“Reprioritization has also been something that I promised myself to assess what are the real important aspects in life.”
As every year seems more unprecedented than the last, we ask six society members the most significant learning they’ve gathered from 2021. The things they’ve realized and understood helped them plan for their 2022 resolutions for a more grateful, healthier, and more peaceful year to come.
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Celine Lopez
Lopez’s main takeaways from last year are to value health in all its forms, from being physically well to honing good habits and maintaining friendships. In 2022, she aims to keep putting her best foot forward in being her son, Fernando’s, mother and to “live freely yet responsibly.”
“Whether we like it or not, the world has changed because of COVID. We need to adapt the best way we can,” she shares.
Hayden Kho
As someone maintaining leadership roles in his undertakings, Kho considers being the head of his family the most important. The past year gave him realizations on how to sustain his responsibilities.
“I learned that I can’t keep on running on my own ‘physical fuel’ because that runs out fast. I need to sustain motivation and overcome fatigue through a constant supply of strength that comes from spending time with God in prayer—’spiritual fuel,'” he shares.
For this year, the managing director of Belo Medical Group says that the three things he’d like to improve are written in his journal, which he was glad to share.
“First is to stay humble and stay hungry because I believe that is when I am most effective as a person. Second, to have a healthier relationship with money, because looking back at my life, I’ve realized that I have wasted so much money on things I don’t need,” he lists. “And third, is to succeed in making sure that the people who admire and respect me the most are the people who know me best and matter to me most: [my wife] Vicki and [daughter] Scarlet Snow.
Len Olbes
“The biggest lesson I have learned from the last year is ‘plan less, do more,'” Olbes shares. She cites examples like, “if you want to eat eggs, then get them cracking, do not wait for breakfast. If you want to dance, pump up the music, and get on the floor, do not wait for the next Gala.”
Since the pandemic significantly changed our lives, she took the opportunity to “take a hard look” at her life, which helped her reset. By exploring meditation, which was initially difficult as a confessed “live wire,” but with practice, Olbes got to reap its benefits of peace and mindfulness.
Olbes says that a better version of herself instead of what others expect her to be is her resolution on things she will improve on this year.
“[Secondly,] I will focus on being a better member of the community,” she shares by buying treats from Filipino sellers and commissioning fashion from only local designers. In addition to living more spontaneously and living more grateful to the Lord, she’s on a hunt for a new passion that can also be a source of income. “As they say, if you love what you do, then you ‘never have to work,'” she muses.
Rocio Olbes-Ressano
Obles-Ressano believes that the key to life is balance, and her “goals” for the new year are to “strive for a well-balanced life with the right priorities.”
“It is not just about being excellent in one aspect of your life, but the ability to find the right balance so that you may reach your personal goals without compromising your health or time with loved ones,” the philanthropist shares.
Her resolution comes after her realization that nothing is more important than family, “time goes by so quickly, and every moment counts. If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is to never take any moment for granted.”
Yoli Ayson
Ayson shares that while 2020 “was a year like no other,” like someone pulled the rug from under her feet, 2021 “was a literal blackout.”
“I had to re-think, re-evaluate, reassess, and re-live my life,” she shares. However, it was this time that she understood that faith existed, “it made me hold on and believe [to] continue to live.”
For the new year, she describes it as a “new page for one’s life,” as she believes that 100 percent of your resolutions are the results of your 2021 experiences.
In line with this, Ayson plans always to remember to thank the Lord, to appreciate mother nature who nurtures us, maintain her health, and be right there for all her loved ones—even through a phone call.
Eric Thomas Dee
Dee’s last year started on a good note. However, when the next round of lockdown happened, he felt discouraged. “But as always, we deal with the cards we are dealt with. And ended up being a blessing in disguise since we were able to spend unprecedented family time, which made 2021 bearable,” he shares.
For 2022, Dee told himself he’ll be more thoughtful with his actions and make sure what he does always has meaning, “reprioritization has also been something that I promised myself to assess what are the real important aspects in life.”
In addition, he shares that being kind is more important than ever, given the time of the pandemic.
Banner photo from @dochayden on Instagram
