Finding Balance

Finding Balance: Teaching Online, Starting a Business, & Serving the Community

by Assistant Governor Cheska Acuin Rotary Club of Manila Magic

I am Cheska Acuin. I am the Founder & the Clean Beauty Boss of Messfree Co. --a company that manufactures vegan-friendly, palm-free, cruelty-free, organic & earth-friendly bath & body products. I am also a full-time IB (International Baccalaureate) Educator, currently holding virtual classes with my Grade 4 kids and at the same time a Rotarian--currently an Assistant GovernorofDistrict 3810 and the IPP ofthe Rotary Club of Manila Magic.

Yes, I wear all of these hats but more than these, I wear the principle that as an individual, we have a responsibilitytoourselves, ourcommunityand ourplanet.

I have spent most of my quarter life understanding myself, how people think and how the world works. I immersed myself in different activities, different groups of people & different subjects to learn about. My openness to different things at some point became a worry too because a lot ofpeople would tell me thatmy choices lackdirection. Soon enough though, everything became much clearer for me and fell into place as I have discovered and understood myself better through these things, most especially my strengths and how I am able to use them to affect the people around me positively. As a woman in my early 30s, I understood better the quote, “change starts in you”. One has theinfluence toimpactthepeople around them positively through one’s actions and these people whom you inspired can impactthe world through theiractions. My quarter life has made me realize how I am carrying a responsibility to the people around me, who can impactthe world together.

I would label myselfmore as a woman who loves to grow, rather than embrace what most people would define me as someone who wants variety. I have proven myself countless times but being just human, I was also emotionally challenged the most by the pandemic, just like everyone else. Despite my positive mindset and my indestructible self-esteem, I still found myself struggling with anxiety at the start ofquarantine. For those who don’t know how anxiety feels like, it is a combination of fear, feeling of abandonment and bursts of internal conflicts all happening at the same time, not to mention not being able to pinpoint exactly where they are coming from. Knowing myself, I would often succumb to self-help books and motivational videos to make myself feel better and deal with it on my own. Fast forward, it had been the greatest battle for me since this was where I figured that not all problems could be solved by books and videos. I found more strength by being vulnerable to people close to me whom I shared my struggle with. Being vulnerable is something I learned over the pandemic that has allowed me togrowbetter, strongerand moremeaningful than all

the accomplishments I garnered my whole life. Contrary to the lockdown situation, vulnerability has set me free! Vulnerability has allowed me to look internally and recognize that all ofus need help and to be able to be truly of service beyond oneself, one has to overcome and be of service tooneself, first.

My call for responsibility towards my community breaks down to myfull-time job as a teacherand myjob as a rotarian. I’ve always believed that being a teacher is the most influential job there is. Imagine, in my 10 years of teaching, I have in some way, become a part of more or less, a thousand ofmy students’ life journey & discovery. I have also believed that Einsteins are present in different communities, given the right educational opportunities. My drive to persist in being more present and proactive in sharing my teaching skills in these less fortunate communities is the possibilityofthese kids being Einsteins, with access to good education. As a rotarian, I am strong in my cause in giving these kids more opportunities to enjoy and find theirstrength through education.

Adjusting to the quarantine situation as both a teacher and a rotarian was too sudden for me. Imagine working full-time in the day and attending Rotary events at nightbefore the pandemichappened. I was programmed to socialize, be out there taking action and enjoying the sunshine with my students and never have imagined everything done in theconfines ofmyhome.

Being someone who wants change and growth, I explored and exhausted my extra resources on online courses and skills I could use to maximize the situation. I finished an online course at Stanford University and was finally able to fulfill my dream of becoming a certified Soapmaker! I was also given an opportunity to do a talk at an online summit. That was where I got more confidence and resources to bring to life my newest venture---my company. Everything happened too fast because of the extra time (a blessing in disguise)given tome.

This pandemic has made me realize that in any situation, there is always an opportunity. The quarantine has brought more time for me to think of a way on how I can maximize my time at home and work on a worthwhile project for the planet. This is where I have founded Messfree Co.--my company that manufactures veganfriendly, palm-free, cruelty-free, organic & earth-friendly bath & body products. With the disasters and the rise of diseases this 2020, I personally see this as a wake-up call for all of us to be more mindful of our actions, not only towards ourselves but towards others. I feel that this pandemicis an experience and