Insights from our 31st CSM Intensive Training

As we approach the new year, we recently wrapped up our last intensive sales training program for the year. It was the 31st session since we started this online program in 2019. This three-day training has been instrumental in bringing in many of our valued clients.

From November 23 to 25, we dove into the training, and by the end, there was a strong sense of achievement and inspiration in the virtual room. The journey we went on over these three days reached its peak. What made it even more special was the inspiration we drew from our amazing participants, who truly shaped this collective success.

Throughout the three days, the participants’ eagerness to learn fueled the intensity of the training. Their hunger for knowledge turned the virtual training room into a lively space of shared insights and collaborative breakthroughs. Every question, shared experience, and the group’s dedication to mastering sales showcased the power of a community united by a common goal.

A unique aspect of this training was the diverse mix of participants—some seasoned professionals and others new to the sales arena. This blend brought a richness to our discussions, with experienced insights complementing the fresh perspectives of those just starting.

We are immensely grateful to the dedicated team behind the scenes who worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth flow of the sessions. Their hard work and commitment played a crucial role in creating an environment where learning and collaboration flourished.

The inspiration wasn’t a one-way street. We, the ERTC team, were inspired by the participants’ resilience, creativity, and their willingness to step outside their comfort zones. Seeing personal and professional breakthroughs unfold was humbling, turning the training into a joint effort of knowledge and growth.

As this chapter closes, the echoes of inspiration remain—a reminder that the Closing the Sales Mastery Intensive Training was more than just a transfer of knowledge. The stories of participants absorbing insights, overcoming challenges, and celebrating breakthroughs will forever be part of this transformative experience.

The stage is empty now, but the inspiration lives on. The lessons learned from our participants will continue to resonate in future endeavors. The applause is not just for the training itself but for the collective spirit of growth and inspiration that defined these three remarkable days. As participants carry their new knowledge forward, they become integral contributors to the ongoing narrative of success and transformation inspired by the CSM Intensive Training.

Continue ReadingInsights from our 31st CSM Intensive Training

How to Have a Regret-Free Living

Living a life without regrets is tough—it’s human nature to dwell on mistakes and wish we’d chosen differently. But there’s a way to ease this burden: by putting our heart into everything we do and staying true to our values.

In our pursuit of a regret-free life, we often forget that perfection is unattainable. Everyone makes mistakes, faces hiccups, and sometimes wishes for a redo. What really matters is how we bounce back. Learning from our slip-ups, adapting, and keeping a positive outlook can soften the blows of regret.

I believe that giving our absolute best and acting with integrity are the building blocks of a life well-lived. It’s about pouring our energy into every decision and making choices that align with who we are at our core. When we live by our values, our actions become a reflection of our true selves, paving the way for a more meaningful and purpose-driven journey.

It’s crucial to recognize that embracing our imperfections is part of being human. Instead of beating ourselves up over past missteps, we can choose to view them as stepping stones toward personal growth. This mindset shift allows us to navigate life with a sense of resilience and a commitment to evolving into our best selves.

Self-reflection plays a vital role in this journey. Taking a moment to understand our values and ensuring our choices resonate with them brings authenticity to our lives. This process isn’t about erasing all mistakes; it’s about approaching life with mindfulness, self-awareness, and an eagerness to keep growing.

In my own life, I’ve found that the times I’ve stayed true to my principles, even in the face of challenges, have been the most rewarding. It’s in those moments that I’ve felt a deep sense of fulfillment, knowing that my choices were in harmony with what truly matters to me. On the flip side, when I’ve strayed from my values, the pangs of regret have served as valuable reminders to realign with what I hold dear.

So, here’s the personal challenge: give your all, stay true to your values, and embrace both the victories and the hiccups. Life’s journey is inherently imperfect, but within those imperfections lie opportunities for growth, resilience, and a life that, in the end, feels truly lived. In this pursuit, the goal isn’t perfection; it’s about infusing every moment with authenticity, purpose, and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve done your best, mistakes and all.

Continue ReadingHow to Have a Regret-Free Living

Understanding and Embracing Personal Stories

Have you ever taken a moment to ponder the stories we weave about those we’ve recently met? It’s a common inclination to craft elaborate narratives based on limited information, but this tendency can lead us astray, fostering misunderstanding and perpetuating stereotypes.

Imagine encountering someone new, and instead of immediately forming assumptions about their background and experiences, you choose a different path. What if you resisted the urge to create preconceived notions and allowed individuals to share their own stories through meaningful conversation?

Let’s embark on a deliberate experiment. Rather than relying on assumptions, let’s partake in genuine dialogue. Through thoughtful questions and active listening, we can uncover the unique narratives each person carries. Every individual is like a complex novel, and assuming we know their story without exploration is akin to merely skimming through the pages.

The challenge is clear: let’s be mindful of the narratives we construct. By refraining from assumptions, we open the door to authentic connections and a more nuanced understanding of the diverse stories that surround us.

Here’s to embracing the richness of individual narratives and fostering a culture of genuine understanding.

 

 

(Photo by Oleksandr P)

Continue ReadingUnderstanding and Embracing Personal Stories

How to Embrace Life’s Challenges with Purpose and Divine Guidance

No one desires suffering or the challenges that life often brings. Most of us, if not all, wish for smooth paths, free of obstacles. Yet, the truth is that none of us have control over these challenges. They appear, uninvited, as an inevitable part of life. 

Let me share a lesson I’ve gained from life’s ups and downs. Life has its share of good times and tough moments. In those challenging times, I used to wish things were different. But in the midst of it all, I’ve come to realize something important: I have the power to decide what I do with the time I have been blessed with.

This insight is about living in the present. It means fully appreciating the here and now, finding meaning and purpose in each moment. Rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, we can find fulfillment in the present.

Living intentionally, I’ve learned, involves setting meaningful objectives. These aren’t just any goals; they are the ones that give our lives direction and meaning. When we achieve these objectives, it’s a sign of our commitment to shaping our own path.

Building and maintaining relationships is also crucial. These connections add depth and richness to our lives. By nurturing these connections, we create lasting memories and find support during tough times.

It’s important to recognize that life often brings things beyond our control. Yet, this lesson teaches us that we have control over our responses. Even when we face challenges, I’ve realized that these moments are opportunities for growth. They help us become more resilient and adaptable.

Most importantly, as we navigate the twists and turns of life, it’s crucial to allow divine guidance to direct us to the right path. Through faith and trust, we find that our steps are guided, offering us wisdom and strength in moments of uncertainty.

In a nutshell, time is how we craft our life’s journey. Every choice and action is a testament to our impact on the world. Time is how we express our passions and intentions.

This insight encourages us to live mindfully, with a sense of purpose and enthusiasm. It’s about setting objectives that align with our values and aspirations, as well as nurturing relationships that bring joy and support.

In the end, this wisdom reminds us that we have the power to shape our own path, even when life throws surprises our way. It’s a revelation in embracing life’s uncertainties and choosing to make the most of the time we have. Challenges, no matter how tough, are opportunities for personal growth. Our strength lies in living with intention, passion, and purpose as we navigate life’s ever-unpredictable twists and turns, with divine guidance lighting our way.

Continue ReadingHow to Embrace Life’s Challenges with Purpose and Divine Guidance

How Our Individual Responsibility Shapes the World

In a world of billions, you might often wonder if your actions truly matter. The truth is that they do. Your obligations, responsibilities, and duties, no matter how small, hold a significant impact.

Perceive your actions as ripples. When you fulfill your responsibilities, it’s like throwing a pebble into the water. The ripples may start small, but they intersect and amplify, creating a meaningful effect.

You have unique roles to play, whether as a parent, a teacher, a neighbor, or simply as a law-abiding citizen. Neglecting these roles can set off a chain reaction of harm. For instance, if a teacher neglects their duty, it can limit a student’s future, affecting not only the student but their family and community as well. On the other hand, your commitment to fulfilling legal duties, like obeying traffic rules and paying taxes, is crucial in maintaining societal order. Neglecting these duties can lead to legal consequences, impacting not only you but also the broader community.

Throughout history, many individuals, just like you, have brought about substantial change through their actions. Take Mahatma Gandhi, for instance. His commitment to non-violence and civil disobedience inspired a nation to gain independence from British rule. This shows that one person can make a profound difference, and it all begins with embracing responsibility.

Your collective actions, especially concerning critical issues like climate change, affect not only the present but also the future. Your responsibility is not just to your generation but to those who will follow. Neglecting your obligations towards the environment can lead to catastrophic consequences for future generations.

Responsibility is a privilege, not a burden. It’s a way for you to positively shape the world. Every small act of kindness, every commitment to a cause, contributes to progress and change. As one among billions, your actions count, and they matter more than you might think. Embrace your responsibilities, for they lead to a meaningful difference in a world that eagerly awaits your unique contribution. So, as you consider your place in this vast world, ask yourself: What ripple will you create?

(Photo by Pixabay

Continue ReadingHow Our Individual Responsibility Shapes the World

How I Navigate the Path to Positivity, Health, and Productivity

In my life’s journey, I’ve come to understand the incredible power of conscious choices, all guided by my faith in God. It’s about transforming myself to be more positive, healthy, and productive.

Choosing Positivity: Positivity, the radiant light that shines through even the darkest clouds, is a force that can change our lives. With faith as my guide, I focus on the good, seeing opportunities in challenges, and embracing gratitude in all circumstances. It’s not always easy, but it’s the key to a happier life.

Pursuing Health: My journey towards better health is a reflection of my faith. It’s a commitment to taking care of the body, a precious gift from God. I make choices guided by my faith, from regular exercise to a balanced diet. I trust in God’s plan, ensuring I’m fit both physically and spiritually.

Embracing Productivity: Productivity is the act of taking consistent, focused action towards my dreams. This is another area where my faith directs my actions. I set clear, purposeful goals, manage priorities efficiently, and stay focused on the task at hand, knowing that God has a plan for me. It’s about making the most of the time and talents He’s given me.

This journey isn’t about instant change, but a gradual process that faith helps me navigate. I share my goals and progress with those who share my faith, receiving support and accountability.

In my experience, the power to consciously choose positivity, health, and productivity, all guided by faith, can transform your life into a testament to God’s grace. It’s a path of self-discovery and growth. With each small faith-driven choice, I am headed towards a life filled with positivity, health, and purpose. You can do it too, with faith as your guide.

 

 

(Photo by Jens Johnsson)

Continue ReadingHow I Navigate the Path to Positivity, Health, and Productivity

How My Guiding Values Influence Decision-Making

Throughout my journey in life, I’ve discovered that the values I hold dear play a pivotal role in guiding my decisions, especially during difficult times. They act as a steady hand on the helm, helping me navigate through life’s toughest and most challenging decision-making moments.

These values represent my core beliefs about what’s right and meaningful. They are like a moral compass that not only influences how I live my life but also becomes my guiding light when I encounter challenging situations. They offer me a framework to make the most sound decisions, be it in my personal life or in the professional arena.

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that adhering to these values ensures I remain true to myself, even when faced with daunting decisions. They instill trust in my judgment, fortify my relationships, and provide a deep sense of inner peace. In times of adversity, it is these very values that enable me to make decisions that I can stand by with conviction.

When faced with complex dilemmas, my values are my moral yardstick, helping me discern right from wrong. In an increasingly intricate world, they serve as a moral guide, preventing me from compromising my values. It is these values that empower me to take a stand for what I believe in, even when the choices are particularly challenging.

The importance of these values truly shines when I’m navigating difficult decisions. They not only guide my actions but also provide a clear sense of direction and purpose, which is a source of immense strength. It’s in these moments that I feel the profound motivation to remain resolute, no matter how formidable the challenge.

Moreover, my values extend their influence beyond my personal life; they leave an impact on the world around me. They mold the values and standards of the society I inhabit. By upholding qualities like tolerance, empathy, and fairness, I contribute to the creation of a more equitable and harmonious world.

In summary, when it comes to decision-making, it is my values that play an instrumental role. They are the lighthouse guiding me through the storms of life’s most challenging moments. These values ensure that even in the face of difficult choices, I remain resolute, authentic, and true to the values that make me who I am. In simple terms, my values are the unwavering guides that help me make the soundest decisions when the going gets tough.

 

(Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva

Continue ReadingHow My Guiding Values Influence Decision-Making

4 Ways To Getting What You Want

I have previously shared how people end up not getting what they want in life. Besides making sure not to be held back by those reasons, here are some tips on how you can get what you want:

  1. Declare that you will achieve it. It would be best if you conditioned yourself to be optimistic about reaching your small or big goals. Even when the goal is challenging, do whatever it takes to see it as achievable rather than impossible. When you declare you will achieve your goal, you seal your commitment to making it happen. If you are the first to say that your goal is impossible, then you are like telling yourself that it’s okay if you couldn’t make it possible because of its “impossibility.” So? When you want something, declare you will achieve it.
  2. Be prepared to have it. One of the reasons why a person does not get what they want is their inability to handle the thing/situation they’re targeting. Often, what they wish for would pass them by because they are not ready to have them or are not fit to handle them. Missed opportunities, they say. There are missed opportunities when people do not take action when they procrastinate. The most effective approach to achieving a goal is to equip yourself to get it and retain it when it’s in your hand.
  3. Work for it. For me, the saying “good things come to those who wait” should have the additional phrase “and work for it.” Because while we must understand the concept of waiting, we also must realize that we shouldn’t be idle while waiting for what we want. The saying “do your best, and God will do the rest” is accurate in this situation. Learn never to entrust everything about your future to luck because humans are created to choose how to live life.
  4. Help and seek help. Do you know why helping others would help you get what you want? For me, helping others with their challenges would also help you gain knowledge and skills to overcome them, which would equip you better to get what you want. In addition, you would feel the happiness and fulfillment of being able to help, fueling you to work smarter for your goals. Besides helping others, it is also essential to never shy away from asking for help from others. Being egotistical would not help you reach your goals at all.

These tips helped me get what I want – my goals. I am not guaranteeing 100% success if you follow these tips because there are elements out of your control that could hinder you. However, you should always give your 100%, and these could be the best ways of doing what it takes to get what you want. These could bring you closer to your goals than just waiting or fretting over whether you’d get the opportunity or not.

Do you agree with me on these tips?

(Photo by Brett Jordan

Continue Reading4 Ways To Getting What You Want

Walking Your Own Path: Staying True Despite Doubters

In life, we often face choices that can greatly affect our journey. Whether it’s choosing a career, starting a business, or making a big decision, it can be tough to stick to your chosen path when many people doubt you. In this article, we’ll talk about why it’s important to follow your own path and how to stay true to it, even when it’s hard.

Many people choose to follow the same path as everyone else because it feels safe. Society often likes it when people act the same, and being afraid of being rejected can stop you from chasing your unique dreams. Regret can follow when you choose to do what everyone else does instead of being yourself.

But, inside each of us, there’s a feeling that points us towards our unique path. This feeling often gets covered up by what other people expect and by doubting yourself. Listening to this feeling is crucial when you’re starting your journey.

Here’s the tricky part: Doubters can be people close to you, like family, friends, or even your own doubts. They question your choices, make you doubt yourself, and sometimes make you question your own judgment. Even with all this, it’s important to have strategies to deal with these negative influences and stay focused on your path.

Staying true to your path means you’ll need to be strong. You’ll face setbacks, criticism, and self-doubt. Building this strength is essential to get past these obstacles and keep moving forward.

While you might find many doubters, there are also people who believe in what you’re doing. Building a strong support group of growth-minded individuals who encourage your efforts can make a big difference. These people will help you stay strong when things get tough.

When you’re on a less-traveled path, progress might not always be obvious or quick. It’s important to remember that even small successes matter. Celebrating these achievements along the way can motivate you to keep going and remind you of how far you’ve come.

Mistakes are often scary, but they can teach you a lot. Instead of being afraid of making mistakes, you can think of them as valuable lessons. This perspective can help you stay strong on your path and keep moving forward.

Staying true to your path isn’t just about being strong; it’s also about being yourself. Being authentic can lead to a more satisfying life. When you’re true to yourself, you find a deep sense of purpose and happiness.

In the end, sticking to your path despite doubters requires determination, self-belief, and the ability to see challenges as opportunities to learn. Your journey is unique, and the less-traveled path can lead to remarkable places. Be confident, listen to your inner feelings, and stay true to your path because it’s yours alone. In the end, the rewards of being yourself and achieving your dreams are worth any doubts you encounter along the way.

Continue ReadingWalking Your Own Path: Staying True Despite Doubters

Why Learning Never Stops for Trainers

In the world of teaching and helping others learn, trainers are the guides who show the way. But being a great trainer means always being a student yourself. Why is it so important for trainers to keep on learning?

Training is always changing. The way we teach and learn is always changing. New technology, different workplaces, and the way people like to learn are always shifting. To be a good trainer, you need to keep up with these changes.

Why should learning matter for trainers? Learning new things helps trainers in a lot of ways. When trainers learn new things, they become better at teaching others. If you know a lot, people will trust you and listen to what you say. Learning can also help you find new ways to solve problems during teaching.

So how  do you keep learning? Read books, articles, and research about teaching and training, and the subject you are teaching about. You should also continue to participate in training programs or workshops to learn from those who are experts in the field. Such events could also give you the opportunity to meet other trainers and learn new things.

We have to remember as well, and embrace the fact that learning should not only be about gaining knowledge. It is very important that what we learn should be implemented, and when we get good or bad results, we should learn to get feedback. For us to get better, we should ask for feedback from the people we teach and from other trainers. Feedback is like advice that helps us improve. Also, take time to think about what you’re doing and how you can do it better next time.

One of the challenges that normally stops us from continuous learning is time. However, this challenge needs to be addressed if we want to continually be effective as a trainer. Therefore, we must set aside time for learning. It should be part of our goal setting. Besides, there are various mediums we can use nowadays that could help us learn conveniently. 

Remember, learning is a journey that’s unique to each person. It’s a chance to grow as a person and get better at what we love to do. So, let us keep on learning, and not only will we be great trainers, but we’ll also inspire others to do the same. Learning is a lifelong adventure!

In a nutshell, being a trainer means being a student forever. Keep learning new things, and you’ll not only be a better trainer but also a source of inspiration for others to keep learning too. Learning never stops, and that’s what makes great trainers!

Continue ReadingWhy Learning Never Stops for Trainers

Why Is It Important to Show Up?

In a busy world full of distractions and responsibilities, showing up may sometimes seem like a choice. Whether it’s a social gathering, a work meeting, a family event, or pursuing personal goals, being there both physically and mentally matters greatly. But why is it crucial to show up in different parts of our lives? In this article, we’ll explore why showing up is so significant for personal and professional success.

One of the main reasons to show up is to build trust and reliability in our relationships, both personally and professionally. When you consistently fulfill your commitments, whether it’s meeting a friend for coffee or meeting a work deadline, you prove you can be relied upon. This reliability over time strengthens your reputation as a dependable person.

Human connections thrive on shared experiences and interactions. When you attend social events, family gatherings, or even a colleague’s birthday celebration, you actively contribute to building bonds and connections. These connections, in turn, enhance your emotional well-being and sense of belonging.

Many life opportunities arise when you are present and seize the moment. Networking events, conferences, and workshops are examples where showing up can open doors to new possibilities. People who attend these activities and engage with them are more likely to discover opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Showing up isn’t just about physical presence; it also involves mental engagement. When you commit to personal goals or self-improvement, showing up means dedicating your focus and energy to those endeavors. This commitment to your growth can lead to meaningful personal development and achievement.

Life is filled with challenges and obstacles. When you show up despite adversity, you demonstrate resilience and determination. This mindset can help you navigate difficulties more effectively, leading to personal growth and success. Often, it’s during challenging moments that we discover our true strengths.

Sometimes, showing up isn’t just for your benefit; it can also positively impact others. Whether it’s supporting a friend in need or volunteering for a community project, your presence can contribute to meaningful change and create a better world.

When you commit to showing up, you make a promise to yourself. This self-commitment and accountability can boost your self-esteem and self-worth, signifying that you value yourself and your goals enough to prioritize them.

In conclusion, showing up isn’t merely a physical act; it’s a powerful choice with far-reaching consequences. It’s a choice to invest in your relationships, seize opportunities, grow personally and professionally, and confront challenges. It’s a way to demonstrate your commitment, reliability, and accountability. So, the next time you wonder whether to show up or not, remember the profound importance of being present in all aspects of your life. It’s not just about being there; it’s about making a difference, for yourself and those around you.

 

 

(Photo by Pixabay)

Continue ReadingWhy Is It Important to Show Up?

Embracing Change and Finding Your Way in a New Environment

Life is an ever-changing journey, marked by the ebb and flow of transitions. There are times when we’re called to leave behind the familiar and step into the unknown—a process that brings new beginnings. One of the most impactful changes we experience is transitioning to a new environment. Whether it’s moving to a different city, starting a fresh job, or embarking on a new life phase, adapting to a novel environment can be a blend of excitement and challenges. In this article, we’ll delve into practical strategies and insights to guide you through this transformative journey with confidence and ease.

Transitioning to a new environment often brings about feelings of uncertainty and perhaps even anxiety. However, it’s important to recognize that stepping beyond your comfort zone is a key driver of personal growth. Embrace the uncertainty as an adventure, an opportunity to learn, explore, and reinvent yourself.

Prior to diving into the new chapter, take some time to research and gather information about your impending environment. Learning about the local culture, customs, and the general way of life can greatly aid in adapting seamlessly. Understand the geography, climate, and available amenities, so you can feel better oriented as you begin this new phase.

Human connections play a pivotal role during periods of transition. Seek out opportunities to connect with individuals who share similar interests or goals. This could encompass joining clubs, attending local events, or even utilizing online platforms to find like-minded people. Cultivating connections will not only stave off feelings of isolation but also lay the groundwork for a smoother transition.

Incorporating some of your familiar routines into the new environment can offer a sense of comfort and stability. Maintaining activities you enjoy, whether it’s your morning exercise routine, a cherished reading habit, or preparing your favorite meal, can help anchor you amidst the changes and uncertainties.

Transition periods are a mix of highs and lows. Set realistic expectations for yourself and understand that adapting to a new environment takes time. Avoid being overly critical or impatient with yourself. Celebrate the small wins and remind yourself that growth and adaptation are gradual processes.

Looking after your physical, emotional, and mental well-being is essential. Engage in activities that help you relax and recharge, whether it’s meditation, yoga, creative pursuits, or spending time outdoors. Ensure you’re getting adequate sleep, maintaining a balanced diet, and staying hydrated to support your overall well-being.

Transform your transition into an exploration by immersing yourself in your new surroundings. Visit local landmarks, parks, eateries, and cultural venues. The more you engage with your new environment, the faster it will begin to feel like home.

Resilience is a valuable skill when navigating change. Embrace setbacks and unexpected challenges as opportunities for growth. Developing a resilient mindset enables you to bounce back, adapt, and keep moving forward.

As you settle into your new environment, take moments to reflect on your journey. What insights have you gained about yourself? How have you evolved? Reflecting on these experiences can foster gratitude for your progress and lay the groundwork for future transitions.

Life is a continuous series of new beginnings. Transitioning to a new environment is a significant chapter in your life story. By embracing change, nurturing connections, and practicing self-care, you can confidently navigate this transition, embracing the growth and opportunities that lie ahead. Remember, each step you take is a stride toward a more enriched and fulfilled version of yourself. As you embark on this new journey, may you find strength, resilience, and the joy of discovery.

 

 

(Photo by Ketut Subiyanto

Continue ReadingEmbracing Change and Finding Your Way in a New Environment

Embracing Your Inner Creativity

Have you ever felt like the hustle and bustle of modern life is drowning out your creative spark? Trust me, I’ve been there too. Amid our daily grind and responsibilities, our once-vibrant creative urges can fade into the background. But here’s the thing: tapping into and nurturing that inner creativity can open up an incredible journey of self-expression and personal growth. It’s like rediscovering the sheer joy of painting with the boldest colors, crafting brand new worlds that are uniquely your own.

Remember those carefree childhood days when your imagination knew no bounds? I sure do. As a kid, I would dream up fantastical stories and embark on epic imaginary adventures. That creative flame was alive and thriving within me. And I’m pretty sure it’s a feeling many of us can relate to. But here’s the catch: as we grow up and dive into adulthood, that spark often takes a back seat, buried beneath responsibilities and the rush of life. So, my journey begins with a simple desire to reignite that creative fire and inspire others to embark on a similar quest.

Now, you might be wondering why bother with tapping into your inner creativity? Well, it’s not just about pursuing hobbies or creating impressive artwork. It’s about reconnecting with an essential part of ourselves that we often overlook. I’ve realized that this creative energy isn’t exclusive to artists or musicians. It’s a fundamental aspect of being human, one that can enhance our overall well-being and add depth to every area of our lives – including our careers, professions, and businesses.

What drives me to share these insights and experiences? It all comes from real-life experimentation. I’ve discovered that even the tiniest actions can rekindle that dormant creativity. From scribbles in the margins of a notebook to cooking up a new recipe just for fun, these seemingly small activities have an incredible power to spark our imagination. The goal here is to offer some practical guidance, based on my personal journey, and empower you to unlock your own wellspring of creativity.

Now, let’s talk about that nagging fear we often encounter – the fear of not being good enough. Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of battles with that fear. Many of us hold back from expressing ourselves creatively because we worry our creations won’t meet some imaginary standard. But here’s the truth: creativity thrives in the messy, imperfect stages. By sharing my experiences, I want to encourage you to embrace imperfections and understand that they’re a crucial part of the process. This perspective has completely shifted how I approach my creative endeavors, and I hope it can do the same for you.

As I embarked on my creative journey, I stumbled upon something interesting – inspiration isn’t just confined to fancy galleries or extravagant performances. Everyday life is overflowing with opportunities that can kickstart your creativity. A chat with a stranger, a stroll through nature, or the play of sunlight can trigger a burst of creative energy. This realization has shaped my perspective, and I truly believe it can breathe life into your own creative ventures.

Ultimately, my aim is to help you nurture your inner creativity. Just like tending to a garden, your creative spirit flourishes when you give it consistent attention. I get the ups and downs of this journey – the moments of frustration, the creative blocks. But here’s the secret: those challenging times often lead to breakthroughs. My hope is that my personal insights, gained through my own creative exploration, can guide you as you set out on your own path.

In a world that values innovation and individuality, embracing your inner creativity is more than just discovering yourself; it’s a powerful way to stand out. By letting go of the fear of imperfection, finding inspiration in everyday life, and pushing through obstacles, you’re embarking on a journey that enriches your creative output and transforms how you see and interact with the world. This journey is a testament to the idea that each of us has a unique creative voice – a voice that deserves to be heard loud and clear, not just in our personal lives, but also in our careers, professions, and businesses.

 

(Photo by Digital Buggu from Pexels

Continue ReadingEmbracing Your Inner Creativity

Navigating Eight Years of Marriage: Embracing the Journey

Eight years of marriage have been a journey filled with love, growth, and shared experiences. From the initial excitement of new love to the comfort and familiarity we now cherish, my partner and I have learned valuable lessons that have strengthened our relationship over time.

Throughout our marriage, we have both grown as individuals and as a couple. Life has a way of presenting us with unexpected challenges and opportunities, and we’ve learned to embrace them together. Our commitment to supporting each other’s personal development and aspirations has been fundamental to our growth. We’ve encouraged each other to pursue our passions and dreams, recognizing that fostering our individual happiness contributes to the strength of our bond as a couple. This shared understanding has given us the freedom to explore new interests and continuously evolve alongside each other.

Honest and open communication has been a cornerstone of our relationship. From the early days of our marriage, we made a conscious effort to communicate with each other openly, sharing our thoughts, feelings, and fears without reservation. This vulnerability has allowed us to deepen our emotional connection and build trust over time. By being transparent with our needs and desires, we’ve been able to navigate challenges and conflicts more effectively. We’ve learned that communication is not just about talking, but also about truly listening to one another and striving to understand each other’s perspectives.

Amidst the busyness of life, we’ve always made it a point to prioritize quality time together. Date nights, weekend getaways, or even simple walks in the park are cherished moments that allow us to escape the daily routine and nurture our bond. These moments of togetherness have become the pillars of our relationship, offering us a chance to create lasting memories and reaffirm our love for one another. We recognize the importance of carving out time for each other, and it has undoubtedly contributed to the strength and longevity of our marriage.

Over the years, life has thrown its fair share of challenges our way. From career transitions to family responsibilities, we’ve encountered both ups and downs. However, what sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to face these challenges as a united front. Instead of retreating into ourselves during difficult times, we lean on each other for support and strength. By being each other’s rock during tough moments, we’ve learned that together, we can overcome anything that life throws our way.

While major milestones are certainly worth celebrating, we’ve also learned the value of appreciating the little things in our relationship. From morning cuddles to spontaneous acts of kindness, it’s the small gestures that often have the most significant impact. These moments of love and tenderness remind us of the beauty of our connection, even in the simplest of acts.

Shared interests have brought us closer together. Whether it’s trying out a new hobby together, traveling to new destinations, or indulging in mutual passions, these shared experiences have strengthened our bond and created unforgettable memories. We’ve learned that exploring new interests together allows us to discover different facets of our relationship and keeps our connection fresh and exciting.

Gratitude has become a daily practice in our marriage. We take time to express appreciation for each other and the life we have built together. Cultivating gratitude has taught us to be mindful of the blessings we have, reminding us of the love and happiness that surrounds us.

We believe that a successful marriage requires continuous learning and growth. As time passes, we realize that there is always more to discover about each other. By remaining curious and open to learning, we ensure that our love continues to evolve with time.

