It is a well-known fact that passion is energy. In other words, passion brings out the energy from the inside of an individual. More personality traits are developed because of the energy that passion unleashes from a person. The characteristics developed in each person vary depending on what they are passionate about. 

Such is my realization when reflecting on the person I have become. I realized that because of my passion for my mission in life, I developed the following personality traits:

1. Courageous/Confident. My confidence was not at its peak, given past circumstances that hindered my ability to develop my knowledge and skills and reach my full potential as a student. So, how did I suddenly develop it? As I matured, I understood that it would not be possible for me to achieve my goal in life if I kept myself on the sidelines and waited for luck. The passion in my heart to pursue excellence was like a niggling feeling that seemed to be unending unless I took action. Because of it, I developed the courage to pursue my dream. Because of that courage, I employed ways to become a better version of myself and muster confidence.   
2. Optimistic/Enthusiastic. I am primarily positive in my thoughts and actions with passion within me. I find that I am not easily discouraged by untoward happenings or undesirable conditions. Instead, I look at problems as opportunities to hone my thinking skills and other abilities, which would serve me well in my quest for excellence. My optimism is evident in my enthusiasm to overcome my challenges. 
3. Resilient/Adaptable. As one of the results of my optimism, I have developed resilience. When afflicted with difficulties, I would stand up right away and continue my journey even when subjected to new conditions. I believe that my passion keeps me patient and accepting of whatever situations as long as I fulfill my mission. 
4. Creative/Innovative. If I were not passionate, I would just easily give up on my journey when there are obstacles along the way. But because of it, I developed creativity and innovativeness that enabled me to find ways through or around the challenges presented to me. 
5. Risk-Taker/Adventurous. Yes, I developed an adventurous spirit and became a risk-taker because of my passion. Knowing that I could not grow to the fullest if I stayed in my comfort zone, I decided to go all out and invest my resources to learn and develop myself.

Every time I look back, I am always amazed by how far my passion took me. It defeated my inadequacies, insecurities, and wrong beliefs and led me to the path of success. I think it is safe to say that anyone can do anything with passion. Do you agree?

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Without a doubt, many people around the world are successful or claim to be successful because of their acquired wealth and fame. Yet, many of these people are also unhappy with their personal lives. Unfortunately, they are just successful money-wise or career-wise. Those just looking from the outside might wonder why they are unhappy despite their fortune. Some know what these successful people gave up to acquire their current status. 

To avoid unhappiness in the future, one should never sacrifice any of the following on their quest for success:

1. Family and other relationships. Without the people you love and who love you, how can you possibly enjoy the fruits of your success? There will be no one to cheer you on, celebrate your win, and share with your joy. Therefore, it is essential to always give time to your loved ones despite the demands of your professional life. Never allow yourself to think that the time you spend with them is a waste of time. 
2. Health. Most people forget the importance of health and that one should always make an effort to take care of themselves holistically. How can you possibly enjoy the fruits of your labor if you are sick? Always remember to keep oneself healthy amidst the pressure.  
3. Self (Values). A person’s values make up a significant part of their being. Yet, many people willingly forget about this aspect of themselves when presented with easier ways toward success. Would you not feel any guilt if you achieved a goal by hurting other people in the process? Remember that you can never be truly happy when you have lost yourself and hurt many people in your life.

While you are still on your journey to success, you may feel that these things are unimportant, and your target success should be your only concern. But, believe it or not, when success is at your grasp, you will look for the things you have lost and can no longer hold. By then, you will realize that nothing matters at all without those. You lost who you are, who you love, what you believe. Would you consider yourself successful if you lost any of these aspects of yourself? 

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The most common expression of love is gift-giving. Do you agree? We go out of our way to secure gifts for the people we love during special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, and valentines. I believe the reasoning behind the act is to make our loved ones feel special and loved. I, for one, love giving gifts every once in a while. But, I usually express my love for the people I care about through the following:

1. Encouragement. Whatever challenges or life stages a loved one goes through, I do my best to encourage through positive words and motivation. I believe the knowledge that someone is cheering them on could help keep their morale up and strengthen their courage. 
2. Appreciation. Knowing that they are appreciated for who they are or what they do means so much to most people. Just like words of encouragement, appreciation may serve as fuel to strive harder and move further. So, I make it a habit to tell the people I love and care about that I appreciate them as often as possible.   
3. Service. If performing a task to alleviate another person’s stress or lessen their burden is not the best expression of love, I do not know what is. Despite having a lot on my plate, I always try to help a loved one (usually my wife) with their tasks. 
4. Time. With a usually busy schedule, time is the most limited resource. Despite my struggle to fit all the tasks in my waking time, I always do my best to spend time with my loved ones, even just online. It is my way of letting them know they are not alone.
5. Knowledge. Since I am a lifelong learner, I always acquire new knowledge and skills from training events and other learning materials to grow and develop as a person and trainer. Whenever I experience a significant change from applying my learning, I do my best to impart my knowledge to the people I love so that they may also experience it.  

Whether my loved ones feel my love and care through these expressions or not, I am not sure. What I know is that when other people give any of these to me, I feel special, cared for, and loved. 

How about you? How do you express love to other people?

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The beginning of this year proved to be quite eventful for me. With just one month in, I have already experienced and witnessed many memorable situations, both good and bad. Nonetheless, all conditions have afforded me these lessons that could benefit me for a lifetime.

1. Any person can cause another person’s ruin, even with the best of intentions. This case is prevalent in close relationships such as family and friendship. Sometimes, when we care too much about a loved one, we tend to become overbearing, thinking that we know what is best for them. We tend to impose our will on how they should run their lives, what path they should follow, and who to become. Despite our good intentions, there is a high possibility of us making them farther from the best version of themselves, from their full potential, and from the bright future they wanted for themselves than doing them good. Therefore, let us be reminded to support our loved ones by helping them get what they want and not what we want for them. 
2. A judgmental person may always see something to criticize from even the kindest or best people. This justifies the advice we always hear to never mind about the opinions of others. While it is our duty to form relationships with other people and serve our fellowmen, we are not expected nor obliged to please everyone. We should only remember to perform our roles and responsibilities and never cause harm to others, but never give up ourselves and our values just to satisfy everyone. 
3. It is never right to judge a person. Judging others and reacting to their slight towards us or another person commonly follow the ire we feel. More often than not, when our minds are clearer, and the conditions are brought to light, we regret ever verbalizing those judgments. Therefore, we should not ever judge other people prematurely or not. First, we don’t know what they’re going through or what caused them to be or act the way they did. Most importantly, we don’t have the right to judge anyway. It should never be our business to judge other people, especially since we are not without faults ourselves.  

After witnessing the consequences that led to my realizations of these lessons, I became sure that we only truly understand the value of a lesson when we experience or witness the negative outcome when we do not apply it and the positive results when we do. 

What life lessons have you been reminded of this year?

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