Magse

Music

2015-10-25T08:29:00.001-07:00

Music really sooths the soul, brings you back in time, brings back memories, reminds of the feelings you chose to forget. It teaches you and tells you that you were once like anybody else, been there done that, no matter how silly it may sound to you now with the kind of thinking you have, you were once there, you were once that… It reaches within the corners of the heart no matter how hard you deny that you don’t feel no more, somehow it still pricks in. It brings your feet back to the ground, tells you you’re not different after all, no matter how odd you are –the way you think… it’s a universal language everyone comprehends…

Ah, the nostalgia…

Sad, Jane...

2015-08-25T08:23:00.002-07:00

One night, I asked you if you still love me. Or will there ever come a time when you would love me like before? So much have changed, no matter how you deny it, I’ll be dead numb not to feel those changes… we’ve been to so much, the pretending, the loving, the hurting and the pretending part again… they were all real to me, even the pretensions…

I’ll never know for your sure about your side of the deal, but in this game that we play, I knew I lost. Because I knew I really love you. Again, I’ll never know for sure, but I did felt you loved me too… But that was then… I know it’s not the case anymore. How? Because I’ve been that road before with someone else… falling out of love!

After all the hardships I went through, thinking that I can put up with almost anything just to have you back… And I did! have you back that is… Why is it now that I’m asking you these questions- if those feelings you once felt for me still lingers or at least what’s left of it? And if not, will it ever come back? I thought I’m contented just having you here – with me… Maybe I thought wrong. Somehow, somewhere, deep inside me, something still longs for that affection you once showed and gave me…

I was afraid to ask you those questions before – maybe because I’m afraid to hear what I don’t want to… or maybe I’m just afraid you’ll be pissed off because every time I ask you questions of that tone, you start to irate, I’m afraid to lose you again…

But why is it now that I inquire response for these questions? Am I not afraid anymore of the answers? Am I not afraid anymore to hear what I don’t want to hear? Or am I more afraid now that I’m beginning to get used to these situations of ours…

I guess I’m not afraid anymore to hear that you don’t love me nor will it ever come back… I’m more afraid now that I’m just seeking validation for my feelings… because so much and so less have happened at the same time, I’m more afraid now, that it is me who’s beginning to lose the feeling…

HELP ME...

2015-06-27T21:42:00.001-07:00

Plenty of reasons, some even life dependent, but can't seem to find the drive and determination to start... something's missing...been on this rut for almost a year now...I know what I have to do, but knowing isn't just enough... I need more push from You, as if what happened aren't enough for me...

I beg You, take me back... lead me, humble me... change me...

Open Letter to Nichol Jane

2015-04-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

By,

sa tinagal tagal ng paghabol at pangungulit ko sa yo, at long last pinansin mo ulit ako at kinausap. una naninibago tayong kapwa sa sitwasyon dahil medyo matagal din tayong nagkalayo... halos lahat ng pangayayri sa buhay ko ay ikinukwento ko sa yo sa mga txt ko sa yo nun, kahit deadma ka lang at walang reply, kaya alam mo kung ano ang nangyayari sa akin. ngunit sa yo wala akong idea what went on to your life this past few months.

so sa madaling salita, we gave ourselves a chance again... you gave me a chance again... we started from going out and talking on what went through with our separate lives then... things started to look good, i guess. I was thankful , very thankful that you're talking to me again. we dated, we go out, but unlike before no hanky panky yet... we were fine, i guess, aside sa madalas mong pang aaway sa akin at pagbalik ng kamalian ko dati... sabi mo, when u're calling in the wee hours, as much as possible, wag ko sagutin, dahil malamang lasing ka na naman at gagawin mo na naman akong outlet ng anger mo...

kaya, one early morning, you were repeatedly calling on my celfone... I ignored a few calls, but the calling kept on, so after maybe 9 or ten calls, I decided to pick up and talk to you...on the other side of the line, I heard you crying at nagtatampo ka na hindi ko sinasagot ang tawag mo at sinabi mong "hindi ko naman dapat seryosohin ung sinabi mong wag kitang sasagutin pag madaling araw ka tumatawag"... hay naku, sino ba mas magulo sa ating dalawa?

pinapunta mo ako sa inyo, at gusto mo kamo akong makausap, importante... dali dali akong pumunta sa inyo. nadatnan kitang nakahiga at umiiyak... medyo nakainom ka kamo at masama ang loob mo dun sa work mo. ayaw mo na kamo ng ganyang buhay at gusto mo ng magbago... natuwa ako sa narinig ko... ayaw mo pa akong paalisin at sabi mo samahan lang kita hanggang sa makatulog ka... sobrang na miss kita By, kaya gustung gusto kitang tabihan sana kahit maghapon, kaso tumakas lang ako sa bahay kaya hindi ako pwedeng magtagal. tinabihan lang kita hanggang sa makatulog ka at umalis na din agad ako...

Natuwa ako sa narinig ko na gusto mo ng magbago at gusto mong iaalis na kita sa gnung buhay mo at sabi mo magpapakabait ka na. lalo na sa akin... natuwa ako pero, natakot din, dahil sa sitwasyon ko ngaun... alam ko sa sarili ko na hindi kita kayang akuin ngaun dahil nasa financial crisis ako ngaun... hindi kita kayang suportahan ngaun... tapos sumabay pa na may kaso ako.... bakit ba ayaw makisama ng pagkakataon sa ating dalawa... hindi ko muna sinabi sau ang buong katotohanan... sinabi ko lang sau na unti untiin natin...

sorry By, sa sobrang takot ko na mawala ka ulit sa akin, hindi ko sinabi ang buong totoo, sinabi ko lang kung ano muna ang kaya ko... akala ko, i can work my way out of the mess I'm in, in time to set up our life together...

So OK na tau... we're talking and in good terms ulit... hanggang sa tumawag ka ulit at pinapapunta mo ako sa inyo dahil may emergency kamo... dali dali naman akong pumunta sa inyo na halos lumipad ako... pinagmayabang mo pa sa mga kasama mo sa bahay na hindi ko nagagawa sa iba ko ung nagagawa ko para sa yo... alam mo pala By eh, bakit pinahirapan mo ako nang matagal?

So ayun, diniscuss mo sa akin na kailangan nyong lumipat ng bahay dahil nasabit sa isang problema ung kasama nyo at pati kayo nadamay kaya kailangan nyong umalis sa bahay nyo at maghanap ng ibang malilipatan... so madaling salita, sinamahan kita... pero kailangan ko din umalis na naman agad dahil may mga kumpromiso ako nung araw na un... pero usapan natin, babalitaan mo na lang ako at i uupdate sa kalagayan mo...

then nung gabi nga, eto na, tumatawag ka na. at sinabi mo na nag escalate na ung sitwasyon at hindi na kamo kayo pwedeng mag stay within cavite, kailangan nyo ng lumabas ng cavite... nagpapasundo ka sa akin at nagpapahatid sa terminal ng bus para kamo makauwi kayo sa pampanga... naisip ko nman noon, na humiwalay ka na lang sa mga kasama mo at ihanap na lang kita ng matitigilan dito sa cavite... pero, syempre naisip mo, hindi mo naman pwede iwan ung mga kasama mo...

So ayun ulit, eto ako, punta agad sau... may sususnduin sana ako nung gabing iyon, pero inuna na naman kita. pinaghintay ko ung sususnduin ko hanggang sa masundo at maihatid ko kayo ng mga kasama mo sa istasyon ng bus... mag aalas dose ng hating gabi na yata ako nakabalik dun sa susunduin ko... kung hindi lang talaga kita MAHAL By, oo?

Umuwi ka ng pampanga, hindi sigurado kung saan kayo tutuloy... biglaan, walang kasiguraduhan at wala kayong dalang pera, dahil hindi nga napaghandaan... Umaga... may long bike ride kami ng mga ka grupo ko, kahit hindi ako masyadong nakatulog dahil nga sa sitwasyon mo, tumuloy pa rin ako sa ride namin... eto na nagttxt ka na, nagpapaload ka sa akin dahil may tatawagan ka kamo at ng magawan mo ng paraan kung saan kayo tutuloy... pare pareho na kaung stressed at pagod, kaya mainit na naman ang ulo mo... dahil nasa ride nga ako, medyo natagalan ang pagpapaload ko sau... inaway mo n naman ako sa text... ako na naman ang ginawa mong outlet... hindi tuloy ako maka concentrate sa ride namin dahil naiisip kita...

It was a very long day for the both of us, dahil lahat ng pagod, puyat at hirap na dinanas nyo sa pag aayos ng sitwasyon nyo, eh ako lahat ang ginawa mong outlet... I was at the receiving end of every curse and anger of yours... I explained na wag mo naman sa akin ibunton lahat ng galit mo dahil wala naman akong kinalaman jan sa sitwasyong napasukan nyo, ako pa nga ang tumutulong sa yo eh... Nagulat ako, tumanggap ka ng paliwanag mula sa akin at nag sorry ka...nagbabago ka na nga ata By...

Dumating ang gabi, while constantly monitoring your condition, tumawag ka sa akin at sinabi mong after all the stress, pagod at puyat nyo, you didn't come to an agreement sa mga kasama mo and you decided to go home to your folks' house... salamat, mapapahinga na rin tayong lahat... you wanted me to accompany even if just on the phone while your travelling there.. at yun ang ginawa ko... pati ako pagod at stressed sa nangyari sa inyo, sa iyo...napaka kulay talaga ng buhay ko pag kasama kita!

