Easter reflections and new book ideas

On the very last hour of the work week before the Holy Week vacation, I was pulled into a meeting. It was a brief one, but it drove the point home: overtime is expected if you want to succeed in the corporate world, especially in the fast-paced AI industry I belong to. However, I am not working on Holy Thursday and Friday. I’m taking a break.

I had a ten-year stint as a full-time mom with no job, and because of this experience, I understand that family is paramount. However, I am not vacationing with my family; instead, I am spending it alone. They went ahead to the beach in La Union a few days ago. Being alone to write for the next few days was a conscious choice.

By the time I see my family again, we’ll be recharged and invigorated, well-rested, and eager to see each other.

I see a long-term future at my current company. It’s a place where I can potentially find significance and recognition, not just be another ant in a giant colony. But working this job isn’t the be-all and end-all of my career. So, while I’m outlining my future plans, it’s not about bolting, just watching out for myself. I’m in my 40s now, and I ask myself, “What sustainable thing can I do for work when I’m gray-haired, hard of hearing, and have achy knees?”

The plan I am about to share with you now is about the long game. I regard myself as a writer-psychologist, with unique skills, perspectives, and experiences. One foot on writing, another foot on mental health, both of which I trying to excel in. There is no other person like me working and living in this milieu, with this extraordinary standpoint.

My experiences with writers’ groups, psychologists’ organizations, and the job hunt taught me a few things. While attending writers’ workshops and earning Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points, I felt like a fish out of water. I am not solely a writer, nor entirely a psychologist. One time, after a particularly depressing day at work, I looked at job ads for psychologists, and I did not find any of them appealing. Ditto with job ads for writers. My dissatisfaction led me to the decision to create my own job description because the path I will take is untrodden. In the words of Bryan Creely, the YouTuber of “Life After Layoff,” I decided to be the CEO of my career. After all, as a Chinoy, entrepreneurship is in my blood. But wait! I’m not saying this with bravado.

Truth be told, I lost a significant sum of money in business during my bored and naive stay-at-home mom years. Investing in something I knew little about was a huge mistake. However, that experience proved to be a valuable lesson—invest only in what you truly understand.

And what I understand (better) now is myself. My writing skills, my fascination with human psychology—these are worth investing. This realization has led me to formulate this loose, qualitative description, a business plan for myself, if you may, for the next decade of my career. Sharing this with you serves a dual purpose: your presence holds me accountable, and hopefully, you might find some inspiration too.

I’m going to develop a psychological tool, not a psychological test, but a tool that helps people tell their stories about themselves. I believe that stories have the power to destroy or heal, but to access those stories, people need words. However, words do not come easily to some. My tool aims to extract these stories from you.

During a writer’s event, I had my tarot cards read. It struck me how people openly shared things with the reader that they wouldn’t with a psychologist. “WTF,” I thought. That’s when I had a lightbulb moment, and then I suddenly remembered even Carl Jung experimented with mysticism. Additionally, during my clinical practice, I observed clients readily reveal themselves through projective tests. Drawing from these two parts of my life, I conceived the idea for this tool. I call it the Archetype Discovery Deck. It seamlessly combines the magic of Tarot cards with the cold, hard science of psychology creating an inviting yet grounded approach for clients. Because, to be honest, I blank out when I think something is off-the-wall esoteric.

Why the archetypes, you ask? Well, let me tell you. The archetypes, first explained by Carl Jung (yes, him again), help you tell the stories of your unconscious lead players. Just as when you read a novel, you get carried away with the storyteller’s perspective, using archetypes draws you deep into the narrative. And when that happens, the story flows. As a writer and storyteller myself, I know data can’t compete with a compelling story. Your life experience isn’t a list of facts. In fact, when there is a story behind a person’s psychological issues, it makes much more sense (even if it’s a horror show). I hope that after clients tell their stories using the Archetype Discovery Deck, they will hear their words out loud, and maybe they will find better endings or see better perspectives. Just like in storytelling, we have the capacity to write and rewrite our stories.

The tool I am creating will not be based solely on Jungian archetypes. (That’s been done before!) I am incorporating symbolism and themes relevant to our culture because I am Filipino and Chinese-Filipino, and damn proud of it.

The initial phase of my plan involves creating the first product, the deck itself, which I’ve named the Archetype Discovery Deck. To achieve this, I’m collaborating with a fellow Chinoy artist to design the cards. Once the artwork is finalized, I’ll proceed with printing the cards.

As the cards are being designed, I’ll be working on a manual to specifically explain the workings of the Archetype Discovery Deck. This manual is product number two. Who will publish my manual? I don’t know yet, but I’m sure of one thing: I can handle writing it. Given my experience as an academic writer for three years, there’s no topic I haven’t written about. (Except for hard-core accounting and engineering!) Back in my heyday, I could pump out a dissertation in under a month. For sure, a manual would be a piece of cake.

Next up, let’s talk about product number three: a collection of stories focused on mental health within the Chinoy community. You might recall my first nonfiction book, due out before the end of 2024 with PaperKat Books. The Chinoy mental health stories book will follow a similar format. But why focus on Chinoys specifically, you ask, out of all the stories I will hear? It’s because of the lack of dialogue about mental health among us咱人 (lannang). And there’s another thing. Personally, I’m still hung up on not being the conventional therapy-conducting Chinoy psychotherapist I thought I would be, but I’ll make up for it by writing the book. Perhaps that’s how I’ll leave a lasting imprint.

This entire project is something I want to do, with or without the blessings of an academic institution. This brings me to the fourth and final product I envision: a PhD dissertation. Logically, I recognize the Archetype Discovery Deck’s scholarly potential. While this is a possibility, it’s not my ideal, just the cherry on top.

Experience has taught me that projects like this evolve. A lot can happen in ten years—and that’s how long I think this whole project will take! But the most important thing is to buckle up and get started. This is going to be quite a ride!

If all things fall into place, the deck and the stories will be my praxis—the practical application of my vision and beliefs. Since nobody’s going to train me to be the psychologist that I want to be, I’ll have to take the wheel and drive.

But I can’t go it alone. Will you join me?

I need your strength and courage.

Even if this path is hazy now, it’s the one I want to blaze.

Help me, and let me help you too. Know that I love and respect you, and I truly appreciate your interest.

Thank you for reading this long post, and Happy Easter.

The featured image on this blog was AI-generated by me using free tools, namely ChatGPT, Canva, and Leonardo AI. I use these images to support my written content creatively and cost-effectively.