‘Little me’ played a major role in shaping me to who I am today. I was raised and brought up by parents who both served in the military at some point, and as a result, I developed a strong sense of discipline, respect, values, selflessness and the list won’t end.
My mom being the angel she is, whenever I complained about how others mistreated me, her reply most of the time was: “it’s ok – be nice to them – maybe they are going through a lot – be understanding – accept them – pray for them” whereas I always thought ‘why should I tolerate people and for what!’. I still remember a boy who was twice my size. He used to always bully me in the school bus, take me out of my seat and push me around. I was so hurt and broken, I hated being in the bus. And guess what my mom made me invite him to my birthday party and I still remember him standing by my side while I was cutting my cake. Little did I know she was preparing me for what’s coming.
So what I considered a weakness actually helped me during my professional life. HOW? I was able to work with more than 12 different bosses throughout my career, each one of them had a different leadership style. I won’t describe each one but some were great leaders and others were just from another planet.
How did my mom’s lesson come to play? I mastered the art of “emotional intelligence” when dealing with people. I am proud to say that I can work with any living being despite how they function. I learned to recognize, understand, and regulate my emotions as well as exhibit good relationship skills with people from all walks of life.