As we celebrate eight years of marriage, we reflect on the beautiful journey we’ve shared together. Embracing growth, communicating openly, prioritizing quality time, facing challenges hand in hand, appreciating life’s simple joys, exploring shared interests, cultivating gratitude, and embracing continuous learning have all contributed to the strength and depth of our love. Our marriage is a testament to the power of love and commitment, and we look forward to what the future holds for us as we continue to navigate life’s ups and downs together.

Continue ReadingNavigating Eight Years of Marriage: Embracing the Journey

Embracing the Power of Our Stories

Life can be a rollercoaster of experiences, and sometimes we encounter truths that challenge what we believe. As humans, we have a natural inclination to create stories to make sense of the world around us. You see, storytelling is like painting a picture with words, sharing our experiences, emotions, and values through the art of narrative. It has been an integral part of human culture for centuries, helping us pass down knowledge, find solace, and build connections.

Now, what are the positive and negative aspects of storytelling? How do we help ourselves grow and embrace uncomfortable truths through them?

Our stories are more than just tales; they’re a legacy of wisdom and history passed down through generations. Imagine sitting by the fire, listening to elders weave tales of their adventures and lessons learned. Storytelling has the incredible power to entertain and transport us to different worlds, making us laugh, cry, and empathize with others. Whether it’s through books, movies, or campfire stories, our narratives shape who we are and give meaning to our lives.

Life isn’t always smooth sailing, and we often encounter truths that challenge us. It’s natural to create stories that provide temporary relief from discomfort – like wearing a comforting blanket around our shoulders. But here’s the thing: embracing discomfort is a chance to grow and expand our horizons. Instead of running away from the tough truths, we can embrace them with courage and curiosity. Trust me, it’s in these moments that we discover our inner strength and resilience.

When life throws us curveballs, storytelling becomes a friend who listens without judgment. We express our emotions, fears, and hopes through our narratives, finding comfort in the familiarity of our tales. Yet, it’s essential to face our emotions head-on too. Like a trusted confidant, storytelling can help us share our feelings and experiences with others, fostering connection and understanding.

We all have biases – those shades that color the way we see the world. But storytelling has a unique way of opening our minds and hearts. By seeking diverse perspectives and embracing the richness of human experiences, we paint a more inclusive and compassionate narrative. So let’s challenge our preconceived notions and be open to learning from others’ stories.

Each of us carries a unique story that shapes who we are. Our personal narratives hold the key to our identity and belonging. Picture it like a patchwork quilt, stitching together the moments that define us. Let’s cherish our stories and honor our past, embracing the journey that has led us to where we are today. But remember, we’re never done growing. Our stories continue to evolve as we learn, change, and face new challenges.

As we navigate the twists and turns of life, storytelling remains a constant companion on our journey. Embracing the power of our stories means finding the courage to face tough truths, celebrate our joys, and connect with others. Let’s paint our narratives with authenticity and vulnerability, discovering the strength that comes from embracing both the ups and downs. By becoming more aware of our stories, we learn to navigate life’s challenges with wisdom and resilience, growing through every experience. Our stories are not just words on a page; they’re a reflection of who we are and how we connect with the world around us. So, let’s embrace the power of storytelling and celebrate the beautiful tapestry of life we create along the way.

 

 

(Photo by cottonbro studio)

Continue ReadingEmbracing the Power of Our Stories

Teaching or Sharing Knowledge with Respect to Differences

As someone who chose to follow the path of serving others through teaching, coaching, and mentoring, I believe in the importance of sharing my knowledge without necessarily forcing others to adhere to my own beliefs. This respectful approach to teaching empowers people to learn while promoting understanding and respect. In this piece, we’ll explore how to educate without imposing and create meaningful exchanges of ideas.

Begin by showing empathy and care for the person you’re teaching. Listen actively to their thoughts and experiences, making them feel valued and heard.

Be humble and kind when sharing information. Avoid acting like a “know-it-all” or talking down to others. Treat them as equals in the learning process.

Instead of providing all the answers, encourage them to think for themselves. Ask thought-provoking questions that help them explore and understand the topic better.

Present a variety of viewpoints on the subject. This helps them see the topic from different angles and make informed decisions.

Respect that others may have different beliefs. Instead of dismissing their views, see it as a chance to learn from each other.

Be open about your biases. Everyone has them, and it’s okay to acknowledge them to create a fair learning environment.

Teaching takes time, so be patient and supportive. Avoid pushing them to accept your views quickly.

Be a role model for respectful teaching. Show open-mindedness, humility, and respect in your interactions.

Make sure that you establish a condition for open dialogue, accepting constructive opinions and more. Let them feel comfortable asking questions and expressing their thoughts.

Celebrate their progress and willingness to learn. Acknowledge their efforts in the learning journey.

Teaching with respect and without imposing beliefs is a powerful way to promote understanding and harmony. By showing care, kindness, and openness, we can empower others to learn independently and appreciate different perspectives. Let’s share knowledge with humility and create a world that values diversity and mutual respect.

Continue ReadingTeaching or Sharing Knowledge with Respect to Differences

Embracing ‘Show, Don’t Defend’ Mindset

In a world where negativity and criticism seem to be ever-present, it’s essential to consider a different approach when faced with adverse comments. Instead of getting caught up in the cycle of defending ourselves, let’s explore the transformative power of “Show, Don’t Defend.” By responding with actions rather than words, we can inspire positive change and cultivate more meaningful interactions with others. In this blog, we’ll delve into how embracing this principle can lead to personal growth and a more harmonious world.

Have you ever found yourself engaged in a heated debate, defending your beliefs with fervor, but achieving little more than heightened tension? Words can only do so much. It’s time to let our actions speak for us. By demonstrating our values and beliefs through tangible actions, we leave a lasting impact that words alone can’t match. Actions, after all, are what truly define us.

When faced with negative comments, it’s natural to feel defensive. However, taking a step back and showing empathy towards the other person’s perspective can be transformative. Instead of reacting impulsively, try to understand the emotions behind their criticism. By showing genuine care and consideration, we create space for open communication and the possibility of finding common ground.

The best way to inspire change in others is by leading through action. When we respond to criticism constructively and positively, we become role models for those around us. Others will take notice of our approach and might be inspired to follow suit. Our actions have the potential to influence others far more than our words ever could.

Defending our position in an argument often leads to a stalemate. A more productive approach is to shift our focus to finding solutions. Instead of dwelling on the negative comments, let’s proactively address the issues raised. Taking action to resolve conflicts shows our commitment to positive change and collaboration.

Our actions create the stories people remember. By consistently aligning our actions with our values, we shape a positive narrative about ourselves. This narrative speaks volumes about who we are and what we stand for. Embracing growth and improvement rather than defensiveness paints a picture of resilience and maturity.

Engaging in defensive arguments can strain even the strongest of relationships. Responding with empathy and constructive action, however, can foster understanding and respect. By showing that we care about resolving conflicts and are willing to work together, we strengthen our connections with others.

Our actions have a ripple effect. By embodying the principle of “Show, Don’t Defend,” we can inspire those around us to adopt a positive and constructive approach to criticism. As we demonstrate empathy and understanding, we create an environment where positive change becomes contagious.

In a world that often seems engulfed in negativity, embracing the power of “Show, Don’t Defend” can be our guiding light. By responding with actions, empathy, and understanding, we inspire personal growth and promote positive change in our interactions. Let’s practice these principles, becoming agents of compassion and empathy, and create a more harmonious world together. Our actions have the potential to spark a chain reaction of positivity, touching the lives of others and making a meaningful difference.

 

 

(Photo by Dmitriy Ganin)

Continue ReadingEmbracing ‘Show, Don’t Defend’ Mindset

Journey to Unleashing Confidence

Have you ever felt like you needed a boost of confidence to face challenges and believe in yourself? I know exactly how you feel. Let me share with you how to journey towards building self-confidence and offer some advice that can help you unleash your inner superhero. 

First, embrace your uniqueness. Just like superheroes have their own special powers, you have your own unique qualities and strengths. Embrace them wholeheartedly. Instead of comparing yourself to others, celebrate what makes you unique and special. Recognize your talents, interests, and personality traits. Remember, you are the superhero of your own life story.

Second, embrace positive thinking. Positive thoughts can work wonders. Whenever self-doubt creeps in, replace those negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of your past accomplishments and the times you’ve overcome challenges. Believe that you have the power within you to handle anything that comes your way. Positive thinking will fuel your confidence like nothing else.

Third, set goals and celebrate progress. Setting goals is like creating a roadmap towards your target destination. Start by setting small, achievable goals that align with your dreams. As you accomplish each step, celebrate your progress. Treat yourself to something special or share your achievements with loved ones. These little victories will boost your confidence and motivate you to reach even greater heights.

Fourth, embrace challenges and learn from mistakes. Stepping outside your comfort zone is where the real growth happens. Take on challenges that scare you a little. It could be trying a new hobby, speaking up in class, or taking on a leadership role. Embrace the opportunity to learn and grow from each experience. Remember, even superheroes stumble sometimes, but they always get back up and become stronger.

Last, surround yourself with supportive allies. Just like superheroes have sidekicks, surround yourself with supportive friends and family. Seek out people who believe in you and lift you up. Their encouragement and positive energy will be invaluable on your journey to building confidence. Together, you’ll create an unbeatable team of support.

Becoming confident is a journey, and I’m still on it myself. Embracing my uniqueness, practicing positive thinking, setting goals, embracing challenges, and surrounding myself with supportive allies has transformed my life. Remember, you have the power within you to become your own superhero. Embrace your inner strengths, believe in yourself, and embark on this incredible adventure of building self-confidence. Trust me, it’s a journey that’s worth every step.

 

(Photo by Andres Ayrton)

Continue ReadingJourney to Unleashing Confidence

Understanding Other People When They Say “No” To You

Have you ever felt hurt or rejected when someone says “no” to your requests? I used to feel the same way until I shifted my perspective and learned the power of empathy. In this article, I want to share my personal journey of understanding and supporting others when they say “no.” By putting ourselves in their shoes, cultivating empathy, and embracing open communication, we can foster stronger connections and transform rejections into opportunities for growth.

Do you remember the time when you asked a friend for help, and they declined? Instead of taking it personally, take a moment to understand their point of view. It’s important to realize that their “no” is often a result of their own struggles, commitments, or boundaries. This realization was a pivotal moment for me, shaping the way I approach such situations. Putting ourselves in their shoes allows us to recognize the factors that contribute to their decision, helping us respond with empathy and compassion.

We must understand that saying “no” is not always easy for everyone. In fact, it can be a crucial element in achieving success. Just as we strive to learn how to say “no” when necessary, we must also extend this understanding to others. When someone says “no” to us, it may be because they are currently focused on their own priorities or responsibilities. By recognizing this, we can appreciate their need to dedicate their time and energy to their own endeavors.

Rejections don’t have to be dead ends. Instead of dwelling on disappointment, let’s focus on offering support and exploring alternative paths. When someone says “no,” it’s essential to respect their decision and needs. By doing so, we create an environment of open communication and problem-solving. Sometimes, offering assistance in finding alternatives or suggesting compromises can alleviate the initial rejection. This approach not only shows our willingness to understand and support the other person but also strengthens the bond and trust between us.

In the pursuit of success, the ability to say “no” becomes indispensable. Just as we strive to incorporate this practice into our own lives, we must also recognize that others are on their own journey towards success. When they say “no” to us, it indicates that they are currently focused on their own “one thing.” By acknowledging this, we can nurture understanding and patience, knowing that they are not yet ready to offer their assistance.

Effective communication is key when navigating rejections. Initiating heartfelt conversations can help us gain insights into the other person’s perspective, clear up misunderstandings, and foster deeper connections. Instead of assuming or bottling up our feelings, open dialogue allows us to express ourselves and understand each other better. It’s crucial to approach these conversations with a non-judgmental attitude and a genuine desire to listen and learn. Honest communication builds trust, encourages empathy, and paves the way for healthier and more understanding relationships.

Understanding and supporting others when they say “no” is an ongoing journey of empathy. By shifting our perspective, cultivating empathy, offering support, and communicating openly, we can build stronger relationships based on understanding and compassion.

Next time someone says “no” to your request, remember to practice empathy. By embracing understanding, support, and open communication, we can transform rejections into opportunities for growth and connection.

 

 

(Photo by cottonbro studio

Continue ReadingUnderstanding Other People When They Say “No” To You

Is Motivation Overrated?

Motivation, we hear so much about it. They say it’s the key to success. But is it really all that? In this article, let’s explore drive and success in a personal way. We’ll uncover the truth behind motivation and understand what truly matters when it comes to achieving our goals.

Motivation, it’s like a fire inside us. It pushes us to chase our dreams with passion and determination. When we’re motivated, we feel unstoppable, ready to conquer any obstacle. It’s the spark that ignites our aspirations and gives us the energy to pursue them. Motivation is a powerful force that can inspire and drive us to go beyond our limits.

But here’s the thing: Motivation has its limits. It comes and goes, sometimes leaving us wondering where it disappeared to. It can fade away when challenges arise or when the initial excitement wears off. Relying solely on motivation can leave us feeling lost and unsure. We must recognize that motivation is not always there, and we need other tools to keep us going.

To overcome the limitations of motivation, we need discipline by our side. Discipline means sticking to our goals and creating routines, even when motivation wavers. It’s about staying focused and not giving up easily. Consistency is equally important. It means showing up every day, putting in the effort, regardless of how motivated we feel. Consistency builds momentum and keeps us moving forward, even when motivation seems elusive.

Motivation alone isn’t enough for long-term success. We need something deeper, something that anchors us when motivation fades. That something has meaning and purpose. When our goals align with our values and have a personal significance, they become a source of intrinsic motivation. Purpose-driven actions keep us going when motivation wanes. Let’s dig deep and uncover why our aspirations matter to us, for that’s where our true drive lies.

We don’t exist in isolation. Surrounding ourselves with supportive people is crucial for maintaining motivation. They cheer us on, remind us of our worth, and provide encouragement when we doubt ourselves. Whether it’s family, friends, or a community of like-minded individuals, their support keeps our motivation alive. Their belief in us can reignite our own belief in ourselves and keep us moving forward.

Motivation needs action to thrive. It’s about taking that first step and continuing to move forward. Action breathes life into our dreams and brings us closer to our goals. Even when motivation wavers, consistent action creates a ripple effect. It builds momentum and fuels further motivation. Through action, we learn and grow, becoming better versions of ourselves. Action is the bridge that connects motivation to tangible results and transforms our dreams into reality.

Motivation is indeed powerful, but it’s not the only ingredient for success. Discipline, consistency, meaning, supportive networks, and taking action all play important roles on our journey. So, let’s reflect on our own motivations and consider how we can incorporate discipline, consistency, and purpose-driven actions into our pursuit of success. What steps can we take to move closer to our goals? How can we build a strong support system around us? It’s time to embrace the full spectrum of tools and strategies to maximize our chances of success.

 

(Photo by Ylanite Koppens)

Continue ReadingIs Motivation Overrated?

How Meaningful Conversations Help Build and Strengthen a Relationship

Have you ever wondered how something as simple as a conversation can have such a profound impact on a relationship? In our  marriage journey, my wife and I have discovered the incredible power of meaningful conversations in addressing conflicts and strengthening our bond. By talking openly and honestly with each other, we’ve learned to understand and support one another better. How did such conversations bridged gaps and nurtured harmony in our relationship?

  1. Creating a safe space for us. We’ve made it a priority to create a safe and non-judgmental environment where we can freely express ourselves. This allows us to listen and understand without fear, building trust and respect between us.
  2. Helping us understand each other. By trying to see things from each other’s perspective, we’ve developed empathy. It helps us bridge gaps and find common ground, fostering deeper understanding and connection.
  3. Making us realize the importance of active Listening. We’ve learned the importance of active listening. It means paying attention, asking questions, and understanding both spoken and unspoken cues. Being fully present during conversations has brought us closer.
  4. Leading us to find our common ground. Instead of focusing on our differences, we seek out shared values and goals. It helps us collaborate, compromise, and find solutions that honor both of our needs.
  5. Improving the way we manage our emotions. We’ve discovered that conflicts can trigger strong emotions. To navigate these moments, we take deep breaths and approach discussions calmly. By using “I” statements, we express our feelings without blame or criticism.
  6. Healing and rebuilding trust. Meaningful conversations have played a vital role in healing wounds and rebuilding trust. We create a safe space to share our hurts and concerns, fostering empathy, forgiveness, and personal growth.

In our marriage, we have witnessed the remarkable power of meaningful conversations to bridge gaps, resolve conflicts, and strengthen our bond. So, the next time you find yourself questioning the impact of a simple conversation, remember that it has the potential to transform your relationship, may it be with a family member or a friend. By creating a safe and respectful space, practicing empathy, active listening, and finding common ground, you can foster a deeper connection with your partner. Embrace the power of meaningful conversations and witness the growth and harmony they bring to the relationships you treasure.

Continue ReadingHow Meaningful Conversations Help Build and Strengthen a Relationship

Finding Peace Through Disconnection

Can disconnection from gossip and news truly bring inner serenity? In a world of constant updates and the allure of gossip, finding peace and tranquility becomes a paramount pursuit. By embracing disconnection from gossip and news, we may uncover a profound sense of inner peace and well-being. In this personal account, we’ll explore the journey of disconnecting and offer insights into the transformative power of letting go.

I used to be entangled in the lives of others, constantly seeking updates and engaging in gossip-filled conversations. However, I gradually realized that investing excessive time and energy in the lives of others left me feeling empty and disconnected from my own path.

One day, a powerful realization struck me: the pursuit of gossip was hindering my personal growth and overall well-being. With this newfound awareness, I made a conscious decision to shift my focus inward, redirecting my attention towards my own aspirations, dreams, and passions.

By nurturing my own growth and engaging in self-reflection, I discovered the joy of pursuing my interests, nurturing my talents, and setting meaningful goals. Through this redirection of energy, I experienced a profound sense of fulfillment and purpose.

I also became more mindful of the conversations I engaged in, realizing that gossip only perpetuated negativity and shallow connections. Instead, I sought out positive topics, meaningful connections, and genuine support for others’ aspirations.

Alongside letting go of gossip, I embraced mindful news consumption practices. I selected reliable sources that provided unbiased, well-researched information about current events. Setting boundaries, I prevented news overload and distractions from my personal growth and well-being.

Through this transformative journey of disconnecting, I found a newfound sense of peace within myself. By stepping away from the lives and dramas of others, I could focus on my own personal growth and cultivate authentic connections with those around me.

In conclusion, the decision to disconnect from gossip and news brought me an incredible sense of peace and mental well-being. If you long for tranquility in a world filled with constant updates and gossip, consider embarking on a journey of intentional disconnection. Embrace the opportunity to find peace within yourself and rediscover the fulfillment that comes from focusing on your own growth and nurturing genuine connections with others.

 

(Photo by Lukas)

Continue ReadingFinding Peace Through Disconnection

How Prioritizing Self-Care Can Transform Us

In our busy lives, we often forget to prioritize our own well-being while focusing on responsibilities and tasks. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself: is neglecting self-care really worth the toll it takes on our happiness and fulfillment? It’s crucial to understand that prioritizing our own well-being is not selfish but essential for our overall quality of life.

During my personal journey, I realized that neglecting self-care had a negative impact on my physical and mental health. Self-care goes beyond indulging in pampering activities; it’s about loving and respecting ourselves. By honoring our needs, desires, and passions, we ensure that we have the energy and capacity to care for others.

In a world that values constant productivity, it’s common to feel guilty about taking time for ourselves. But what happens when we constantly put our own needs on the backburner? Prioritizing self-care is not selfish; it’s an investment in our well-being. By carving out moments for relaxation and rejuvenation, we can reconnect with ourselves and enhance our overall sense of well-being.

Furthermore, putting self-care first brings numerous advantages. Taking care of our mental health by reducing stress and anxiety leads to improved overall well-being and life satisfaction. Additionally, it boosts our productivity and creativity, allowing us to bring our best selves to all aspects of our lives. So, isn’t it worth prioritizing self-care to reap these benefits and lead a more fulfilling life?

Self-care encompasses nurturing our mind, body, and soul. Engaging in physical self-care, such as regular exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient rest, ensures that our bodies are energized and in good health. Emotional self-care involves expressing our emotions, setting boundaries, and seeking support when needed. Spiritual self-care entails practices that help us connect with ourselves and find meaning and purpose. When we neglect self-care, we risk losing touch with these essential aspects of our well-being.

In addition, practicing mindfulness and gratitude play crucial roles in self-care. Have you ever paused to consider the impact of cultivating mindfulness and gratitude in your life? Cultivating mindfulness allows us to be present in the moment, understanding our thoughts and feelings. It reduces stress and brings peace and clarity to our lives. Embracing gratitude enables us to appreciate the small things and find joy in everyday moments, fostering a positive mindset.

Moreover, it’s important to identify and overcome the barriers that hinder us from prioritizing self-care. Let go of the belief that self-care is selfish or unnecessary. Instead, be compassionate toward ourselves and grant permission to prioritize our well-being. Breaking free from societal expectations and embracing self-care allows us to live more fulfilling and balanced lives. So, why not challenge the notion that self-care is a luxury and embrace it as a necessity?

As we embark on our self-care journey, we have the power to inspire others to prioritize their well-being. Encourage our loved ones to nurture their own self-care practices, creating a supportive community that values well-being. By setting an example and sharing our experiences, we can make a positive impact on the lives of those around us. So, are you ready to lead by example and make self-care a priority?

In conclusion, making self-care a top priority is not only beneficial but necessary for our happiness, fulfillment, and resilience. So, let’s stop and reflect: in a world that constantly demands our attention and energy, isn’t it time we give ourselves the care and attention we truly deserve? By taking care of ourselves, we equip ourselves with the capacity to care for others. Prioritizing self-care ensures that we navigate life’s challenges with strength and compassion, fostering a harmonious and fulfilling existence.

Continue ReadingHow Prioritizing Self-Care Can Transform Us

How Empathy Nurtures Connections

Have you ever wondered how understanding, compassion, and sensitivity, powerful forces, shape our relationships in various areas of life? Through these possible scenarios, we have explored how these qualities strengthen and influence diverse connections.

Within our families, empathy forms the foundation of harmonious connections. Imagine a situation where a family member is going through a challenging time at work. Instead of brushing off their concerns, showing empathy would involve actively listening to their frustrations, offering a comforting presence, and providing words of support. This compassionate response creates an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding, fostering a stronger bond within the family.

Understanding and compassion are also crucial for deep and meaningful friendships. Consider a scenario where a close friend is struggling with a personal loss. Instead of simply offering condolences, demonstrating sensitivity and understanding would involve truly comprehending the depth of their grief, being present to listen to their emotions, and providing ongoing support throughout their healing process. By showing sensitivity to their pain, the friendship becomes a safe space where they feel understood and supported.

In romantic relationships, sensitivity and connection act as catalysts for intimacy. Let’s imagine a situation where a partner is facing a difficult decision about their career. Instead of imposing personal opinions or dismissing their concerns, showing understanding and compassion would involve actively seeking to comprehend their fears, aspirations, and the factors influencing their decision. By displaying sensitivity to their perspective and providing unconditional support, the relationship deepens and becomes a source of strength for both partners.

These qualities extend beyond personal relationships and have a significant impact in professional settings. Picture a scenario where a colleague is struggling with a heavy workload and feeling overwhelmed. Instead of ignoring their challenges or criticizing their performance, demonstrating sensitivity and understanding would involve comprehending the pressures they’re facing, offering assistance or suggesting solutions, and creating a supportive work environment where they feel valued and understood. This approach fosters teamwork, collaboration, and overall job satisfaction.

Understanding, compassion, and sensitivity are universal languages that profoundly shape our relationships. By considering these possible scenarios and embodying these qualities in various situations, we can cultivate connection, warmth, and trust. As we reflect on their power, let’s ask ourselves: How can we actively incorporate these qualities into our daily interactions to build stronger connections and foster unity and understanding?

Let’s embrace understanding, compassion, and sensitivity as guiding principles to build strong and meaningful connections in all areas of life. Together, we can create a world where these qualities thrive, enhancing our relationships and fostering unity and understanding.

 

 

(Photo by Pixabay)

Continue ReadingHow Empathy Nurtures Connections

The Top 3 Sources of My Joy and Fulfillment

As I reflect on my life, I realize that there are three things that bring me the most joy and fulfillment at the moment: training and coaching salespeople and business owners, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and building and maintaining relationships. These passions are not only important to me, but they also make a positive impact on the lives of others.

In this blog, I’ll be exploring why these passions are so important to me, and how they contribute to my overall happiness and well-being. By sharing my experiences, I hope to inspire others to pursue their own passions and find joy and fulfillment in their lives.

1.Training and Coaching Salespeople and Business Owners

Training and coaching salespeople and business owners is a passion that brings me immense joy and fulfillment. Not only does it allow me to help others succeed, but it also allows me to share my knowledge and experience with others in a way that makes a positive impact on their lives and careers.

Through coaching, I help salespeople and business owners develop the skills they need to succeed in their industry. This involves creating customized training programs that help them learn best practices, improve their skills, and reach their goals. Coaching also involves providing support and guidance along the way, helping salespeople and business owners navigate challenges and overcome obstacles.

The impact of coaching can be far-reaching. By helping others succeed, I can make a positive impact on their lives, their careers, and their families. I also have the opportunity to help them become better versions of themselves, which can lead to increased confidence, job satisfaction, and overall happiness. Training and coaching can be a highly rewarding experience that allows me to make a real difference in the lives of others.

2.Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a passion that is crucial to my overall well-being. By taking care of my physical and mental health, I am able to lead a fulfilling and joyful life.

Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep are all key components of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is important for maintaining physical health, but it also has mental health benefits, such as reducing stress and improving mood. Eating a balanced diet can provide my body with the nutrients it needs to function properly, and can also help prevent chronic diseases. Getting enough sleep is important for physical and mental health, and can help me feel more energized and focused throughout the day.

In addition to physical health, mental health is equally important. Prioritizing activities like meditation, journaling, and therapy can help me maintain good mental health and overall well-being. Taking care of my mental health can improve my relationships, increase my productivity, and help me manage stress and anxiety.

By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I am investing in myself and my future. I am giving myself the best possible chance to live a long, healthy, and fulfilling life.

3. Building and Maintaining Relationships

Building and maintaining relationships is a passion that is essential to my happiness and well-being. Strong relationships provide a support system that I can turn to in times of need, and can also bring joy and fulfillment to my life.

Making time for my friends, family, and partner is crucial for building and maintaining relationships. Regular check-ins, planning activities together, and being there for each other during difficult times are all important ways to strengthen my relationships. Strong relationships can also provide a sense of belonging and community, which can improve my mental health and overall well-being.

Investing in relationships takes time and effort, but the rewards are well worth it. Strong relationships can provide a foundation of support, love, and joy in my life. By prioritizing my relationships, I am investing in my own happiness and well-being, as well as the happiness and well-being of those closest to me.

In conclusion, my top three passions – training and coaching, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and building and maintaining relationships – are integral to my happiness and well-being. Each passion contributes to my personal growth, mental and physical health, and sense of purpose.

Training and coaching allows me to make a positive impact on the lives and careers of others, while also allowing me to share my knowledge and experience. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential for my physical and mental well-being, and allows me to lead a fulfilling life. Building and maintaining relationships provides me with a support system that I can turn to in times of need, and also brings joy and fulfillment to my life.

By pursuing these passions, I am investing in myself and my future. I am creating a life that is filled with purpose, joy, and fulfillment. I encourage everyone to find their own passions and pursue them with dedication and enthusiasm, for it is in these passions that we find true happiness and fulfillment.

Continue ReadingThe Top 3 Sources of My Joy and Fulfillment

Small Steps for a Better Future: The Power of Taking Action

Do you worry about the future for yourself and for your loved ones? I used to be someone who spent a lot of time worrying about the future without taking action to prevent negative outcomes. I knew I needed to be proactive to secure a better future, but I wasn’t sure how to get started.

It wasn’t until I began taking small steps towards my goals that I realized the power of proactivity. I learned that taking initiative is the foundation of success. Waiting for good things to happen won’t create a better tomorrow. Instead, we need to be proactive today to shape the future we want.

One key realization I had was that small actions today can lead to big results tomorrow. I used to think that I needed to make sweeping changes all at once to make progress towards my goals. But I soon realized that consistent small steps add up over time. By taking small actions towards my goals, I was able to build momentum and make progress towards a better future.

Another important lesson I learned was that being proactive today cultivates a positive mindset. By taking action towards our goals, we’re building confidence and resilience. We’re telling ourselves that we’re capable of creating a better future, and we’re developing a sense of purpose and direction. This positive mindset can be a powerful motivator, driving us forward even when things get tough.

I also realized that being proactive today isn’t just important for our own future, but also for those around us. If we want to be a good role model and create a positive ripple effect, we need to start by setting an example in the present. By taking initiative to secure our own future, we’re not only benefiting ourselves but also inspiring those around us to do the same.

Moreover, taking action today helps us to overcome our fears and doubts. We all have fears and doubts that hold us back from taking action towards our goals. However, when we take initiative despite our fears and doubts, we build courage and confidence. We prove to ourselves that we’re stronger than our fears and that we’re capable of achieving great things.

Furthermore, being proactive today helps us to learn and grow. More often than not, we learn more from mistakes than from our successful results. When we take action towards our goals, we’re bound to face challenges and obstacles. However, these challenges can be valuable learning experiences that help us to grow and improve.

In conclusion, being proactive today is the best way to secure a better future. It’s never too late to start, and every small action we take today can have a positive impact on our future. So, if you’re worried about the future, don’t just sit back and wait for it to happen. Take initiative today and start shaping the future you want to see. Remember, every small step counts towards a better tomorrow.

