Hello everyone! Sprinkling a dust of happiness to all of you~ I'm new here and excited to be a part of this amazing community. I want to share my experiences and the happenings of my everyday life. I also hope to inspire others as much as I can. I’d love for you to join me on this new journey.
I am Michelle, but you can call me Mich. I’m 28 years old and based in the Philippines. I used to be a shy and often lonely kid during Elementary. As the only child in the family, I worked hard to be the best daughter I could be, always feeling like my efforts weren’t enough. My mom would always encourage me to explore new things by enrolling me in workshops and having me join modelling, singing, and dancing contests—though not every time is a win. I would end up thinking that maybe I didn’t give it my all, or that my best just wasn’t enough. I did pretty well in school, always getting honors at the end of the year, and that was the only time I truly felt proud of myself because I saw how happy it made my family. Still, that little voice in my head would pop up and wonder, 'They’re happy, but are they really proud?’
Fast forward to college, I pursued a Bachelor of Secondary Education. The journey was both challenging and exciting. There were times when I compared myself to others because I felt like it wasn’t the right path for me. Once again, I started second-guessing myself. Then, two big projects came up: I played Sabina in Majika and Gretel in the Hansel and Gretel movie. Portraying these characters made me feel both happy and proud of myself. I never expected to win awards, but I did! Yes, college was hard, but not really—because I had the best people by my side.
And here I am, a college graduate!
After graduating, I worked as a call center agent for 2 years. I was doing well, but eventually, I felt like I wasn’t growing anymore—it became toxic, so I resigned. Then, the pandemic happened, and I was suddenly stuck at home for 2 years. I didn’t expect that. I searched for work-from-home jobs but didn’t have any luck. I couldn’t find work, and I became depressed, wondering, 'What was going on with my life?' When things finally started to get back to normal, I had hope. I thought, 'I’d do whatever I want now'—or so I thought.
Surprise, surprise~ I didn’t want to work in an office or the corporate world anymore. It took me months of searching for jobs I could do from home without having to commute. Then, I stumbled upon the ESL world. I had doubts because I didn’t want to pursue teaching anymore, but I still gave it a try… and guess what? I’m now an online ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, and I’ve been loving it! This is where I found myself smiling a lot, genuinely happy while working, and passionate about touching the lives of my students.
All these years, I’ve been harsh on myself—telling myself I’m not good enough, not capable enough, and that my family isn’t proud of me. But it turns out, they might not always express it with words, but they’ve always been incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved and continue to achieve. My parents would always pick me up from school every day, without fail. They’d talk about how well I was doing in school and how happy they were every time I won a contest. My friends, and especially now the love of my life, would always make me laugh, cheer me on, and clap for me so loudly that I couldn’t hear anyone who wasn’t.
I was so selfish toward myself for not loving her enough. But since last year, I’ve learned to love myself more. I am great, I am enough, I am smart, and I am worthy. With the presence of my loved ones who truly care for, love, and support me, I’ve finally realized the perspectives they had that I hadn’t seen in myself before.
Thank you so much for reading my very first blog! 😊 I hope this blog of mine serves an inspiration to some people who sometimes feel like they’re not themselves. It’s okay not to feel okay, but we will always get up and we will choose to love ourselves more than anything.
Your suggestions are always welcome. I hope you’ll support me on this journey and the stories I’ll be sharing soon. Sending love to all hivers!~ 💗
Photos edited with Canva.