Lumagi ka na sa pampanga mula noon, may constant communication at kumustahan tayo... tawag at txt from time to time... lumipas ang ilang linggo, gusto kitang ibalik dito sa cavite kaso ayaw mo... gusto rin kitang iluwas ng manila at dun maghanap ng matutuluyan kaso, krisis nga ako... ang kaya ko lng muna ay suportahan ang basics mo... hindi ka nman humihingi dahil alam kong dumidiskarte ka rin jan... wala namang problema sa akin un dahil thankful nga ako na naging OK ulit tau, kaya hindi na ako nag expect at nagdemand ng kung ano pa man... at isa pa malayo ka at wala naman akong magagawa noon...

pero dumating ang isang araw at sinabi mong sawa ka na jan sa inyo at gustung gusto mo nang lumuwas sa manila o kahit sa cavite... sabi ko gagawan ko ng paraan. sakto namang may naraket ako at sasapat un para sa pang upa mo ng bahay... ayos na sana, nakakagawa na ko ng paraan at dumadating na mga trabaho para sa akin... pero pumutok ang kaso ko at medyo kailangan kong mag laylo... hindi pwedeng lumutang ng lumutang... pero sabi mo na gusto mo na talagang lumuwas....

nagkasundo tayo na unti untiin natin, ihahanap muna kita ng bahay na uupahan bago ako lumayo... sinabi ko sau ang sitwasyon ko, pero hindi ko sinabi sau kung anong kaso ko... maraming beses tayong nagplano na magkikita para ihanap ka ng bahay dito... sa cavite ang napagkasunduan natin... nagkasundo tayo... nagkita tau at naghanap ng bahay, pero bago natin nakuha ung bahay, nag away na naman tayo... ang gusto mo suportahan kita habang andito ka, na hindi ko naman kaya dahil lalayo nga ako. kung sarili ko nga hindi ko alam kung paano ko susuportahan sa tago eh... ang sinabi ko aayusin ko muna place to stay mo bago ako umalis... walang katapusang away at sumbatan na nman ang nangyari sa atin... sobrang sama ng mga nasabi na laging nauungkat ang nakaraan...

nag walk out ka at nagdecide na umuwi ng pampanga, alas diyes na ng gabi un, magkatxt pa rin tayo sa phone at nag aaway... pinaliwanag ko sau ang side ko kaso, sarado isip mo... away pa rin tayo... hanggang sa nagsawa na ko at nagpaalam na ako sau... pinaliwanag ko sau na kung ayaw mo kumuha ng bahay, hindi naman kita pipilitin... ibibigay ko na lang sana ung pang upa sa yo para may magamit ka at ikaw na lang magdecide kung ano ang gagawin mo, dahil malalayo nga ako...

nasa terminal ka na ng bus pa pampanga ng magbago ang isip mo at sabi mo kukunin mo na lang ung dapat na ibibigay ko sau... nanibago ako sa u, sa unang pagkakataon, kinain mo ang pride mo at pinakita mo un sa akin... sobrang dami ng sinabi mo sa akin, pero eto ka at kukunin mo ung dapat na ibibigay ko sau...

bumalik ka para kunin ang pera, tumatawag at nag ttxt ka sa akin habang daan mo para sabihin kung saan tayo magkikita... sa sakit ng nadarama ko, naisip ko na wag ka siputin... pero hindi tlaga kita matiis... naisip ko na talagang kailangan mo kaya nagawa mong lunukin ang pride mo... kaya kahit ganun, nagdecide ako na puntahan ka... hindi mo lang alam, ngaun ko lang sasabihin, na kailangang kailangan ko din ung pera na un, kaya nagdalawang isip ako... pero mas matimbang ka talaga sa kin, MAHAL KITA By eh... pinuntahan kita at ibinigay ang pera na sana ay gagamitin ko sa pag aayos ng gusot ko....

nung makita ko ang itsura mo nung gabing iyon, pagod, namumugto ang mata sa pag iyak, nadurog ang puso ko... hindi ko kayang makita ko na gnun ka... isang matapang at proud na babae, hindi ko inaakala na makikita kitang gnun, at ayaw ko... nag usap tayo, medyo matagal... hindi maiwasan na maibalik ang mga mali ng nakaraan... maraming beses na akong humingi ng tawad at ayaw ko ng balikan ang mga mali natin nung una... nagkapatawaran tayo... mabait ka na sa akin By... minsan naisip ko na sana lagi ka na lang gnun para hindi mo na ako inaaway, mabait ka na sa akin, at nakakausap na kita ng maayos... pero syempre, ayaw kong ganun ka, mas gusgustuhin ko pang inaaway mo ako at sinusungitan kaysa makita kitang malungkot at nasasaktan... ramdam ko ang takot at sakit ng damdamin mo noon, at ayaw kong nakikitang gnun ka... nadudurog ang puso ko By....

natapos ang usapan natin, nagkapaalaman tayo... sabi ko sau hindi muna ako magpaparamdam sa u dahil aayusin ko muna ang buhay ko, pero babalikan kita once maayos ko na... ang sabi mo wag!, sabi mo mag paramdam ako sau kahit papano... so pumayag ako, kasi alam ko din sa sarili ko na hindi ko kayang hindi mag txt man lang sau... naging maayos tayo nung gabing un, for the first time nakausap kita ng maayos at seryoso...

uuwi ka na ng pampanga kinabukasan, kaso hindi ko matiis na hindi ka makita at magpaalam sau bago ka umalis. gumawa ako ng dahilan para makita ka at makapag paalam man lang sau...

tinawagan kita at nagkita tau... inabutan pa kita ng dagdag na panggastos mo... huling pera ko na yun, pero naisip ko na mas madali naman akong makagawa ng paraan kaysa sau... saka hindi talaga kita matiis eh... sa paalaman natin, pinangako ko sau na kahit maging matanda ka na at kahit na ano ang maging itusra at kondisyon mo, hahanapin pa rin kita at gugustuhing makasama sa buhay ko... natawa ka lang at sinabing ano ang gagawin natin kung matatanda na tayo? ang sabi ko, magkukulitan lang tayo at mag aasaran araw araw, gaya nung ginagawa natin dati... wala na siguro tayong sex nun, kasi hindi mo na kaya, biro ko pa... masaya na naman tayo nung pagkakataong un... sinabi ko sa yo ang mga plano ko at sinabi kong hindi ako nagbibiro... sinabi mo ring maghihintay ka at hindi ka rin nagbibiro... masaya akong marinig un sa mga labi mo... pwede na kong mamatay sa mga panahong un...

umalis na ako, hindi ko na hinintay na sumakay ka ng bus... nag txt txt na lang tau, alam ko matagal na ulit kita makikita. nangingilid ang luha ko sa mata habang naiisip ko un... sa maikling panahon ang dami ulit nangyari sa atin... ewan ko ba kung bakit ayaw makisama ng pagkakataon sa ating dalawa? parang ayaw na magkasama ulit tayo...

lumipas ang mga araw at linggo, nakuntento ako sa tawag at txt lang sa pagitan nating dalawa... araw araw hinahanap kita, namimiss... kahit nung mga panahong nag hiwalay tayo, hindi ako tumigil ng pagmamahal at pangungulila sa yo... lalo na ngaung nagkaayos na tayo ngunit malayo sa isa't isa...

lumipas pa ang ilang araw, tumawag ako, the usuals... pero biniro kita na lumabas naman tayo minsan... hindi ko inaasahan na papayag ka dahil malayo ka nga at isa pa, nagbibiro lang ako dahil wala nga rin akong pera nung pagkakataong un... pero sumagot ka ng oo, at nag set tayo ng petsa kung kelan tayo lalabas. nagkasundo tayo na magkikita sa manila... naku, sabi ko lagot, napasubo na naman ako... kailangan ko tuloy gumawa ng paraan para magkaroon ng panggastos...

palapit ang araw ng napagkasunduan, pero hindi ako nag fofollow up sau... akala ko nga nalimutan mo na rin... dumating ang araw, pero hindi tayo natuloy, akala ko biro lang din sau un... pero nung mag usap tayo ulit at sabi mo "akala ko ba idedate mo ako?" sabi ko, naku patay, naalala mo pala... sinagot kita na hindi ko tinuloy dahil malabo ang usapan, sabi ko mag set tau ng mas planado para matuloy na... pumayag ka at nag set ulit tayo ng petsa, nagkasundo tayo na manonood ng sine... saka gusto ko overnight para maka score ka ulit sa akin, hehehe...

palapit ulit ang araw, nag follow up na ko sau, dahil gusto na rin kitang makita... wala pa rin akong pera, pero bahala na... nagkasundo tayo, pero nabago ang petsa, pero siniguro ko na tuloy na at dadating ka... inasure mo rin sa akin na matutuloy at pupunta ka...

dumating ang araw ng pagkikita... nagtxt ka at nagtanong kung tutuloy ka pa? naliligo ako noon at nadismaya sa txt mo, sabi ko mukhang malabo na nman to... pero tinxt kita at sinabing tuloy at wag mo ko iindianin...

sabi mo tinatamad ka at sabi mo tawagan kita at ayaw mo ng txt lng ako sasagot... naliligo pa ako, kaya hindi kita matawagan agad... nagdadahilan ka na naman para hindi tayo matuloy... tumawag ako at kinumbinsi kita na tumuloy na... nakumbinsi naman kita kahit naiinis ka at tinatamad ka kamo talaga...

nag ayos ka na at umalis sa inyo... pumunta naman sako dun sa isang raket ko para dumiskarte ng pera... habang naghihintay, nagtxt ka at pinag mumura mo ako sa txt... sabi mo ang tagal mo ng naghihintay ng bus [pero wala kang masakyan, puro puno at tayuan... nabubusit ka kamo at naiinis sa akin kung bakit pa kita pinilit pumunta... pinaliwanag ko naman na matagal na nating usapan un... masakit na kamo ang mga binti mo at nagugutom ka na, panay pa rin ang mura mo sa akin at tinawagan mo pa ako para lang murahin... Ang bait mo talaga sa akin By! sabi mo pa sa cubao na lang kita sunduin dahil un lang kamo ang bus na medyo maluwag na masasakyan mo... sabi ko kahit jan sa pampanga, susunduin kita... sa madaling salita, nakasakay ka na at nagbyahe....

naghintay ako ng txt mo, at pagkatapos ng halos dalawang oras, sabi mo malapit ka na at umalis na ko para sunduin ka sa cubao... umalis agad ako, nasa taguig ako...

inabot ako ng traffic sa edsa at halos 2 oras din inabot ng byahe ko papuntang cubao... nagtataka ako na sa byahe ko at pag dating sa farmers plaza, wala akong natanggap na txt sau, gayung sabi mo eh malapit ka na, nkalipas na ang 2 oras nun ng mag txt ka. eh sa inis mo kanina, alam kong lalo kang maiinis kung ma late pa ako... pero wala akong txt na natanggap, naisip ko tuloy gumanti ka, hindi ka tumuloy magbyahe , tapos pinapunta mo ako ng cubao para inisin lng din...