(Photo by Greta Hoffman)

Continue ReadingSmall Steps for a Better Future: The Power of Taking Action

Should I Stop Others from Doing What They Want?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wanted to stop someone from doing something because you believe it’s not the best decision for them? As someone who values the relationships in my life, I’ve often found myself struggling with this question.

Finding myself in this predicament more often than not, I’ve learned that it’s important to approach such situations with empathy and understanding. While it’s important to educate the people we care about with what we’ve learned to be proper practices, we also need to be aware that not everyone shares our perspectives. What may seem like a bad decision to us could be the right one for them, based on their own values and priorities.

It’s important to respect other people’s autonomy and trust them to make their own decisions. However, when it comes to long-term practices that could be harmful to them, we have a responsibility to step in and offer our support. For instance, if someone we care about has a habit of smoking, overeating, or engaging in other addictive behaviors, it’s important to speak up and express our concerns. We can offer support and suggest healthier alternatives, but it’s important to do so without being pushy or judgmental. Ultimately, it’s their decision to make.

In my experience, I’ve found that offering my support and being there for the people I care about, no matter what happens, is the best way to show that I care. While I try to educate them on what I think is proper practice, I’ve learned not to insist and to let go of control. It’s not always easy, especially when I see someone I care about making a decision that could lead to negative consequences. But by approaching these situations with an open mind and a supportive attitude, we can build stronger relationships and increase the chances of us having the leverage to help them make the best decisions for themselves.

It’s important to remember that we all have our own experiences and values that shape our decisions. What works for us may not work for other people. While it’s natural to want to protect the people we care about, we also need to give them the space to make their own choices and learn from their mistakes. We can offer advice and support, but we should also be willing to step back and let them make their own decisions.

In a nutshell, learning when to stop people from doing what they want and when to let them be is a complex question that doesn’t have an easy answer. It requires empathy, understanding, and a willingness to let go of control. While it’s important to share the helpful lessons we’ve learned with the people we care about, we also need to respect their autonomy and trust them to make their own decisions. Ultimately, our role is to offer our support and be there for them, no matter what happens.

Do you agree with my take on this question? Please share your thoughts and opinions.

 

 

(Photo by Jaime Reimer)

Continue ReadingShould I Stop Others from Doing What They Want?

The Surprising Benefits of Keeping a Journal

As someone who is passionate about personal development, I have had the privilege of participating in numerous training programs over the years. During one such program, I was introduced to the concept of journaling as a tool for personal growth, and it has since become an essential part of my daily routine.

At first, I was hesitant to start journaling. I had never considered myself much of a writer and was uncertain of where to begin. However, with the guidance and support of my training program mentors, I was able to overcome my initial apprehension and begin my journaling journey.

As I continued to journal regularly, I began to notice a significant shift in my thinking and overall mindset. I became more self-aware, in tune with my emotions, and more connected to my inner wisdom. By putting my thoughts and feelings down on paper, I was able to create a record of my experiences, helping me gain valuable insights into my patterns of behavior, beliefs, and values.

One of the most significant benefits of journaling that I experienced was an increase in self-awareness. By reflecting on my thoughts and feelings, I was able to identify areas for personal growth and gain a deeper understanding of myself.

In addition to this, journaling has also been a powerful tool for stress reduction. By releasing my worries from my mind and onto paper, I was able to reduce their hold on my emotions, leading to a greater sense of calm and mental clarity. This practice has also helped reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by providing an outlet for negative emotions and helping me process my experiences.

Furthermore, journaling has been a valuable tool for tapping into my creativity. By allowing myself to write freely and without judgment, I was able to access my own inner wisdom and creativity. This has helped me clarify my thoughts and ideas, making it easier to express myself in other creative pursuits.

What surprised me the most about journaling was its impact on my problem-solving skills. By writing about my challenges, I was able to identify patterns and potential solutions. I also gained new perspectives on my situations, allowing me to see things from a different angle and come up with fresh ideas.

My journaling practice has become an essential part of my personal development journey. It has helped me become more self-aware, more creative, and more resilient in the face of challenges. I am deeply grateful to my training program mentors for introducing me to this practice and encouraging me to continue exploring its benefits.

In conclusion, journaling is a simple yet powerful tool for personal growth, stress reduction, and creative expression. With the guidance and support of mentors or training program facilitators, it can be an excellent way to explore and reflect on one’s experiences, leading to a greater sense of self-awareness and personal fulfillment. I encourage anyone who is interested in personal development to consider starting a journaling practice and discovering the insights and discoveries that await them.

 

 

(Photo by  Anastasia  Shuraeva)

Continue ReadingThe Surprising Benefits of Keeping a Journal

Embracing Uniqueness and Cherishing Moments: A Journey of Personal Growth

My wife and I recently had a conversation about a Netflix series she watched called “Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House.” She was initially drawn to the show because of her love of food and how it’s prepared, but what she discovered went far beyond just a visual feast.

As she shared her experience with me, she rediscovered several valuable life lessons that touched her heart and soul. One of the most important lessons she took away from the series was the power of passion.

Passion is a powerful force that can drive us to accomplish great things and overcome obstacles. The show depicts how the main character, who had no previous experience as a cook, learns to master the art of cooking through sheer determination and love for her craft. 

She pours her heart and soul into every dish she prepares, and her passion shines through in the end product. This lesson reminded my wife and me that when we pursue our passions with passion and dedication, we can achieve great things and find fulfillment in life.

The series also emphasizes the importance of cherishing every moment, which is beautifully captured in the Japanese phrase “ichi-go ichi-e.” This lesson reminded my wife to be present in the moment and to appreciate the uniqueness of each experience. 

In the show, the maiko house hosts many guests, and each meal is treated as a special occasion that should be savored and enjoyed. The main character recognizes the importance of creating a unique experience for each guest and gives her 100% best into every dish she prepares. 

This lesson teaches us to approach each moment with gratitude and to make the most of every opportunity that comes our way.

Another lesson that resonated with my wife was the idea that love doesn’t always have to be directed towards a person. Seeing the main character’s love for her craft and the joy it brought her was a powerful reminder that we can find happiness and fulfillment in pursuing our passions and interests. 

The show also highlights the importance of finding meaning in our work and pursuing a career that aligns with our values and interests. When we find work that we love, it can bring us immense satisfaction and a sense of purpose.

The series also highlighted the importance of not comparing ourselves to others and embracing our own unique gifts and paths in life. 

Watching the main character pursue her passion despite the opinions of others was inspiring and reminded my wife to focus on her own journey and not be held back by fear or insecurity. 

It can be effortless to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others and experiencing a sense of inadequacy. However, the show teaches us to embrace our own unique gifts and paths in life and to trust that we’re on the right track, even if it looks different from others’.

Finally, the show taught my wife about the importance of balancing our goals with our relationships. Seeing how the main character neglected her relationship with a friend and a family member in pursuit of her passion was a poignant reminder to prioritize the people in our lives who matter most to us.

It’s easy to get caught up in our goals and aspirations and forget about the people who support us along the way. However, the show teaches us that our relationships are just as important as our achievements, and that we should make time for the important people in our lives.

Overall, the conversation with my wife about “Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House” was a beautiful and inspiring one that taught us valuable life lessons about passion, cherishing every moment, finding meaning in our work, embracing our unique paths in life, and prioritizing our relationships.

We were both touched by the show’s message and how it resonated with us on a personal level. 

We hope that these lessons inspire you as well and that you find the same joy and fulfillment in your passions and relationships as we did in this conversation.

 

 

(Photo by cottonbro studio)

Continue ReadingEmbracing Uniqueness and Cherishing Moments: A Journey of Personal Growth

Overcoming Procrastination: Tips and Strategies to Get Things Done

Do you have the tendency to put things off until the last minute? Do you struggle to stay focused and motivated when it comes to completing tasks? You’re not alone. Many people are affected by procrastination. It can prevent us from achieving our goals, completing tasks on time, and even affect our mental health. However, there are strategies and tips that can help us overcome procrastination and get things done. In this blog, I will discuss some effective tips and strategies to overcome procrastination.

Understand why you procrastinate:

The first step in overcoming procrastination is to understand why you do it. Some common reasons include fear of failure, lack of motivation, lack of focus, and feeling overwhelmed. Once you understand why you procrastinate, it will be easier to find effective strategies to overcome it.

Break duties into smaller pieces:

One of the most effective ways to overcome procrastination is to break tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. Making tasks more manageable will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. Set specific goals for each piece and reward yourself once you complete them.

Create a schedule:

Creating a schedule that includes time for work, breaks, and other activities can help you stay on track and avoid procrastination. Stick to the schedule as much as possible to help you develop a routine and maintain focus.

Eliminate distractions:

Distractions can prevent us from getting work done and lead to procrastination. Identify and eliminate distractions that might be preventing you from getting work done. This might include turning off your phone or email notifications, closing your office door, or working in a quiet environment.

Get organized:

Being organized can help you stay focused and avoid procrastination. Organize your workspace and materials to help you stay focused. This might include decluttering your desk, creating a filing system, or using a planner or calendar to keep track of tasks.

Use positive self-talk:

Having a positive talk with your inner self can help you in staying motivated and focused. Remind yourself of the benefits of completing a task and focus on the positive outcomes. Avoid negative self-talk, which can lead to procrastination and decrease your motivation.

Reward yourself:

Setting up a reward system for yourself can help motivate you to complete tasks. This might include taking a break, treating yourself to something you enjoy, or doing something fun once you’ve completed a task.

In conclusion, procrastination can prevent us from achieving our goals and can negatively affect our mental health. However, by understanding why we procrastinate and using effective strategies, we can overcome it and get things done. Try out these tips and strategies and see what works best for you. Remember, overcoming procrastination takes time and effort, but the results are worth it!

 

 

(Photo by Brett Jordan)

Continue ReadingOvercoming Procrastination: Tips and Strategies to Get Things Done

Important Things About Life to Celebrate

Life is a journey that is filled with ups and downs, successes and failures, joys and sorrows. However, amidst all the chaos and struggles, it is important to take a moment and celebrate the good things about life. As I turn another year older, I will explore some of the most important things about life that I deem most important to celebrate.

One of the most common ways to celebrate life is through birthdays. Birthdays are not just about getting older, but also about celebrating another year of experiences, relationships, and personal growth. Whether it’s a small gathering with family or a big party with friends, birthdays are a time to acknowledge the passing of time and to express gratitude for the gift of life.

Then, we have achievements. Achievements come in many forms, from getting a promotion at work to completing a book. Celebrating them is a way to acknowledge our hard work, dedication, and perseverance. It is important to take a moment and appreciate the milestones we have reached and the goals we have accomplished. Celebrating achievements not only boosts our self-esteem but also encourages us to set new goals and strive for even greater success.

Next is our relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. These are some of the most important aspects of our lives that also need to be celebrated. Celebrating them and our connections with them is a way to show gratitude for the support and companionship these people provide. Whether it’s a romantic date night or a family dinner, celebrating our relationships helps us to connect with others and to deepen our bonds.

Moreover, celebrating good health is also a must for me. It is  a way to express gratitude for the ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Most of the time, people take it for granted. Whether it’s a workout class or a healthy meal, celebrating good health is a way to prioritize self-care and to encourage others to do the same.

In addition, I also find the need to celebrate acts of kindness and generosity as I see it as a way to acknowledge the goodness in people and to encourage more kindness in the world. Whether it’s volunteering at a local charity or simply helping a neighbor, celebrating acts of kindness helps to spread positivity and compassion.

As someone who is passionate about learning, I also feel compelled to celebrate personal growth. Personal growth and learning are an ongoing process that is essential to our overall well-being. Celebrating personal growth is a way to acknowledge the progress we’ve made and to inspire us to continue to grow and evolve. Whether it’s learning a new skill or overcoming a personal challenge, celebrating it helps to foster a growth mindset and a sense of self-awareness.

Finally, celebrating life itself, with all its ups and downs, joys and sorrows, is a way to appreciate the gift of existence and to find meaning and purpose in our lives. Whether it’s spending time in nature or simply reflecting on our experiences, celebrating life helps us to connect with the world around us and to find joy and fulfillment in the present moment.

In conclusion, life is a precious gift that should be celebrated in all its forms. Whether it’s through birthdays, achievements, relationships, good health, acts of kindness, and personal growth. Let’s celebrate the good things of life. Let’s celebrate it however we want with gratitude in our hearts. 

 

 

(Photo by cottonbro studio)

Continue ReadingImportant Things About Life to Celebrate

How I Misjudged An Unsuspecting Man

He seemed to be always in the vicinity when I took my walk around our subdivision. More importantly, he seemed to always be in a sour mood on those occasions. The first time I passed by him, he was quietly sitting on a bench, but he had a frown on his face. I stopped the smile that I was supposed to give him and thought to myself that he might be a snob. He had the same look on five more occasions I passed by him doing different things. Hence, I stuck to my conclusion about him – he’s a snob and someone who does not want to be befriended. 

One day, however, my view about him took a 360-degree turn. During my regular walk that fateful day, I saw him sitting on the same bench with an older person in a wheelchair.  I also happened to overhear him answer a question from another passerby (who seems to know him personally) when the older person got discharged from the hospital. 

Right then and there, I realized that I had totally misjudged him despite not knowing even a fraction of who he is or what he goes through. I misjudged him after seeing him with a frown on his face during every encounter. I didn’t even have a single conversation with him but I judged his character right away. 

The thing is I made all those conclusions and created stories inside my head, painted him in a bad light because of those chance encounters, which coincidentally showed him as someone disagreeable. 

I realized that most of the time, human beings tend to judge others based on their observations without trying to understand what the other person is going through or went through to develop such a disposition. 

“He does not have anyone with him at home, people might not like living with him.” “He has a lot of tattoos, he must be a gangster.” “He’s always at home, he must be unemployed.” “He’s having an argument with an elderly, he must be disrespectful.” These are some of the judgmental things I hear which most of the time are unfounded. 

With the countless people I encountered and the experiences I had with many of them, I used to think that I knew the meaning behind people’s behaviors and that I was knowledgeable enough about human behavior to make a conclusion about the kind of people they are. The thing is I do not have any right to judge, as I always say, because I do not even fully know all the people who are dear and close to me, how much more are those people I only encounter in passing. 

What lesson did I learn from this encounter? It is a lesson I am reminded of over and over. There’s always more beneath what we see on the surface. Therefore, let us choose to understand rather than judge. 

 

 

(Photo by karatara)

Continue ReadingHow I Misjudged An Unsuspecting Man

4 Reasons Why  I Take Time To Rest

Since the start of the year, I have been on work mode. My mind has been in constant overdrive. I am not complaining because I love what I do and I believe that this is what my purpose in life is. On the other hand, I also acknowledge the fact that rest is equally important for me to live the gift of life fully. 

However, I sometimes get caught in the hustle and bustle that I almost forget the need to rest. When this happens, I get reminders why I have to rest. 

  1. I cannot give what I do not have. This is one of my mantras that help me remain grounded. In my line of work, one of the top things I always need is a high level of energy. Without it, I would not be able to successfully accomplish the end goal of my mission. 
  2. I can only be the best in what I do when I am at my best condition. For me, it is very important to be at my best when engaging in anything – work, building relationships, doing life. However, being at my best would never be possible if I am exhausted and drained. With rest, the exhaustion can be addressed. It’s the best way to be at my best when I do what I need to do. 
  3. I should not abuse my body. I have long acknowledged the fact that the human body is sacred. It should not be subjected to abuse like making it unhealthy and overworked. Therefore, despite the times that I feel like I am not really that exhausted because of the adrenaline rush in my system, I still see to it that I rest my body.
  4. I am able to appreciate my progress. When my mind is on overdrive with all the tasks I need to complete, I fail to see my little wins – the completion of a task, the smile of appreciation of the people I served. When I rest, though, I have the time to look back and reflect at what I was able to accomplish. With rest, I find the time to appreciate and be grateful for the abilities and opportunities I am blessed with. 

In other words, we need to find direction in the way we live our respective lives. Our work is our way of worshiping our Creator, therefore, we need to give our 100% best in it – use the talents we were given, and work on ourselves to be better. 

But, we also need to remember that we ought to take care of the body and the life we are given to continuously be able to serve our purpose. 

Without rest, how are we supposed to fulfill our respective missions and give our 100% best in everything we do? 

Continue Reading4 Reasons Why  I Take Time To Rest

Closing the Sales Mastery Intensive Training in Manila

The last three days of last week had been very eventful for us, ERTC team, as we conducted our much-awaited Closing the Sales Mastery Intensive Training. With 30 participants from the sales industry who have varying lengths and kinds of experience joining us, the training became a lot more fun and eye-opening for us as well. 

Throughout the duration of the training, we were allowed to see slices of our participants’ individual life –  their strengths and weaknesses, their struggles and their hopes. With it, we feel grateful for despite the fact that the training is for them, we got the opportunity to learn from them as well. 

When I look back on those three intensive days, I am reminded of three important lessons I learned or relearned.

First, there is no such thing as too early or too late in life when a person wants to improve themselves. Wanting to develop oneself can keep a person going and thriving. When we stop learning and growing, it is like we are just waiting for our end and not living life as we should. 

The second thing I got reminded of is that other people’s help and support can only work when we help ourselves first. The change we want to see in our lives should come from our free will – our decision to take action. 

Lastly, I had been reminded that the best way for us to not lose ourselves in the quest for success is to have a great foundation – that we do what we do not only for ourselves but to serve other people as well. 

We saw how our valued clients did their best to apply all the lessons we shared with them during the three-day training. We saw how they rose up to the challenge of going out of their comfort zones. We witnessed them break through different barriers that hold them from reaching new levels. We heard them declare their eagerness to meet the better versions of themselves. 

Indeed, we saw them transform in those three days but we can’t deny the fact that they have gifted us with valuable lessons that would help us become better versions of ourselves as well. What an amazing experience it had been!

Continue ReadingClosing the Sales Mastery Intensive Training in Manila

My Recent Realizations

The year 2023, so far, has been very eventful for me. We are back to conducting onsite training events, and traveling. 

Influenced by the different activities we have engaged ourselves in this year, plenty of ideas have been conceived. These ideas have been brought about by these recent realizations I have:

  1. I have come to the conclusion that home is indeed a feeling. At first I thought that we’d be missing our house so much since we’d been gone for a long period of time. However, we have not really felt the level of homesickness that we expected. I realized later on that it could be because my spouse and I are together here, along with our fur baby. Besides that, we also got to visit many of our relatives. We feel at home here even when we are physically away from home. Thus, I conclude that home is a feeling and not merely a place. 
  2. I have also been reminded that time is a gift we can only hope to have more of. In the period of time we have spent here in Manila, we have experienced circumstances that made us realize how important time is. Putting off tasks or other activities next time could sometimes lead to regrets because sometimes the next opportunity would no longer come. 
  3. My belief on relationships thriving if nurtured has been cemented. There are relationships that we built and there are those that we are automatically gifted with when we were born. Yet, any kind of relationship could only survive and bloom when we take care of it, and put an effort to maintain it. 
  4. It is never too late to start anew. Age does not matter when we want to start a new journey in life. We should not be limited to the standards of society about starting again. We can decide to change addresses or change careers if that is what we believe is the best path for us. 
  5. You will never know until you try. Regardless of the outcome, it is always better to try than to be left with a series of what-ifs in the future. 

These are just random thoughts that I relate to a lot these days. How about you? Do you have any thoughts or realizations you feel like sharing?

Continue ReadingMy Recent Realizations

How To Have a Carefree Living

As years keep adding up to my life, I become more curious about the difference in the lives of those who are happier from those who seem to be more uptight. Some would say that it is a no-brainer question. According to them, those who do not struggle financially are happier. Yet, it’s not always the case based on my observations. As I meet more people and learn their respective stories, I still get surprised with how some of them maintain a positive and happy disposition despite the challenges that life throws at them. 

So what did I discover? Since we are social beings, we inadvertently base our actions and decisions on the people around us – whether from wanting to please or from not wanting to be judged or cause disappointment. This kind of living is not healthy because it could hold us from tapping on our full potential and achieving our goals. Limited by the fear of society’s standards, the fear of being wrong in other people’s views and the eagerness to please others. Needless to say, this way does not make one happier. 

While it is not easy to divert from this tendency, there are little things that we can do to slowly do:

  1. Keep yourself surrounded by people who acknowledge and encourage your views and goals, no matter how unique they may seem. While choosing solitary life may seem to be the perfect option for those who cannot stand criticisms and unsolicited advice, it is not feasible. I believe in the saying that no man is an island. Fortunately though, we have the free will to choose who to surround ourselves with. If you are someone who needs positive encouragement, then be with people who will not willingly put out your passion.  
  2. Learn to compartmentalize when dealing with people who have different viewpoints from you. Due to people’s differences in experiences, we should always expect differences in opinions or viewpoints as well. While some people are willing to accept this difference, there are those who feel strongly about their beliefs that they would take offense when they hear different notions. When you find yourself in this situation, never take things personally.  
  3. Take care of your wellbeing. Take care of yourself by continuously learning and taking time to rest and have fun. When you have a well-rounded life, it would be easier for you to appreciate the goodness of life and see the challenges as means to develop your character.  

Do you think that living a carefree life is possible? Are these pieces of advice helpful to achieve such a goal?

 

 

(Photo by Samir Jammal)

Continue ReadingHow To Have a Carefree Living

5 Best Ways to Help a Person

Helping others is one of the, if not the sole, reasons for our existence and our gifts. I believe that whatever blessings a person enjoys are meant to be shared with others, especially those who are in need of them. We need to remember, though, that the best way to help is not by spoon-feeding but by helping them learn how to acquire or achieve their goals. 

Based on my life experiences, I discovered the best ways to help people. Having experienced being one who needed help, and being the one who extended it, I have realized the following to be very helpful:

  1. When someone cannot perform a task correctly, do it with them. Doing the task on their behalf might solve their current predicament but they would not be able to learn to do it in the future. It would not be possible for you to do it for them all the time, right? 
  2. When someone is in a slump, remind them of their goal. Commenting negatively on their actions, inactions, decisions or indecisions would not lead them to do what is right. Instead of nagging, why don’t you serve as a reminder and an encouragement for them to remember their purposes and aspirations in life?  
  3. Provide materials they can use as guidance. Since you cannot be available to directly help or guide them all the time, it is good to provide them with directions that they could use as a basis until such time that they become confident in doing things on their own. 
  4. Let them learn from their mistakes. Allowing them to experience the effects of the mistakes they committed is one of the best ways to teach someone a lesson. Experience is the best teacher. Once they know how it feels to make a mistake, it would motivate them to do better and be better. 
  5. Be a great example or model. Sometimes, people do not take kindly to being advised or guided by someone who does not practice what they preach. More often than not, people tend to emulate what they see. Therefore, it is important to be a good role model if you want to help others learn. 

While there is nothing wrong with helping someone by offering what they need on a silver platter, ready to be consumed, the lasting effects of helping them learn how to get what they need definitely is the better option to take.  

What do you think are other ways to help others?

 

 

(Photo by olia danilevich)

Continue Reading5 Best Ways to Help a Person

Five Instances When Changing Your Mind About Your Path In Life Is Necessary

Some of us believe that changing one’s mind is not a good practice because it would make us seem inconsistent. A person who constantly changes his mind is usually considered as a red flag. This common belief led many people to stick to their plans even when, along the way, they discovered better ones. Isn’t it sad that society’s stereotype towards changing minds hindered others from achieving success and happiness?

If you are at the stage of your life where you are contemplating whether to change your direction or stay where you are, here are some pieces of advice for you to stop fearing change.

  1. It is fine to change your mind about your life path when you learn new possibilities that you initially thought are not achievable. Never allow what others might say or think to stop you from changing your direction towards the better life you wish for yourself and the people who matter to you.
  2. It is fine to change your mind about your life path because your beliefs changed. Most of our beliefs have only been passed on to us. As we mature, go through different experiences, and learn, we realize many things that make us hesitate about our life choices. When this happens to you, allow yourself to make a change as long as you are firm with what you believe.
  3. It is fine to change when circumstances change, and adapting is necessary. There are times when what we initially plan can no longer be achieved due to a change in condition, which we cannot control. Is it wise to still stick to that path when you know any efforts you put into it will only be futile? Do not stick to it for the sake of not being labeled as a fickle-minded person. Remember that your future is at stake, not theirs.
  4. It is fine to change when we discover the truth and learn the realities of life. As we grow older and start to fend for ourselves, we face challenges that would necessitate us to adjust our approach or timing of our goals. Never be afraid to change whatever you need to change to continue your life journey. You might need to change your pace or your destination. That is totally okay and up to you.
  5. It is fine to change when we find that one thing that makes us feel fulfilled. It is not true that dreams do not change. They do for some people (if not all). When you reach a certain point in your life, that point when you are already capable of discernment, ask yourself whether what you are pursuing still stirs the passion in you. If you find something that you love, it is okay for you to reach for that instead.

Let us not be afraid of change and be the initiator of change. When you know that changing is necessary for your growth and the fulfillment of your life purpose, do not let your insecurities or other people’s judgment stop you. You can serve the world better when you love who and what you are. Live life to the fullest.

Do you agree that it is okay to change one’s mind when faced with these instances?

(Photo by Ondosan Sinaga)

Continue ReadingFive Instances When Changing Your Mind About Your Path In Life Is Necessary

5 Mistakes That Could Hinder People From Being The Best In What They Do

Regardless of social status, educational background, and the like, I believe that all people have the opportunity to be the best in what they do. Seeing many people who reached a state of success despite overwhelming hurdles led me to believe that personal success is achievable for anyone. So what could be the reason for some people to find it impossible? Here are some of the things I deduced could stop people from being the best version of themselves: 

  1. Not believing in their capabilities. Understandably, one would find it impossible to succeed in any endeavor if they do not have even an ounce of belief in themselves and what they are capable of doing. While courage is influenced by various factors, the most indispensable one is one’s belief in themselves because that’s where self-esteem, confidence, and determination are rooted.  
  2. Not believing that they have the potential. Do you believe that each one of us is special? No two human beings are alike. Each one has its uniqueness – characteristics, talents, and gifts – that cannot be found in other people. Therefore, each person innately has the potential to do something successfully when they make use of the gifts they were blessed with. The hindrance to this possibility is if the person does not acknowledge this potential within them. 
  3. Not believing that what they do or offer is good enough. Some people tend to pursue a path for the benefits they can get from it, not because they’re passionate about it. This is usually the reason behind some people who do not find value in what they do and how it impacts the lives of others. When a person does not see the value of what they do, how are they supposed to help others through it? 
  4. Not engaging themselves in growth activities. Even when we obtain numerous experiences, knowledge, and skills, we can never claim that we know everything. Regardless of age, human beings always have more to learn and more room for growth. If one stops learning just because they think that they know enough for the role that they play, then they can no longer qualify for the best there is. 
  5. Not going out of their comfort zone. Have you noticed how people try to avoid doing something for the fear of committing a mistake? In other words, they stay in the safe zone all the time instead of crossing lines and taking risks. If this is the case, growth is more likely to be impossible. 

What mistakes can you think of that could hinder you from being the best in what you do?

 

 

 

(Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich)

Continue Reading5 Mistakes That Could Hinder People From Being The Best In What They Do

How I Transition From I-Can-Do-It To I-Did-It

What phrase do people usually utter when they encourage themselves to pursue their goals or dreams? They typically say, “I can do it” over and over. I know that much, as I am one of those who say this as a mantra to keep me going after what I am passionate about. 

However, I also know that life should not only be about positive thinking or declarations to turn dreams into reality. I also know that much. In my more than 30 years of living life the best way I can, I have learned and worked on declaring that I can positively and say I did it successfully. 

Here are the steps that I usually follow to transition my I-cans to I-dids:

  1. I declare first. Declaring is very important for me because it helps me direct all the other parts of my body to the direction of my mind. When I voice out what I want, I coordinate with all aspects of my being to unite for the same purpose. 
  2. I gather strength. Gathering strength for me is getting all the support I can and need to accomplish my goal. Asking for help is not something I shy away from because two or more heads are better than one. Why would I punish myself by doing things on my own if I have the chance to be more successful with the support of others? 
  3. I equip myself. As I always say, in every opportunity I have, one thing I invest in is education. Continuing to learn is something that I do not only see as an additional activity to fill my hours. It is a necessity. For me to continuously have the ability to achieve my goals, I have to continue to grow and develop my competencies. 
  4. I try and try. Since it is not uncommon for failures or mistakes to transpire, I always remind myself not to succumb to self-pity when a mishap takes place. I remind myself of how such things are part of the process, which could also help me grow and learn more. Therefore, despite all the challenges, I try again every time I fail. 
  5. I always give my 100% effort. One of the best ways to have a chance for my goals to be achieved is to ensure that I give my 100% best when accomplishing them. There should be no room for half-hearted efforts. 

How about you? How do you make your dream a reality?

 

 

(Photo by Designecologist)

Continue ReadingHow I Transition From I-Can-Do-It To I-Did-It

Things I Do to Lift My Mood

As the new year quickly came by, I couldn’t help but wonder where all the time went. It felt like time flew in just a blink of an eye. It made me realize that this year might also pass without me noticing. Being that as it is, I concluded that it is not wise to spend what time I have moping around or being unhappy. Time, being the most valuable thing, should be spent wisely – doing something we love and making others happy. 

