Back to work and lessons from Working Girl

As I've said in my previous post, I just got back to work last week from my two and a half months long maternity leave. Nakakapanibago talaga, if only I could be with my family 24/7. But the ardent drive to work is still there, that's why I still don't have the guts to be a full-time housewife and mom, well apart from the fact that it would be difficult for us to sustain a single income source household.

Coming from my long hiatus, I needed some quick pick-me-ups just to get me to the working girl vibe. And what a coincidence, the 1988 romantic comedy "Working Girl" was on cable last weekend.

From Wikipedia: It tells the inspiring story of a Staten Island-raised secretary, Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith), working in the mergers and acquisitions department of a Wall Street investment bank. When her boss, Katharine Parker (Sigourney Weaver), breaks her leg skiing, Tess uses Parker's absence and connections, including her errant beau Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford), to put forward her own idea for a merger deal.

Consider that inspiration talaga since the main character and the plot closely relates to my field. Although the movie is already 25 years old, some lessons are still quite timely and apt in this day and age. Hopefully, I could apply these myself =)

Here are my favorite inspirational quotes from the film:

1) "You know, you don't get anywhere in this world by waiting for what you want to come to you.  You make it happen." The corporate world has no place for Juan Tamad (who waits for the fruit to fall off the tree) nor those who are shy and timid. Grab hold of your career. Kapalan na ang mukha. Tell them what you want to achieve and be in the future, and ask how you can get there. No one else will make your dreams come true but you, through hardwork, prayers and lots and lots of guts. Applicable din to sa love, so go out there and get the man of your dreams.

2) "I read a lot of things. I mean, you never know where the big ideas could come from." I loved that Tess got the idea of the Trask-Metro merger just by reading the New York Post society pages aside from Forbes. It's amazing how big deals just simply come from nowhere. So may sense din pala ang pagbabasa ko ng lifestyle section, society magazines and Cosmo hehe.

3) "I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life working my ass off and getting nowhere just because I followed rules that I had nothing to do with setting up, OK?" We are bound by rules no matter what. But I just love Tess' go-getting attitude, and how she tried to pull-off being an associate for a mergers and acquisition company. Sometimes just by being confident, people really can't tell if you're just pretending to be an expert or the real deal. Pero syempre don't forget lang that in the end trust is the most important thing in any relationship, whether it be love or business.

4) "You can bend the rules plenty once you get to the top, but not while you're trying to get there. And if you're someone like me, you can't get there without bending the rules." Nakakaloka rin when Tess and Jack gate-crashed the wedding of the daughter of the owner of Trask Industries just to get to talk to him. Ewan ko lang kung merong sneaky and gutsy enough to do this since it's unethical and impolite. But most of the time you just got to think outside of the box when trying to score a big deal.

5) "People's impression of me starts with you.  You're tough when it's warranted, accommodating when you can be, you're accurate, you're punctual, and you never make a promise you can't keep." This was Katharine's line to Tess regarding her requirements as an executive assistant. Just like any employee, you need to give a great impression because you represent your boss and your firm.

6) "Dress shabbily, they notice the dress.  Dress impeccably, they notice the woman."  - Coco Chanel. Again this was Katharine quoting Coco Chanel, and it's true, nadadaan talaga sa porma. This is one of the things that I like about working, wearing stylish and elegant clothes that make me look smart hehe. I'll probably write a post on dressing for success so watch out for it ok.

So there you have it working girls and working moms, aim high and stand proud on those stilettos.