Hindi na ko nakatiis, tinxt at tinawagan kita... hindi ka sumasagot, lalong lumakas ang hinala ko... pero sumagit ka rin, sininghalan mo na naman ako... I love you talaga By... natraffic ka din pala...

sinundo kita sa bus station matapos ang maliit na away ulit natin, syempre ako na nman ang sumuko, ano pa ba ang bago? nagkita tayo malapit sa bus station na binabaan mo, nagtaxi tayo pabalik sa kung saan nakaparada ang jeep ko... kumalma ka naman at naging ok na ulit tayo... Nag kwetuhan tayo at kumain dahil pareho na tayong gutom.... hindi na tayo makakanood ng sine dahil pasado alas diyes na at ayaw mo na rin nman, kaya nag food trip na lang tayo...

matapos un, nagpunta tayo sa baclaran para bumili ng tsinelas pamalit sa heels mo... bakit ba naman kasi nag suot ng "tiis-ganda" eh ako lang nman ang kasama, alam nya naman na makasama ko lang cya solved na ko... matapos bumili, nag punta tayo sa malimit natin tambayan nung nagsasam pa tayo, sa bahay na walang kusina at may salamin sa kisame... masaya ko ng gabing yun dahil magkasama ulit tayo...

sa loob, madami tayong pinag usapan pero halos kwentuhan lang at mga bagay bagay, walang seryoso...

nung dumating ang pagkakataon na magkatabi na tayo, naninbago tayo kapwa.. lalo na ako, marami ng nagbago sa ating dalawa, lalo na sau... medyo nagkailangan pa tayo ng konti...

hindi ko na idedetalye, pero sa madaling salita, nangyari ang dapat MGA mangyari... at alam mong hindi pwede sa akin ang isa lang, hehehe...

naging masaya ako na nagkasama ulit tayo, gang umaga.. ayaw ko pa ngang humiwalay sau pero, kailangan nang umuwi ng By ko para makapag pahinga...

goodbye again, umuwi ka at inihatid kita sa sakayan ng bus, sa cubao... magkahiwalay na naman tayo...

txt at tawag na naman ang sabi ko na meron tayo... ganun talaga!

pero nitong mga nakalipas na mga araw, hindi mo na ako sinasagot sa txt or pm sa fb... ang tagal mo na rin sagutin ang tawag ko... hanggang nung isang araw, hindi mo talaga ako sinagot, kahit sa txt kahit tawag....

nabuwang na naman ako, inisip ko tuloy kung ano na nman ang nagawa o nasabi kong mali sau...

tumawag ulit ako at sinagot mo naman, nagdahilan ka, alam kong nagdahilan ka lang... hindi naman ako manhid By para hindi maramdaman... hindi mo naman sinasabi ang totoong dahilan kung bakit nanlalamig ka na nman sa akin...

kinulit pa rin kita, at sinabi mong wag na akong mag alala, dahil gaya ng lagi mong sinasabi, anjan ka lang kamo, hindi ka mawawala... kumalma naman ako pero iba pa rin ang pakiramdam ko....

hanggang sa lumipas na araw nga gnun na naman, nasasaktan ako na hindi mo ako pinapansin ulit... hindi ko naman alam ang dahilan at ayaw mo namang sabihin... sabay sabay na ang problema ko, nagkakaganyan ka pa By...

deadma na naman ako sau... di ko alam kung bakit....

sana sa susunod na kabanata ng masalimuot nating istorya, pag naayos ko na ang lahat, at nai set up ko na ang mga kailangang ayusin, sana magkita pa ulit tayo... at sana mahalin mo na rin ako ng totoo... handa na akong manahimik sa piling mo By... pero ikaw parang hindi ka pa sawang mag enjoy eh... kaya hihintayin na lang kita... sana sa pag dating ng panahong un, ipakilala mo na rin sa akin ung tunay na Nichol Jane Lacuban Rivera... ung tunay na ikaw By....

mahal na mahal kita By...

ang iyong Dear,

Joel

read other part here

Diamonds Only

2015-01-23T02:03:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of the story “Diamonds Only”..?

A story of a man stranded in the desert, dying of thirst.

One day, he found a sack filed with something.

He thought – coconuts.

He can drink the coco juice and his thirst quenched.

But when he opened the sack, he was disappointed.

Much to his dismay, he sighed – “What a waste, diamonds only!”

That’s similar to my situation right now.

I can have what I want; go where I want when I want. Get pretty much what I like.

But all of these are not what I need now, ‘cause what I need is your affection, you By…

I can trade all these things just to have you back…

I don’t have anything more to offer but all I have; I can’t give what I don’t have…

All of those things are empty now ‘cause they’re the things I wanted to share with you, just what I promised to you before (I told you I’ll make it up to you for all the things we endure together). Now I can do that.

I know I made a mistake when I suddenly left, but I never really left…

But all of those have passed now.

I need you By, please reconsider…

we had our times, we can have it back.

I know you have someone right now, you already have even when we’re still together, but it didn’t matter to me then. I know you, I accepted you. Yes it hurts, even though I deny the pain, but it would hurt more if I lose you. Just like what happened now. That’s why I ignored it then.

I love you By more than ever. Things should be easier for me, now that time has passed, but they’re not. It’s much harder, because everyday my longing for you grows stronger…

Only you can complete my happiness By…

I’ll wait By…

At least play with the idea in your head…

I’m stubborn By, ‘cause I really love you.

What's In A Name?

2013-09-27T20:06:00.001-07:00

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

If that's the case, does the name really matters then; if we can identify entities even by any other name?

Even in Shakespeare's lyrical tale, Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention.

I searched the internet with the entry the same as the title of this post " what's in a name" and it led me to different sites. This one caught my attention www.kabalarians.com. It offers a brief analysis of your first name using the Mathematical Principle as explained by their Kabalarian Philosophy.

I toyed with three different names to generate these three analysis:

The first analysis is for my first name,

the second for the "screen name" of someone I know,

and the third, her "real first name"

(the names were deliberately omitted to protect the parties involved)

Your name, J---, gives you the desire to understand and help others with their problems but, at the same time, you can become too involved and worrying as the result.

This name creates a pleasant, easy-going, and responsible nature.

You are good natured and affectionate and enjoy home and family life.

You tend to avoid issues, however, and put off until tomorrow decisions that should be made today.

For that reason, you would find difficulty in achieving success in positions requiring aggressiveness and quick decisions.

Your inclination is to pursue a line of work where you carry some level of responsibility and diplomacy is required in contact with people.

Others can, at times, take advantage of your gentle nature.

The health weaknesses created by this name affect the fluid functions.

Your first name of G--- has created contrasting qualities in your nature.

You desires change and varied experiences and you are capable in many areas, but you do not excel because of your scattering, impulsive desires.

With supportive influence from other names you may use, you could be creative or artistic in a practical way, but basically this name is a plodding influence, though you have a desire for greater expression.

Although you desire to avoid monotony, you seem to be attuned to system, order, and attention to detail.

You can be very analytical, exacting, and patient as long as there is a challenge holding your interest, such as in the field of computers with its technical challenge.

When your interest is exhausted, you switch to something else even though it means leaving your undertakings unfinished.

This name makes you inquisitive and scientific in your approach to life, requiring everything to be proved to satisfy your skepticism.

This skepticism has not protected you from many disappointments when people you have trusted have let you down. This name creates strong physical desires, such as an appetite for heavy, starchy foods and meat.

Tension affecting the solar plexus and digestive organs could lead to ulcers, growths, or constipation.

The name of R------- gives you a clever, quick, analytical mind, but you suffer with a great deal of self-consciousness, lack of confidence, and much aloneness because of misunderstandings.

Your idealistic and sensitive nature gives you a deep appreciation for the finer things of life and a strong desire to be of service to humanity.

There are times when you experience inner turbulence at your inability to say what you mean.

It is far easier for you to express your deeper thoughts and feelings through writing than verbally.

You find pleasure in literature, in poetry, and in your ideals and will turn to them when you feel you have been misunderstood.

You are deeply moved by the beauties of life, especially nature.

Because your feelings run deep, you must guard against the ups and downs, being very inspired one minute, then moody, reserved, and depressed the next.

Your reactions to people vary according to how you feel.

You tend to be secretive and noncommittal about private matters, yet at times you will talk effusively in order to hide your self-consciousness or to lead others away from personal subjects.

You are inspired by encouragement from others, yet suspicious of their intent.

You crave affection but seldom find anyone who understands your nature.

Physical weaknesses would show in your heart, lungs, or bronchial organs.

If the first lines of these post prove to be true, why then would a person with two names have also two different personalities? Or, maybe I have it misuderstood...?
Maybe these mean that all the descriptions pertain to her, given her two different names. The contrasting characteristics of the two analysis may just mean that we can be hot or cold depending on our mood as same as her...Aren't we all sometimes pretend to lead another life apart from our "realities"?

I know her by her "screen name" for the longest time. It was just recently that I was able to squeeze out of her her real name... Ok not literally squeeze out, but with persistence, she was forced to give me her real one. I just wonder, who is with me all the time I am with her, is it G---, or is it R-------?
Or why would she not gave me her real name in the first place?
- Maybe it's because of the nature of her work,
- or maybe I was too assuming that I was that important to her that she would give it easily...
- maybe she just want me to know G--- and not R------...
- I may never really know for sure but it's enough for me the fact that I get to know her, even if just a part of her.

Anyway, whatever she calls herself, it doesn't really matter to me. She would still be the same for me, I would still recognize her - her scent, her walk, her touch, her face...

Questions still linger in my mind -
What if I knew R------- first before she became G---?
Would it be a completely different story?
I guess! But that's totally a different "reality" that can only exist in my mind.

What is there really in a name?
It is your own and no one else, some may be the same but it is only yours, associated with your being...
So do whatever you can not to destroy your name, love it and protect it...

Share your thoughts below -

2012-12-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Now!

(The Things We Postponed that Rob Us of Life Today)

In our changing world, people tend to become busier than ever. May it be in our work, business, studies and other activities, that we tend to postpone a lot of important things in our lives. These are the more important things that we take for granted because we always find excuses behind our busy schedule or plain laziness (I for one am guilty). But seldom that we realize that postponing these things cause our stress and rob us of our happiness and our very LIFE itself.