However, it is also inevitable to feel disheartened, especially when facing new challenges that seem unsurpassable sometimes. The good thing is that we can always do something about it, turn everything around and help ourselves. Here are the things that I actively and consciously do to lift my spirits when things feel a little bit unbearable:

  1. I do a gratitude exercise, writing down the things I am grateful for being the first. I consciously look around me and list all the things that make my life bearable at that moment, like my bed or my spouse. 
  2. I take time to enjoy good food. Instead of going through meal times to fill my stomach, I consciously and slowly savor the food I eat. I focus on identifying the ingredients that make my meal taste good. 
  3. I take a walk or drive without any intention of doing an errand. I look around and observe my surroundings and everything I pass by. 
  4. I take a break from my tasks. I would set up a different working space outside the house or someplace that I find comfortable and bask in it before returning to work. 
  5. I count my wins. I trust all my successes, and that includes even the littlest ones. I tap myself in the back for being able to wake up early and start my day without missing my routine. I tap myself at the back to complete my success list for the day. As I said, I count every single win.

In times when things seem to be out of sorts, we need not face them right away. Through experience, it is essential to neutralize my emotions first to handle the challenges afterward effectively. Hence, the list of activities to lift to pump up my mood. 

How do you deal with a bad mood?

 

 

(Photo by Pixabay)

Continue ReadingThings I Do to Lift My Mood

5 Things to Do for the New Year

Aside from purchasing a planner and brainstorming for resolutions, there are more important things we need to welcome the new year. Yes, I know it is quite difficult to plan when we are caught in the holiday celebrations and fun but we need to balance it out and make sure that we are physically, mentally, and spiritually ready to face 2023. Although we can never have certainty in life, we can have excitement and energy when we know that we took actions that would help us tread the journey awaiting us. So here are the things I suggest we do for the new year:

  1. Set goals for your personal and professional life. Setting goals is best done before the new year starts because it will allow you to maximize the first month. But, it’s not too late to start it at the early days of this month. When you already know your goals, you will already know your plans of action and when you’re going to start them. When planning is done on the first few days or before the new year, the first month can already be utilized for taking action. 
  2. Equip yourself with the necessary skills to achieve your goals. The mindset that we usually have when the year-end holidays come is days off and fun, that is why we no longer want to think about anything concerning work or business. I believe, however, that the end and the immediate start of the year is the best time to prepare ourselves for the goals and challenges. This can be done by identifying first what knowledge and skills we need to have to achieve the goals we have set, then finding the right action that would enable us to acquire such knowledge and skills. Isn’t it better to start the new year fully equipped?
  3. Put a closure to the things that made you unproductive. In a previous blog, I have included on the list of things to do before the year ends the identification of the reasons why we have not achieved some of our goals. This process can show us the habits or routines we have that contributed to our inability to achieve certain goals. If we can identify such unhelpful habits or routines, then we have to start working on letting those go.
  4. Start new habits that will help you achieve your goals. Besides ridding ourselves of nonsensical habits, we should also start new ones that would help us become more productive, and make us more capable of accomplishing our goals. Since it is said that it takes days to form a habit, we should start developing the habits we want to keep for the new year so that the first month will not be wasted. 
  5. Revitalize yourself to be ready for what you are about to do. The previous year might have brought us different types of stresses which made us exhausted not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. For most of us, it extracted a lot of energy. For this reason, we need to allocate ample time to rest our body, mind, heart, and soul. This can be done through meditation, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. 

If there were goals that did not materialize last year, the new year will be another chance to work for them. We may not know what the future holds but we should not just wait for it to unfold without physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually preparing for it. We should have a clear direction, tools, open mind, and courageous heart when we set out on a new journey. The above suggestions are some of the ways that would help us obtain these essentials. 

Do you think these are important? Or should we just go with the flow?

(Photo by olia danilevich

Continue Reading5 Things to Do for the New Year

Letting Go of Life’s Excesses

Do you also feel that life is sometimes too hectic to handle? I often felt that way, even on days that were free. I realized, later, that such a feeling was caused by the excess weight I carried. Do you know what’s worse? These excesses are not even necessary or important for me to continuously carry.

Now that I am finally aware of these excesses, I am taking the necessary steps to slowly relieve myself of them. Here are the two categories of these excesses and what I am doing to free myself:

  1. Excess things. In one of my previous blogs, I shared the negative effects of clutter on me. Clutter does not only mean trash; it can also include functional things. If a thing is functional, does it mean we need to keep them? My answer to this is no. Because of my thrifty nature, I usually find it hard to let go of things even when I seldom or no longer use them. This tendency caused my things to accumulate and led to a clutter-filled space. And as I mentioned, clutter brought me more stress because it made me exhausted, anxious, distracted, irritable, and unproductive. Hoarding cost me a lot. To rectify my situation, I conditioned myself to practice letting go of things. I started giving away or selling some items to people who had a real need for them.
  2. Excess thoughts. I used to wonder why I regularly had headaches when I felt healthy in general. Then, I learned that the mind can be overloaded, which would then, of course, result in physical pain. But, are all the thoughts we have necessary or helpful for us to sacrifice the comfort of having peace of mind? Again, my answer is no. When I reflected, I realized that a big percentage of my headspace was filled with unresolved issues and negative thoughts. What did I do? I stopped putting things off and resolved what could be dealt with, and did my best to let go of those that I have no control over. Yes, we either deal with it to finish, or let go if it is something uncontrollable.

All these are easier said than done, yet possible to do. If we keep holding on to things or thoughts that are not necessary or helpful, we are holding ourselves from fully growing and living.

Do you also wish to start letting go of the excess baggage in your life? Why? 

 

 

(Photo by Ketut Subiyanto)

Continue ReadingLetting Go of Life’s Excesses

Why People Extinguish Their Dreams

Being in the field of training, I encounter many people of different backgrounds, personalities, characters, experiences, and beliefs. I hear various stories of failures and successes. I learn multitudes of life hacks and lessons. From the different lives I got the privilege of knowing so far, I have discovered some common reasons why people give up on their original dreams in life. 

  1. Unsupportive “support” group. Most people become who they are because of the people who nurtured them. While some of us do not allow these important people to define who we are or dictate what we achieve, some do. The pressure overcomes them. 
  2. Fear. Dreams are scary, especially if they’re too big based on common standards. Also, people are often affected by whether the people around them support their goals. Hence, instead of trying, they let go of their dreams if they see they are on their own. 
  3. Limiting beliefs. Especially with seemingly lofty dreams, most people tend to think they’re impossible to achieve. They would have reasons like not having resources, talent, skills, or connections. 
  4. Wrong crowd. The people we surround ourselves with also affect how we view our dreams. When we are surrounded by pessimistic people and hear negativities all the time, we would unknowingly lose the hope and confidence we have inside us. 
  5. Failure. Failing is the most common cause behind people giving up on their dreams. Some people tend to give up on the first try because they would take such a result as a sign that the dream is not for them. Giving up usually happens when the sacrifices and risks involved are high. 

Do you agree with this? Have you experienced letting go of your dreams for any of the above reasons?

 

 

(Photo by Karyme França

Continue ReadingWhy People Extinguish Their Dreams

How I Learn Best

We are constantly presented with opportunities to learn every single day. In every situation, there is something to learn. The challenge now is whether we recognize such learning opportunities or not. Sometimes, even when we become aware of them, we lack the willingness or the drive to extract the lessons from them. Those moments may seem ordinary, but they do not happen twice. We might miss a lot if we miss seeing and learning from them.

In my training sessions, I usually tell participants how knowing is not enough to have power. Whatever knowledge we acquire can only give us an edge when we apply them.

I may have missed plenty of learning opportunities, but I always do my best to grasp as many as possible. How do I make sure that these learning opportunities are well-spent?

  1. I apply the lessons, especially my key takeaways, immediately. Based on experience, taking the time or delaying the application of a newly acquired knowledge or skill would only lead one to forget. Applying the lessons would help one retain details because of the action that has now been associated with them.
  2. I relate the lessons/theory to real-life situations. Sometimes, lessons do not make sense when given to us in plain words. To get the essence of it, we need to identify with it and relate it to real-life situations we experience or are experiencing.
  3. I actively involve myself in the learning process. When I get the chance to learn from training events, I make sure to overcome my shame and participate in all the activities 100%. I am open to being coached in front of other people because such an opportunity is not offered daily.
  4. I teach the lessons to others. Teaching or imparting my learning to others is the best way to retain all I learned. Not only do I get to recall by sharing the information, but I also realize how each lesson applies to any situation.

There are times when I inadvertently let valuable lessons pass. Only when I experience negative results do I realize how important they are. Such experiences taught me not to take any learning for granted. Let us constantly remind ourselves that we can learn from anything, anywhere, and anyone. Each person may have different roles or goals in life, but we all can fulfill our individual goals when we learn from each other.

How about you? How do you learn best?

Continue ReadingHow I Learn Best

Why It’s More Beautiful To Not Be Alone

Doesn’t it feel good to accomplish things single-handedly? Of course, it does. Being able to overcome challenges while trying to complete a task or a goal typically makes one feel good about themselves. However, this feeling often makes some people overly independent and too proud. This tendency could bring possible bad results over good ones. 

While independence is an excellent characteristic, humans are made to support and complement one another. Each person has their strengths, but they also have their weaknesses. With strength, they can help one another and depend on another person to help them with their weaknesses. There is not a single person created to stand all alone. Therefore we need to find the people who can stand and walk with us on our journey. 

I have always believed in this notion, but I chose to discuss it further in this piece because of the varying reminders I encountered and experienced this week. 

After she watched Enola Holmes 2, my wife shared with me quotes from the movie, which struck her and struck me in turn. First: “You will do very well on your own. But with others, you could be magnificent.” I easily relate to this statement as I’ve seen the difference between having people help me in my personal and professional life. When I worked on my own, I usually found it hard to get things done promptly. It would even get me to the point of abandoning tasks. Now, my team makes the previously seemingly unattainable tasks possible. 

Second: “Find your allies. Work with them, and you will become more of who you are. You speak with one voice, and you will make more noise than you could ever have imagined.” I continuously witness the reality of this statement in the teams I train who are achieving more. Those who put effort into developing their respective teams, not only themselves, seem to have countless wins and fulfillment. They also exude a happier disposition. 

Do you agree that we shouldn’t be alone in our journey?

 

 

 

(Photo by Tom Fisk)

Continue ReadingWhy It’s More Beautiful To Not Be Alone

Going Back To Face-to-Face Events

Last Saturday, we conducted our first public face-to-face training event after more than two years. The excitement was building up since the day we decided to go back to this setup. When the day finally came, we had an incredible time!

There were several reasons why the event would always be one of our most unforgettable sessions ever. The participants were very participative and enthusiastic. We were able to impart more experiences and learning since we have already undergone many challenges during the pandemic years.

Though we could maintain our participants’ energy and enthusiasm during our online sessions, we realized how much less challenging it is to do when onsite. Last Saturday’s experience fueled our energy bank ten times more than usual. We loved how we could see and hear all of their reactions. We were able to connect with them, and they were able to engage with us right away. Most of all, we could identify their real problems and challenges, inspiring us to help them immediately.

Another thing that made us very excited about this training is that we’re given more opportunities to address each of the participants’ challenges through the lessons we learned from challenging experiences. Every single challenge we went through made sense after being able to use our learning during the live session appropriately.  

While we equally love conducting online training events, face-to-face versions make us a little bit more excited because of all those reasons and the feeling of physically meeting new people. 

Would you be part of our onsite training event? We invite you to register for any of our scheduled sessions. Just message us privately.

Continue ReadingGoing Back To Face-to-Face Events

What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?

After attending Millionaire Mind Intensive for the first time, my dream to be a trainer started growing. The three-day program did not only change my wrong beliefs, but it also led me to realize my passion as well. These being so, I attended many of MMI’s succeeding programs to further my learning, growth, and development. When I completed all the programs, I continued to participate in the Millionaire Mind Intensive but already as a crew member. It was (and always is) a privilege to be allowed to serve in such an event because I always get to relearn and learn new knowledge and skills. 

As I continued to expose myself to these events, I realized my goal of being a trainer. I gained the courage to come out of my comfort zone and choose the path calling me. As I continually grow in what I do, the goal to be able to teach in an international scope also grows. 

For this ultimate goal, I continue to dedicate time to serve in this program even now that it is still online. And I am excited to serve the MMI offline very soon. I know and embrace the fact that I have to go through an arduous process before I can fit the requirements of being a trainer of MMI. Waiting and putting in the work while I wait are a few of the lessons I gained from this program. 

Yes, when I gain more experience and credibility in this field, I will become a trainer of Millionaire Mind Intensive. I want to help others experience the transformation I experienced when I first attended this program. I can’t wait to serve more and grow up in this aspect. 

How about you? What are you growing up for?

Continue ReadingWhat Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?

Yes, Two Heads Are Better Than One (How About More?)

Life these days has been hectic with countless activities. Amidst all this busyness, I realized how important it is to work with people rather than work alone. In my past blogs, I discussed the benefits of working with my spouse and having a team. Now, these ventures have proven to be very beneficial after many months. How?

  1. There are more beautiful ideas. I believe anyone would agree that when two or more minds work together, puzzles become easier to solve, and challenges become easier to overcome. In addition, ideas that I could not possibly think of flow ceaselessly. When working together, each person not only contributes by putting their opinions, but they also spur each other’s creativity and analytical thinking.  
  2. I develop more courage to take risks. Despite my many life experiences and learning, I still find more strength in making decisions after taking good advice from the people I trust and knowing that someone supports what I do or would do.
  3. I have become more productive. While I previously had apprehensions about delegating tasks, I finally let go and sought the help of other people. Such a move made me realize how excellent my results can be and how the once-impossible tasks become possible to accomplish.  

Isn’t working with other people a beautiful thing? Of course, we cannot discount the possibility of disappointment or hurt, but we also should not allow negative experiences to stop us from the chance of growth and success. Instead of barring people from our lives, we should use our experiences to choose trustworthy ones and cherish them.

Do you also find it better to work with someone? If not, do you believe it would be better to do so than work alone?

 

 

(Photo by EKATERINA  BOLOVTSOVA

Continue ReadingYes, Two Heads Are Better Than One (How About More?)

5 Beautiful Things You Can Do to Lift Someone

As I go through living life, I observe other people for me to learn more. Observation has always been one of my means of learning. Through this habit, I discover certain truths, such as how to obtain happiness. On this matter alone, there are various ways. One of those ways is helping other people. 

Do you know that helping others does not always translate to financial help? I have observed that simple but profound acts matter most for most people. If you want to see a person, especially a loved one, filled with courage in dealing with life, you should: 

  1. Be happy for their wins. Although wins could be enough for a person to be satisfied, they would still need those they love to celebrate with them. Seeing you happy for their victories, no matter how small, would make the win much sweeter because seeing the people they love joyful is also a win for them. You do not need a lavish celebration to let them know your happiness for them. It would not hurt you to say a simple congratulations, would it? 
  2. Be supportive of their endeavors. Being supportive of someone’s goals does not necessarily mean providing financial support. Words of encouragement could help stabilize them and strengthen their determination to reach for their dreams. Do your best not to make them feel bad for dreaming big and crushing their spirits before they begin their journey. While it is true that they could be unsuccessful in their struggle, their fall would be easier to bear when they have you on their side than remembering it was you who told them they would/could fail. 
  3. Look at their good side. There is this truth that is often uttered and heard. “Nobody is perfect.” Indeed, nobody is. Everyone has shortcomings, and that includes yourself. With this fact, it should be easier for you to look at the good attributes of someone, not focus on what they lack or fail at. When you acknowledge their positive qualities, instead of pointing out the negative, they will embody those qualities more and more. 
  4. Make their lives lighter. Just like you, each person has struggles. You might see them as living in comfort and happiness all the time, but you might not know everything. Some people keep their struggles to themselves to not burden those around them. Therefore, never be someone who could cause them more feelings of sadness or frustration. Be a light-giving optimist in their lives, not a joy-sucking pessimist. 
  5. Let them know they are appreciated and loved. When a person gives you love and care in any form, it is their choice. They have the option not to, yet they still do. Therefore, constantly express your appreciation for the love and care you receive. Instead of thinking about what you feel is lacking from what you received from them, be grateful for what they willingly gave. You do not know what they have gone through to show you love and care. 

You do not need to be rich to help lift people’s lives. You only need to be a happy, supportive, optimistic, and grateful light to their lives. You are not just helping others; you have inadvertently enabled yourself to have a more joyful heart filled with love rather than envy and pride. 

 

 

(Photo by mododeolhar)

Continue Reading5 Beautiful Things You Can Do to Lift Someone

3 Things To Do When People Take Advantage Of You

Do you know why there are people who are always cynical about anything, even the good things? As human beings develop a defense mechanism when they experience something undesirable, suspicious people most likely developed such character from being taken advantage of in the past. 

We cannot possibly control how other people act and treat us. We cannot always read their real intentions toward us. We can only help and protect ourselves from people trying to bring us down or take advantage of us. Here are some ways that could help us:

  1. We should learn and practice saying no. Whether we admit it or not, some people take advantage of those who seem afraid to decline requests, even when the request would put the latter at a disadvantage. It could help prevent such from happening if we learn to say no. While helping other people is one of our duties, it doesn’t mean that we should never decline requests. We can only give what we have and are capable of giving. Never allow yourself to be held back by the need to please everyone. We should not feel wrong about declining requests. 
  2. We should slowly remove ourselves from relationships that only take from us. Getting hurt when trust is broken is normal. Therefore, when we see that a person has the tendency to break our faith in them and does not value our relationship with them, we should slowly accept the possible breakdown of the relationship. This would help prevent us from feeling bitterness on our part later. 
  3. We should remain kind and civil. When we experience unfair situations like being taken advantage of, we should maintain a positive attitude. Let us not return the negativity done to us with the same negative deed. Allowing ourselves to foster negative emotions will only hinder us from moving forward and growing. Let it all go.  

These, for me, are the best things to do when people take advantage of us, to protect ourselves from becoming vengeful when such things happen to us in the future.

How else should we handle being taken advantage of by people? 

 

 

(Photo by cottonbro)

Continue Reading3 Things To Do When People Take Advantage Of You

Top 5 Negative Effects of Clutter On Me

According to T. Harv Eker, your inner world creates your outer world. Whatever you think and allow to dwell inside your mind will affect how you act and respond. This wisdom has opened my eyes and helped me set myself free from the different wrong beliefs I had. 

Indeed, our inner and outer worlds have a direct relationship. Do you believe that our external world also affects our inner world? Because I do.  

Our home has been a mess lately. I mean, it’s extra messy these days because we have to fix some areas. My wife and I noticed that we had been unusually overwhelmed these days, and we both realized that the clutter around us actually caused this state. Specifically, here are the top five adverse effects of a messy space to us: 

  1. Lethargy or exhaustion. Even when we have enough rest and sleep, we still tend to feel less energetic. I believe that this is because the mind cannot rest when seeing clutter. Mess seems to tell the brain that much work is still to be done. 
  2. Unease or anxiety. We feel uneasy or anxious because our minds start to think about all the tasks we would surely need to do in the future while still facing the current set of tasks. Could everything be accomplished?
  3. Lack of focus. One of the effective means to stay focused on tasks is to get rid of distractions. Who can focus when surrounded by too much clutter? 
  4. Irritable temperament. Even the little things get under our skin when we think of all the tasks and other emotions that the messy space triggers. 
  5. Unproductiveness. Finally, due to thinking or overthinking about many things, we fail to focus on the most important task at the moment, therefore accomplishing less than usual or none.

Do you also experience these things when your space is too cluttered? To help yourself, always make an effort to clear your space regularly. Condition your inner world as well as your outer world.   

 

(Photo by Sander)

Continue ReadingTop 5 Negative Effects of Clutter On Me

5 Steps To Adjusting Your Sails

How many times have you heard the statement “life is unpredictable”? Who could count, right? Saying it or hearing others remind you is like a consolation when your plans do not work out, or your efforts do not bring great results. Life’s unpredictability is a known fact that is quite difficult to accept and happens to everyone.

Successful, happy, or fulfilled people all had their fair share of disappointments, frustrations, and quelled hopes. The only difference these people have over those who felt lost after the losses is their drive to adjust their sails.

Adjusting your sails when a storm hits does not mean changing your destination. You could be just changing your course to reach your goal in one piece still. So what should you do when one of your courses of action or your series of plans does not work out the way you want them? 

  1. Remind yourself of your ultimate goal. If you are sure and passionate about your greatest goal, you will not be hindered by obstacles from it. It would motivate you to keep moving despite all the challenges you encounter. 
  2. Find alternative ways to reach your goal. Almost all destinations have a variety of paths. Your course that did not work is just one of those multiple routes. Therefore, find the best alternative approach for you to continue with your journey. 
  3. Embrace the new path you chose. Choosing a new way toward your destination should not be half-hearted. Start the new journey by moving on from the recent failure. Stop fretting about what was and start working on what is. 
  4. Equip yourself better. Changing your course should also mean changing or updating your equipment to suit your new circumstance best. Never be afraid of changing because, as people say, it is constant and necessary. 
  5. Never allow negativity to reside in your head. One of the reasons people usually find it challenging to transition to a different path towards their ultimate goal is the fear of other people’s opinions. To address this, remind yourself of another fact – people always have something to say no matter what you do. Therefore, never allow any negativity to settle in your mind. Always go back to the first step – remind yourself of your why. 

When you encounter any storm, remember that you have the option and the power to adjust your sails. The choice of whether to take the opportunity is up to you. 

Do you agree?

 

(Photo by RODNAE Productions)

Continue Reading5 Steps To Adjusting Your Sails

8 Things I Would Tell My Kids To Lessen Their Tendency To Fear

When the time comes that we would be blessed with a child or children of our own, and there is one thing I could do for them, it would be to help them overcome the tendency to be filled with fear. I would strive to do this because I know that fear could be a huge obstacle for a person in reaching their full potential. Based on my experience and the experiences of the people I conversed with about the root causes of fear in adults, here are the things I will strive hard always to remind my future offspring:

  1. “Human beings are not perfect. Thus, it is totally okay to fail or commit mistakes.”
  2. “Enjoy the process. Do not spend your time dreading the result.” 
  3. “You made a mistake; you did not commit a crime. Try again.”
  4. “Did your approach miss? Allow me to help you.” 
  5. “What have you learned from this setback?”     
  6. “What can you do better next time?”
  7. “What kind of help or support do you need from me?”
  8. “Can I count on you?”

While rebuking people who commit mistakes is necessary, it should be reinforced with support in most cases. Would you be empowered to try again when you experience an all-out castigation or mockery because of your shortcomings? Unless you are an inherently driven or headstrong individual, it is doubtful if you would. We should not be fooled by the idea that we have helped a person become better because we corrected a mistake and they did not do it again. They did not do it again, and that is a mistake. You caused them to lose opportunities to learn and grow as a person. You limit their capabilities as contributing individuals to the world. You reduced them to someone who would no longer make an impact in the world.

I liken this to someone learning to drive. That person will never learn if you set an expectation for them not to cause damage to the vehicle or other vehicles on the road. Setting an expectation that does not leave room for mistakes can lead to fear, not only of committing mistakes but of trying. Why not convert failures as an opportunity to teach instead? 

Do you think these could help the young generation to lessen their fears? 

 

 

(Photo by Eva Bronzini

Continue Reading8 Things I Would Tell My Kids To Lessen Their Tendency To Fear

3 Important Roles a Person Have to Assume in Life

Do you believe that a person can have different roles in one lifetime? I believe that. We ought to assume various roles besides the ones that come with our career choices or source of livelihood. What could be these roles?

  1. Supporter. Do you acknowledge that we need other people to accomplish anything – may it be menial or great goals? I do. Without others, I believe it would not be possible for anyone to achieve anything. We all need a support system, even if that means only one person. Since we need other people’s support, we also need to be a supporter of others. We should not just take. We should also learn to give whatever it is we can offer.  
  2. Teacher. I believe that each one of us has knowledge or skills that we can share with others. Whatever lesson we learn from training or experience is meant to be imparted because those learning could be what they need to fulfill their respective roles in the world. To help make the world a better place, we should learn to teach others what we know. 
  3. Teammate. Regardless of our unifying relationship with any group we belong to, we should be proper teammates. A teammate is not only part of a group but contributes something to keep the group together and strong. As part of a family, for example, whether you are part of the older generation or younger ones, you are responsible for strengthening the unit and cultivating an atmosphere of love and understanding rather than conflict. A proper teammate does not create or help create strains in the relationship between the group members. 

Being entrusted with these roles, we need to embrace the responsibilities that come with them. These roles help develop you as a person, so even if they do not bring you material return for your efforts, you would need them as much as your career. Besides, taking responsibility for those roles is one way of giving back. 

Let us not only work on achieving success in our careers. We should also work on succeeding in the other roles we have to assume as human beings. 

What other roles do you think we should assume?

 

 

(Photo by esrageziyor)

Continue Reading3 Important Roles a Person Have to Assume in Life

When You Care Too Much About What People Say or Think About You

It is not easy to not care about what other people think or say about you, right? You do not want to hear judgment from those you love, care about, and respect. While this is understandable, do you know how you might be sabotaging your growth, success, and happiness because of worrying or caring too much about other people’s thoughts and opinions?  

  1. You adopt a personality that does not really embody the real you. To avoid being judged for your characteristics that might be considered unusual or out of the ordinary, you try to hide them and put on a different mask to ensure you don’t get any criticisms. How can you freely reach your full potential and work on your life purpose if you hide the real you? 
  2. You are always filled with anxiety. Nothing brings more stress and worries than always thinking about what other people might think or say about you. Because of your constant concern for other people’s thoughts and opinions, you lose your peace of mind. Is it worth your restless and sleepless nights?
  3. You follow the path that has been predetermined for you. One of the most crucial outcomes of caring too much about what people say or think is forcing yourself to go on a path that others think is best for you, even when you have a different way in mind. Would you really be happy in the end if you achieve something that is not really what you dream for yourself?
  4. You fit yourself in the box that people put you in. You accept the category they put you in even when you are more than what people think you are. In this case, aren’t you sabotaging yourself by taking such labels? When you accept those labels, you are also unknowingly conditioning yourself to become what they say you are, even when you can be so much more. 
  5. You do your best to please others but fail to make yourself happy. When you constantly think about how to make people like you and not judge you, everything you do will always be for their pleasure and approval. Would meeting people’s expectations of you make you really happy? Wouldn’t doing what you want to be more satisfying? 

In conclusion, caring too much about what others think or say about you could cost you your bright future and your happiness when you change yourself just to avoid such. How about you use the comments of others to strengthen yourself and fuel your passion for your mission in life? Isn’t it a better way to deal with such a challenge? 

 

 

(Photo by Pranavsinh suratia)

Continue ReadingWhen You Care Too Much About What People Say or Think About You

Top 3 Reasons Not To Allow Negativity From Changing Your Goodness

I have met many people in my life who have radically changed themselves because of the negative experiences they encountered in life, especially other people’s bad treatment of them. I have seen good people transform into indifferent and uncaring individuals because they experienced the same from other people. 

I believe that we should not allow ourselves to change for the worse because of such reasons. We should not lose our inherent goodness as human beings because of our negative experiences. Why?

  1. Maintaining your goodness as a human being will give you peace of mind and heart. When you try not to use feelings anymore to avoid getting hurt when people mistreat you, you are going against the general purpose of life, which is to serve others. In addition, you become vengeful, uncaring, and indifferent. These characteristics would only bring you dissatisfaction when you look back because you could not make the world a better place throughout your life.
  2. Changing for the worse would only make you belong in the same category as those who mistreated you. Other people’s treatment of you reflects themselves, not you. Use their treatment as the basis for how you treat other people. You do not like it; therefore, you should not treat people the same way. You should maintain your positive attitude despite how others treat you and dislike your disposition. 
  3. Turning yourself into someone worse would only make you lose your cherished relationships. Changing because of other people’s cruel treatment affects how the people you care about look at you. You would only be building walls around you and isolating yourself from everyone else. It is not at all worth it. 

When people treat you badly or experience unfairness, do not blame yourself nor change yourself because of such, especially if you did nothing wrong. Continue to be good and kind no matter how the world treats you. While strengthening yourself is essential to overcome life’s challenges, do not harden your heart.

Do you think this is good advice?

 

(Photo by cottonbro

Continue ReadingTop 3 Reasons Not To Allow Negativity From Changing Your Goodness

My Reasons To Go Low-Carb For Life

Three months ago, I stopped consuming what was supposed to be a must-have in my every meal – rice. Actually, it was not just rice. I stopped eating foods that are rich in carbohydrates and sugar. Yes, I also gave up on my guilty pleasure. I gave up on sweets. Those who know my sweet tooth would be shocked how I automatically decided to give them up altogether. But, I am proud of myself because I overcame the temptations. What a feat, right? 

Others say we are torturing ourselves because we are depriving ourselves, but the truth is we are doing ourselves a big favor. We are protecting our bodies from pains that would come with the different illnesses we might develop due to unhealthy lifestyles. 

Honestly, this is not the first time I tried to follow a healthy diet. In fact, I can no longer remember my number of attempts. So, why did I push through with this one?  

  1. I realize now that I am getting older that I need to invest more in my health than ever. This diet is a preventive measure. 
  2. I got rid of the unwanted baggage (fats) that had weighed me down for a long time. Despite my persistence to get rid of them through exercise, they remained. However, they disappeared like magic after a few weeks without carbohydrates and sugar. 
  3. My energy and stamina went up many times over. This result was a plus point for me since I always need high energy in what I do. Being on this diet helps me to always be at the top of my game and not exhausted afterwards.

These reasons may not sound convincing to those looking for reasons to give up on the high-carb and sugar intake. Yet, to those who are experiencing such changes, these are very significant. 

While it might be quite an expensive diet, it is very much worth every expense. It might just save me from having medication maintenance when I grow old. I say it is short-term pain for long-term gain. For sure, your body and pocket will thank you later in life. 

