“If you meet someone whose soul is not aligned with yours, send them love and move along.”
– Wayne Dyer
I can only remember two years in my life when I felt like I was drowning in hopelessness and I had lost all strength to swim, wanting to give up: in 2002, when I became a jobless young mom; and in 2015, when the global media organization I worked with closed shop in the Philippines, and my mom got diagnosed with cancer.
I wanted to continue the work I was doing in Lifestyle and Entertainment, and to continue conducting Project Makeover, a movement meant to help people start over with their lives while enabling Filipinos to help each other out. It was not easy but it was always worth it. I always believed in hope, faith, and in people’s goodness.
So I set out to establish Good Vibes PH, my very own Lifestyle website; a startup whose tagline was “Good news. Good stories. Good people.” It was received with a lot of support not only from my peers and contemporaries, readers who’ve stayed and grown with me through the years, and brands who believed in my integrity.
But behind the good vibes was a lot of bad vibes. I did my best to mediate and fix the mess, but the parties involved were not willing to do their part – from something as basic as keeping their word, to something as necessary as giving and paying what was due, based on the commitment they willingly made in the beginning.
I also listened to a lot of empty promises from people whom I thought believed in my vision and were willing to help, because they would be in it for what they could give and not take.
But business is business, and I was always met with: “What do I get out of it?”
After months of trying, hours of meetings, and making business model presentations that gave me sleepless nights, I realized I was barking up the wrong tree. I was reminded of something a light worker told me once: when you are on the wrong path, no matter how far you go, it’s still the wrong path.
I decided to pause. We had lost funding from the party who promised three years of support. That party also decided to drop us without warning, so when you visit www.goodvibes.ph, you will see that the site is down.
But am I stopping? Hell, no.
Last December 4 at The Standard 2015 Visionary Awards, I came early and was content to stand at a corner and quietly give support to my colleagues at The Standard.
I am not a religious person although I once pursued the religious life, but I am spiritual, and I believe that God lives in all of us. I believe that God speaks to me through you, and I always take kind words to heart.
That night, several people approached me and asked about Good Vibes PH, and told me not to give up. I could never forget New World Manila Bay Hotel’s Romina Gervacio (with whom I’ve had limited face time in all the years I have been a Lifestyle journalist), who pulled me aside and told me sincerely: “You have a name. You have credibility. You are just going through a deep bump, but don’t stop. We are here to support.”
Those words came at a point when my mind was almost made up to let Good Vibes PH go, and I remember giving Romina a tight hug with a promise to visit her soon.
It is 2016, the start of a new year, and another chance to take care of ourselves better and make our dreams come true.
We are still reeling from our win at Miss Universe 2015, when Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was given the crown. I watched the live telecast, and could not help but be brought back to 2013, when I watched Miss Universe beside Pia. She was then Bb. Pilipinas 1st Runner-Up. In 2014, she joined again, and was among the Top 15.
Did she receive even a sash? No. Did that stop her? No.
In 2015, Pia joined Binibining Pilipinas a third time, much to the exasperation of pessimists who deemed her “too old” and “too desperate.” But Pia, without chagrin, kept her eye on the goal. And in a sea of 80 beautiful women from around the world, the Filipina from Cagayan de Oro stood out, “confidently beautiful with a heart.”
Pia inspires me. My entrepreneur friends inspire me. My friends who are strong enough to follow their heart inspire me. My friends who go against odds inspire me.
To those who did not believe in me and Good Vibes PH, I am sending love to you. Thank you for making me fail forward. I am moving on. We’ll be back online soon.
Follow Kai on Facebook, and on Twitter
@kaimagsanoc.