We all want to live the GREATEST life we can... and it’s never too early or too late to start. The time is NOW!

Give Back NOW!

It is never too early or too late! Don’t develop a thinking of “I’ll give back whenever I have excess” because if you do, believe this – you’ll never have “enough”, how much more for “excess?” No matter how much you have it will never be enough if you allow that kind of thinking.

Giving back starts as little as you could afford; proportionate to your capabilities. How can you afford to give back a lot if you never learn to give even just a little? Take John Davidson Rockefeller for example, he gave back 10% of his first $1M. Most thought that he was able to give that much because, well he had so much, but what most don’t realize is that he started giving back from his first pay check. So it was no big deal for him to let go of the $100,000.

Think of this – We are all just stewards of all the wealth and all things in this world. We all decide on what we do with what were entrusted to us but this is for sure, we can’t take anything to our grave after our lives here on earth are over. Not even a single possession. “There’s only so much fortune a man really needs, the rest is just for showing off.”

Reconcile NOW!

It is never too early or too late. It is just pride that holds us back from doing this. Those who hold grudges carry a heavy burden upon their shoulders. Wouldn’t you want to get rid of that heavy load off? Reconcile now! Even if you think it’s not your fault. It doesn’t hurt to say “I’m sorry.” (it would only hurt your precious pride). But if you want to continue carrying that heavy burden all the way, go ahead and nurture that pride of yours. If not, be the first to seek reconciliation. Put that heavy load down and if the other party doesn’t want to reconcile then it’s their load to carry.

Excel NOW!

It is never too early or too late. Now is the right time. Whatever situation you are in right now, aim for excellence in whatever you do. Don’t wait for you to have a higher position. Excel now! May it be in school, your work, business and other fields. And when you finally reach the target, always aim to “excel now!”

Ask For Help NOW!

It is never too early or too late. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. No one can live alone by himself. Everyone needs help once in a while. How can you be able to pass on help if you yourself don’t ask for it? Same as “you can’t teach/preach what you yourself don’t understand.”

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. It doesn’t hurt to ask. (again the only one being hurt would be your pride) If you sincerely ask, GOD’s worldwide networks will start working for you.

Do you know the word “ALAM”? it stands for “Amang Libre Ang Magtanong.”

Take Authority/Responsibility NOW!

It is never too early or too late. We are blessed with the power to rule over all other creations and things on this world. But don’t let these other creations and things rule over us. These things are given for us to properly use and manage. The world owes no man a living but it provides every man an opportunity to make a living. It is our God given right, but always remember that every right implies responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; and every possession, a duty. Take control and authority over your life and now is the time.

Exercise NOW!

It is never too early or too late. One is never too young or too old to do this as long as you are capable. (don’t wait until you’re incapable) And this doesn’t always mean the “body.” One should also exercise his mind and thoughts. We all owe it to ourselves to have a healthy mind and body. We can never rule out that there is a demand for us to exercise but more often than not, these things are left for none because we find too many excuses not to do so. Start now! And you’ll find the ability to cope with this great demand.

Seek Knowledge and Wisdom NOW!

It is never too early or too late. Like the previous one, a person is never too young or too old to seek knowledge and wisdom. Life is a never ending learning process. If you are not growing then you’re probably dying. The advantage of education is to better fit a man in his life. Now is the time to seek new knowledge and wisdom. One can never understand all but at least try to understand the most you can. Each time the lessons are studied comes some new meaning, some new thought which will make us better.

One can seek to have the maximum knowledge and wisdom on certain aspects but one can also seek to have knowledge and wisdom on multiple aspects and fields. Don’t pay too much attention on the saying “Jack of traits, master of none” but instead think of it this way – “Jack of all traits, master in one.” (or more)

Thank GOD for All Things NOW!

Always have an attitude for gratitude. Be always thankful, whatever is the name of your GOD. If you believe that all things work for the good, you would develop this kind of attitude. Whether may it be good things, bad things, ugly things, they all work for the good. Trust me on this. If the things that you considered “bad things” didn’t happen to you in the past, do you think you would be in the situation or would be the person you are now? These things had helped you to decide and take actions to achieve your “present.” All of these things are part of the greater plans that we can only assume and imagine. Learn to appreciate and look at the brighter side of things no matter how gloomy it may seem. So always thank GOD for all things now!

Start believing, doing and achieving the GREATEST life you can. And there’s no better time than NOW!

2012-12-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

When Plans Don’t Happen…

(What Do You Do Next?)

We often hear this “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.” This statement is very true in whatever field you can think of. Whether may it be in competition/sports, study, work, business and life in general. But what happens when the very plan you made failed?

Well just the same with any game, life plans also can either succeed or fail. You either win or lose. Don’t be too hard on yourself if your plans don’t happen the way you perceived them. Maybe it’s just a way to make you look at things in a different perspective. Because you see, sometimes you can’t see things clearly on the first look. You must have focus and persistence to be able to really see things more in-depth. And when your plans don’t happen – IT”S OK!

If You’re on God’s Side, You’re on the Right Side.

(If you’re on the right, then you’re alright!)

No matter what happens, always know that you’ll be alright even if the plan doesn’t happen. (except maybe for skydiving and the likes). Your failure doesn’t diminish your value. No matter what happens, remember that you’re still valuable.

Even if you thought that the plan was almost fool-proof and nothing can seem to go wrong but the unexpected happened and it failed, don’t lose hope. Just think of it this way – maybe it is not the right time for you to succeed. Just be ready when that right time comes and for the meantime be alright.

Take Time to Grieve and Allow Yourself the Process of Recovery

Allow yourself some time to heal. There’s nothing wrong and it is alright to grieve for it is the first step to recovery. Give yourself enough time to go through the healing process until you are ready to accept things and realize that it’s time to move on. Don’t stress yourself more into rushing things especially with the recovery phase. Everything in nature has its perfect time so as with your process of recovery. Live one day at a time is my advice.

See the Bigger Picture not Just the “Zoomed In” Portion

Sometimes when our plans fail, it is just a way to tell us to stop for a while and look at the bigger picture and stop focusing on the “zoomed-in details.” Because we are so pre-occupied with making the plan works, we tend to forget things that are really more important.

Let me cite an example, in our efforts to acquire money and riches we tend to forget why we really want to have money and riches. We tend to focus more on the different plans and way to acquire these things when what we really wanted in the first place is to have ample time to spend with our family and friends and not to worry about anything else. Well guess what, that very purpose you had was beaten by too much focus on acquiring the tool. Money and the riches are just the tools they’re not the main purpose. But because we are very busy focusing on these, we lost the time for our friends and family; the very reason you have in the first place.

Stop and see the bigger the picture and, because you failed, here is your chance.

“I know nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money’s sake.” – John D. Rockefeller

Open Your Mind & Heart to Learning

Better be prepared when your plans fail to see the valuable lessons innate with that failure. Experience is what you gain when you don’t get what you want. And there’s no better teacher than experience so as they say. If you focus too much on the failure, these lessons will pass you by like the wind. Always have an open mind and heart to clearly see the lessons and learn from these experiences so that you can avoid the same mistakes in the future.

“The mind is like a parachute, it best works when it is open.”

Know that It’s not the Plan but the Purpose & the People Behind the Plan that is Important

Somewhat related to “seeing the big picture,” knowing that the people and purpose behind the plans which are more important keeps things in level. Plans really do fail, and it’s very normal. That’s why we have plan B, plan C, plan D and so on and so forth. Let not your plan beat the purpose. If you align your vision, purpose and values you can never go wrong. Plans are there to be adjusted and readjusted to serve your purpose and values. If your plans don’t happen, always keep in mind the purpose and the people behind the plans; they are more important. You can always device more new plan/plans.

So there you have it – when plans don’t happen IT’S OK!

Better yet, when your plans fail I suggest that you rather FAIL FORWARD…

2012-11-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Living a Life of Success

(Reality of Success)

What is success?

Let me site some of people’s definition of success:

“Success is a never ending journey to get better.”

“Success is attaining your goals without sacrificing your roles.”

“There is no such thing as an overnight success or easy money; you have to work for it.”

“Success is not good luck; it is a combination of hard work and right timing.”

“Mediocrity or “average” is never enough when you want to succeed.”

And many more…. What is yours?

Ask a hundred persons on “what is success?” and you’ll probably get a hundred different answers as well.

Every person has his/her own definition of success which makes it safe to say that “success is relative.” – that is “the more successful you become, the more relatives you’ll have.”

But kidding aside, definition of success really differs for every person because we really have different goals and at different levels. Some consider achieving the simplest goals a big “success,” for some it might not be the case. It really depends on the person’s contentment level and values emphasized.

Whichever you want to define “your success”, it’s up to you. But here are some realities of success you might want to be acquainted with and consider…

Success has the power to change

(If you must change, change for the better)

It really has the great power to change people by means of lifestyle, preferences, attitude, values and sometimes even the very person or personality of one who achieve it. But if you must change, always change for the better.

Take Warren Buffett for example; he is a very successful man with so many companies in his name but he didn’t change his lifestyle. He still lives in the same house he had lived even though he can very much afford to buy/build a luxurious house. He still drives himself around even though he can afford to hire as many drivers he can to drive for him. He still flies commercial flights even though he can always afford to fly in his private jet.

He still prefers to live by and do things this way and the amount of success he have didn’t affect the “way” he has lived his life.

Let me borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump – “there’s only so much fortune a man really needs, and the rest is just for showing off.”

Success is good if it doesn’t reach your head

(Pride always come before a fall)

Do not let your success be the poison that will ruin you. Don’t let success and the power associated with it get over your head and overwhelm you. “It is not important what you have it is what you become that is more important.”

The end does not justify the means, not ever and never will it ever, never. Don’t be so consumed by your desire to succeed that you are willing to sacrifice other things that are more important. For sure you would not really enjoy the success you’ll achieve. Even if you achieve the success you desired, you can never really enjoy its fruits but in turn you will be more scared of losing it all. The uncertainty that comes with losing it would weigh more than the enjoyment if you choose the “wrong means.”