Do you think this diet is worth trying?

 

 

(Photo by Angele  J

Continue ReadingMy Reasons To Go Low-Carb For Life

4 Ways of Appreciating People

I am an ardent believer in the power of appreciation, so I always put a reminder out there to practice freely giving some to others. While it would not cost you any fortune, you would be able to help another person get through a difficult time with it.

Yes, it would not cost you anything if you give it, but if you choose to forgo it, it might cost other people their great future. Why is this so? Not all people take kindly to being unappreciated. You can always advise them to control themselves, but you cannot control how they would feel and how those feelings could change them for the worse. Therefore, learn ways to save people from becoming bitter. 

  1. It is okay to reprimand but never forget to commend the good things. Why is it easy to point out the bad in people and then turn a blind eye to the good? Why don’t we practice the opposite? Wouldn’t we have a better world? People who get appreciated tend to try to live up to the goodness they were valued for. While those who are good but still criticized tend to give you what you accuse them of.
  2. Do not compare them or what they did with that of others. They would think they are not enough. When someone gives you something or does something for you, never compare it to the gesture of others because you do not know how big of a deal it is for them. They might have given you something that is not significant for you but means everything to them.
  3. Do not ask for anything else besides what they have given you. Instead of demanding more because you aren’t satisfied, thank the person sincerely for what you have received. If you request more, it means you are not satisfied or grateful for what they have given you. They might stop being their genuinely generous and loving self because of your ungratefulness.
  4. Never criticize their choices in serving and making you happy. People have different natures and capabilities. One might give you extravagant gifts to make you feel pleased, while another person might choose to spend time with you. Do not base their gifts on your preference or love language because they have their own preferences and capabilities. 

These are simple and specific ways to show appreciation to the people around you. The key to making it easy to do is learning gratefulness. A grateful heart will always speak words of appreciation, not criticism. 

How else can we show appreciation?

 

 

(Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com)

Continue Reading4 Ways of Appreciating People

How To Find Great Companions

It’s really amazing what interacting with people (in person) can do, especially after a few years of being limited to online interactions. These past few weeks, I stumbled upon realizations after realizations due to our travels. 

One of my realizations this time is how to find great companions in people. Finding and maintaining great companionships does not solely depend on the other party. I have come to realize that there are essential factors that are dependent on you. If you wish to find great companions in the people in your life or new acquaintances, try heeding these pieces of advice:

  1. Be a good listener. No one wants to deal with a person who does not listen and only talks about himself. In addition, when you know how to listen, you can build a more connected relationship with the other person. 
  2. Be respectful. People have differences, but it would not be a reason for disagreements when each one knows respect. People who see how you do not judge them and their life choices tend to give you the same consideration. Thus, a harmonious relationship has a great tendency to start.  
  3. Be humble. No one wants to be with someone who constantly brags and shows off. Do not use a conversation as an opportunity to put the spotlight on yourself. When the spotlight is what you want, find a stage, not great companions.
  4. Be good-natured. Though first impressions do not always turn out to be accurate, they affect a person’s decision in dealing with you. Therefore, do not appear reserved if you wish people to want to approach and interact with you. Moreover, people seldom want to maintain relationships with people with unpleasant demeanors.   

The main lesson of this discussion is that you should be someone you wish to associate with. You deserve what you give to the world. If you want to experience goodness, then be good.  

Do you find these pieces of advice sensible?

 

 

(Photo by Gonzalo Carlos Novillo Lapeyra) 

Continue ReadingHow To Find Great Companions

How to Avoid Being Judgmental

Have you ever shunned someone because of a hearsay offense? Did you ever find out if the said offense was actual? Have you experienced being avoided by people because you were wrongfully accused of something you did not do? How did you feel about it?

Not everything we see or hear is true. Like a coin, stories have two sides. Like a seemingly calm ocean surface, a person’s personality cannot be seen from their outward appearance. Therefore, we can never conclude fully knowing a person by what we see or hear about them. We can’t even base our judgment on a few encounters. Come to think that even the people we grew up with or share a long time with can still surprise or shock us with their personalities, skills, and other things they choose to hide. Thus, we should never easily judge a person. We have no right to do so anyway. The right question to ask ourselves is not how to judge a person the right way but how to avoid judging others instead.

Here are ways I find effective in stopping myself from judging people in my thoughts and my words.

  1. I do not believe what I hear about a person from another source, regardless of who the source is. If the situation affects me, I would always want to know the other person’s side before deciding which side I should take. If I have no business getting involved, I would just let what I hear out my other ear. I would not allow such information to dwell inside my head.
  2. I put myself in the person’s situation. Imagining myself to be in someone’s shoes helps me develop empathy. Being aware of how it must have felt to be that person usually stops me from passing judgment because I wouldn’t want to be in their situation.
  3. I try to understand why people act the way they do. Knowing the reasons for a person’s questionable actions usually leads me to understand them. Seeing that a trigger caused them to act a certain way, judgment is out the window.
  4. I accept the differences in people’s nature and nurture. Embracing that varying factors cause people’s differences helps me develop a less judgmental mind. I do not compare how a person should be or act based on how I act because we might have different experiences, status, traditions, and upbringing.
  5. I remind myself how I have no right to judge anyone as I also have flaws and shortcomings. Nothing is more effective than remembering the fact that I, being an imperfect person, should not have the right to judge anyone.

Freeing yourself from judgmental thoughts or stopping yourself from minding other people’s lives, choices, or businesses will give you a less burdened mind. Instead of thinking about issues or problems with others, you can spend the time making yourself better or being productive.

Do you tend to judge other people easily? How do you stop yourself from doing so?

Continue ReadingHow to Avoid Being Judgmental

How Does a Marriage Thrive?

Yesterday, my wife and I got to witness a celebration of a marriage that has been thriving for 25 years. I never thought that such a celebration could be more beautiful than a first wedding. Yet, I find it even more beautiful because it was a celebration of a big win. Choosing to stay together, fight together, grow together, raise a family together, and contribute to society together while maintaining the love, respect, and devotion for each other is such an incredibly amazing feat considering the differences that could arise.

I am not saying that I am an expert in love and marriage because the fact is, I am far from one. However, as I go through my own married life and witness the married lives of others, I have extracted these lessons for a marriage to stay afloat and thrive:

  1. There will always be differences but we can always choose acceptance as the answer. The key to acceptance is understanding that each one has their preferences and uniqueness in character, and that is including yourself.
  2. There will always be annoying and dislikeable traits but we can always choose tolerance as the answer. We are to grow with our spouses but not forcefully change them to fit the category we like them to be in. As part of acceptance, we have to tolerate all the quirks of our partners.
  3. There will always be mistakes, both big and small, but we can always choose forgiveness as the answer. Though forgiving can be very difficult, it is a very important act to learn when we want a marriage to work. Our spouses are not perfect and are human therefore mistakes are committed.
  4. There will always be temptations but we can always choose respect as the answer. We will have the strength and conviction to turn away from temptations when we value the fact that our spouses are our other halves. When we respect them as people, we will never give in to any temptations.
  5. There will always be trials that bring the feeling of hopelessness but we can always choose commitment as the answer. When we commit to each other, we will stay together even in the hardest of times. There are no problems that could break a fully committed relationship apart.

What is the keyword in all of these lessons? Choose. I believe that for a marriage to work, we have to choose our respective spouses every single moment. Choose to accept. Choose to tolerate. Choose to forgive. Choose to respect. Choose to commit. Choose to love. More importantly, I believe choosing is easier when we have God in our midst.

How about you? What do you think are the best ways to make a marriage last?

Continue ReadingHow Does a Marriage Thrive?

Dealing with Pressure and Expectations

Was there a decision about your life you made because of people’s expectations? I guess most people do have at least one. I think I speak for most people when I say that it is pretty difficult not to allow the pressure and expectations of family and friends to affect you. It feels good to be appreciated, so we sometimes do things that make people appreciate us, even if they do not make us happy. 

While I can say that now, I do not easily succumb to the pressure that other people put upon me, it was not always the case in the past. I had taken significant steps before, caused by the strong insistence of others or their express disappointment with my desired choices. Not having much experience and knowledge made me gullible. Thankfully, I learned to deal with it as I grew older. No, the pressure and expectations are still there. They’re even more extraordinary than what I had when I was younger. They vary from career path to family life. If I allow myself to let them all in, I might go crazy with anxiety because then I would be pressuring myself. So, how do I manage it?

  1. I assure myself that it is okay to journey at my own pace. Reminding myself that each person has their own pace and time is one of the best ways to keep me from overthinking. It eases my mind. I have to do my part, but I should never force things to happen. I trust the process. 
  2. I do what I love and what I am passionate about. Following the path that leads to what I love or call to me makes me less mindful of other people’s pressure or expectations. Knowing that I am pursuing the course that I love makes it more meaningful and rewarding amidst all the challenges. It would just blur the disagreement of other people. 
  3. I love what I do and am passionate about it. Making sure to always put my heart and soul into everything I do gives me no room for regret. Wholeheartedly embracing the beauty and flaws of the path I choose keeps me from thinking negatively.  
  4. I never let the pressure get in my head. I acknowledge people when they pressure me to do something, but I condition myself not to let it sit in my mind and heart. I go back to the first step – assuring myself that it is okay to have my own pace. 
  5. I never do something to satisfy other people’s expectations. When I do something, I always ask myself who I am doing it for. Is it because of the pressure? Is it because it’s what’s expected of me? Use their advice as guidance, but the decision should be based on your chosen path. 

We can never get rid of the pressure or the expectations of people. Neither can we deafen ourselves from them. Since these are some things we have no control over, we have to control how we deal with them instead. 

How about you? How do you deal with pressure and expectations?

 

 

 

(Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA

Continue ReadingDealing with Pressure and Expectations

How to Deal with the Feeling of Longing

Who would have thought that I would use a topic in my blog about a feeling that my dog causes? Today, I was reminded of the difficulty of dealing with longing because of a decision we have to make concerning our dog.

This morning, I saw my wife crying, facing her computer while carrying our dog on her lap. She was crying silently, and when I asked her why, she sobbed even more and told me she was not willing to part with our dog. Since the possibility of conducting face-to-face training events has become higher, frequent travel is apparent. Hence the decision to leave our fur baby with my parents-in-law. 

Upon seeing her emotional state, I thought of how I usually cope with the feeling of longing or missing someone or something. Because of my chosen career path, I had a lot of experiences in the matter.  

My first ever experience was when I decided to leave my hometown to grow more in my career. I had to endure more than the difficulty of adapting to a new place – I had to take the longing I felt for my family and friends. Then, when I got married, I always had local and international travels because of my work and continuing education. Even just for a few days, being away from home never got easy. Getting over or dealing with such a feeling is never easy, but I found ways to endure. How?

  1. I remind myself of the why. Remembering why I need to be away or leave gives me the energy to proceed after feeling down from loneliness. 
  2. I socialize and get to know the people in my new surroundings. Acquainting myself with the people around me helps in lightening my mood. It always helps to know that there are people I can talk with and help take my mind away from the feeling of longing.
  3. I usually develop a hobby that could give me joy. Entertaining myself with fun activities also helps me keep myself from constantly thinking of those that I miss. 
  4. I ensure that communication is regular but not obsessive. Allotting time to update and check on loved ones really helps lessen the longing. Making sure that both parties agree on the timing of communications leaves little room for misunderstanding. 

While missing people, things, or places is an indicator of your love and care for them, you need to know how to deal with it so that it would not interfere with your productivity. 

This condition might not be serious for some, but it causes some people to give up on opportunities. Some cannot perform their work well. There are even those who cannot sleep nor eat well. So, I hope that the ways I enumerated here could help someone experiencing difficulty dealing with such feelings. 

How about you? How do you deal with the feeling of longing?

 

 

(Photo by Andrew Neel)

Continue ReadingHow to Deal with the Feeling of Longing

5 Steps I Take When Confusion Strikes

Two weeks ago, I accidentally broke a valuable item owned by my wife. After her initial reaction of shock with a hint of disappointment, she laughed and told me that she should be happy because it would be replaced with a new one. From then on, she bugged me about the replacement. However, since we have a busy schedule, we did not have the time to take care of it right away. She had no choice but to wait. After a few days, I observed how she became less invested in the notion of me replacing the item. Then, suddenly, she told me that she no longer wanted me to replace it. She just wanted to have it fixed instead. When I asked her the reason, she said that she was now over her confusion. The long wait allowed her to think clearly and concluded that having it fixed is more advantageous than getting a new one since she loves and values the said item. In addition to that, it is a more practical decision. 

When I thought about it, she actually went through all the following steps, which I, myself, observe when I face a confusing situation:

  1. Take a breather. Taking a pause helps me clear my mind. It is the best first step to take when confused about something. You have to be aware that your emotions are high when you are in a state of confusion. Therefore, by stopping and refreshing your mind, you prevent yourself from making a rash decision that could lead to an undesirable result.
  2. Avoid thinking about or listening to negative conjectures. Keeping a positive mind is very important. This step is also the supposed result after you take a breather. Once you have taken a moment to relax your mind, you have to maintain your relaxed state and veer away from thinking of negative possibilities. Aside from that, you have to steer clear of people who might infect you with their negative assumptions.  
  3. Weigh your options. After ensuring that you are in the proper condition to make decisions, you can start thinking about the best action to take concerning the cause of your confusion. Being confused means that there are different choices. You got confused either because you have no idea what the options entail or because you like more than one of them. So, in a refreshed state of mind, carefully assess the different alternatives before you to identify which one is the best.  
  4. Ask for advice/opinions/suggestions. Indeed, it is essential not to listen to other people’s negativities, but it is still vital for you to ask for other people’s views regarding your choice. Learn to ask the right people. Seek advice from those who encourage and inspire you. You must accept that confusing situations need more than one mind to assess and overcome.  
  5. Strategize and plan for your next course of action. After finally deciding which option to choose, you start taking action towards your choice by planning. You still have to be careful and smart in your execution to ensure desirable outcomes. This step requires more of your patience.

As evidenced by the above anecdote, these steps could save you from regret, further disappointment, or heartache due to wrong decisions. My wife might not have intended it, but she followed all these steps and ended up choosing the best decision – having her valuable item fixed and asking me to buy a bigger one on her wish list (she used the yes-or-yes closing technique on me with this one!). 

What do you do when confusion strikes?

 

 

(Photo by Liviu Gorincioi)

Continue Reading5 Steps I Take When Confusion Strikes

Motivating Myself Towards My Goals

Not everybody has goals. This is why many people cannot decide their directions. Not having goals does not necessarily mean having no dreams. I believe all of us have dreams; may they be plausible or unrealistic. Setting goals is an essential step to achieving your dreams, but getting worn out or waylaid is always a possibility, even when you are clear in your direction. 

In my journey, trials and tribulations keep popping here and there. Such challenges are sometimes almost impossible to overcome, and I would think I might not accomplish my goals. However, as I am constantly reminded that challenges are part of life, I embrace those challenging situations and keep moving forward with more and more determination. When I feel the situation is overwhelming, I make sure to keep myself motivated by:

  1. Doing my best to have a positive attitude every day. The moment I wake up in the morning, I make a conscious effort to take on a positive attitude by counting what I am grateful for. In addition, when I encounter troubles along the way, I do not dwell on them but find solutions instead. 
  2. Constantly reminding myself of my goals and mission. Thinking about the results I dream about never fails to lift my spirits when I feel exhausted or uninspired. So, I motivate myself to get up and keep going by reminding myself of my end goal. 
  3. Keeping a record of my accomplishments. Besides setting the goals I have for the day, I record all that I have completed at the end of the day. These records help me get my mood up when I have a hard time when I look back on them. 
  4. Celebrating each of my wins, big or small. Celebrating something good keeps me more excited. Marking success by celebrating them motivates me to work harder to achieve more victories.
  5. Surrounding myself with people who support me in any way. Since being alone sometimes leads people to think negative thoughts, especially when having a hard time, I find support from the people around me not to be overwhelmed with the challenges. I ask for help and allow them to support me in whatever way. 

While it is a daunting task to realize goals, it is also not impossible as long as you have the determination to make them happen. Keeping yourself motivated is the best way to keep you on the journey toward success. 

How about you? How do you keep yourself motivated to achieve your goals?

 

 

(Photo by Suliman Sallehi)

Continue ReadingMotivating Myself Towards My Goals

Best Ways to Influence Others in Making the Best Choice

In our life journey, we are constantly faced with situations where we need to choose. Such conditions vary – from selecting the right clothes to choosing the right career path. Choosing is not always as easy as breathing because even choosing clothes takes a lot of time. Hence, we sometimes ask other people’s opinions or suggestions. However, as sapient beings, we choose what we believe is correct at the end of the day. 

Knowing that you can make your own choice, how do you feel when people force you to choose a path you do not want to follow? Or choose a belief that you disagree with? Wouldn’t you feel disrespected? I know how to feel strongly about something, like a belief or a notion. You wish to influence others to believe in what you believe because you think it is the best or the right thing to do. Such feeling is okay, and making your beliefs known to others is also okay because we are free to do so. We have to remember that other people have the same freedom that we have. If you feel offended when someone mocks your choices, others feel the same way when you mock them. Before judging someone and their choices, try putting yourself in their shoes first. Each of us has reasons for behaving the way we do, for doing things, choosing, and any action that we do, so we have no right to judge each other. So, how should we properly help others make the best choice without disrespecting them?

  1. Advocate for what you believe peacefully. Do not mock others’ beliefs by belittling them.
  2. Be an embodiment of what you believe. Show other people the goodness that results from it.  
  3. Encourage others to listen or know more about what you advocate but never force them. 
  4. Separate your relationship with each other from your differences in beliefs. Learn to compartmentalize. Do not ambush them or make them feel cornered to listen to you.

There are no significant results that come from something that is forced. Learn to help others make the right choice in the right and peaceful way. If, in the end, they still choose the other way, learn to accept and respect them and their preferences.  

 

(Photo by Andres  Ayrton)

Continue ReadingBest Ways to Influence Others in Making the Best Choice

What to do While in a Waiting Game

There is a time for everything. Wait. We are often required to wait in our lives, but we usually do not have the patience to endure. We consider waiting as an ordeal, not an opportunity that it is. Oh, did I say opportunity? Yes, for me waiting is an opportunity to grow and more. While waiting, why don’t you:

  1. Do something productive. Occupying yourself with important tasks would make waiting worthwhile. You would not feel that you have wasted your time waiting for something. You might even thank yourself later for being productive while you still have the time, as what you are waiting for might lead you to be unable to do those tasks anymore, right? 
  2. Enjoy other activities. Instead of sulking and attracting more negative emotions, you should channel your energy towards other activities that you enjoy to lighten your mood. 
  3. Develop your knowledge and skills. When you are waiting for something that can be considered the next level, isn’t it better for you to be fully equipped? So, it would be a very appropriate use of time if you learn new things and develop your competencies while waiting so that you would be able to take on any challenges that come with the opportunity you desire. 
  4. Be hopeful by making a plan. Making a plan before diving into a new adventure is a smart move. Though conditions may change along the way, having a plan or plans could help you overcome obstacles or challenges faster and more efficiently. By making a plan, you are also being positive that what you are waiting for is possible to happen. 
  5. Be patient and let things unfold. Patience is a virtue. When you make it a rule to be patient, you also rid yourself of negativity. When you wait for something to happen, the only factor you control is yourself, while other factors should be allowed to happen on their own. Impatience might only lead to you doing things to hasten the process but end up spoiling everything. 

See? Waiting is not bad at all. It is an opportunity that brings many more opportunities in small and big packages. Yet, these opportunities might be blocked by the feelings of frustration, disappointment, and impatience of waiting. Therefore, change your perspective and look for the silver lining in the game of waiting.  

 

 

(Photo by MART PRODUCTION)

Continue ReadingWhat to do While in a Waiting Game

How to Motivate Your Team

There is strength in numbers, they say. It isn’t always the case, especially when those part of a group or team are not all motivated. Who do you think will win, a single motivated person or ten uninterested individuals? 

If you lead a team, regardless of the number, it is essential to not only fulfill your financial obligations but also to boost their morale. How do you motivate your team?

  1. Make sure you are motivated first. Being the leader, your team looks up to you and observes everything you do and feel. When they see that you are uninspired, they will catch the feeling.
  2. Provide a clear vision and purpose. When your team members do not know your vision, you cannot expect them to be enthusiastic about what they do. Who wants to move when they’re like being blind, going nowhere?
  3. Provide them with a chance to grow. When a person is always restricted from doing things, they become uninspired and would tend to remain where they are. As a leader, you should learn to provide an environment where they can test their abilities and grow more. This is an effective tool to make them more excited to work every day. 
  4. Express your gratitude regularly. Don’t you feel more excited and inspired to work when people express their appreciation for your service? You do, right? Use that same principle when dealing with your team. They will become more motivated to work when they know and are informed that their efforts are appreciated. They will even be more inspired to think outside the box and do more of what you expect of them.
  5. Celebrate their wins at all times. Remember when you were still in school, and your parents would buy you a present to celebrate your school achievements? You were delighted, right? How about when you aced your exams, but your parents didn’t care? Didn’t you feel sad or unmotivated to work harder for the next exam? So, you have to remember to celebrate your wins and the wins of your team. It is one way to motivate them to work harder. 

These are some of the effective ways to keep your team and make them motivated at all times. A dream team is not only a result of bringing talented or skillful people together; instead, it results from outstanding leadership. A great leader is a good example and a great motivator and inspirator. 

 

 

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio)

Continue ReadingHow to Motivate Your Team

What to Do When We Lose Faith in Goodness

Given the many negative things happening around us and the disappointments caused by other people, we tend to lose our faith in humanity. We become cynical. We no longer believe in goodness. 

However, I still believe that goodness is innate in people. No matter how bad conditions become, good still survives and thrives when there are still people who believe in it and fight for it. So how do we restore our faith in goodness? 

My first suggestion is to lessen the consumption of negative news. Though it is important to know current events, hearing negative news elevates stress levels and negative thinking. Unknowingly, we become more cynical and distrustful. If we think about it, the impact is very detrimental to us. It should not be like that especially when not all facts are presented. Assumptions or allegations are reported on the news which lead us to judge wrongly. 

Second, it is also good to intentionally look for updates or news which are positive. When we make ourselves aware of inspiring, motivating, and positive happenings around us, we are helping our eyes be opened to the beautiful, wonderful, and good things that still exist in the world. 

Third, it is better to spread positivity so that other people feel inspired and motivated to be good individuals as well. Avoid being a gossipmonger. As much as possible, do not use your voice or platform to just criticize other people. Instead, motivate others to make the right decisions and spread positivity – not hate. 

Finally, to restore your faith in the good, always count your blessings. When you remind yourself of the things and people that you have in your life, you stop thinking negative thoughts because you see proof of the goodness in the world firsthand. 

In conclusion, we have to start in ourselves if we want to see goodness restored around us. A single person’s influence can impact many people so let us use our influence the right way. Let us restore our faith in humanity by becoming who we want the world to be. 

 

 

(Photo by Magoi)

Continue ReadingWhat to Do When We Lose Faith in Goodness

5 Things That Could Keep A Person Up At Night

Are there times when you experience difficulty sleeping despite not having any physical pains? In the past, I also often experienced such affliction. It was very stressful for me because precious time was wasted, especially when I only had a few hours to spare for rest, given my hectic schedule. 

Later on, I introspected and realized the reason behind my poor sleeping conditions. After learning those reasons, I also asked some friends and family members if they also experienced the same, and I discovered that most people have five common reasons for experiencing such distress. 

  1. There is the guilt for inadvertently hurting another person. Guilt is something that affects me and some of the people I asked. When I close my eyes, I suddenly get reminded of an offense I did towards another person, even unintentionally. My mind gets filled with thoughts about how that person might be feeling about me after what I did or how I could make it up to them. I would then start regretting and rebuking myself for my actions.
  2. There is anxiety about the future or unknown danger. Most of my friends and family members talked about how their thoughts are plagued with worst-case scenarios. They suddenly think about the possibility of losing someone or something. 
  3. There is a shame about a past mistake, may it be an action or decision. Yes. Many people are usually disturbed by shame or regret of an action or decision that caused embarrassment or disappointment. 
  4. There is anger towards someone. Some would remember the people who caused them pain or other negative emotions when they close their eyes. When they are no longer occupied with other things, they retain their feelings and think more about them.
  5. There is frustration regarding an unsolved problem. Unresolved problems tend to keep people from sleeping peacefully. They tend to worry about the possibility of it worsening or not getting resolved. 

Have you noticed something common about each of the above reasons? Yes, these are all caused by the people concerned – me and my guilt, other people and their anxiety, shame, anger, or frustration.

So how can lack of sleep be treated when one has these thoughts or feelings? The answer is in ourselves. We have to remind ourselves not to dwell on things out of our control. What is done is done. We cannot alter the past, nor can we do something about any problem that has not happened yet. Always be present. More importantly, we must remember that there is a time for everything. 

What are your thoughts on this?

 

 

(Photo by Sofia Alejandra)

Continue Reading5 Things That Could Keep A Person Up At Night

10 Reasons Why I Reached 1,461 Days of Mission

Wow! Indeed, time flies when we are having fun. I can’t believe that it has been exactly four years since Elevate Results Training and Consulting officially started. Why am I enjoying it despite the challenges? Because I am fulfilling my mission in life. I know this is what I am called to do. 

A friend once expressed her hesitation to me about this path I chose. She told me that she’s worried for my sake because I might reach a point where I’d regret it. Her anxiety was not without reason. We were both aware of people who were once highly driven to follow their dream paths but quit or failed. It was indeed a precarious decision to leave employment and become an independent sales trainer instead. But, I told her what I told myself and others, that if I let my fears hinder me, it would be impossible for me to pursue my mission in life.  

There was a time when I questioned my decision and felt down because, at that time, no one wanted to work with me. What did I do? I did not quit; I persisted. Within the 48 months that I have been doing what I do, I can say that I have come a long way because of these ten reasons:

  1. I put God at the center of my life. He is the Author of everything. Through Him, I always obtain total peace of mind and peace of heart. I am nothing without Him.
  2. I live my purpose and fulfill my mission. It is the reason why I do what I do. Because of this, it makes my life and career more meaningful, fulfilling, and productive.
  3. I listen to my wife every single day. She’s my best critic and encourager. She always sees my strengths and weaknesses in life and wants only the best for me. Because of her, I improve inch by inch and day by day.
  4. I take the advice of my family and friends. They show genuine support and care, particularly for my health, growth, and life in general. Because of them, I keep moving and doing the right thing no matter what.
  5. I work with my mentors.  They show support and encouragement to continue what I do for people. Because of them, I  achieve the goals I have in life.
  6. I work with committed teammates. They care, support, and believe in my mission. Because of them, we served more than 15 thousand sales, and business professionals became the best version of themselves.
  7. I build long-term relationships with our existing valued clients. These relationships bring me fulfillment and satisfaction in what I do. Because of this kind of connection, many of them became my friends.
  8. I focus on my One Thing every single day. This helps lead me to where I want to be. Because of my One Thing, I always feel organized and focused on what I want to do and achieve every day.
  9. I choose to be consistent in inspiring people. Because of this, I feel complete that I fulfilled my mission and made other people feel blessed, motivated, and inspired to live life to the fullest.
  10. I always feel grateful for all the blessings, big and small, and celebrate them. Every time I appreciate and acknowledge my wins, I always feel happy and blessed. Because of this, I attract non-stop blessings in my life.

So here I am celebrating with joy and gratitude the 1,461 days of living my mission precisely on my 36th birthday. There is not an ounce of regret in me for walking this path. I am equally thankful for the challenges I faced and overcame because of this as I am for the blessings. When you ask me where I see myself in the next 1,461 days, I can confidently say that I am still on this path, moving forward as usual with a smile. 

Are you also on a path that leads you to your mission in life? How do you feel about it?

Continue Reading10 Reasons Why I Reached 1,461 Days of Mission

How to Maintain Happiness Despite Life’s Difficulties

We encounter different types of difficulties as we live our life day by day. We acknowledge them as part of life, but we only see them as something negative. As a result, we usually feel down when we encounter them. 

It would be a lie if I said that I don’t feel down every time I experience a challenge or what people would call a problem because I do. Among all the negative emotions I feel each time a difficulty arises, worry is the most distinctive. I usually get worried about whether I could overcome such a circumstance or not. I acknowledge that I feel such feelings, but I always do my best not to dwell on them so that I can rationally think and find solutions. On top of that, I want to go back to having a happy and healthy disposition to avoid attracting more problems. Therefore, every time I am dealing with difficulties, I do the following:

  1. I count each of my blessings, big and small. The hardships I experience become insignificant when I realize all the good things I have. As a result, I start to feel better. 
  2. I rid myself of the victim mentality. It is common for people to blame their problems on other people. Even if there are instances when other people cause my difficulties, I make an effort within myself not to blame them. Instead, I assess my shortcomings to avoid them in the future. Doing this helps me feel better than getting stuck feeling offended. 
  3. I focus on making myself and my situation better. This is the best course of action when one is faced with any challenges. Since we know that difficulties are part of life, we should know that we can overcome them, and it is up to us how to do so.  
  4. I remind myself that hardships make me stronger. I always feel better when I remind myself how previous experiences, good and bad, have helped me to become a better, stronger, and more resilient person. Therefore, when I encounter another obstacle, I remind myself of that fact again for me to see the silver lining. 
  5. I do my best to be a blessing to others and lighten their loads. Seeing other people smile never fails to warm my heart. Since I know how it feels to experience hard times, I do my best to alleviate other people’s burdens even while I am experiencing the same. In this way, I still feel happy and blessed for being able to make others happy and blessed. 

