Arlene, or more commonly known here at Sprout as “Atty. A”, is Sprout Solutions’ Legal Counsel / HR Consultant. She shares with us how she realized that if you have more than one dream, you are capable of achieving them all.
The Early Years
“People always think I had it all easy. They are wrong. Well, yes, one could say I was lucky growing up. I was living a comfortable life and didn’t really have to worry about money and expenses. There was, however, a point around college where my dad got sick and most of our funds had to be used to support him. My mom even asked me to stop going to school just so we could save money— it was one of the most difficult times in my life.
From there, I realized that I needed to help myself for me to continue my studies. This was the first time I had to take charge of what I really wanted. So the first thing I did was apply for a scholarship grant for university. Next, I applied for a job. Initially, the odds weren’t in my favor– I received a lot of rejections due to inexperience and minority. After a dozen applications and repeated begging, I was accepted at Malacañang as a Researcher Intern. This, however, was not enough to shoulder my day-to-day expenses.
Because of the struggle to make ends meet, I wrote a letter to the Scholarship Committee to possibly consider granting me a full scholarship. Albeit reluctantly, the committee granted the request on the condition that I maintain an overall grade of 1.5 (89-93%). In my head, this was an almost impossible ordeal given that (1) I was working, (2) I was elected as the Policy Board Officer in our organization, and (3) I was being tapped for competitions left and right by the university. There were a lot of distractions— I barely had time to sleep.
By a stroke of luck and determination, I managed to reach that “unreachable” grade. I was also given recognition by the Organization and won in all the competitions. Most importantly, for the first time ever, I was able to make ends meet by myself. The thought that kept me going was that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” By the time I graduated, employers were the ones knocking on my door and not the other way around.”
Dream Chasing
“After graduating, my main goal was to have a high enough salary that could pay for my fees to go to law school. Logic dictated that I should be in a sales position. As such, I applied to a sales position with no background in sales at a small company. On my first week, I was the top salesperson in our office.
This caught the attention of management and they asked me what I really wanted to do career-wise. They told me I had the “potential” to be great. I told them I had always wanted to be a lawyer and that this sales job was just to help save up for law school. In line with this, they moved me to HR where I was in charge with all facets including Labor Relations. It is where I learned the tricks of the trade. I was a self-starter and worked 18 hours per day on the average. Why did I do it? I was hungry to learn everything and was focused on my goal. From an HR Assistant, I became the HR Specialist then HR Manager then HR Director. I became an HR Director at age 24.”
Straying from the Goal
“At the time, with more responsibilities than when I began and the company grew to a thousand, management convinced me to quit law school. Why would I want to be a lawyer when I could make money and hire my own lawyer? So I was then convinced that making money was more important than becoming a lawyer and took a 5-year “leave of absence” from school to focus on working. During that time, and with management’s blessing, I had become a board director for 3 different companies.
However, despite the financial success, I wasn’t completely happy. Something was missing but I couldn’t figure what it was. After careful thinking, I decided to go back to law school. More challenges arose when my professors and classmates advised me to quit work because they felt that what I was doing was suicide. I almost quit when I developed serious health conditions such as over fatigue and other stress-related illnesses.
I proved everyone wrong. I graduated from law school and started reviewing for the bar exam (while still working, of course!)”
Passing the Bar and Entering Different Industries
“Passing the bar was one of the highlights of my life. I cried like there was no tomorrow… No words can describe how I felt that day.
But that kind of joy and relief didn’t ease my fear of not “making it” in the legal profession. Because of that, I considered kindling entrepreneurial spirit and opened up my own salon and spa. Given that I am always stressed, I wanted a business that caters to “Beauty and Wellness.”
Initially, my law classmates were doubting the idea– but I knew this is what I wanted and trudged on. In a span of six months, I got my ROI and decided to put up a second branch. It is still doing well and will be up for franchise early next year.
On top of that, several of my former employers and friends reached out to me to hire me as their lawyer. It was then I decided to form my law office. For 2 years, I was doing litigation and corporate work. However, because of the criminal as well as civil and labor cases I was handling, I made a lot of enemies. It reached a point that I was so scared for my own life because of the death threats I had received. I was forced to rethink my career.”
Becoming a Sproutling
“This is when I found Sprout, perfect timing I should say! It was like Sprout was the answer to my prayer to have a career where I do not have to think about making a lot of enemies and at the same time doing what I do best. Sprout hired me as Legal Counsel / HR Consultant and Data Protection Officer. I am so grateful to Sprout because here, I can have work-life balance and integration.
With Sprout, I can be myself. I fell in love with the culture and with the people. Sproutlings are its greatest asset and I am now proud to be one!”
A Shift in the Meaning of Happiness
“When Matthew came, that was it! My world stopped and suddenly, I felt happy. I felt complete. My definition of success has changed significantly. Before, it was having a lot of money. Then, it was fulfilling my dream. Now, success for me is being able to do all the things I want in life while maintaining a healthy relationship with my family. Success is spending time with Matthew and ensuring that he grows up to be the good boy that he is.”
“From my journey through my career, I learned that you should always dream big. Growing up, I always wanted to be a lot of things: a lawyer, a singer, an entrepreneur etc. When people get older, it’s natural to narrow down your goals. But you can do all the things you want if you put your mind to it. The only limit is you quitting.”
Success
“Through the years, I also learned that there is no secret to success. It’s really (1) faith in God, (2) faith in yourself, (3) proper planning, (4) hard work, (5) learning from failure and rejection and (6) pursuing that elusive road to happiness.
Always remember, the ultimate pursuit of success is happiness. Nothing is worth it if you are not happy.
I hope that this has inspired you even in a small way.”
The post Arlene (aka Atty. A) — Chasing ALL Your Dreams (Sprout Rockstar of the Month) appeared first on Sprout.
source https://sprout.ph/blog/arlene-sprout-rockstar-of-the-month/