Some say “it is lonely up there in the top.” But it doesn’t have to if you bring others on your way there. Do not make enemies on your way to achieving success but instead make friends on your way. “Do not forget the people on your way to the top for they will be the same people you’ll meet on your way down.”

Success is inevitable when you do these things – Pray, Plan, Prepare, & Participate

(Success is when preparation meets opportunity)

“Be purposely opportunistic.” A person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder, continuously carried by the waves and the tides to wherever it is directed. Never having to choose the direction it wants to go.

If you are purposely optimistic, you would realize that not all opportunity is for us. No matter how good or tempting the opportunity is, you’ll never pursue that opportunity if it beats your purpose. You’d never have to chase dreams/goals that you really don’t want; only those which you clearly set forth.

Success is really inevitable if you really pray, plan, prepare and participate for it.

Pray for the things you want to achieve/have in your life. Always believe that there is a Powerful Being that makes all things work. Have a plan of action on how you’ll achieve those things and have the necessary preparations to undertake the actions towards your goals. Planning and preparation is essential if you want to succeed in anything. “If you fail to plan, you planned to fail.” But not all plans succeed and that’s what I’m gonna discuss on my future post (when plans don’t happen), for the meantime, let’s remember the importance of planning than having no plan at all. Then, participate. It is not enough that you plan and prepare only. You must participate and monitor the “scoreboard.” Constantly take a look at the situation and you must be willing to adjust and cope with what is really happening. Plans may fail and have to be re planned and adjusted; strategies might be needed to be changed in order to succeed. Failures might be encountered on your way to success. “Failure is not bad if it doesn’t reach the heart” as “success is good if it doesn’t reach the head.” As you reach your success, you must be constantly planning, preparing and participating for it and monitor the changes from time to time.

Don’t make it lonely when you reach the top, bring others with you on your way there. Achieve your success may it be in the aspect of family, business, sports, career, health, spiritual life or new study…

2012-10-29T09:37:00.003-07:00

How to Live Your DREAMS

Ever wonder why when we were younger our dreams and capability to imagine things are so vivid as compared to when became older?

Children imagine things as if they were true, they play roles of superheroes and villains that appear so real to them they don’t care what grown-ups might think or say. They live in this world of theirs that is built on their imagination. We all once understood what it was like to live in this world of make believe because once in our life we became children. But as we grow older and start to understand how things and the world work, we started to part ways to what we consider childish thinking. Little do we know or try hard not to let others know that deep inside we are longing to become young again so that we can be free to imagine and live in this kind of world again.

What’s stopping us? It’s the system that we are all part of. As our knowledge increases as we grow older, it was imparted in our minds that these things are “childish.” This very system is the one that limits us without us ever realizing it because we are so busy conforming to it. Little by little we change our dreams into more “realistic” ones. Have you ever noticed how you have your BIG dreams were when you were younger? But as when you aged a little more, little by little also, you adjust these dreams of yours to the more “achievable” ones. Until you’re left with the littlest of dreams which they and you consider “attainable.” If you’re one of these people, believe me, the system has already stolen your DREAMS. I won’t go deeper into this “conspiracy theory,” for this is not what this writing is about.

What I want to position here is the power of our DREAMS. A famous author by the name of Napoleon Hill once said, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and bring itself to believe, it can achieve.” It was written in his book “Think and Grow Rich.” A book he wrote after carefully observing and studying the habits of the most successful people in his time, and compiled it into a book.

You should not underestimate the power of dreams. If the dream is so clear to you then it is compelling to do. You see humans think and imagine with pictures and images and not the actual words itself. What does this means? Let me site and example – when I say the word “hamburger” you instantly think or picture the actual image of the burger (the sandwich with the burger patty) and not the actual letters H-A-M-B-U-R-G-E-R. The clearer the picture/dream in your mind the more you are compelled to do/achieve it. The body only follows what the mind tells it to do. A wise man by the name of Henry Ford also told, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you’re right.”

So why do most people quit on their dreams instead of living their dreams?

Well, for most, it’s not the lack of dreams, because I believe all of us are full of dreams. People quit or “adjust” their dreams because most of them don’t act on it. Dreams are good motivators but people don’t realize what true “motivation” is. True motivation = motive + action. Others go through life full of motives but they don’t put it to action. So what happens to their motives is that they remain that – motives. – Just “wishful thinking.” Others tries to do so many things but don’t have true motives. They engage in too many activities but don’t gain true results, because they don’t know what they really want to achieve. This may be considered – waste of time.

To start living your dreams you must have a clear picture of your dream in your mind and what you want to achieve. Picture that life you want to achieve and start living it. Start with the end results where you want your life to be and work yourself back to achieve that goal. As earlier stated, “If the dream is so clear to you, then it is compelling to do.”

I’ll give you a guide on how to live your dreams. To start living your dreams, you just have to D.R.E.A.M.

D – Dare the Impossible Dream

R – Respond Well to Dream Stealers

E – Encourage the Team to Live Their Dreams

A – Aspire for the Best Dreams

M – Mindset of a Winner is Key to Living a Dream

and

S – Stay Motivated

Dare the Impossible Dream

(Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone but not out of your gift zone)

- The problem with most of us is not that we are afraid to dream BIG but we, more often than not, are afraid that these BIG dreams would push us out of our “comfort zone.” If we value our “comfort and security” more than our desire to achieve our dreams, we tend to adjust our dreams to what we call “more achievable” ones. But who are we kidding really? We are just frightened to go astray from the things and routines that we are accustomed and used to. If we continue to think this way and still believe we can attain our set goals, then it is next to insanity. Expecting different results from doing the same things over and over is really next to insane.

“If you’re satisfied with the results you’re getting, why change? But if you’re not satisfied, why not experiment?”

If you want to achieve great things in life you must be willing to face obstacles along the way. Don’t be afraid of the obstacles that would seem to be insurmountable, very too often, people are overtaken by FEAR (False Expectations Appearing Real). They let their fear win over their desire and excitement of achieving their goals. If you overcome your fear and test the obstacles, you might be surprised on what you might discover. Like a famous commercial tag line states, “Impossible is nothing, it is only a pigment of your imagination.” Even the word itself says, “I’m possible.”

Respond Well to Dream Stealers

(People may kill/steal the dream but they will never kill/steal the dreamer)

- Don’t let someone who gave up on their dreams talk you out of yours. Misery loves company so as they say. The world is full of negative people that would drag you down and talk you into believing that your dreams/goals can’t be achieved or can’t be done. Don’t succumb to the discouraging words that negative people might throw at you. If you have a clear picture of your goals, reinforce your drive by steering clear of these dream stealers. Just because their dreams were stolen, it doesn’t mean you’ll let them steal yours.

Remember, words are powerful. Listen to those that would encourage you and stay away from those that would discourage you.

You can’t go back to your past and create a new beginning but you can start today and create a new ending.

Encourage the Team to Live Their Dreams

(It takes teamwork to make the dream works)

- There is a saying that goes, “You can get whatever you want in life as long as you help others enough to achieve what they want in life.”

It is proven that the most successful people achieved their status by solving or providing solutions to other people’s problems; may it be in their products or services. Others got their wealth from teaching and holding speaking engagement that empowers and encourages people.

You’ll be surprised on what a little encouragement can do for an individual. Because courage is the strength to overcome fear, and to encourage is to put that strength to a person but to discourage is to take away or remove that strength.

If you’re working with an organization, infuse encouragement and strengthen others to believe that they can achieve and you’ll be surprised how it might turn out.

Once a week, do something GOOD that scares you, something GOOD you’re friends, relatives or even you might not think you’re capable of and in a year’s time, you’ll be surprise who you can become.

Aspire for the Best of Dreams

(Learn to perspire as you aspire)

- If you really want to live your dreams, mediocrity should never be in your vocabulary. “Good enough” should never be enough.

As you aspire for bigger and better dreams, you must be willing to match it with hard work and smart work also. Whether you believe it or not, work is not a curse. God design us to work when he created us. He entrusted the entire world for us to manage. Do you think civilization as we know it would reach this point if great men did not toil the soil?

There’s nothing wrong for wanting for the best in life. It is better to go through life with a plan than having no plan at all. If you have a plan, you will learn how to say no to certain opportunities that would not bring you closer to your purposes or dreams even if how good the opportunity might be.

Also be careful in working too hard not to overlook yourself. Because in working, we tend to do most of the things for our family and left little or nothing to ourselves. This is good to some extent but too much of everything is bad. Don’t forget yourself. Learn to work to achieve also what you want for yourself. If you keep doing things for other people too long, you might end up burning yourself out. Balance is the key to most things especially in life.

Mindset of a Winner is Key to Living a Dream

(Improve your output by changing your input)

- To keep on winning you must keep on thinking with a winner’s mindset. What you think most of the time would happen in your life most of the time. Our mind, the greatest computer in the world, works much like our personal computers. GIGO (garbage in = garbage out). The quality of the output would be based on the quality of the input. The computer only makes the process faster. And much can be said for our minds also. Remember that our body only responds to the command of our mind. It follows what the mind tells it to do. So be careful what you input in your mind, for you’re in full control on what goes on in that head of yours.

You should practice to stretch the capabilities of your mind in believing that you can do things. If in the past, all you do is thought negatively and believed you can’t, well have you seen the results? Remember, whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you’re right. You make the choice.

Stay Motivated

(Always fix your eyes on the finish line)

- Always have motives and action. Motivation! The key is motivation. But sometimes it’s hard to be kept motivated at all times especially when hard times, fear, doubts and uncertainties are really tiring us in the process. As a phrase in the poem goes “rest if you must but don’t quit.” Take some time off. But when you really feel down and almost out of steam, go back to the power of DREAMS. You should set your eyes to the “finish line” or goal you want to achieve. You should have a clear dream that you can almost see, hear, feel/touch and taste it. Remember if ‘tis clear to you, ‘tis more compelling to do…

I hope this have reignited your passion to dream and believe again. We only pass thru this lifetime but once, better make the most out of it. Dream and dream big. The only time limit you have in achieve your dreams is your entire lifespan. Time will pass us anyway; better use it to pursue the things that matter most to you. Live your dreams by simply D.R.E.A.M.ing...

til the next post,

Joel Magsisi

2012-10-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Where is Your Career Headed? (AMP)

What stage is your career in right now?

