INFLUENCE

If there is one person in this world who has the most influence on me – that would be my eldest sister.

She’s 9 years older than me, and the age gap has made her more of a mother image to me than a sister. She was the one who took care of me when I was still a toddler, and the very person who taught me the basics- reading, writing, counting, shapes, sounds and the likes. She’s the very reason why I didn’t have to go through pre-school and kindergarten. I was immediately admitted to grade school because I already knew how to read, write and do basic math even without formal school.

She sent me to school when I was in high school and she paid part of my tuition in college. She’s the very first person my husband and I asked permission from when we decided to get married, mainly because, most of the major decisions that I make in my life, I ask for her counsel.

She has mentored me through her example. Most of the habits and mindsets I have today, I got it from her. Even my parenting style, I got it from her. She never preached. On the contrary, she listens to what I have to say, and she showed how to live my life by showing me how she lives hers. My preference on books has also been influenced by her, as she never fails to relay to me what insights she got from reading a good book, be it a leadership book, inspirational or self-help.

She’s a self-made woman. She rose through adversities. She was a self-supporting college student, graduated cum laude in the country’s premier state university, got herself a good paying job – and now she’s at the top of the corporate ladder, earning a six-digit figure a month in a fulfilling and rewarding job.

One of the most unforgettable words I got from her were encrypted in a greeting card she gave me during my high school graduation.


Dream big. Aim high. Pray deep.

Short, simple words. Big, boundless impacts. These are the words I live by.