year turned 2026, I got hospitalized. Since I was still technically employed I had the benefit of using my HMO which paid for my entire stay in the hospital. That small bit of patience stood between me paying a few hundred pesos to paying a few hundred thousand pesos.
So that’s one immediate lesson I want to take into 2026: be patient and assess the situation.
During the course of this floating situation, I had witnessed multiple people outright resigning or even going AWOL on its announcement. Do those people have financial backups or new work waiting for them? I do not know. What I do know is that if I did as they did, I would be in an even worse position than I am today.
For my patience and emotional restraint, I had escaped a medical emergency with nary a scratch. Though I would be set back a nice cup from my favorite coffee shop haha.
Okay, okay. I hear you, dear reader. How does being patient and assessing the situation translate to a mentality for 2026? A lot, when you think about it.
In an always online world, it’s very easy to be caught up in microtrends because of a fear of missing out or FOMO. A bag? A hyped-up movie? A flavored drink? A new position in a different company? Whether it’s from your friends or from other people around you, it’s easy to compare yourself and let emotion dictate what you do.
Alice from next door may have a new pair of New Balance shoes but do you really need a new pair as well? Should you go out of your way to get a cup of matcha latte from a coffee shop up in Antipolo? Perhaps resign now and hop over to a new company because they pay better?
These little moments seem easy to justify: “I’m rewarding myself” or “It’s a morale boost for this month of work”. Afterwards, you open your bank account and notice a few thousand pesos gone. The result? You spend the following month miserable because you have to eat less or have to make compromises for your commute. Otherwise, you dip into your savings. Worse, you risk running out of funds entirely. In the same vein, you jumped-ship from your current company without letting your roots grow and now you’re adjusting to a new place with a reputation to leave as soon as sh*t hits the fan.
Be patient and assess the situation.
If you must truly let others influence your situation, let it be because you love and care for them. A new blouse from Lacoste? See if you could use that money instead for your family members. Maybe your sibling is hiding a financial problem and the few extra thousand pesos you can lend them could be the thing stopping them from doing something financially worse.
In the same vein, staying with your current employer and helping out in a bad situation only helps to boost your resume. Not only that, you will gain invaluable experience as well as the respect of your peers. Although you are not likely to get a promotion or a salary increase in the short term, experience has taught me that this will prove useful in the future. It is a plus when you recount your feats to HR with confidence when you do eventually leave your current employer. Don’t discount the respect of your peers. A good professional reference goes a long way and can help you for years to come.
I know that everything I mentioned here may not be applicable for all. In fact, a lot of it may only be applicable to me and a few others. However, I hope that by reading what I’ve realized the last few months would inspire you, my dear reader, to realize something else.
2026 is still fresh and the dirt of last year can still be shaken off to make way for a better tomorrow.
For now, I leave you with a quote from someone who has inspired me since I was a boy:
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”
-Stephen Hawking