What direction is your career path headed?

Before you decide what direction you want to steer your career to, you should first determine what situation your career is at the present. In order to determine that, you must consider this very basic but important factors to assess your current situation; and from there where you want to take your career.

These three basic factors are – Ability, Market/Company Need and Passion (AMP)

Market or Company Need – this is the requirement of the industry/economy for products and services. In short these are the demands of the industry. This is an important factor you must consider in your career path. Are there demands for your chosen field of expertise or for your products?

Passion – Different people are inclined to different things and interest. What are yours? This is another important factor to consider when considering the path you want to take your career to. In my opinion, its importance is a notch higher than the other two. Continue reading and I will elucidate further.

Ability – Well this is your knack for doing or producing things. The ability to perform tasks and functions to meet the demands of the market/company. Consideration of this one also plays a role in your career path choice but not so much as the previous.

By assessing these three factors, you can determine the present situation/situations of your career and maneuver it from there to where you want it to set out. The combinations of the three factors can tell you if you want to GO, GROW or GLOW in your career. But if you’re the partying type, you can also do the GRIND…

Passion + Ability – Market Need = GO

You have the passion and the ability but there is no market or company need for these abilities and passion. Sometimes, it is phrased as, “the company have outgrown your usefulness.”

But don’t despair, this doesn’t mean that you are useless. No! Far from it. Nothing or nobody is ever “useless.” This might just mean that the company have upgraded and for economic reasons made your abilities and passion seemed obsolete.

If you’re in this situation, it is better for you to GO!

You have two options here. You can resign or reassign.

You can be reassigned; propose a new place or department where your passion and abilities would be needed. But if you or the company really find your abilities archaic and can’t see where they can fit, it’s really now time to resign. Find a new place where your passion and abilities would be required. GO and search for new opportunities.

Market Need + Passion – Ability = GROW

There is a great market need, you have the passion for these demands but you lack the abilities. This situation is where you can GROW. Remember earlier when I pointed out how passion does outweigh the other factors? I’ve stated it because in my opinion, if you have a great passion for things you would find ways to improve and most of all you’ll enjoy what you’re doing. Most often, you are always aiming to “perfect” your craft because this really is your passion. The reason why most of professionals and skilled workers gained their expertise is because they have the passion to do their respective fields. That’s how they endured what to others are seemingly grueling preparations and trainings. Take professionals who studied and trained long years in their education just to reach where they are. To others it may seem an insurmountable task but to these people it’s not because it’s their passion and they actually enjoy it. Another reason why college students don’t finish their course even if they have the resources to; or shift from course to course is because they lack the passion. It’s very hard to do things if you have no passion for it. (I’ll tackle it further as you continue reading)

So if you’re in this situation, you would surely seek growth. Train and study to acquire the ability to meet the demands. And if you have the passion “quality is not negotiable.” And when you gain abilities, I recommend that you continue GROWING because the time continues to be changing. We should change with time for the better. And seek to continuously improve.

Ability + Market Need + Passion = GLOW

This situation is the most ideal of all. If you are in this situation, your career would surely GLOW. The cliché “if you love your work, you’ll never have to work another day in your life,” applies in this situation. Think about it, the company/market needs your ability and you have the passion in doing these things. What more can you ask for? This really is your sweet spot. And this is really what you should aim for in whatever career you pursue.

So if you’re already in this situation, Amen!

I don’t want to be unenthusiastic, but changes happen from time to time. Changes in market need, passion and abilities do happen with time. So checking is important from time to time. Asses the changes and gauge you’re career situation, you may need to GROW or GO sometimes but what you really need to aim for is to GLOW in your career. This maybe our greatest goal in career path. When one is able to reach it, you should always be constantly aiming for it because time might sometimes lead us to GO or experience the GRIND.

Now, here’s the GRIND…

Earlier, I taunted you if you’re the partying type who loves the grind, but in this case, you wouldn’t want this kind of GRIND in your career. Let me explain…

Market Need + Ability – Passion = GRIND

This where stress in work starts. This is the situation where you don’t want to do the things you have to but you have no choice because well, you have to. I’m sure a lot of you can relate to what I’m exclaiming. You don’t want to perform certain tasks but you have no choice because the situation calls for it and you’re the one who has the ability to perform the tasks. You’re just doing it because it is needed or nobody else can do it but not because you want to do it. It is called the GRIND, because when you grind things against each other, there is friction, tension or stress. Same as with people who are in this situation of their career. That’s why you often hear people who are “stressed out” in their work.

It is but normal to experience the GRIND in your work from time to time. Situations might arise to call for you to do things you don’t like but are required. The outputs are needed and no other else can produce the outputs except for you. Just make sure that these situations are minor part of your role in your career. Do not make this your major or entire role. It is normal to feel slight stress, but be careful if you’re doing things more and more but enjoying it less and less.

As for object /materials, people also have limits with regards to their “stress.” Like materials, when people are subjected to stress up to the point of their limits, they tend to reach the break/rapture point. And we really, really don’t want that happening.

So if you’re in a point in your career where you feel that you completely lost your passion for your work/career for whatever reasons, I recommend that instead of enduring the GRIND every single working day of your life, why not just choose to GO? I think it is better than you “breaking!” Our body can only take so much.

But this is easier said than done for some people. The main reason might be (in my opinion) is FEAR. Their fear of leaving their comfort zone. (but do you really feel comfortable in this zone?) or their fear of change and so on and so forth.

So there you have it, what situation are you now in your career?

Where do you want to go from here?

I really would like to GROW too, so I like to read your comments to better improve my posts. And if you find beneficial information in my posts, please reaffirm my passion by liking my page in FB.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Until the next reading session.

Have a nice day.

Joel Magsisi

2012-10-10T09:11:00.003-07:00

The Best Job Offer in the World…

What would you do if you are to be given 86,000 a day everyday for 30 days?

Wouldn’t it be great?

Ah yeah! But here’s the catch, you should spend the 86,000 within the day. You can spend it in any way you want. If you fail to spend it all, the remainder after each day would be returned or taken away from you never to be seen again. The cycle would go on everyday for 30 days.

Does this sound too good to be true? Well, not actually.

For now, let’s assume that this deal happened to you and I’ll explain later how it can really happen; I’m not crazy and I’m not joking.

So now, you’re given this great deal. My first question to you is – Would you spend your 86,000?

- I’m sure you’ll say “of course!” it would be such as waste if you don’t. 86,000 is 86,000, right?

Next, the more important question is - How or on what would you spend it on?

Ah….

Now this is where we’ll have tons of different responses.

I’m sure most of you would use it to have, do and be what you wanted most.

But let me just remind you, only 86,000 per day and you can’t save the 86,000 for the next day. It’s either you spend it all within the day or you return it all after each day if you fail to spend not even 1. So saving is not an option – in this case.

Now that “saving” is out of the question, some of you might be thinking to use it to do the things you’ve been wanting to do for the longest time but haven’t got the chance ‘til now. I’m sure you’re imagining how enjoyable it would be to do all those things now that you have no more restraints. A vacation maybe or a visit to the places you really wanted to go to. Engage maybe in activities that you really love but did not have chance before.

Most of you would think for sure of all the things you wanted to have in your life - all the things that the amount could bring. For sure, a lot of things are going thru your head right now. I will not site illustrations, for there are too many to think of.

Some of you might be planning to enroll in a class of some sorts to be able to learn the things or become “the” person you’ve been dreaming of becoming. For some maybe, plans to finish their studies. But with the scenario I don’t think it would possible since the deal is only for 30 days.

A rare choice for some maybe is to be able to help others, a friend, relative or sometimes random people that might need it. I hope you don’t choose this just for the reason that you don’t want to return the excess. Although it’s a very nice idea, but what I was hoping is that you choose this one because you really wanted to help and not just because you’re feeling bad about returning the excess at the end of the day.

There, now that I have positioned the possibilities, I’m very sure you have chosen one of the options, combinations of more than one choice or maybe all of the above. After all 86,000 is quite a lot and you can really choose all and the best really, is to choose all.

But if you are one of the very few who might be thinking I missed out one option, I congratulate you. Because you are correct. I left the best option (in my opinion) for last.

But if you’re one of those who were already contented with the options above, it’s completely alright. There’s nothing wrong with it, in fact it’s very good and very normal. Because the last option I will reveal is actually not for everyone and not everyone can handle and understand it. So don’t bother reading the last option and be completely happy with your previous choices.

The last, smartest and hardest option (i.m.o. again) is -

TO INVEST IT.

If you think hard, this is the smartest but the hardest to do. The smartest, because you can be sure that you can spend all the 86,000 in just one outing. But the hardest, because you can’t see the results until after some time. You can’t enjoy your 2,580,000 (86,000 x 30) within that 30 day period as compared to that other previous choices. That’s why I told you, this is not for everyone and not everyone can handle and understand this option.

But for those who do (understand), this really is the best option. If you consider the situation, whichever way you choose it, you will lose all the 86,000 per day. If you spend it all, you lose it all in exchange for the experiences or things you gain. And even if you don’t spend it all, you lose it all also because, you have to return the remainder after each day.

Some of you would challenge me on this – saying that you have gain “things” in exchange for the 86,000. You’re 100% correct and I don’t disagree with you on that. But if you exchange it for “things” that depreciate in value, eventually you’ll lose it. But if the “things” you acquire appreciate and/or brings in more value, then it’s another story – this is a kind of story of “investing.” And believe me, not all people really know the difference.

There are several ways of investing, and by investing – it doesn’t mean that you’re sacrificing your enjoyment for the previous options mentioned. It’s just like deferring those choices for future time – the time when you don’t have to worry anymore where to get the resources for those “enjoyments” as compared to the 30 day enjoyment and having to worry for the rest of your existence how to get resources for your necessities. But it is easier said than done, and again not all would be sold to the idea.

We will not go deeper on the subject of investing because if you have reached this part of your reading, you might be thinking where is the part where I reveal how the 86,000 per day deal can become reality.

Well, I really did mention it and it’s not a joke. This deal and choices would not remain examples and theories only. Continue reading and I’ll divulge it as you read…

Now, here it is.

