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Moving On | ||
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I vividly remember my 5th day working at GMA-7. I was 19, still a UP student, awaiting graduation but already getting into groove of News Operations. Walking down the corridors that day, I felt like 5 days had already been 5 years, and the prospect of a long future ahead like an eternity away. It made me anxious, but these feelings notwithstanding, I knew in my heart that GMA was where I belonged, and for the next 11 years I called it home. But like a teenager who has come of age, there's a time to move out and move on. Today is my 4,261st day with the company; it is also my last. My dream was simple: to be a reporter. But I came in at a time when technology was evolving fast and I had to step up to the plate and heed the call of innovation. These last few years have been the most fulfilling for me - pushing for a digital revolution inside the newsroom, and watching it happen. We've pushed a lot of boundaries, setting up Digital News Gathering, being an advocate for citizen journalism, and serving as an evangelist for Social Media. It hasn't been an easy ride, though. Sometimes situations have demanded that the status quo be challenged with unpopular ideas. While rallying on was a no-brainer, too much swimming against the current took its toll. To borrow lines from Apple's Think Different campaign, "The crazy ones, the rebels, the ones who see things differently are those who push the human race forward. You can glorify them, or vilify them but the only thing you can't do is ignore them." At the end of the day, we've pushed the company forward, so thinking different, wanting more out of the status quo, being vilified even, is worth its weight in gold. Albert Einstein once said, "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds." I leave behind great spirits in the company who I believe can, must and will have the grit to push limits. While it will be difficult, I encourage you to be strong and pray your spirits persist, because the day you stop pushing for excellence is the day you lose. I leave with you what I tell my team every single day: You are defined by what you do, not by what others say about you. Never let anyone put out your fire, never lose your idealism, let the flame of passion burn bright in you. There's a poster on my desk from the movie "The Social Network" that says, "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies." I don't believe in making enemies, but I do believe that some battles need to be fought. Awesome people have soldiered with me, rallied behind me, and stood by me to achieve a goal. I walk away today richer because of great relationships I have forged throughout the experience. I walked down the same halls for the very last time today, to revisit the thoughts from a decade ago. I guess part of me has always known that beyond these walls that have served as my security blanket beckons a world of opportunity and finally I am at the cusp of it all. Just like that day 11 years and 8 months ago, I'm anxious about the prospect of an unforeseeable future but at the same time I am excited by the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. My dream is to change the world. Today I take another path, but that dream remains alive.
Michael Josh Villanueva |
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