Do you find it difficult to maintain happiness when faced with difficulties? Try following the tips above. 

 

 

(Photo by Kat Smith from Pexels)

Continue ReadingHow to Maintain Happiness Despite Life’s Difficulties

The Miracle Bag

Remember last week when I had to deal with the results of a broken laptop? Well, here’s the unexpected continuation of the story. 

Last week, after contemplating what model to replace my laptop with and how to recover the important files stored there successfully, I had the sudden urge to check it from the laptop bag. My words to my wife were, “Let me check it. Maybe there’ll be a miracle.” My wife just chuckled. When I opened it and pressed the power button, we suddenly heard the miraculous power-on sound. My wife and I let out surprised gasps. We couldn’t believe our ears and eyes. The laptop that has been diagnosed as crashed has come back to life. I was so happy that time and was quite dumbfounded too. How is it possible? I kept talking about how unbelievable it was with my wife and my team to the point when my wife playfully reprimanded me that I did not need to repeat the statement a million times since she heard it the first time. Could you blame me, though? I was just overcome with joy and relief because I could finally retrieve my files. Even after a few hours after I experienced this miracle, I still couldn’t believe that I was using the actual laptop I hoped to be fixed. I smiled every time I stared at it and enjoyed every task I did with it like it was the first time.

When I pondered on it a few hours after, I attributed the happening to the miracle bag. I am not talking about the laptop bag where I stored the device. I am talking about the miracle bag that I think is kept for us, and the contents are showered upon us for when we least expect them but when we need them most. When we experience them, we immediately acknowledge them as miracles. Cynical people may say it has logical or scientific explanations. It could be accurate, but there are times when we have exhausted our options to solve the seemingly impossible challenge that we give up, and the resolution is just presented to us right there and then.

Whenever I experience situations like this, I am reminded of the saying, “When you get to your wit’s end, you will find God lives there.” I truly believe that God makes His presence known at times like this for us to remember that we can’t do it on our own and teach us important lessons. That is why I don’t wish to find logical nor scientific explanations to such phenomena because I want to revel in the blessing that God always gives. Through his blessings, He offers lessons as well. 

Do you remember the lessons I’ve learned from this experience? Yes, I took action right away and applied the lessons I had learned. I saved everything in an external drive and cloud. I did not waste the miracle. 

Have you experienced any miracles lately?

Continue ReadingThe Miracle Bag

Oh no! My computer crashed!

This year, one of our most awaited events is the Closing the Sales Mastery Intensive Training. Since January, we have been conducting a series of preview training sessions for salespeople from the insurance and real estate industries. Last week, we were successfully able to run the said event online. Though, when viewed by attendees who were not part of the team, the sessions seemed smooth-flowing, our preparations were contrary to smooth. 

A day before the big event, the laptop computer I relied on for everything, from simple tasks to heavy use (such as zoom calls), suddenly stopped working. I did not know what to do at first. All I did was stare at it for the longest time and pray for it to turn on. 

For someone who had been preparing for a significant event, that situation was nightmarish. One would simply advise me to use a different device to offer a solution, right? It shouldn’t be a challenging feat. However, besides the fact that I am not adept at using a different device since I had that laptop computer, all my important documents for the training are saved there. I did not even bother to have a backup anywhere else. Wow! I know, I was too confident. 

But, how come the training event still proceeded and ended successfully? I conditioned myself to accept the situation and moved to solve the challenge. The first thing I did was to have my device fixed. I visited the maintenance service and hoped that it would get fixed. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to be the favor I hoped for. Since it still did not work, I decided to use a different device, learned how to use it, and created the files I needed for the training again. Despite the time constraints, I was able to complete the preparations. 

Though I would never wish to experience the same difficult situation again, I am grateful for that learning and testing opportunity. First, I realized that I should always have a backup plan and not rely on what I am used to. Second, I was able to practice what I always preach – do not stress about situations that are out of your control. More importantly, I have been reminded by this situation of how important it is to pull oneself up and keep moving forward.

Have you had any testing or learning opportunities lately? What are your takeaways from it? 

 

 

 

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Continue ReadingOh no! My computer crashed!

That One Bad Day

Every single day, there is one thing I always hope to have and never lose as the day progresses – my enthusiasm. The moment I wake up in the morning, I follow a daily routine that could set the enthusiastic mood up in me. I love to work, therefore, I am mostly happy and excited when I am doing tasks, from routine to unexpected. I have observed that I only feel exhausted when I am done with my tasks and my body and mind are at rest. 

Tasks do not negatively affect my enthusiasm. They only make me become more energetic. However, when I receive bad news that affects me or get into a misunderstanding with other people, my mood goes down and in turn affects my entire day’s work. How? Here’s one example from the past.

One morning, I woke up early as usual and performed my daily morning routine with my team and valued clients. Naturally, this activity put me in high spirits. While having breakfast, I received an update from someone that she wouldn’t be able to fulfill her promise. It was a very important matter. I shared the news with my wife, who got disappointed and kind of lectured me about it. So the initially amicable conversation turned into an argument why I trusted the person without consulting her and so on. It ended in silencing each other the entire day. Although I continued with my tasks as usual, I noticed a difference in the way I worked that day. My enthusiasm to work swooped several notches down, and my thought process was not as smooth as it normally was. In addition, during my training that night, I was not at my 100%. I was not able to fully establish a connection with my participants. I wasn’t in a great mood and it showed. I wasn’t even capable of inserting jokes in my talk. Inadvertently, I infected other people, my tasks, and my entire day with my sour mood. Thus, I had that one bad day. In fact, I’ve had one too many of those bad days and some of them were caused by simple things that affected my mood. 

My resolution to this personal challenge is to remind myself of the consequences when I get carried away by my emotions. I ask myself, should I allow this one thing to turn my whole day into a bad one?  I have been reminded, time and time again, that we can’t control other people’s behavior or actions. What we can control is how we respond to the situation. 

Do you agree?

 

 

(Photo by Inzmam Khan from Pexels)

Continue ReadingThat One Bad Day

Personality Traits I Developed Because of My Passion

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?

 

 

 

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Continue ReadingPersonality Traits I Developed Because of My Passion

3 Things That Should Not Be Sacrificed For Success

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? 

 

 

(Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels)

Continue Reading3 Things That Should Not Be Sacrificed For Success

My Different Expressions of Love

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?

 

 

 

(Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels)

Continue ReadingMy Different Expressions of Love

3 Life Lessons the New Year Has Reminded Me

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?

 

 

(Photo by Vladislav Vasnetsov from Pexels)

Continue Reading3 Life Lessons the New Year Has Reminded Me

Top 4 Causes of My Unhappiness

Years ago, I had a conversation with a close friend, and he asked me if I am always happy. The question caught me off guard. I could not say yes because I realized I am not always in the best disposition. I am not always happy. Later that night, I thought about the question again and reflected. Why am I not always happy? What were the reasons for not being happy in those moments? I recounted some instances and got these answers:

  1. When I think about other people’s comments. Though I know that it is unwise and unhelpful to dwell on comments of other people that are not constructive in the least, I still tend to be affected by them. Fortunately, through time, I learn to only allow my mood to be momentarily influenced by them. Now, I see to it that I use those comments to make myself better instead.
  2. When I think about other people’s superiority over me. I am well aware of my weaknesses as a person, and these weaknesses sometimes cause me to feel insecure about myself. “Is it possible for someone like me to achieve such a big goal or fulfill my mission with these weaknesses? If only I were as rich as this person, or as creative as this artist.” These thoughts of comparing myself with others never fail to cause me unhappiness.  
  3. When I think about my past mistakes. Sometimes, when I am idle, I tend to remember wrong decisions, embarrassing moments, and failures from recent memory to even a distant past. These moments of recollection make me doubt myself and sometimes bring about feelings of regret. 
  4. When I think about what I do not have. I fail to see the things, big and small, that I am blessed with when I focus on what I do not have. Thus, I become unsatisfied and, in turn, unhappy. 

By then I realized that, as a whole, my unhappiness is a result of a wrong mindset and focus. I caused it myself. It is not elicited by other people, things, places, or situations though technically, my negative thoughts are about them, caused by them, or directed to them. But, there it is. The problem is me with the way I think. I should not have any business minding what other people say about me when I am not hurting other people. I should not think of myself as less than others when I have the choice to make myself better. I should not dwell in the past and fret over what I did wrong when I learned important lessons because of my mistakes. I should count my blessings and strive harder to be worthy of what I long to acquire or achieve. 

Do you also have thoughts like these? What else makes you unhappy?

 

 

(Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels)

Continue ReadingTop 4 Causes of My Unhappiness

Seeing the World through a Positive Lens

LIFE IS UNFAIR. That was what a close friend of mine used to tell me when we talked about our experiences and all the challenges that came with them. I understand why she felt that way. That is common to people whose experiences in life are mostly riddled with problems, losses, rejections, or betrayals. Their view of the world would most likely be forever marred. More often than not, they would become cynical, mistrustful, and pessimistic. 

Given all the difficulties I had gone through since I was young, “life is unfair” could definitely be my motto. In fact, I also used to think that life was kind of unfair because I only saw my own struggles then. Gradually, I turned away from that belief. The circumstances I found myself in, during and after each challenge I faced, convinced me otherwise.

How can I say that life is unfair when I got no sales for many months after joining the sales team when that was the reason I developed my persistence to work more and learn from the best teachers? If I just reach the quota set each time, then I wouldn’t have the drive to develop myself to become a better salesperson. 

Can I say life is unfair when I got my heart broken repeatedly when those failed relationships allowed me to meet the love of my life at the right time? I say life brings us just what we need. It developed my patience through the different points in my life when I got stuck in waiting for my turn to be proven worthy of promotion, new responsibilities, and my own training firm. If I did not experience situations when I made a one day meal budget reach two more days, I possibly wouldn’t be keen on money management now and might not think about saving or investing for the future.   

Now, when faced with a difficult situation, I look at the bright side. Yes, it is cliche but that is the only best way to view things , good or bad. When we do so, we trust that we are being strengthened or being led to a much better condition. Don’t you think you’re not hindering yourself from becoming a better person or from a brighter future by running away from challenges?

 

 

(Photo by Maksim Goncharenok from Pexels)

Continue ReadingSeeing the World through a Positive Lens

How I Started the New Year

At the start of 2022, I was on a roller coaster of emotions – I was happy and a bit disheartened at the same time. I was delighted because we spent almost the entire month of December and the first week of January with families and friends whom we could not meet physically in nearly two years due to the travel restrictions. I never expected a typhoon to ravage our place while we were away from our Cebu home. We were so worried, yet we did our best to enjoy the limited time we had with family. Though it was difficult due to the circumstance, I started the year in the way I knew was right.

First and foremost, I celebrated with loved ones. Celebrating the start of a new year has never been so wonderful as this year because we all felt more grateful than ever for new beginnings, family gatherings, and life as a whole. We all took time to enjoy preparing, share experiences, and savor the moment and all that came with it. I put all my worries and thoughts about work away and enjoyed every moment of our celebration.

Second, I let go of negative emotions and assumed a positive attitude. Letting go and such was not that easy. It took a conscious effort on my part. In other words, I decided to do them and took action. I identified the emotions weighing me down and led me to become unproductive, then actively chose to assume a more positive attitude. It is a decision I have taken every day since.

Third, I appreciated my wins from the previous year. This helped me have a positive mindset – counting small and big successes. I deem it beneficial to remember all that I have accomplished because being reminded of all the wins usually boosts my confidence in myself, which is one of the most important things I need to face the new goals ahead.

Fourth, I sat and wrote my goals for the year. This is one of my irrevocable traditions when welcoming the new year because I believe that if I do not write it down, I would more likely forget about my goal. Seeing my goals on paper and visualizing the process motivate me to work for them and make them happen. This technique works for me and has served me well these past few years.

Last, I made a plan on how to achieve my goals. Writing them down makes it easier for me to devise strategies to make my goals happen. Writing my plans down is as essential to me as writing down my goals because these writings would serve as reminders for when I forget or get confused about what to do next.

Following all these allowed me to focus on what’s more important. These diverted my attention from dwelling on the inconveniences brought by the calamity. Now, despite the slow pace, we have gradually accomplished the tasks we set ourselves to do to achieve our goals for the year.

 

 

(Photo by cottonbro from Pexels)

Continue ReadingHow I Started the New Year

5 Ways to Handle Success

We get a lot of advice on handling failures or mistakes, but we seldom hear advice on how to handle wins or successes. We also learn different knowledge and skills to achieve our goals in life, but we usually don’t get past the achieving part. We fail to celebrate the win. Although it is important to note to never rest on our laurels and work still because success is not a one-time thing, we have to pause for a while and appreciate the factors that led to our recent success. 

First, make sure to consciously and expressly appreciate your capability and gifts. Appreciation is something that most, if not all, humans need. We do not only need to hear it from other people; we also need to hear it from ourselves. We have to acknowledge that we can overcome challenges, execute plans, and succeed. More importantly, we have to recognize the talents and gifts we are blessed with that make us capable of winning. No success is possible out of pure luck or coincidence.   

Second, express your gratitude to the people who helped you. Just as we can’t attribute successes to luck, we can’t attribute our successes to ourselves alone. In one way or another, some people paved the way for us to get what we are aiming for, whether they were aware of it or not. Therefore, never forget to tell them how grateful you are for their contribution. A grateful heart attracts more blessings. 

Third, offer your help for others to succeed as well. Success is felt best when shared. Never keep your knowledge from other people who may benefit from it when you succeed. When people you helped get what they want, the feeling of fulfillment on your end will be greater than when you have achieved what you wanted. 

Fourth, take time to celebrate in any way you can. However small you think your wins are, never stop yourself from celebrating them. Celebrate each success through an arm-pulling-down shout of yes, a jump of joy, a cheer, a piece of cake, or an all-out party; it’s up to you. Celebrating is a form of gratitude.

Last, keep learning, growing, and moving forward. While it is essential to rest and celebrate, never forget to act again on your following goals afterward. Own the confidence you gain from the competence you developed while working on your previous successes, but never allow it to inflate your ego and make you refuse to learn new things. Always remember to feed yourself with good things and grow. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck in the past.  

Do you think these pieces of advice make sense? How do you handle success?

 

 

(Photo by Mikael Blomkvist from Pexels)

Continue Reading5 Ways to Handle Success

Why Do We Need Relationships with Other People?

Do you agree that no man is an island? I do. Human beings are social beings; therefore, we find it challenging to live alone, however possible it might seem for some. Besides co-existing, we need to form deeper bonds with the people around us. We need to establish relationships aside from those that we are born into. 

  1. To go through life, we need more than ourselves. Can you imagine facing all the challenges of life without someone to encourage you to continue moving forward? To lend a helping hand when you become overwhelmed? Or to guide you to the right path when you go astray? We need family and friends to help us go through life and enjoy it. We also need to help them go through their lives and fulfill our roles. 
  2. To belong, we need to be a part of another person’s life or a group of people, for that matter. The sense of belongingness is innate to us humans. We are genetically programmed to be part of a whole, so we are gifted with different talents. When we do not build relationships and even distance ourselves from our own family, we deprive ourselves of our need to belong and deprive others of their need for our gifts.  
  3. To learn and grow, we need to engage with other people. Each of us has different characteristics, personalities, and experiences. We can all learn from each other because of such differences. We get to motivate ourselves because of other people’s successes and learn from their mistakes.

Some people say that they made it through life on their own, especially when they did not receive any financial support from other people, but they discounted the people’s moral support. Our relationships keep us going when the going gets tough. They may seem inconsequential, but the little things that these people do for us might have been the push for us to move towards the future rather than staying stuck in the past. 

How are your relationships with your family and friends? Have you told them you are grateful for them?

 

 

(Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels)

Continue ReadingWhy Do We Need Relationships with Other People?

How to Enjoy Your Vacation

When we are too busy, we fail to appreciate the things around us, especially the little things. We think that there is nothing more important than our work or life responsibilities. We tend to forget about other aspects of our life, like our health or well-being. We tend to put our work and other people’s needs above ours. We have to know that resting or recuperating and enjoying ourselves is essential. We can’t possibly do well with our responsibilities and in helping others if we are exhausted. We have to take a vacation, and when doing so, we have to be on vacation as well – body, mind, and soul. We have to make sure to be in the moment at all times. Here are rules that I impose upon myself when I go on vacation:

  1. Avoid thinking about other things such as work. When you think of your concerns about work or other problems during a vacation, you ultimately ruin it and defeat the purpose of such an occasion.
  2. Engage in activities that you enjoy. If you are forced to do activities that aren’t enjoyable for you, you will not relieve yourself from stress. You go on a vacation to do good for your well-being and not bring more stress and unhappiness into your life.
  3. Lessen your social media engagement. One of the reasons behind people’s tendency to always seem preoccupied and busy is the non-stop social media use and engagement. When on break, we tend to make it a habit to use social media and other gadgets to pass the time rather than engage in other social activities or use the time to rest. How can we appreciate our vacation if we fall into this habit?
  4. Enjoy and appreciate your surroundings. Looking around and appreciating the little things around you is a primary key in ensuring an enjoyable vacation. You can find joy by just looking around you and revelling in the beauty that you don’t get to see every day. The change in scenery will refresh your mind.
  5. Give your body an equal amount of rest. Getting yourself cranky because of lack of rest will not help you thoroughly enjoy yourself. A tired body does not allow you to have fun. After all, rest is the main reason we need a vacation.

We don’t need expensive trips to enjoy a vacation. We can just go somewhere that offers peace and away from all the hustle and bustle of your everyday life. Wherever you go, just make sure to enjoy it, and the time off will be worth it. 

 

 

(Photo by Nubia Navarro (nubikini) from Pexels)

Continue ReadingHow to Enjoy Your Vacation

The Top 5 Habits of Successful People

Success is not an overnight thing, and it is not accidental. Successful people got to where they are because of the efforts and skills that they developed over time. There may be a lot of other factors that lead them to their successes, but the personal factors play vital roles. 

As I watched the many successful people I know, I have observed similarities that I could say immensely helped them reach their successes. One of the factors I see is their good habits. What are these habits? 

  1. They prioritize. One of the most distinguishing habits of a successful person is prioritization. They identify their one thing every single day, the most important thing to focus on, then they ensure never to allow themselves to be distracted. They only move on to the next task once they have completed their top priority. They know that working on two or more tasks simultaneously or thinking about other things while faced with a different task would more likely lead to mistakes or incompletion. 
  2. They take action. There is not one successful person I have known that is not a doer. They are all action-takers. They are not passive. Whether they face complicated or straightforward challenges, they do not stop working or finding a solution. They may doubt the type of action they should take, but they have no doubts about taking a step forward. They ask for help, but they do not wait for other people to do something or solve the problem for them. 
  3. They continue learning. One win does not stop a successful person from growing or accomplishing more. They do not rest on their laurels and remain where they are. Instead, a successful person continues to learn to grow more and achieve more. Successful people continue to equip themselves with knowledge and skills for them to achieve their goals in life. They believe that the more they learn, the more they grow. And the more they grow, the more they can help others too.
  4. They learn from their mistakes. Committing mistakes is not a big deal with them. They know that every master was once a disaster. They understand that it is part of the process. Nobody is perfect. All successful people have stories to tell how they overcome their mistakes after experiencing them. A successful person does not shy away from it. They accept the fact that they made mistakes, then assess where they went wrong. Afterward, they try again and make sure never to commit the same mistakes again and again. In other words, the more they commit errors, the more they improve inch by inch.
  5. They assume a positive attitude. Success is positive. Besides effort, skills, and other factors, it requires personal belief for it to be achieved. A successful person believes that success is possible despite the odds. What a person thinks and speaks, they attract. That is why successful people always think positively and speak life even when faced with many challenges. 

We all have different ideas on how to achieve the success we are aiming for. To each their own, as they say. Many successful people around the world may have different habits and different quirks. These habits, though, are what I found common among them. Do you think this observation is accurate? 

 

 

(Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash)

Continue ReadingThe Top 5 Habits of Successful People

Sales: Why Is It More Important to Ask Than to Tell

Since I started my career in sales, I have learned a lot of strategies and techniques about selling from various sources. I have learned from books, audio recordings, videos, and live training events of local and international trainers. I could enumerate a hundred techniques that I have learned and applied throughout my sales career. There are too many of them but they cannot be applied in all selling situations. However, there is one basic technique that I believe to be very applicable at all times. The most basic yet the most effective one is asking questions

After hundreds of client encounters, I have proven that asking the clients questions rather than just giving them the information about the product or service we offer has the following benefits:

  1. Clients feel that they are valued. It is usual for people to feel cared for when they are asked what they feel or what they think rather than being told what they should feel or think. This is the same in any selling situation. When the salesperson goes on talking about the product or service they offer without really knowing if the prospective clients want it, the latter tends to feel that the salesperson’s main concern is just to sell. On the other hand, when a salesperson asks prospective clients questions regarding their needs and wants concerning the solutions to their problems, the clients will more likely appreciate them. They would feel that the main concern of the salesperson is meeting their needs. When clients feel that they are valued and that the salesperson they are dealing with is not just after the sales, wouldn’t they consider availing the product or service even more? It could even lead to a more meaningful and lasting client relationship.
  2. Salespeople are able to identify the objections of the client. Many buyers base their decisions on information they get about the product or service. When they hear one thing that does not fit their standard, they might reject the product or service altogether even if the benefits outweigh the negative factor. Therefore, it is important to ask questions that would allow you to know what tips them off about the offer. Once you know what it is, you will be able to handle the objection and have the chance to close the sale. 
  3. Salespeople are able to lead the clients to what they need. Assuming to know what clients need is the biggest mistake a salesperson can make. There are times when clients do not know what they are looking for but the only way to help them know what they need is to ask them questions. Proper assessment is the key. Once you are able to assess them, you will be able to provide the best offer. Clients want to work with somebody who knows how to lead them. 
  4. Transactions become more efficient. When a salesperson just drops all the information about the product or service they offer, they are wasting more time than necessary. What if you offer 10 different kinds of products? Would you discuss the specific details of each product to the prospective buyer without even knowing the specifics of what they are looking for? Most clients do not care about all the information there is about what you offer. They just want to know if such a product or service has the features they need or want. Therefore, asking what they need or want is the best way to get the job done efficiently.  

With all the sales strategies and techniques, I learned and mastered, asking the right questions surely became the most basic skill that helped me help clients get what they need or want. It is a basic skill that I always incorporate in all the strategies I used and now teach other salespeople during my training sessions. Do you find these helpful? 

 

 

(Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels)

Continue ReadingSales: Why Is It More Important to Ask Than to Tell

Top 5 Reasons that Stop Me from Giving Up

Life is an everyday battle that could easily sway a struggling person towards negativity. This daily battle could lead one to give up, go with the flow, and stop struggling altogether because doing so would be easier after all. 

There is no telling who tends to succumb to such surrender. There are people who never experienced anything strenuous for most of their life that when they start to experience difficulty, they will tend to give up right away. There are also those who have experienced many challenges already that they begin to think of everything as too much, so they eventually give up, no longer believing there is hope for them to experience comfort. 

However, life would not be as beautiful to live if it were all easy, with flowers and rainbows through and through. It won’t even be appreciated as much if there are no difficulties that come with it. Success is sweeter when it has been fought hard for. 

However, it is understandable to feel hopeless when the circumstances become too much to handle when things don’t seem to work out the way we want them to when problems arise. It becomes tiring, and sometimes it seems that the most logical way is to give it up and let things be. I’ve had my fair share of such feelings, but when I’ve almost convinced myself to give up, I am reminded of the following:

  1. My dreams (mission). When I think about my dreams, I remember that I am a man with a mission. I have a mission that is bigger than my comforts. If I give up, I wouldn’t be able to materialize such dreams. I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my purpose in life. 
  2. Previous wins or experiences. When I think about my previous accomplishments, I remember that I am capable of winning and overcoming challenges again and again. I remember that the sense of fulfillment outweighs the pain caused by the struggles. I remember that every battle is worth it, after all. 
  3. Other people’s experiences. When I feel like giving up, I think of the people who kept on even when rejections and failure came more often than they can count until success came. I realize that if I give up now, I might only lack one more step and that my initial efforts would be in vain. 
  4. People who look up to me (believe in me, love me). I decided to be a trainer and coach because my mission is to help other people achieve excellence in sales and life in general. When I feel like giving up, I think of the people I serve whom I push to always give their 100% effort in what they do. When I think of them, I remember that I have people who need my example. I remember that if I give up, I am failing myself and also failing and risking the dreams and hopes of the people who believe in me.  
  5. Acceptance of life’s uncertainty (yo-yo of life). When I remember that life is uncertain and that it is uncertain for everyone, not only for me, I become less hard on myself. By accepting this reality, I become more resilient instead of easily giving up. 

These reasons might not be enough for some to hold on when they are on the brink of giving up, but let these serve as examples that we can find ways to keep on keeping on. We may find that life is a battle, but we are given the ability to win it. Since life is a battle, we should fight it with all that we’ve got every day. Reminding ourselves of why we should not give up when overwhelmed with challenges is one way to fight the battle. 

What are your reasons for fighting your battle and never giving up?

Continue ReadingTop 5 Reasons that Stop Me from Giving Up

My Top 5 Secrets in Boosting My Self-Esteem

Does having high self-esteem equate to being narcissistic? Thinking that you are superior to others and not accepting making mistakes are signs of narcissism. On the other hand, having self-esteem means respecting yourself and believing in your abilities.

When you boost your self-esteem, you are helping yourself grow as a person. Never allow other people to tell you otherwise and label you as self-centered. How are you going to boost your self-esteem? Here are some tips that work for me when I doubt myself. 

  1. Appreciate your strengths. The very first thing you need to do is value the blessings you already have. You might not have what others do, but you have your strengths. 
  2. Celebrate your wins. Celebrating your successes will keep you reminded of the strengths and blessings you have. Knowing that there are upsides in life will keep you have a positive attitude and make you confident that things will always get better.   
  3. Keep on developing yourself. Of course, developing your self-esteem is not only a matter of believing in yourself and your strengths, but you also need to help yourself to develop further. Knowing that you have equipped yourself with more knowledge and skills will give you an appreciation of yourself. 
  4. Remember your past wins. There are times when nothing seems to go right with whatever you do. Inadvertently, it affects your self-esteem because most people tend to get fixated on mistakes even if they’re minimal than the successes. When you encounter situations like this, look back on the things that you accomplished in the past, may they be big or small. 
  5. Embrace the fact that nobody is perfect. No person is perfect, and one who thinks he can be is narcissistic. When we accept the fact that we have weaknesses, we learn to appreciate our strengths more. In addition to that, we also become more motivated to develop ourselves further. 

These tips are ways we can do for ourselves to boost our self-esteem. With focus and determination, we can do these for ourselves. However, we cannot discount the outside elements that may affect us, like other people’s opinions. Although these challenges are difficult to overcome, we also have the control not to allow ourselves to be brought down by such negative elements. Do you agree with these tips?

 

 

(Photo by Prateek Katyal from Pexels)

Continue ReadingMy Top 5 Secrets in Boosting My Self-Esteem

Is Too Much Positivity Good for You?

Throughout my younger years, I had been led to believe that claiming a positive outcome ahead is like inviting the opposite to happen. Because of that belief, I developed the fear of voicing out my goals and dreams for the future, lest I attract opposing forces that would sabotage my chances of reaching those objectives. I silently prayed for my plans to happen, but I never said them out loud. I just kept them to myself.

Back then, I only depended on the knowledge of my elders to guide me through life. Just like most of the children of my generation, I was never one who questioned authority. Yet, as I grew older and got the chance to access more sources of knowledge, I discovered that my belief was farther from the truth. I have summed up the knowledge I learned in favor of keeping a positive attitude in life. 

  1. What we think and say, we attract. Contrary to my early belief about jinxing the outcome of what I hoped for if I get ahead of myself, thinking and speaking positive words can give you the energy that can dispel negative energies that could prevent a positive outcome. 
  2. What we feed ourselves, we allow to nourish our hearts. Positive words are like healthy food for our hearts like negative words are like poison. If we keep on feeding ourselves with positivity instead of doubts, fears, and other toxic emotions, we would probably flourish through our journey in life.
  3. What we imagine, we conjure. If we always think or talk about the result we hope for; we are subconsciously conditioning our mind and all parts of our body to act in such a way that would make things happen rather than prevent them from happening. When we think or speak negatively, then we are likely sabotaging ourselves. 
  4. When we are positive, we become problem solvers. Instead of wasting our time dreading the outcome, we gravitate towards finding a solution or an alternative that we could take. Dreading results from negative self-talk and mindset, while taking action is the result of having a positive outlook. 

Amidst all these, we need to remember that being optimistic does not equate to being unrealistic. Does it mean we should not accept negative results? Of course not. We hope and work for the best outcome, but we accept, make plans, and try again when it does not happen. Isn’t being positive better than being bitter? 

 

 

(Photo by Julia Avamotive from Pexels)

Continue ReadingIs Too Much Positivity Good for You?

What Great Customer Service Means

I have always been very particular with customer service. I value how businesses deal and take care of their clients even more than the product or service they offer sometimes. The lack of it or poor performance in that department may cause the downfall of many businesses. 

While big companies can put up an entire department specifically for customer service purposes, it does not mean they can already guarantee excellence on the matter. No, customer service should not only be limited to the department named after it. Every single member of the company should be able to provide excellent customer service and care. 

I have been reminded of this after my recent banking service challenges. Knowing that the customer service of the said bank is only reachable using telephone, I went to a branch nearby and asked a bank personnel for assistance in fixing the issue. Sadly, my time and effort in going there were in vain. Worse than the fact that they cannot fix the issue there, they are unwilling to extend assistance with the reason that I should contact “customer service.” 