I lied to you about that 86,000 per day. It is actually ~~86,000~~ 86,400 per day. Yup! Even more. And the best thing about it, is that you can really do the options mentioned with it. Now, this may even shock you if you don’t know what I’m talking ‘bout yet. The deal is not just for 30 days. No! Not just 1 month but for the rest of your life! Yes, you can have the deal for as long as you live.

So, where can you get this deal?

Actually, we are all given this deal. Yes right now, right this very moment. We are all given this deal if you haven’t realized it yet. The 86,400 is the number of seconds in each day of our lives. And not in any currency that you’ve previously thought.

We are all given the same exact amount in each day. And any amount/number out of those 86,400 which you don’t use are taken away from us and never to be seen again. You just can never bring back time. The time that you waste is gone forever. It is all up to you how you would use it. And all of the options I mentioned above are very much applicable with time as it is with money. That’s why the saying goes “Time is gold” because it is really very precious and in our times, it is very much comparable to “Time is money.”

So, go back above to the options on how to use your 86,400. You choose what to do with it. Because at the end of the day, the ones you miss-used or failed to use are taken away from you. I advise you to use it as much to your advantage, advancement and improvement. For you can never have more time even if you have all the money in the world.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as I did writing it. Also, much to my delight, that you might have gained something from reading, that you show it by liking my page.

Until the next post.

Joel Magsisi

2012-09-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Failing F.O.R.W.A.R.D.

“Failure” – We all experience failure or failures in our lives. Better expect to experience a few more as you go along. We all had passed this road of failure one way or another in our lives even if we are too pompous to admit it. Some of us maybe currently, are traversing this way. When we are at this point of the road, the path usually separates into a cross road that we are forced to choose which way to go from then on.

The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people are not the amount or kind of failures they have. You might be surprised that they actually have experienced more failures than most people instead of the other way around. The difference is between the way they handle and use these failures. Yes, you read it right. USE! They refuse to accept that they are a failure.

“You are a failure only if you accept that you are”

Successful people see these failures as “failure blocks” and they stock & pile them to be used as steps to climb the ladder towards success. These “blocks” become their stepping stones to reach their goals.

Instead of focusing on their failures, they focus on their goals; they collect the knowledge they gained from the experience and move on.

So, how does one get through failure and still succeed? Well, when you experience failure, instead of lingering on that state, why don’t you choose to rather FAIL FORWARD?

“Your failure doesn’t define you, but it can shape you depending on how you let it. Remember that you’re always in control.

Here’s what I mean about FAILING FORWARD:

F - Feel the Pain

O - Open Yourself to New Opportunities

R - Reset Goals / Redefine Values

W - Wait for the Healing to Take Its Full Course

A - Ask for Support

R - Reinvent Yourself

D - Document Your Experience

Feel the Pain

- It’s alright to feel the pain. Everyone feels pain. It is an indication that you’re still ALIVE. You better worry if you don’t feel pain anymore; being numb is synonymous to being DEAD. That’s where the famous tag line “dead-ma” originated; when you’re ignoring something very obvious. Contrary to some beliefs that when you ignore pain you can move on sooner, ignoring the pain might mean that you are still in denial of what happened. Acceptance is the first step in moving on. You might succeed in tricking your mind in blocking the pain for some time, but in time reality eventually caught up with you. When that happens, the effects might be more deplorable. So why not let the natural process takes its natural course? After all there’s nothing wrong in feeling pain and I failing for that matter.

Think of a 1,000 peso bill, yes a bill. Say you have a new, crisp bill. You crumple it, throw it on the ground and step on it. Now it is wrinkled and dirty, but does it value diminishes? Or ain’t it value still the same? It is the same with people, no matter what happened or what you undergo,

YOU ARE STILL VALUABLE.

Open Yourself to New Opportunities

- “When God closes a door he opens a window.” You just have to realize when this happens. Opportunities are always opening themselves for us; we just often don’t realize it due to our preoccupation to our “routines.” Open up yourself to new and better opportunities. Decide to move forward from your failure. If you’re not moving forward, it means you’re moving backwards. We don’t stay dormant, it’s either you’re growing or you’re dying.

The reason why most people don’t open up themselves to new opportunities is because they are afraid to try new things and leave their comfort zone. Well if that’s what caused the failure in the first place, what’s the point of doing it over again, unless you want the same results?

Find new opportunities after the failure and strive to always improve.

Reset Goals/ Redefine Values

- The words are REVISION and REEVALUATE.

Goals are sometimes called your visions. When you fail it is sometime necessary to assess your visions. Re-vision, it is essential to ask yourself if it is time to change your goals/visions. You might want to re asses if you’re maybe shooting the star with a slingshot. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discouraging anyone to dream big, in fact I’m actually encouraging you to dream BIG. But what I’m saying is, let’s be realistic; the reason for your failure might be you’re trying to achieve a long term goal with short term efforts. C’mon now, that kind of things very rarely happens. if you’re convinced that you can achieve this, haven’t you noticed that you’re actually wasting more of your time and efforts finding the way to speed up your success instead spending it on more realistic goals and eventually building them up to achieve your true goals? Revise!

Reevaluate. What are you going to reevaluate? Reevaluate your goals as pointed earlier - are my goals achievable or are they really what I want? But more importantly reevaluate yourself. Your goals maybe realistic and very much achievable but what caused you to fail? Haven’t you realized it yet? Yes reevaluate yourself, stop always putting the blame on others or the environment. I’m not saying you’re not capable in fact you’re very much capable. But the thing is you might not be capable yet. So reevaluate yourself. Aim for personal mastery, find ways to always improve. Be the best you can be.

Wait for Healing to Take its Full Course

- This is somehow related to the number 1. Wait for the healing process to take its full course. We can’t abbreviate the healing process. It just takes certain time to heal. It may be different from person to person; some may heal faster than others. But it definitely takes some time and you can’t speed it when you wanted it to.

Let’s take a simple wound for example, you can’t just order your wound to heal when you want it to. Even if you take or apply tons of medication, it just won’t heal instantaneously. You would have to wait for the wound to heal completely; true that medications help, but it can’t magically heal the wound. That is for physical aspect but same goes for emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects. You can administer or try different things to speed up your recovery from your failure, it can greatly help. But let time takes its natural course and wait for your complete healing.

Ask for support

- This is a cliché you always hear – “No man is an island.” This doesn’t require too much explaining. Don’t be too proud, let’s admit it. We can’t do it all. We all need support from our fellow men especially when you’re down. So why don’t we have support? Sometimes it’s very simple; we don’t get support because we don’t ask for it. Ask for support. Don’t assume that people would give theirs voluntarily, well someone will, but not all the time. Also consider that not all want unsolicited support/advise, that’s why most refrain themselves from giving one.

So set aside your pride for a moment and learn to ask. It doesn’t hurt to ask, especially when you really needed it. You might just get surprised on how willing people might be to extend their support. “Seek and you shall find, ask and you will be given, knock and the door would be opened.”

Reinvent yourself

- Reevaluate then reinvent. Reinvent yourself. One should always strive to improve oneself, always. One should want to get better and better. If computers need to be upgraded to cope up with the latest programs/software, we also need to upgrade ourselves with the changing times. Let’s take certain people for example, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. They failed to complete their college education, but that didn’t stop them from achieving their goals. Amidst the failure, they came to establish their respective companies and became successful people. But they didn’t stop seeking ways to improve themselves and their companies even though they were already successful. Even though they failed in the getting their education, they seek other ways to improve themselves. I’m not saying you quit school (if you’re still in school) and find other ways also. I still believe that education is very important, but let’s admit it, it’s not for all especially in our times. But don’t let your lack of “institutional education” stop you from reaching your goals.

Let us see the other side of the coin, how about professionals who completed their degrees? Well let’s see, for most people who finished college and have their professions, they treat as the end of their education instead of the start.

One should always seek to reinvent themselves - improve! There’s always room for improvement. Even successful companies strive to reinvent themselves from time to time. If not our civilization would not have progressed. Same as with individuals, we must reinvent ourselves in order for us to progress.

Document Your Experience

- Writing actually helps to relieve tension and stress. That’s if you don’t put pressure on yourself how your article would read like. One productive way of coping with failure, is to write about your experiences. You never know, you might be one of the best-selling authors yet. Have you noticed how successful people have written and shared their failures and success stories thru books and articles? Even if they didn’t written it themselves, articles/books written about them center on their life experiences. You might want to consider also documenting your experiences; you might be surprised that you might see a different perspective when you can actually read your own experiences.

This is one way also to help others. If others can read about your experiences even if you’re not yet successful, they can actually learn from your failure and experiences. And be guided not to repeat those mistakes themselves. In a way you’re giving them and yourself as well a guide.

We always read books on “How To’s “, we learn from the experiences of successful people and try to emulate what they’ve done hoping that we would have the same results they had. So why not try to document your own experiences too?

“Don’t accept failure, no matter how often it visits you.”

Now, what are you gonna do when you are the crossroads of failure? Are you gonna stay on your path or would you rather go FORWARD and towards success?

The choice has always been and is always yours.

I hope you have picked up something useful in my article. If you have, please show your appreciation by liking my page on Facebook here.

I would also like to read your comments on my posts here. “Every man/woman I meet is superior to me one way or another, that way I learn of him/her.”

Thank you for taking time to read my post.

Until the next post,

Joel Magsisi

2012-08-30T04:39:00.005-07:00

Habits of Happy People

· Decide to be Happy

Happiness depends in the inner conditions and not the outer conditions. If we realize that we hold the power to decide what to feel regardless of what happens in our environment/surroundings, you instantly gain happiness.

Let me share a story from my friend’s (Aimee Merluza) post, she calls this “Law of the Garbage Truck”.

One day she hopped in a taxi and they took off for the airport. The taxi was driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of it. The taxi driver slammed on the brakes, momentarily skidded and missed the black car by just inches! The driver of the black car turned his head around and started yelling. The taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And the way he did it was really friendly and not sarcastic. So my friend amazed with what the taxi driver did, asked, “Why did you just do that? The guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" That was the time she realized the taxi driver had just taught her a wonderful lesson, she called it, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”

See, many people are like garbage trucks. They roam around full of garbage - frustrations, anger, disappointments and negative feelings. As their garbage piles up, they eventually need a place to dump them and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

Happy and positive people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. They just try to understand where the other person is coming from and move on. They know that life is a combination of what you make it and how you take it. Because they know that they have power over their feelings, outside factors rarely affect them, they always decide to be happy.

