My earlier post on my life coming full circle attracted a lot of admiration, goodwill, and a few envies. I thank you all for that. I am glad many young people were inspired that at a time when people struggle with making inroads to a career, I had three “successful” ones.

While my life seems to have been a breeze, it was actually far from it. I had my fair share of struggles and strain, often characterized by difficulties and injustices that seemed insurmountable at times. My own colleagues would snitch on me, people I recruited myself would betray me, and I had to leave organizations I built with my own hands. The pain was real. The hardships, too.

Some of the changes in my career were my own choices, and some were forced upon me by circumstances. But one thing is for sure: I refused to sell my principles. My dignity may have been battered, but my conscience is intact. This is not to say that I am perfect, but the beauty of life is continuously overcoming your imperfections. Courage is not the absence of fear but your ability to outweigh it.

All in all, though, there is one thing that I want to stress upon—especially for our younger generation that is less resilient than us, the GenX. Take every moment—both good and bad—every struggle, and every betrayal as a message from the universe trying to put you on your predestined path. And not as a punishment for your bad karma.

Do not overthink or kick yourself for the damn luck. Don’t linger there for more than what is necessary. We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. Likewise, when the going is great, do not celebrate for too long—otherwise the demon will be at your door if you do that. Keep moving quickly from both happiness and hardships.

So, coming to me, not because I am deeply spiritual, but somewhere along my life and early on, I learned to take life as a package—of good and bad, happy and sad. When people betrayed me, which is the worst thing in life, my reaction obviously was anger and sadness, but I would quickly move to: what is the universe trying to tell me? Is it time to move on or move away?

I changed my career from engineering to filmmaking to media and public relations to communication scholarship. I now find myself having to do all these in the new life I am living and the new project I am leading. Maybe the universe was preparing me all along for this—through trials and tribulations and through becomings and unbecomings.

I don’t know. Maybe my life until now was just a warmup.