This kind of situation is highly frustrating to clients and could cause them to drop the services altogether. So if you are a part of a team, may it be specifically in the customer service or not, you should still provide your clients with support. 

If you cannot fix the client’s problem, direct them to the person who can. Clients appreciate it when you do your best to help them even if you cannot fix the problem. You are not expected to be perfect, but limiting yourself to saying “no, I can’t help you with that” is definitely not what a client wants to hear because you are supposed to give helpful information at the very least. 

Show eagerness to help. Even if you cannot fix the problem, you should not display an attitude of indifference. The client approached you for help with the hope that you can. Despite not being the right person to do it, your eagerness to help them and direct them would mean a lot to them. 

Be polite. Understand that clients become frustrated or disappointed when they encounter issues or problems with the product or service you offer. When they become temperamental, do not take it against yourself. Put yourself in their shoes, acknowledge how they feel, and continue to deal with them with politeness. 

You don’t have to be in the customer service department to give proper customer care. Being part of a team that provides products or services to clients should be reason enough for you to provide great customer service. If you want your company to thrive, do not only do your specific job description, go the extra mile and make the people you serve happy and satisfied, just like how the other bank personnel in another branch made me feel – happy and cared for. 

 

 

 

(Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels)

Continue ReadingWhat Great Customer Service Means

Should You Automate Customer Support?

A business, especially one operating online, can benefit from automated services such as a chatbot, online forms, and the likes. It can address a lot of weaknesses of manual work, such as immediate response. However, when it comes to customer support, human contact should still be available. Here are some of the obvious reasons why:

  1. Comprehension. While artificial intelligence provides us with the means to provide information to our clients in real-time (i.e., chatbots), such technology has limits in comprehending client concerns. Chatbots can only be programmed to address fundamental questions or concerns. More often than not, clients have questions or concerns that are more than that. Most questions cannot be answered by the answers found in FAQs. Some situations need an in-depth understanding of an actual person.  
  2. Probing. As mentioned above, chatbots or answering machines may be programmed to address basic questions or concerns, but these advancements have limits. If the automatic answers do not satisfy the client, the chatbot cannot probe what the client needs. It may even cause more confusion and frustration. Human customer support is required to probe further, assess the situation, and provide the accurate information or solution needed. 
  3. Empathy. When clients experience inconvenience because of the product or service you offer, having customer service personnel is essential to acknowledge such shortcomings and offer help. Automated customer service cannot establish an emotional connection with the client.  
  4. Retention. In connection with empathy, human customer support’s ability to identify how a client feels can offer services that may help alleviate the frustration or inconvenience they think about the product or service. In cases of angry customers, an actual person may still be able to keep the clients from rejecting the product or service your business offers. 

These are only some fundamental reasons why human customer support should not be totally replaced by automation. On the other hand, we should not also totally discount the use of automated customer support. Customer Service will be much better when you utilize both to run your business more smoothly. 

Do you agree that customer support should not be totally automated?

 

 

(Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels)

Continue ReadingShould You Automate Customer Support?

How Kind Words Saved Me From Myself

When I was younger, I used to be unkind to myself. I tended to think less of myself because of the weaknesses I acknowledged that I have. I usually only saw the downside of every situation and expected the worst outcome more often than not. I was not aware then that I was sabotaging myself and destroying my being inside. 

However, all those self-deprecations halted when one man told me that I could be good and that I only needed to believe in myself. More than the lesson of learning how to believe in oneself, I saw the value of kind and positive words, of how such words can revive a person who is dying inside.  

In the same way, no matter how trivial we may think it is, negative words can dim the light of a hopeful person or extinguish that of a dying one. 

When we feel hopeless, we should keep quiet rather than open our mouths and cause other people harm by speaking negatively. You don’t know what a person is going through, and you might just have made their day worse. Even if you may not be the main problem, you might become the added weight that finally causes that person to break. Be kind. If you can’t find the right words to say, give your support by just being there silently.

I can recount many experiences firsthand and from other people, proving the detrimental effect of negative words on people. One experience that I consider very heartbreaking was that of one close friend of mine. He is a brilliant person, genius even. He had ideals and had such monumental dreams for himself when he was a child. He would happily relay all his visions of the future to his family, thinking that they would be supportive of him. Although his family is supportive, they were apprehensive about allowing themselves to dream bigger than what they could afford based on their status in life. His family told him that his dream might be “impossible,” and so it was. It became impossible not because he was not capable. He was not able to make it happen because he stopped trying. Instead of ways, he could only think of the obstacles. 

When given the opportunity, say a kind word to people whom you think need it. Offer them a smile or a helping hand. We might not be able to do much for everyone in the world, but by choosing our words, we are helping people to be stronger in facing life and its challenges. Agreeing to their negative self-talk to show understanding is not helping the person, and it does not solve anything. Don’t you think affirming their value as a person or suggesting solutions to their problems are better ways of making them feel good? 

 

 

Photo by Alexandr Podvalny from Pexels

Continue ReadingHow Kind Words Saved Me From Myself

Keep These Things in Mind to Manage Disappointment

Is disappointment an unhealthy feeling? This question is valid since disappointment is a negative emotion after all. However, I believe we are permitted to feel such emotion because it is a part of human nature. Like any other negative emotion, we are entitled to feel it, and, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, we should not guilt ourselves when we do.

We may wish not to experience being disappointed because it is an unpleasant feeling. Still, we cannot prevent things, situations, or people from disappointing us since these are elements out of our control. To avoid a downward spiral when disappointment happens, we have to learn how to manage it.

  1. Practice acceptance and manage expectations. I believe that the main reason for people’s disappointment, especially with other people, is the high expectation. Even though we should learn to trust other people, it doesn’t mean that we should expect them to meet the standard we set for them. In the beginning, we should condition our minds that although we can trust people to be or do things a certain way, there is always a possibility that they could not live to those expectations because of certain limitations that we cannot control. If such a shortcoming happens, we might still feel down, but the feeling will not linger longer.
  2. Allow yourself to feel it to let it out. Just like any other emotion, when disappointment is not expressed or allowed to come out, even just internally, it will only worsen. Like water in a dam, this emotion needs to be released so that you will not suddenly break.
  3. Check your contribution to the negative outcome. When we are disappointed with specific results, for example, the factors that lead to such are not always other people or things. Sometimes, if not most, we contribute or even solely are the reason for the disappointing result. If this is the case, we should fix it by correcting our part of the mistake. Doing something to correct the error will make you feel better.
  4. Look at the bigger picture. When things do not work the way you want them to, there may be something better. When you don’t figure out how to work things out with a particular person, it may be because you’re supposed to work it out with another person. When specific opportunities do not fit you, it may be because better ones suit you. Regardless, all those disappointing experiences with other people, things, and events are opportunities for you to learn.
  5. Remind yourself of your past wins. When your disappointment is a failure to achieve goals, it is imperative to remind yourself that you are not always in that state. Remembering that you are also capable of winning, as evidenced by your past achievements, your disappointment with yourself will less likely turn to a more depressing state and give you hope that you can still achieve what you want.

Do you cope with disappointment the same way? Or do you have other means that you find more compelling? Feel free to share your insights below.

 

 

 

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Continue ReadingKeep These Things in Mind to Manage Disappointment

5 Main Lessons I Learned from Trainings I Attended

Since 2013, I have been investing and participating in many training programs to develop my selling skills as I found my passion in that field. But, aside from learning valuable knowledge and skills about the subject, I also learned a lot more about life in general. 

Here are five of my most valued lessons from all those training programs.

  1. Life is what you make it. From all the trainers and mentors I have had the opportunity to learn from, I have extracted a similar lesson. Human beings can change their circumstances as long as they know to rid themselves of their victim mentality. If we allow hindering factors to stop us from taking a step towards the direction we wish to follow and use those obstacles as excuses to fail and never try again, we allow ourselves to go with the flow. But, we do have a choice not to resort to that because, given our innate ability to think and make decisions, we can make our situations better and on the path towards our purpose. 
  2. The best business is born from passion. When I was still not exposed to those training programs, I often wondered why businesses thrive while others sink to the bottom. I wondered what factors affect them. I learned afterward that one of the most significant factors is passion. A great business is established to offer a product or service that results from passion. When someone opens a restaurant but is not interested in food or food service, it is without a doubt that the business would not go well. 
  3. Selling is about believing in what you sell. This lesson had been a revelation to my young and naive self in a salesman role. I thought that being able to enumerate the benefits of the product or service I sell to the people I serve is enough for them to buy. I used to wonder why I failed to close deals even after rambling all the information to them. Fortunately, I learned from my experienced mentors that believing in your product or service is the most important key to selling. If you, as the salesperson, do not believe the value of what you offer, how do you expect them to believe it is the best for them? 
  4. Personal development is the main ingredient of success. Regardless of the subject matter, all the programs I completed include topics about personal development. Whatever career a person wants to pursue or whatever venture they wish to engage in, success and fulfillment in such endeavor can only be achieved when they develop themselves from the inside out. 
  5. Relationships only grow when you nurture them. When I was younger, I thought that relationships should be the least of my concerns and that people who are meant to be in my life would always be there, which was why I did not mind the falling out I had with many people. I learned then that relationships result from our decisions – decisions to keep and nurture it or let it go by doing nothing to keep it.

These lessons summarize the many various life lessons I have learned from many different trainers and mentors worldwide. I came to realize that all aspects of life – professional and personal – are interrelated. Your beliefs and practices in one part may as well affect the other aspects of your life. 

Do you find these lessons meaningful? 

Continue Reading5 Main Lessons I Learned from Trainings I Attended

My Key Learnings From Teenage Years

Our teenage years are one of those times that helped shape us to become the adults we are now. We gathered lessons from those years either through the teachings of other people or through our own experiences. We might have recognized those lessons as valuable right away, yet some we only find meaningful as we tread through adulthood. 

Out of all the valuable lessons from my teenage years, I have five topmost on the long list. They remain echoed to my being while I navigate this life to fulfill my purpose. 

  1. Being young is not a reason not to gain respect. It is said that respect is earned, not given, and nothing can be more accurate than this statement. Age, popularity, or wealth are not the determining factors to gaining genuine respect from people. I learned that when you honor your words, uphold what is right, and respect others too, you gain people’s respect even when you are young, powerless, or underprivileged. No matter how old, influential or wealthy, a person with no integrity will never truly gain the people’s genuine respect. 
  2. Never make decisions because of peer pressure. Most of us usually learn this lesson hard because we only realize the impact after succumbing to the pressure. I knew that it is not a wise choice to act under the reason of not wanting to disappoint your friends because not everything that they want you to do is beneficial. More importantly, you are the one who the outcome of your actions will directly impact.
  3. It’s okay to be different from everyone else. The desire to belong is inherent to human beings. We usually want to be part of something. Because of this, we try to alter ourselves, personality or character, to fit in and be like everyone else. However, I learned that you could not bring out your potential if you try to be someone you are not. You can only contribute when you bring out your uniqueness and offer it to serve others.
  4. Helping others does not put you at a disadvantage. I have encountered many people who do not want to share knowledge, time, and other resources because they think they will have less afterward. I learned, however, that when you help others through whatever means you have, you actually gain something. You gain opportunities, relationships, and joy in your heart.  
  5. There is a lesson to learn from every situation. During my adolescence, I went through a lot of challenges, both internally and externally. Some of the troubles were serious, while some were trivial. Yet, no matter how trivial some of those challenges were, I could extract lessons from each of them and use them to solve the more enormous challenges I had. I learned to look at the good side of everything. 

Every time I look back on these lessons, I am reminded of how each phase of life is essential to a person’s growth and development. 

What are some of the lessons you learned from your teenage years? Do you still find them applicable to your life now? 

 

 

 

(Photo by Min An from Pexels)

Continue ReadingMy Key Learnings From Teenage Years

The One Thing: My 7 Key Takeaways From This Book

In one of my past blogs, I shared five of my most recommended books. Those books did not only prove beneficial in my journey to career growth but also my endeavor for a well-rounded life. A book can indeed hold a great power through the influence it can cast upon its readers. The book, The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan, for instance, brought me a lot of realizations that I consider to be helpful takeaways that I readily applied. 

  1. Everything is not equally important. This piece of wisdom reminded me to identify what matters most and focus on those first. Even the things or people on top of our list of priorities follow a hierarchy. One is just more important than the other, albeit not less significant. 
  2. Developing good habits slowly and steadily leads to success. This served as an affirmation that it is fine to be at a slow pace because people have individual ways and times of coping. This is an encouragement meant to keep us wanting to keep trying and keep moving forward surely, even if it meant going at a minimum speed. 
  3. Doing the right thing and not doing everything right. When we do everything right, it does not always mean that we are doing the right thing. We need to muster the courage in ensuring that we stick to what is right even if it means we have to go against what the majority dictates. This is one of the most important lessons that we should never forget when we tread our way through life because, without our integrity, we are nothing. 
  4. Multitasking consumes a lot of time. Doing a lot of tasks at the same time does not save us time, contrary to a popular belief. When the mind is not focused, it does not function well. At the end of the day, we only manage to get every task started but, more often than not, not a single one gets done or most have lousy results.
  5. Going big in everything you do. For any task to be successful or completely feel rewarding, we need to give our best in the process. While it does not guarantee success all the time, it leaves little room for regret on our part. Giving our best in everything we do would not lead to future what-ifs. 
  6. Striving to always live a balanced life makes you stressed. Trying hard to do everything to achieve balance does not produce the best results. Wanting to achieve balance does not only lead to overthinking; it also causes fatigue. Again, we have to learn to put the most important things first, complete them and work our way down. 
  7. Holding yourself accountable for the results you get in life is a sign of maturity. It is convenient to blame outside forces when we experience difficulties or failures in life, but this does not contribute to our growth as a person. As being capable of thinking and deciding, we should be responsible for our actions. We should know that each action we decide to take has corresponding results. A mature person does not blame others. 

It is amazing that with only 240 pages, I found myself learning valuable lessons from this book that could get me through a lifetime. With its practical lessons, one can easily navigate through them and apply those lessons immediately. 

Have you read this book yet? What lessons did you learn from it?

Continue ReadingThe One Thing: My 7 Key Takeaways From This Book

3 Ways to Promote Good Habits

Which kind of habit is easier to fall into? A bad one or a good one? I believe most people would agree that it is easier to indulge oneself in a bad habit. Usually, bad habits are generally easy or comfortable, while a good one requires tremendous effort. Needless to say, bad habits are tempting. 

With this knowledge, how can we pull back from our bad habits then establish and maintain good habits in their place? Here are some ways that may help one to go through such a feat. 

  1. Determine which bad habits are non-supportive to your growth. This step is first and foremost in the process because identifying the habits that we need to rid ourselves of will help us identify the steps to make it happen. More importantly, knowing what our non-supportive habits are will lead to the formulation of the opposite.  
  2. Seek a mentor or coach to help you with techniques on how to replace the bad habits. Whether we admit it or not, we need other people to help us, especially when we need to overcome a challenge that we have a hard time fighting inside us. If we just rely on our strength, the tendency would be that we’d go back to our bad habits because it would be easier. Therefore, seeking out motivated and expert people with techniques that could make falling into good habits easier is a good decision. 
  3. Do it consistently. At the end of the day, the top and most significant element we need in keeping the good habits we start to develop is ourselves. Even with the knowledge, skills, and help we get, the change will not fully take root if we do not muster the discipline and willpower to keep the new and unfamiliar habits. We must always be consistent and fight every difficulty or obstacle that comes our way through keeping the good habits we wish to maintain. 

Developing good habits or trying to do so is a personal choice. Some people are not able or do not get out of their bad habits because they might not have found it necessary for themselves or the people around them. People with hopes and dreams for their future typically strive hard to overcome their weaknesses and develop good habits. If you are one of these people, you know what you need to do. Are you willing to do so? 

 

 

(Photo by Shamia Casiano from Pexels)

Continue Reading3 Ways to Promote Good Habits

How to Overcome Your Fears

Fear, an unpleasant feeling caused by thoughts of danger, pain, or suffering, can sometimes become more dangerous to a person than the perceived danger itself. How? If allowed to take control over one’s mind, fear causes one to think and act irrationally. It cripples a person and hinders their ability to function and thrive. The objects of fear vary from one person to another, albeit some also share the same fear. It can be caused by a thing, a creature, another person, a concept, a situation, or a feeling. 

Regardless of the kind and gravity of a person’s fear, one may overcome it the same way that others might. Here is a process that one may find helpful in overcoming any fear. 

  1. Gradually face your fears rather than avoid them. Some people do their best to keep themselves safe from whatever it is that they fear. They prevent it or any situation that might lead them to the object of their fear. This strategy, however, would limit a person from experiencing life to the fullest. It can cause missed opportunities. Therefore, instead of avoiding it, one should face it gradually. Allowing oneself to be exposed to whatever they are afraid of will help in getting accustomed to it. The fear may not entirely dissipate, but it will eventually lessen and no longer cause panic or paralysis, which is more dangerous. 
  2. Talk to the right people and seek help or advice. It may not be easy for a person to admit to other people that they have fears, not only because of pride but also because it makes them more vulnerable. However, if one wants to conquer such a challenge, they should accept that they need other people’s help. One would find that allowing other people who care and can help to talk and walk them through those fears makes them less afraid because they now have someone who could help them face and overcome the challenge.   
  3. Actively remind yourself of the positive things around you. People tend to lose sight of beautiful things when overwhelmed with negative feelings, especially that crippling feeling of fear. They tend to focus on anxiety. One should make a conscious effort to remind themselves of the other beautiful things, other good people, other great happenings around them to help lessen the impact of what one fear. It is like diminishing negative thoughts through positive thinking. 

These strategies can only serve a person well if they have the resolve to quell their fears indeed. One needs to have faith and bravery, for there is not enough advice to break through a distrustful or cowardly heart. 

Do you think these ways help overcome fears? 

 

 

 

 

(Photo by Vie Studio from Pexels)

Continue ReadingHow to Overcome Your Fears

3 Ways to Help People Change for the Better

One of the best feelings in the world is the fulfillment of being able to help other people. Fortunately, helping others can be done through various means. You can help alleviate momentary inconveniences or discomfort, provide needs, and even change lives for the better. The latter, which does not require financial capability, is obviously of much gravity and is much more fulfilling than just providing partial comfort. 

The will to change, however, is up to the person who needs it. As someone on the outside, you can only try to influence the person to want to change but you have no right to impose the change you think the former needs.  In other words, you have to know whether they want to change or not before you can help with the process. It is very invasive of someone’s personal life if you try to help them change when, in the first place, they do not see anything wrong with themselves. So what are the possible ways that you can do to help the person change for the better if the need arises?  

  1. Know where the person is coming from. Before you can figure out a way to help a person in changing his negative attitude, behavior or way of life, you have to go back to the reason why they develop such acts in the first place. Understanding their background or their experiences will help you identify the right solution to the challenge. 
  2. Provide long-term solutions. More often than not, people go back to what they are used to or what’s more comfortable for them. The solution to this is making them realize that one of the best ways to switch to a better direction is by providing them with new habits that can replace the old one permanently but can lead to a better outcome. 
  3. Be a role model. Sometimes, helping people to change is more effectively done by showing them an example. Instead of just directing or advising the person you want to change, you have to show it through your own actions. You have to be a better person and show how your decision to do the right thing affects your life and the people around you. 

We all have our fair share of negative traits. However, this should not hinder us from helping others overcome their own. As we open ourselves to be helped by others to overcome our own weaknesses and change for the better, we are showing them how it is okay to receive help.  

How else can you help people change for the better? 

 

 

 

(Photo by Ave Calvar Martinez from Pexels)

Continue Reading3 Ways to Help People Change for the Better

3 Ways to Take Control of Your Emotions

As human beings, our daily lives constitute myriads of emotions that we can’t help ourselves from feeling. Depending on the reasons or stimuli, we may experience both positive and negative emotions. And, that is fine. We should not fault ourselves for having those feelings because each of those is part of human nature.

However, it is equally essential for us to note that when we cradle negative emotions for an extended period, those emotions would corrupt our thoughts and cloud our judgment. Being in that state is detrimental to our health and our productivity. Therefore, we should learn ways to help us manage such negative emotions when necessary.

  1. Determine if the situation is within your control or not. While there are instances when the challenges you encounter can be fixed or corrected, there are also situations that are unfortunately out of your control, nor can you do something about it. When you find yourself in that situation, it is better to identify where it came from, what triggers the emotion. On the other hand, you should do something to alleviate the circumstance when you see that you can. But the first thing to do is assess the situation to know whether to let it go or work on it.
  2. Ask yourself better questions like “how can I turn things around?” or “what can I learn from this?”. After identifying whether you can solve the situation, the next thing to do is not to prolong the problem by moping around or blaming people or situations. Instead, you should ask yourself how you can correct or solve this problem if possible. If it is out of your control, you should see the bright side of the situation and learn the lesson that you can glean from it.
  3. Take necessary actions to make things better. What do you do when the proverbial milk is spilled? You can’t get the liquid back to the cup. You can’t drink it anymore. So what should you do? Wipe the spill to avoid accidents and make another cup of milk. Indeed, that would make you feel better than crying over what was spilled, right? In other words, when things do not go the way you want them to, find different ways to make it happen or find the next solution.

Nobody is perfect, and bad days are inevitable. However, we should not allow these excuses to justify our negative actions or behaviors that we can control. Having control over our own emotions is a skill in itself that is necessary for maintaining relationships, surviving challenging situations, and thriving in general.

What are other ways you can suggest to control emotions?

 

 

 

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Continue Reading3 Ways to Take Control of Your Emotions

5 Indispensable Elements to Start Any Life Journey

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar.

Ever since I stumbled upon this quote, I started to live by it. Through it, I realized that I don’t need to be perfect nor be in a perfect circumstance before taking a step toward any venture I wish to engage in. Yet, I also believe that there are indispensable factors that one needs to be adequately equipped in facing the new undertaking. These key factors are the following:

  1. Faith. As an ardent believer of God, I put my trust in Him that when my heart and mind are drawn to an idea, He’s the one responsible for putting that in me. Therefore, I strengthen my resolve to pursue whatever I believe I am called to do. Without faith, we would quickly feel defeated when we fail. We would easily be confused as to what our purpose or mission is. 
  2. Passion. Have you noticed how easy it is to do a task that you find exciting or love? More often than not, the results you obtain in performing such tasks are satisfactory, aren’t they? Compare those results with the ones that come out from performing tasks that you weren’t enthusiastic about at all. There is indeed a vast difference, and that is passion. An intense desire is needed to fuel you through any venture you wish to put yourself through. Without passion, you may easily give it up when you face challenging situations.
  3. Self-discipline. Not everything you do will be easy to accomplish. Despite this fact, giving up should not be the solution. To overcome any challenges, you need the ability to handle yourself when you feel disappointed or frustrated when things don’t work the way you want them to work. You need to help yourself to keep going even when you feel weak and tired. You need to be consistent. 
  4. Positive Attitude. Do you know that you attract what you think or say? Like when you say the day would be bad, it would eventually be bad. I believe it has something to do with your emotions. When you keep a pessimistic attitude when faced with challenges, there would be a higher tendency for you to think of adverse outcomes rather than come up with solutions. Therefore, you need to keep a positive attitude despite any problematic situations you may encounter. 
  5. Supporter. Regardless of the many pessimistic people, you may know who could influence your decision, you will more likely strengthen your determination when you have even one person who supports you. You don’t need everyone to believe in what you are capable of doing, but you will need someone who will cheer you on when you feel a little uncertain with your steps. 

With these elements, I achieved most of my dreams and lived my mission in life. Was I perfectly capable of making those goals happen? Absolutely not. For instance, when I felt that I am inclined to become a sales trainer, I did not have all the knowledge and skills to become one. I only felt the pull in that direction. Therefore, I took the next step of equipping myself through education with faith, passion, self-discipline, a positive attitude, and the support of some loved ones. As Lao Tzu said, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

 

 

(Photo by Archie Binamira from Pexels)

Continue Reading5 Indispensable Elements to Start Any Life Journey

The Most Important Components of Success

What does success mean for you? When do you claim that you are successful?  

I am aware that most people define success as accomplishing a goal or attaining a certain level of wealth and fame. Then, why do most still feel depressed after achieving the things they thought they wanted in their lives? It is because success can mean different things to people based on their roles in life. For a mother, success could mean being able to keep her child happy and safe. For an environmentalist, success could mean people are doing a collective action to protect the planet. For a teacher, success could mean accomplished students. For me, success is not measured by the number of achievements, money, nor fame. I say success means fulfillment, growth, overcoming fears, learning to embrace rejections. 

On my journey through life, I encountered different kinds of difficulties, some of which disabled me to achieve some of my goals. Despite it all, I consider myself successful not because I achieved the goals I set for myself but because I managed to overcome each of those obstacles, learned from them, and experienced growth in the process. 

More importantly, I can say that when you have the following most important components, you are successful in life.

  1. Sense of fulfillment. Without this feeling, can you say you have achieved success? When you don’t feel that happiness or contentment after performing a task or accomplishing a goal, you know success is not at hand. This feeling is achieved when you know you gave your all to do what you have to do.  
  2. Knowing your purpose. We cannot be genuinely happy or content through money or fame because these are not our purpose for being. We are to use what we have, both material and intangible resources, to fulfill our purpose. That is why we need to know our goal for us to complete it and achieve real success.
  3. Personal growth. This should be one of the results of the challenges you face in your journey. If you did not grow personally after all the difficulties you encountered, you could never say you are successful. The things and goals we achieved, the status we have now, and the lessons we learned from the past are all the results of our personal growth.

Needless to say, success is not measured by all the glories we know. It is much more profound. Do you agree?

 

 

 

(Photo by Gerd Altmann from Pexels)

Continue ReadingThe Most Important Components of Success

How Love is Displayed in the World of Sales

It is not once that I heard comments that refer to salespeople as self-serving. People think that the reason for the existence of the job is to promote or sell products or services to people. It is now common for people to feel that compliments given and niceties shown by salespeople to them are just a front to lure them in. This judgment is not only the cause of people’s prejudice but also the result of many salespeople’s wrong approach in selling. 

However, the reason we venture into business or enter the world of sales is not mainly to generate sales but also to solve people’s problems.

Do you wonder how you can earn the trust of the people you want to serve despite the general reputation of salespeople? You have to make sure that your priority is to serve other people right, not the price that the service entails. Once you know that your heart is in the right place, you will be capable of making them feel that you love to help them. Here are three ways to display that love:

  1. Lead people to avail the right product or service regardless of the corresponding benefit on your part as the salesperson. Even if you or the company can benefit more if your buyer would purchase a more expensive product, you should not lead him to own that product if you know that it is not what he needs or wants. 
  2. Make people feel that their concerns about the product or service are valid. It would be best not to be defensive when the buyer raises questions or concerns about the product or service he intends to avail. It is your responsibility to address those concerns and make him feel comfortable with his choice. 
  3. Walk with them from the start until whenever. Even after the purchase, you should still make yourself available to your buyer. Your service should not stop after the sale is made. Be creative in making sure you still connect with them whether they have questions or not.

These are very simple acts that you can do as a salesperson, but they can help break the stigma attached to salespeople. On a more personal level, these good practices can help you in gaining more clients. How? Through the excellent service you provided and continually provided your valued clients, you made them feel safe with you; therefore, they will refer their family and friends who need the same product or service to you in the future. 

How else can a salesperson make a client safe and loved? 

 

 

 

(Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels)

Continue ReadingHow Love is Displayed in the World of Sales

3 Reasons Why People Change for the Better

Have you realized that almost every change in you and around you is caused by a decision made? Even some of the changes in the environment, such as climate change, are caused by people’s decision to discount the effects of carbon emissions as long as industrialization is realized. 

Though there are negative changes, there are also positive ones. I have various stories of people who decided to change for the better, and in all those people, three reasons stuck out to me that caused those changes. 

Let me set one friend of mine as an example. He had been a chain smoker since he was a teenager. He used to finish one to two boxes of cigarettes in a day. He was like that for many years. No matter who reprimanded him, he would not let go of the vice because he got so dependent on nicotine. And because of it, he got seriously ill that made him bedridden for a long time. Of course, that circumstance brought hardship to him and his family, who was depending on him. That slump led him never to go back to the destructive vice that almost cost him his life and the future of his family. 

If a life-threatening event caused that person to change, another acquaintance of mine changed because of emotional pain. This person had been in a toxic relationship with her lover for five years. She was made to suffer being abused physically, mentally, and emotionally. She endured that for a long time, but one day she realized that she could no longer accept the pain. She had been hurt too much without the chance to heal throughout those years. So, that day she finally decided to leave and let go of that relationship she was trapped in for the longest time. She agreed to allow herself to heal from the trauma.

Though I also experienced difficulties in life that moved me to specific changes, the most significant change I made was caused by inspiration from people. Throughout my life, I met many people who inspired me to become better despite the hardships. I got inspired by my family to work hard, by my teachers to strive and learn, by my mentors to continue learning, and by my friends to build more meaningful relationships.

In these three scenarios, the characters changed because of three different reasons. The first person changed because of a life-changing event that forced him to change. The second one changed because he reached the limit of his pain threshold. The third character changed because another person inspired him – other people, to be exact.

These changes might have been triggered by different emotions – from pain to inspiration, but all resulted in a better situation for the person concerned. More importantly, the changes took place because the person decided to make it happen. A person who takes such an action is indeed courageous.

For you, what could be other reasons for people to change for the better?

