Challenge Accepted!

So this is becoming a regular. And I'm loving it! I've been too busy lately because of the gown/dress/costume I'm crocheting for my niece. My sister just gave me the challenge of completing the dress by December. But no, that's not the challenge I'll be talking about here.

Before I dive into the topic, I'd like to invite @jurich60 and @ailindigo to join too. I wanted to answer the second question too, but since @hiveph has a contest about what you are most thankful for this year, I'll just answer question number 1 this week. (Shameless plugging, I'm sorry.)

One of the traits I have that was viewed as a negative during my younger years is my stubbornness. My mom always told me that I am very persistent especially when I want to accomplish something. I despise the words "You'll never make it." or "No, you can't do that." The more I am told "No", the more I prove them wrong. I always got on my mom's bad side because of this back in my younger years. But as I grew older, this character of mine has helped me achieve my goals in life.

The first challenge I was given was from the community where I grew up in. I was raised in one of the slum areas in Manila. All the kids and girls my age back then were either out of school youth or young parents. Of course, there were some of us who stood out, waking up in the wee hours to prepare for school, walking down the alleyways in our uniform, bags, and books in hand, just trying to find our ways out of poverty. I've been told I'll never finish college, that I'll also end up pregnant at a young age, and that the time I spend on my schooling is for nothing.

I ended up being one of the very first people who got a Bachelor's degree in that small community. I fed on the negative looks I got from my neighbors and used those as my motivation to prove them wrong. Not that their opinion highly matters, I just wanted to show them what it felt like to be wrong about me. From then on, I made it a point to prove naysayers that they're wrong. Of course, that is if I indeed know that they're wrong.

The latest major challenge I gave myself though involves internal emotional conflict. I gave birth to my daughter in 2016. Like any other moms, (except if you're lucky) that post-pregnancy weight stuck with me for years. I was already feeling so low and then when I talked to a friend about it, they told me I wouldn't probably be able to lose that weight if it has been there too long after pregnancy.

That was late 2018. And so, our #healthier2019 program was created. My husband and I went through huge transformations from our health habits, to our sleep patterns, etc. It was a tough journey last year. We scheduled our jogging days because we have a daughter to take care of, even our work out schedules have to be synced. Our diet was really strict. It was very challenging. But after all of those sacrifices, I was able to achieve my pre-pregnancy weight.

My motivating factor in life is growth and improvement. The next thing that keeps me going and inspires me, even more, is when someone tells me "no." It somehow translates into a challenge to me. When someone says it's impossible for me to achieve a certain goal, I become more determined and inspired. One, to prove them wrong, and two, to prove to myself that no matter what other people say if I stay true to my goals, I can do whatever I put my mind to.

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@romeskie is a full-time stay at home mom juggling homeschooling, crocheting, and homemaking. A Business Administration graduate with a major in Marketing who ended up in the contact center industry, on the frontlines, climbing her way up to Workforce Management where she found her passion in real-time analysis and management. A once self-proclaimed careerwoman who soon realized homemaking was her real calling. Her passion varies from reading, writing, photography, and most of all, crocheting.

Connect with her through her Facebook Page: The Leftie Crocheter and on Instagram. Feel free to subscribe to her Youtube Channel: The Leftie Crocheter

_{Big thanks to @bearone for my Hive PH badge.}