PROMOTION

I have just gotten a promotion. I am now a full-fledged division chief in our legal office. This basically means that my sphere of responsibility has broadened or grown from just being accountable for my individual duties to being responsible for the work of a division. If before I was concerned solely with my official obligations, not thinking about that of my officemates, now I am thrust in a responsibility of managing and supervising a number of staff in my division. In a sense, my world no longer revolves around my restricted parochial interests.

I would be a hypocrite if I deny being pleased about the promotion. The movement entails a concomitant hike in my pay and allowances. I shall be receiving, all in all, around P2,000.00 pesos worth of increase. For somebody desperately trying to eke out a decent-enough existence, an additional centavo in the pay envelope is a welcome development. I said it before and I say it again, beggars really can't be choosers.

But more than the financial reward, which is actually negligible, the promotion does give me a certain sense of accomplishment. After all, I did not actively wrestle for it. When I tendered my application for promotion, I said to myself I was not going to personally lobby for it. If the office did believe that I was worth it, then it would confer me the promotion, no matter what. And the office did. To me, therefore, the promotion amounts to a recognition and acknowledgment of the efforts, sacrifices and dedication I have put into my work for the past ten years.

But the question is, am I ready for the added responsibilities? To be candid, before I accepted the promotional appointment, I have psyched myself. I asked myself several times whether I was prepared to leave my comfortable life of just looking after my own ass in exchange for becoming a division head. In the course of my self-reflection, I did feel some personal doubts and reservations. I was mainly anxious whether I was competent and capable enough for the job. But in the end, my sense of reckless adventurism has gotten the better of me. I thought that I could only fathom my personal mettle if I jump right into the raging river, which I did.

The landing has been quite an initiation for me. Fortunately, my colleagues have been very magnanimous. In their own little ways, they have helped me settle into the job. Thus far, I am surviving. I feel deep inside that I made the right decision.