My name is Ernest and I chose ChoiceFree.
Why you may ask, and the reason is simple.
There is someone at this company that I really love and this article, well, is my confession.
My Confession to Her
The first time I caught sight of her was this one night, while almost everyone have left the office, she sat quietly banging her keyboard, researching college information that would help her students. Looking out the window, there was nothing but darkness.
Although she had already worked for ten hours straight, under the dim office light she showed no sign of fatigue. On the contrary, from the fluorescent glow of her computer screen, I could see a slight smile on her face.
I slowly strolled up, stood next to her, and asked 「Why are you smiling?」 As meticulous as she was, she paused for a minute and replied 「Wouldn’t you be smiling too if your work can significantly help a student and change his life?」 And that was how we first met, a selfless person and me.
From that day forth, I witnessed countless occasions where she went out of her way to help her students.
I have seen her starve herself because she was too dedicated in collecting online articles for her students to read so that they can expand their knowledge and stimulate ideas.
I have seen her sacrifice friend gatherings just so she can meet with students to better understand them.
I have seen her utilize what little time she has commuting to work, learning new knowledge just so she can become a better counselor.
Again, I asked her dubiously, 「Why all the effort?」Her answer was simple and pure, 「I do what I like and I like what I do.」
People often ask her if she is a workaholic but I know deep down, she is not. In the office, she tries her best to be modest and fair, and from her acts of sharing, you can tell she is affable by nature.
There was this one time where I even got a glimpse of her emotional side: I saw her almost shed tears because she was overwhelmed by the context of a student’s thank-you letter. I pondered and asked her one last time 「Why are you so optimistic and passionate?」She thought for a bit and said「look around.」I obeyed and observed our office surrounding.
「I’m optimistic because I’m surround by charming people. My passion is derived from my faith in our company and just look how passionate they (our other colleagues) are. 」
This woman, so zealous and genuine at her work, is the reason why I chose to be at ChoiceFree.
You want to know her name?
Well guess what, there are two parts to my confession. This woman I been referring to, well, she is actually not a woman. To be completely honest, she is my ego.
The Cause I Love
For my previous jobs, I have personally done door-to-door sales that required me to speak to 200+ strangers every day, used SPSS to run data analysis for Morgan Stanley, operate machineries to test customer skin condition for SK II, and startup my own company and handled duties from making decisions to making deliveries; thus, I know a fair portion of jobs out there and I know how hard it is to find a job you really love.
This is why I feel fortunate that I found ChoiceFree.
I chose ChoiceFree because I love who I am when I am at ChoiceFree.
In a recent speech I heard from Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, he claimed using his research that there are three kinds of people in the world:
the takers, what can you do for me; the givers, what can I do for you; and the matchers, I do something for you if you do something for me, and he concluded that optimal output can best be achieved when the organization is taker-free.
ChoiceFree, to me, is a taker-free organization.
Let it be clear, that when I say giving and taking, I am not speaking of how easily one「gives in」 to someone else’s desire, but the nature of intent and value one emphasizes on wanting to help another.
Being a part of ChoiceFree family, I true-heartedly know that when I seek for help,someone will help me, and I know for a fact, the same goes for our students.
The giver mindset forces us to frequently self-reflect –are our services truly beneficial for our students and how can we improve(once again, the help mentioned here does not mean doing students’ homework or babysitting students).
Furthermore, in an office where givers dominate, it is easier to feel safe, like a home.
I have witnessed ChoiceFree grew since 2015, and the amount of hard work, effort, and time we put in make me proud to say I work here.
My name is Ernest and I chose ChoiceFree because I like who I am, who we are, and who you will become when you are at ChoiceFree.
Let the world meet a better you!