Apply the power of positive thinking

Somewhat related to the first principle, thinking positive always give you feeling of happiness. This is because when you think positive thoughts, more positive thoughts are attracted to you. But on the contrary, when you get caught up in spiraling negative thoughts like unreasonable fear or anxiety, notice how this thoughts magnify and eventually blows out of proportion and as a result makes you more worried and restless.

Happy people worked on controlling their thoughts and mastered how to harness the power of positive thoughts. They always look on the positive side of things no matter how bad the situation may seem. For the reason that they recognize how powerful thoughts are. They are aware of the massive impact of thoughts in their life.

So when you stumble or being bothered by a negative thought, try to silent your mind and search for the calmness for a moment, noticed how the negative thought diminished? Now convert the thought into the positive side and see how you instantly feel great.

Maintain emotional wellness

Emotional wellness, how can you keep your emotions well? By simply practicing the first 2 habits, you can maintain emotional wellness. I’m not implying that you would not have negative thoughts or down feelings. Negative thoughts and down feelings are common and often visit us. They are present to keep balance and comparison.

It’s not how much these emotions occur but how fast you can turn away from these emotions. When it comes to emotions, there are no rights or wrongs; they are feelings period. It becomes right or wrong by the way we handle them; how we manifest them in the physical world. Emotions are emotions; they become unhealthy when you mishandle them.

Have an attitude of gratitude

Always feel thankful. Think of the things you should be thankful of. And for sure you’ll instantly feel better. This way, the focus would be on the good things. Learn to appreciate the little things the world gave you or other people did for you. And in return as a token of gratitude, pay it forward. Don’t expect anything in return for you already received them before hand. Reciprocate the blessings by being a blessing to others. Practice these in your life and eventually develop it to be an attitude and I dare you not feel happy.

Live in the present

By living in the present, not entirely means that you have to forget the past or not consider the future; far from it. This just means that you have to take time and live one day a time. Leave the emotional baggage of the past. Stop living in the past. You don’t have to totally erase your past; squander the negative feelings but collect the lessons and let them be the guide in living in the present.

Let the future be your inspiration for the present knowing that each day lived would be one step closer to future you dreamed of. Don’t take it the other way around. Don’t worry too much of the future because you have the power in the present to shape that future. “Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its trouble, It empties today of its strength.” Instead, ride the great feeling of achieving the dream and feed from that feeling the energy needed to live the “gift.” (present)

Love what you do, do what you love

This may sound like a cliché, but works well. What is a better way to feel happy than doing what you love and loving what you do. It’s very normal that people do what they love; they achieve pleasure every time they engage in the activities they love.

But what if you don’t like what you are doing? First ask yourself why? The reason maybe is that you’re not good at what is it that you do. Or you’re not getting the results you expected of what you do. Think of it this way, the first time you engaged in a sport/activity you like, were you good at it the first time? Did you get the result you wanted the first time? There are some rare times. (that’s why you’d hear someone say, “you’re a natural at this) But most often than not, most of us have to struggle the first time. But if you really love the activity, you develop the determination to continue and find ways to improve until you get the results you wanted. So really the secret is to love what you do and the rest will follow.

Approach life with humor and laughter

This ain’t the first time you ever heard of this, “laughter is the best medicine.” You may not believe this but laughter really does heal the deadliest diseases. So think how much more it can do to improve feelings. When you approach life with humor and laughter, there would be very seldom times you would feel down. Even a simple smile can instantly change the way you feel. (I’m not talking about a smirk but a genuine one) What more if you live life with so much laughter. Have you ever notice the effect on you when you watch comedy films/shows? You instantly feel better and more alive once the crisp laughter is pulled out of you.

Eat and live healthy

Eat healthy foods and live a healthy life. When the body feels good, it is easier to feel and think positively. We should all take care of our body by eating only the beneficial foods and by living a healthy life. Stray from foods, substances that eventually destroy the physical body; steer clear of habits that don’t benefit the body. When you feel good physically, it is much easier to think and act positively.

Observe a healthy spiritual life

Probably one of the most important habits of happy people is observing a healthy spiritual life, and I’m not just talking about religious beliefs. True, religions offer feel good teachings based on their respective faith, but what about atheists, are we saying they’re not happy? Let’s not generalize that when we say spiritual that it has to be religious or have to do with religion.

“Some things are true whether we believe or not.” Like gravity for example, it is present and affects all regardless if we believe or not. And one thing that man has is spirit. Some may call it aura, vibration or in the religious aspect – soul. Continue to develop a healthy spiritual life; I’m not going to details because we have different take on the matter.

What I want to imply is that we should continue to develop that “spirit” which in turn affects our way of thinking, speaking, feeling and acting towards the positive.

Try to practice the habits every time you can, it may start as a single thread adding another thread every time until it becomes a strong cable that binds us to happiness. “First we make our habits and then our habits make us.” Won’t you rather make a habit of making happy?

And oh, so may I also share – The strangest secret of success is being happy most of the time.

Decide to be happy!

2012-08-16T23:35:00.002-07:00

Teach-ability Index

The Question is - Are you teachable?

When we are learning new stuffs, whatever it is, a new skill, a new language/dialect, a new program, a new business or whatever it is you can think of, what is it that first thing that comes to mind? Most of the time, the first thing that you ask is - “where do I start or how do I start?”

Let me suggest an idea on where you should start. In my opinion, you should start to asses yourself on – how teachable am I?

What does this mean? It simply means that one should gauge one’s ability to learn or to be taught. This will determine how serious you are to learn and how far you will go to be able to learn. Because if you are not that serious, chances are you will not learn at all or maybe half-learn the thing. Half-knowing many things is not very healthy.

So, how do you measure your teach–ability?

- By the Teach-ability Index.

You must have a high teach-ability index to be able to fully learn and absorb what it is that you want to learn or master.

Teach-ability Index can be used to assess one’s ability to learn or be taught.

Two important factors are involved for this measuring stick.

First factor is “willingness to learn.” The second is “willingness to accept change.”

“Willingness to Learn”

How much are you willing to learn? Or are you willing to learn at all?

Most people respond to the question outright that they are very willing to learn.

Yeah, but how much? From score of 1 to 10, how much are you willing to learn? Well it is true; most people have a high willingness to learn. Most people thirst for knowledge and skills.

But how do you know that you have a high willingness to learn?

To have a high scale for the willingness to learn, one must always remember this “You don’t know what you don’t know!” You may have some ideas on a subject matter but always put in mind that you don’t know what you don’t know. The hardest apprentice/student to teach is the one who “knows it all.” Suck this to your gut – “How can you fill your cup when it is already full?” How can a sponge absorb more when it is already soaked?

In the learning process, one consumes information for the mind to digest. Information may come from different sources, a mentor maybe or from books or other materials. In the process of consuming the information, one may come to a point where he/she feels that he/she now got the idea. The individual now is feeling impatient to move on to the next idea especially if the previous one is repetitive or boring and he feels that he already “got the idea.” Boom, suddenly the willingness to learn drop. Remember, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Instead of thinking that you got it, one should think that you’re starting to get it. By that, a high willingness to learn is maintained. Because if you think that you already got the idea, one is convinced in himself that he knows enough and shuts his mind to more information. He may have the “cake” but it’s “half-baked.” Do you want a half-baked cake?

Let me site an example, have you seen typical “kung fu movies,” where an apprentice is being taught a kung fu by the master? At first the apprentice is very eager to learn. (high willingness to learn) The master then requires the apprentice to do bunch of things but not the practicing of the “kung fu moves.” This makes the apprentice grow impatient because he want to learn the “moves.” When the time came that the apprentice is fed up by not practicing any real “kung fu moves,” he tells the master that he doesn’t want to continue. (his willingness to learn suddenly dropped from 10 to 0) What the apprentice doesn’t know is that he is starting to practice the moves by doing the strengthening and familiarization part. (you don’t know what you don’t know) When the master shows how the activities in the practice were incorporated in the kung fu moves, the apprentice was surprised, suddenly his enthusiasm ascends. (Remember the movie “karate kid” huh? Doesn’t matter which version – one & the same)

Now, you get my point! Oh sorry, you’re getting my point. That is “willingness to learn.”

“Willingness to Accept Change”

Explanation may be short but this is the harder part of the “Teach-ability Index.”

How much are you willing to accept change? One can’t fully learn or master anything unless one is willing to accept changes. If one continue to do the same old routines one was used to, how can one expect room for improvement?

Are you willing to make room/time for the learning process? For most people this may be hard especially when they have gotten used to their daily life routines. People are afraid to leave their “comfort zones.” People feel secured when they are in their “comfort zones.” Most don’t want to risk that security to learn something new. This will now gauge how serious one is about really learning.

When learning something, one will soon realize information that may require one to deviate from one’s usual “life patterns.” If one is not willing to change these patterns, one can’t expect to fully learn. As great people said ““Education is the ability to meet life’s situation. The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. If you teach a man anything, he will never learn. We learn by doing. Learning is an active process. Knowledge that is used/applied sticks in the mind.”

One really learns by putting the information he acquired into action. So, if one is really serious to learn anything, one should be able to sacrifice the time for the things he had gotten used to in turn for the time needed to develop. As Dale Carnegie said “If you’re satisfied with the results you are now getting, why change? If you are not satisfied, why not experiment?”

So ask yourself, how much is your “willingness to accept these changes?”

So if you want to measure how teachable you are or your ability to be taught, you must use the “Teach-ability Index.” To become highly teachable, you must have a high willingness to learn AND high willingness to accept change.

Take note of the AND. To be highly teachable, both scores on the index are required. You can not be teachable if either one’s score is zero. You are not teachable if you have a high willingness to learn but very low willingness to accept change or vice versa. To be highly teachable, one must have both high willingness to learn and high willingness to accept change.

So, now are you teachable? You will never learn unless you are highly teachable.

“The master will appear when the student is ready.”

I hope you have picked up something in my post.

Feel free to leave your comments.

'Till the next post,