 

 

 

(Photo by Alexas Fotos from Pexels)

Continue Reading3 Reasons Why People Change for the Better

Top 3 Horror Stories I Experienced as a Salesperson and as a Buyer

The word “sales” always manages to stir different emotions in me every time I hear or utter it. It has become a vital part of my life since I chose to pursue a career in this field, from being a salesperson to being a sales trainer. Therefore, the topic of sales makes me happy and excited. Yet, at the same time, it brings out unpleasant memories as well. 

Having been a salesperson, and a consumer at the same time,  for many years allowed me to gain many bad experiences related to it. Here are a few of them:

  1. A prospective client ghosted me. This ordeal did not only happen once but many times. Several times in my life as a salesperson, I experienced being left hanging without knowing the reason. Being in this career entails a lot of disappointment, such as being ghosted. One has to endure the pain of broken promises. Yes, buyers can also break a salesperson’s heart by suddenly changing their minds or by deciding to disappear. We should not let this dampen our spirits and become hopeless. We should use this kind of story to motivate ourselves to become better salespeople that prospective clients want to have lasting relationships with.  
  2. A mall salesperson kept following me around like a stalker. I believe I am not the only one who experienced this kind of treatment by salespeople. As a salesperson myself, I could understand their desire to make a sale. However, as a customer, being followed around makes me feel uncomfortable. It makes me feel pressured to purchase something that I might necessarily not need or want to own. This kind of selling behavior is pushy and will more likely lead a salesperson to lose customers than gain sales. 
  3. My prospective client suddenly zoned out as if gone out to another world. In the past, I often got worried about my future clients while I talked to them because they seemed to be somewhere else while being physically there with me. What would you feel when in the middle of your discussion, the other person no longer responds? I would usually think that the customer has not heard anything I had talked about and that the long time I spent talking was useless. It took me a long time to realize that it was my fault for not involving my prospect in the conversation. Instead of asking them questions to know what they need or want, I unconsciously made them uncertain about the service I offered them. 

You see, many horror stories happen in the world of sales between a salesperson and a customer. With these stories that I shared, the horror occurred because of the salesperson’s failure – failure to prove credibility, failure to make the customers feel safe, and failure to identify what the customers need or want.

While experiencing undesirable situations is inevitable, it does not mean that we can do nothing to prevent it from happening again. To become a better salesperson, you should know how to serve your customers better and equip yourself with knowledge and skills to help you do so. 

How about you? What horror stories have you experienced throughout your time as a salesperson?

 

 

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Continue ReadingTop 3 Horror Stories I Experienced as a Salesperson and as a Buyer

3 Steps to Tap Your True Potential

Sometimes people are not aware of their capabilities. They often go through life wondering why they’re not making progress nor succeeding with their work. People who experience such a slump would usually think that they were destined to fail in life. Thoughts like “why can’t I do it like how that person does it?”, “what does that person have that I don’t?” or “am I not good enough?” would pester their minds and would cause worries and frustration.  

The reality, however, is that they just have not realized or brought out their true potential. So how do you tap on that potential?

  1. You should know what you truly want in life. Some might say that they’re doing or fulfilling something because they want it, but in reality, they’re just trying to follow what society or their family dictates or expects of them. If you are doing what other people want you to do, there is a slight possibility that you are enhancing your strength. The person who knows you the most is yourself because you can feel what your natural inclinations are or what your strengths are. Therefore, discover what you want by assessing yourself first. Look inside yourself. Do not allow other people’s opinions to influence your preferences. 
  2. You must be in a peak state of mind. Once you discover what you truly want to do or fulfill, you have to ensure that you are physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to face any challenges that may come along your journey. You also have to be passionate, energetic, and confident. Without these traits, you will probably give up when faced with even a slight difficulty. 
  3. Be flexible and creative. It is also important to note that a particular strength or talent may fit different areas of specialization. If you are a person who is talented in writing, for example, you may work in either news and public affairs or filmmaking. However, you should also take your preferences into account when choosing which field to pursue. If you are interested in fiction more than news and current affairs, then there is a possibility that you will be less productive if you work as a news writer. With the awareness that you love fiction, you should focus on that genre rather than be demotivated because of failing to be effective in other areas. 

In a nutshell, the best of you is just a matter of bringing out the best in you. You already have everything you need to succeed inside of you. You have to dig deeper, assess yourself, and let go of other people’s judgments. To do so, you have to remember that we are all born to have strengths, not just weaknesses. Most importantly, we were born with free will. Therefore, we can choose what to do with what we are blessed with. 

How about you? Have you already tapped your true potential?

Continue Reading3 Steps to Tap Your True Potential

5 Things That Make Me Feel Happy with What I Do

I admit that conducting training events that may run from two hours to seven hours a day is not easy. Why? Because I need to prepare hours or days before the event. Do I get tired? Yes, I do, but not during the training. My energy in every training is always on, and I only feel exhausted when done. Most of the time, I would even miss my meals. Strangely though, I fell more in love with doing it. The exhaustion does not dampen my passion and spirit from continuously doing what I do. Why? Here are my top five reasons.  

  1. When I see that the participants understand the foundation they need to have, not just in sales but also in life, I feel that what I do is very important. Since I believe that my mission is essential and helps many people, it is enough to make me happy and driven. Hence, I do whatever it takes to make them learn and understand the salesperson’s context. Every time I see the participants’ eyes sparkle when they realize the importance of their roles, I want to help them more and more. 
  2. When they discover the lessons and tools we have for them are doable, practical, and applicable, I feel excited. It is not enough for me to share the information with my students. Making them apply the information I provide is an essential part of the training. This part takes a lot of the training time. It also requires a lot of supervision. Yet, seeing and hearing the participants able to use the techniques well and seeing the satisfaction on their faces when they successfully master those techniques make me even more enthusiastic rather than tired.  
  3. When I see breakthroughs after overcoming their fear or limiting beliefs then embrace what’s best for them, I feel proud. In my opinion, it is more challenging to encourage adults to face their fears and let go of the beliefs that limit them than persuading a child. The reason is that adults’ fears and limiting beliefs are already deeply rooted in their minds and hearts. Thus, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing my training participants take on the challenges I give them and winning over those fears and limiting beliefs right before my eyes.
  4. When I see results, conversions, and wins after wins during and after our training, I also win. As a trainer, I can say that the effectiveness of my training can be measured through the results of the salespeople I trained. As a result, I become incredibly pleased when my participants give me news of their excellent results, especially when they already experience wins even before the training is over. Their wins are my wins as well. 
  5. When I see them become the best version of themselves after our training, I feel a sense of accomplishment. Being able to influence my students’ life as a whole through training is my long-term goal. I do what I do not only to introduce knowledge and skills with them and give them momentary excitement. My vision is to see them develop themselves for good. So, when I get updates of their results even months or years after our training, my motivation to continue with my mission is strengthened. 

All these reasons are victories for me as a sales trainer. In a nutshell, positively influencing other people is more than enough to compensate for the hard work and challenge of training. 

Therefore, I will gladly continue to conduct training sessions to help salespeople until whenever. I believe that I will forever have this drive because I am passionate about it. 

How about you? Do you find happiness in what you do? Can you see yourself doing it for years?

Continue Reading5 Things That Make Me Feel Happy with What I Do

5 Limiting Beliefs That Held Me for Years

I remember very well when I was still a child, I would jump when the clock struck midnight symbolizing the end of the year and the start of a new year. I jumped because I was made to believe at that young age that doing so would help me grow taller. Having heard such advice from people whom I considered much more knowledgeable and full of wisdom than me, I blindly accepted and followed it even until I grew older. Strangely enough, learning about superstitious beliefs and logic in school did not stop me from believing it. Although this belief does not harm me as a person, my way of accepting it represents my tendency to accept and follow all other beliefs – including limiting beliefs – that were ingrained in my head while growing up. This is where the problem comes in. 

There are pieces of advice that were given to us by our parents and other adult authorities in our lives, which now turn into beliefs that limit us from growing or having better lives. 

  1. Having a lot of money makes people bad.” I often hear this statement as far back as I can remember until today. I heard it from the adults around me and was supported by how it was presented on TV shows and the like. It made me fear wanting to have more money. It felt like committing a grave sin to desire it. Unfortunately, this belief led me to lessen my determination to earn for fear of becoming a person hungry for money or being seen as one by other people. This should not be the case. The truth is money does not make a person turn evil. What makes some people bad is their love for money. 
  2. “It is not good to get your hopes up.” I think this belief is the result of the disappointment of not getting or achieving what was wished or hoped for. The intention of the adults who said this might be to protect a child from disappointment, it led to the development of negative thinking and pessimism. I remembered thinking of getting low scores in the exams even though I wanted the opposite. I did not know that I was attracting what I declared through my thoughts and words. Later on, I learned that I should declare good things to happen. Words have power therefore we must always speak life.  
  3. “To be successful, you have to go to a well-known school.” It is hard to succeed when your school is not known. This is one of the thoughts that greatly affected my motivation in life. When I failed to maintain my education in a famous university, I almost gave up on my dream of being a successful person. Yet, in reality, obtaining success is a decision that we have to make. Graduating from a prestigious school is not enough assurance that a person will succeed in his or her chosen career. 
  4. It is selfish to want more.” They said that I should not want more when my needs are already met because I would seem to be ungrateful. It made me think then that it’s bad to have more because it feels like I am greedy. However, I now realized that when I have more, I will also be able to help more people who need help and support. As they say, “we cannot give what we do not have”.
  5. “Only rich people can have their own business.” This belief leads to the advice that one should study hard to obtain a stable job in the future. There is nothing wrong with being an employee or working for other people. Although not everyone is meant to be a business owner or a boss, this position is also not for rich people only – anyone can. 

Without us noticing, we have regulated our actions so as not to go against the beliefs, or offend the people who taught them to us. It’s like we are afraid of disproving long-existing notions set by previous generations. Indeed, there’s no harm in trying some beliefs like jumping on New Year’s eve to become taller. However, there are beliefs that we need to throw away for us to achieve our full potential and be successful in whatever we want to do. We have to identify those limiting beliefs that are hindering us from becoming the person we aim to be, then let them go.

How about you? What limiting beliefs hindered you to achieve your dream? What limiting beliefs are still holding you down until now? 

 

 

 

(Photo by Andres Ayrton from Pexels)

Continue Reading5 Limiting Beliefs That Held Me for Years

5 Ways to Handle Rejections in Sales

In training sales professionals, I teach them how to close sales by handling the objections of their prospective clients. There can be many different types of objections, and I teach them the many different ways to address those objections. However, those techniques do not necessarily ensure closed deals all the time. It is a fact that salespeople must also learn to accept. Now, we know that getting rejected makes us feel inadequate, and most of the time, it makes us feel uncomfortable to move forward. It inevitably triggers us to have a fear of rejection. And the sad truth is many salespeople are still living with it.

When rejections hit us, it is always important to know how to cope with them. Here are some ways that I have practiced doing to make myself feel fine every time I get rejections:

  1. Maintain professionalism towards the person who rejected the product or service. Instead of giving up on the customer that refused your product, make an effort to make them feel that you are still there for them whenever they need you and that you are happy to serve them regardless of the rejection. Keep your composure and your good treatment. You never know when the time comes that they will require the product or service you offer. Once that time comes, and they still feel your presence and connection, they will surely remember and consider you because you treated them well unconditionally.
  2. Shift the focus to valued clients who need your help and believe in the product or service you offer. They say there’s no use crying over spilled milk because you can no longer undo the occurrence. Time will only be wasted when you keep on thinking about a rejection from our customers. Instead of languishing and wasting precious time, it is beneficial for you to focus on taking care of your current clients or customers. Always remember, you already have clients who look up to you, trust you, and expect you to deliver what you promised to them. When you give your energy and focus to them, you will feel fulfilled and more motivated to fulfill your role as a salesperson.
  3. Identify what worked, what did not work, and how you can improve next time (e.g., the way you present the product or service). Turning a pretty undesirable situation into restorative material to improve yourself as a salesperson is one way to handle rejections. When rejected, assess your performance and determine what did not work that led to the rejection. Take notes so that when the time comes that a similar selling situation occurs, you will not make the same mistake and apply the appropriate strategy or technique instead.
  4. Equip yourself with the proper knowledge, skills, and art in selling. Consider it as a tool for your growth. After assessing what did not work in your previous selling transaction, invest your time to strategize how to solve people’s problems and apply proper and effective ways to handle the objections you initially failed to address. It will make you even more excited to face future transactions with confidence and conviction.
  5. Accept the fact that not everyone has a need or want for your product or service. You have to do your best not to get carried away by the momentary feeling of sadness after receiving the rejection. You also have to make sure not to take it against yourself nor the person who rejected the service or product you offer. Learn to condition yourself that in sales, being rejected does not mean that you as a person are the one being rejected. It only means that the product or service is not favorable or valuable for the customer, so the latter chose not to avail it. Having this mindset also helps you to keep a good relationship with them even after the rejection.

So, when faced with rejections, never allow yourself to stay in a slump. That is not the way to deal with it. Focus on the beneficial ways which can make you an even better salesperson. Like how there are constant challenges in your personal life that help shape you as a person, there should also be challenges in your sales career that hone you to become a champion. Always remember that rejection is part of our career in sales, but it’s not the end. You feel it, you learn from it, and you move forward.

How about you? How do you deal with the rejections of your customers or buyers? 

Continue Reading5 Ways to Handle Rejections in Sales

5 Types of Prospects and How to Handle Them

When you are in the field of sales, you have a lot to learn—being out there as a salesperson does not simply mean offering a product or service then getting compensation. In the number of years that I’ve been in the sales industry, I have not only learned a lot of knowledge and skills about selling, but I also met different types of prospects or the people I serve. Knowing the types of buyers is very helpful and essential when you want to have a successful career in this field. As for me, I find this knowledge very useful in dealing with people, objections, and other obstacles in selling. Therefore, I am sharing these details – the five types of prospective buyers.

  1. The low-price-seeker type. This type of buyer is the most logical one. This person’s decision is typically based on the price of the product or service; therefore, that is the first thing he or she will ask from you. And we all know if the price is known to them without understanding the benefits and other advantages of your product or service, they usually conclude, “it’s too much.” As a salesperson, it is always good to acknowledge the “price question” by saying and asking like this, “I understand that you want to know the investment involved. Is it fine if I share with you the details of that towards the end of our conversation? Because I believe there are other details aside from the investment that you would also want to know for your total peace of mind, like the benefits of the product, the terms and conditions, and the delivery time, correct?”
  2. The always-busy type. This is the type of buyer who usually says, “Sorry, I am busy. Just send me details, please.” You’ll most likely take a long time to complete a transaction because setting an appointment is quite tricky. We should be flexible when handling this type of prospect. You can try this approach. “I understand that you are currently busy. That’s why you want me to send you the details via email. The truth is there are so many details that can’t be relayed via email. Relaying the information in person or via call is a must. I want you to know that I am so excited to share the details with you via phone call for your total peace of mind. When are you available to talk to me, is it after your work or during the weekend?”
  3. The I-know-it-all type. As the name suggests, this type of prospect knows or claims to know everything there is to know about the product or service you are offering. When you present your product or service, it will seem like you are the one who does not know much about what you offer. How do you address this type of prospect? It is best to let the person share what they know and acknowledge their thoughts or sharings. You can say like this, “Thank you for sharing. I admire people like you who make and do more research about the product or service they are interested in, and it means to me that you are serious about owning such. With that, how can I help you to get started?”
  4. The value-seeker type. This type of buyer does not typically mind the amount of money he or she needs to shell out as long as he or she gets the value he or she wants. What matters most to this type of prospect is the long-term gain he or she will enjoy after saying yes to owning your product or service. You, as a salesperson, should know what to highlight in presenting your product or service to this type of buyer so you can give him/her total peace of mind. For example, you can say, “I understand that you’re looking for a product that offers the best possible value. Our other valued clients and I can relate to you. We all want long-term gain. I am excited for you to experience what we have for you. Would you settle this via credit card or cash?”
  5. The innocent type. This prospective client is the type who does not really know what he or she wants from the product or service. It is possible that they are interested in getting the product or service out of necessity or influence of other buyers, but not really knowing what to look for. With this type of buyer, it is essential to ask a question like, “What made you decide to visit our office? How can I help you?” From there, you would know what he or she really wants. Then provide the best possible product or service.

This information can help you to position yourself appropriately when faced with prospective clients to serve. Through this, you will not only be able to prepare the approaches you can use when dealing with them, but you will also be able to determine the best ways to serve your clients.

Do you agree that having the above knowledge can significantly help a salesperson?

Continue Reading5 Types of Prospects and How to Handle Them

My Top 5 Daily Distractions and How I Deal with Them

No matter how focused a person is on his or her daily tasks, he or she is still prone to distractions that lead to unproductivity. Distraction is especially inevitable now that we are in the age when technology and innovation are commonplace, and everyone can get easy access. 

In my daily life, as someone who works at home and without a boss, my time is my own. I do not need to report to anyone. Nobody will reprimand me if I do not do my tasks. However, I have to follow a routine and complete tasks to continuously work on my mission. Yet, given that I have freedom of my time, I tend to succumb to distractions. Here are the most common things that distract me. 

  1. Social media is not something I can avoid because it has a vital role in my business. However, a disadvantage is that I also tend to get carried away and linger in it unnecessarily. To prevent me from wasting time on it, I consciously assign a specific time to check social media for essential purposes. 
  2. Minor troubles that happen in my personal life from time to time are also one of the causes that I get distracted. Instead of focusing on the essential tasks that I have set beforehand, I usually divert my attention to the sudden challenge that also causes me stress. To get back to my focus, I ask myself whether the current challenge needs to be attended to first or if it is more important than my other tasks. I make sure to add it to my list of tasks based on their importance.
  3. Every time I scroll my social media timeline, I usually find news and controversies that, more often than not, manage to catch my attention. Because of it, I tend to read more or research more about the issue, which mostly does not even concern me or my business. To address this distraction, I make sure not to check my social media timeline before completing my routine and tasks. 
  4. When engrossed with tasks, ideas would suddenly pop into my head, such as concepts for new training programs or new projects. These ideas would usually trigger my focus to be diverted to working on them instead of completing the tasks at hand. To manage my time well, I take note of the idea and go back to it once done with my priorities. I always tell myself that such sudden ideas can wait and are not as crucial as my current activities or tasks.
  5. Conducting training sessions almost every day causes me to always think about my delivery of each presentation. I tend to repeat the training sequence in my head and think if I delivered it the right way or not. For me, it is not helpful if I spend more time overthinking. However, I made this habit into something beneficial by taking note of what didn’t work or what I can improve next time and use the information to make my subsequent training sessions better. 

Instead of indulging myself in all the distractions of my daily life, I do my best and do whatever it takes to help myself turn away from them. If we condition ourselves that we have to focus on the essential things, we can have the determination to fight such temptations. If we can’t avoid it, we have to find a way around it at the very least. 

How about you? What usually distracts you from doing your tasks? Are you able to manage it? 

 

 

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Continue ReadingMy Top 5 Daily Distractions and How I Deal with Them

If I Could Go Back to the Past

It would be hypocrisy if I’d say I wouldn’t want to change anything in the past if given the opportunity. There were actions, decisions, and occurrences in the past that made me feel regretful – that I do not deny. 

On the other hand, no matter how seemingly convenient time-turning could be, it could actually be fatal for people. Why? We, humans, learn through experience and especially from mistakes we commit. We can grow and develop our personalities and characters, which allow us to survive the ever-changing world because of all our experiences, good and bad – without exception. If we can go back in time to correct mistakes or avoid certain events from happening, we would definitely not grow. And, would life be fun that way? I don’t think so. 

It is not entirely wrong to feel regretful about the past, nor is it a sin to wish for time to be revisited. We are entitled to have such a feeling and desire. However, obsessing over that regret by constantly thinking about it is definitely not good. Instead of focusing on improvement, our minds become busy with unnecessary thoughts. We can use those incidents, though, not as material for a pity party, but for making a plan and improving ourselves. 

For instance, one of the things I regret the most is not spending more time with my grandparents. Needless to say, if I could go back in time, I would definitely give them more time, learn more from their life experience, and show them my love and care. This shortcoming made me realize that we may suddenly lose the people we love, so we must make sure to make them feel our love before it’d be too late for us to express our feelings. Through this experience, I decided to put in extra effort to be closer to my family and friends amidst my busy schedule. 

Another decision that I would have wanted to change was spending time doing meaningless things. There had been many times when I lost focus on my studies and my work. Because of those, I lost several opportunities. After regretting my actions back then, I decided to always focus on the essential things and avoid distractions so that I wouldn’t regret missing opportunities. 

Besides previous actions and decisions, I would want to turn back time to choose who I surround myself with. A lot of my mistakes in the past were caused by bad influences. If I could go back in time, I would choose to be around people who have a positive mindset to make sound decisions as well. Yet again, through this experience, I learned that I need to stay away from toxic people. 

Indeed, if I could go back in time, I would correct all of these choices and more. Indeed, I regretted making all those decisions and actions. Indeed, I could only wish. Yet, I embrace this feeling of regret because it opened my eyes to many lessons about life. Therefore, I am and will always be grateful for those past experiences. Besides, if I go back to the past and change one thing, I will not be where I am today.

How about you? If you could go back in time, what would you want to change?

Continue ReadingIf I Could Go Back to the Past

TOP 5  THINGS I DO TO GET READY TO TRAIN

Participants of our training sessions usually ask me where I get my energy, which, according to them, is seemingly inexhaustible. According to a number of them, one of the factors that surprise them is the energy that I usually can maintain even after hours of training. 

Naturally, the human body gains its energy from eating healthy, exercising regularly, and resting well. However, these are not the only factors that help me achieve the energy and readiness to face every training and coaching I conduct.  

I get my energy from my passion coupled with preparation. I do not just prepare a few hours before. I prepare days ahead, sometimes even months. As they say, effort does not betray the results. To be specific, here are the preparations I regularly do to ensure that I am wholly ready to train: 

  1. I take time to exercise every single day. Even when I have a hectic schedule, I do not give up the time to do this physical activity. Exercising is part of my routine and my energy-boosting plan. Years ago, I decided to include exercise as one of the non-negotiable activities I do every day.
  2. I never miss my morning routine. This activity, which I have shared and discussed many times in my training sessions and blogs, consists of meditating, journaling, and declaring. Ever since I started this morning plan, it has become one of the sources of my vigor. It keeps me motivated every day. 
  3. I prepare the materials I use for the training myself. When I know how each of the materials works, I feel a sense of assurance that the training flow will be smooth. With this sense of security, I can relax my mind and preserve more energy. 
  4. I always practice. I do not rely on the fact that I know the topics of my training by heart. Preparing an outline of what I would deliver and doing a run-through of it is part of my list of must-dos long before the scheduled training sessions. I still continuously practice and improve, although I have already undergone quite a lot of sessions. 
  5. I never forget to say a prayer before I start every training session. As a human being, I can feel tired or even sick at certain times and even during scheduled training sessions. When this happens, the preparations I mentioned will not suffice to make me have the strength to perform. I am only able to overcome such challenges when I pray for guidance and seek strength from God. 

Although it took me a long time to adjust to achieve the momentum I have in conducting sales training, I am still grateful. Because of all the experiences, I was able to learn more and enhance myself and my work. I was able to identify ways to make things better. 

We have to note that if we are in sales or business, to be productive and help more people solve their challenges, we must have a high level of energy plus consistent action. My mentor Blair Singer said, “When two people come together in a selling situation, whoever has the highest energy usually wins.” That’s correct. Whatever we do, we should know that we can achieve excellence through hard and smart work and enough preparation.

Continue ReadingTOP 5  THINGS I DO TO GET READY TO TRAIN

Top 5 Benefits When You Do Good in Sales

Being in the sales industry does not yield the same results for everyone. Some reap a bountiful harvest from the effort they exert, the investment they put in, and the time they invest in working in it. However, a lot more salespeople struggle in earning decently in this field. 

It is not just about the financial aspect that makes a salesperson’s life rewarding, though. When you really know what it means to be a salesperson and your roles and responsibilities, you will enjoy the benefits that come with it. Here are the top five benefits you would enjoy when you do what is proper for a salesperson.

  1. Your relationships with your valued clients turn into friendships. Meeting new people, of course, is one thing that is inevitable for a salesperson. But the best part of it is when those new people become your valued clients, and the professional relationship is cultivated to become a closer one – friendship. In essence, you will also get the chance to learn from your valued clients.
  2. Your sales and communication skills improve. Being able to communicate with people with different personalities and characteristics all the time can make a salesperson very skilled in speaking, listening and asking. In addition, after dealing with different kinds of prospective clients and their objections, you become more and more knowledgeable and experienced in turning those objections around. 
  3. Your networks and referrals grow. When you as a salesperson do what is right in this industry, you will not need to look for new clients. The valued clients you serve well and maintain a great relationship with will help you find new clients. In essence, your clients are helping you share your mission with the people they know or love. That’s a great way to grow your network.
  4. Your personality develops positively. Working as a salesperson properly will help you develop self-discipline, total commitment, positive attitude, and unstoppable passion that you can apply in your life. Cultivating these qualities can make you have an excellent reputation not only as a salesperson but also as a human being. With that, you will be the preferred choice in your industry.
  5. Your income increases without pressure. If you focus on your mission of helping people achieve what they want or solve other people’s problems, you will surely succeed in sales. In other words, an increase in income will follow naturally. But suppose you focus on making money and not on the roles and responsibilities of a salesperson. In that case, the tendency is you will find it even more difficult to obtain financial stability in the field. 

It isn’t sincere to say that we should not use money to be in the sales industry because, after all, humans work to earn a living. However, money should not only be the focus of everything. We are not only here to survive and serve our own needs. We are given individual abilities that allow us to be in specific fields to fulfill roles that will also benefit other people. Therefore if you have the skills fit to be a salesperson, your purpose is to serve others while also fulfilling your own needs as a person. 

Do you agree with this? Feel free to put your comments below.

Continue ReadingTop 5 Benefits When You Do Good in Sales

5 Simple Things You Must Do to Stay Healthy

Among all aspects of a person’s life, I believe that health should be given the most importance. Paying attention to our health does not necessarily involve complicated and expensive actions like regularly going to the doctor for a checkup. What we can do to help ourselves have good health involves simple steps that we can definitely fulfill on our own. These steps can even be considered as prevention from contracting a disease rather than cure.  

  1. Drink lots of water every day. Who doesn’t know that every human being and other creatures need water to survive? It is not something that should be included in trivia. However, do all of us know why we should be religious in drinking water daily? Its function is more than just to quench thirst. It helps in making our brains and other body parts function correctly. Have you noticed what happens to your body when dehydrated? Right, we cannot function properly. Besides that, water also helps the body clean itself of waste inside. 
  2. Eat healthy meals on time. The food we consume matters a lot. We do not only eat to satisfy our hunger. We eat to give our body the proper nutrition to function correctly, so we need to give our body the right food to provide us with those nutrients. Consuming healthy food is not enough, though. We should also maintain a proper eating schedule to make sure that our digestive system works properly. 
  3. Exercise regularly. Exercise helps us not only in strengthening our muscles but also in burning calories. Through exercise, we help our body get rid of fats and reduce the risks of heart-related diseases. In addition, it can also help our body in taking out the toxins from within through perspiration. 
  4. Have a healthy sleeping habit. Why is sleep important? Sleep is essential naturally because it’s the opportunity for our body to rest. During sleep, our body repairs itself and recovers from weariness. If we do not allow the body to have adequate sleep, we wear it down quickly, and it becomes more susceptible to diseases because it becomes weak. 
  5. Feed your mind with positive things. Positive thinking is critical if we want to protect our health. Why? Because thinking of the opposite will only give us stress and worry. When we are stressed or worried, our brain refuses to function correctly, affecting all the other parts of our body. 

At times like this, it is much more necessary for us to be cautious in maintaining our health to ensure that our immune system is at its peak. All the ways mentioned above may seem very normal, but all these significantly impact our body’s health. We need to be reminded of these from time to time because we also tend to neglect them. Are there other tips that we can add to this list? 

 

 

(Photo by Pixabay from Pexels)

Continue Reading5 Simple Things You Must Do to Stay Healthy

To Plan or Not to Plan

Should we plan for our future or not? Many people say that it is not good to plan life because it is unpredictable – there might be no more tomorrow. So, they believe that it isn’t wise. Why not just go through it every day without thinking about anything else that has not happened yet? 

I once had a close friend who was way too relaxed about his life. He usually skips school and not for important reasons at all – he prioritized comfort over his studies. As a friend, I advised him to take his education seriously for his future. His response surprised me and got me pondering, too. He said that his hard work would not mean anything if he suddenly died the next day since we cannot foretell future happenings. That statement really affected me, and I thought of relaxing more and not working harder for the future. The good thing is I realized later on that, like how we cannot predict if we’d die the next day, we also cannot expect that our life might still be very long. 

Throughout the years, I realized through firsthand experience and adult influence that humans exist for a purpose. Each one has the purpose of fulfilling their role in the world. This purpose, of course, cannot be fulfilled without effort. That is why we should plan, and here are the reasons why we should plan and not just leave everything be:

  1. Planning allows us to live life to the fullest because there will be less wasted time. 
  2. Planning guides us to hit our target destination in life or our purpose. 
  3. Planning allows us to achieve our goals because we identify and follow the steps that would lead us to achieve those goals.
  4. Planning helps us to be grateful because it helps us to see our achievements.  
  5. Planning provides clarity and gives us peace of mind.

I do not think we are given life just to survive. The proof is, there are consequences to each action we take, and we feel different emotions when we experience those emotions. We are here to achieve our purpose for us to feel the ultimate fulfillment. Thus, we need to find ways and plan how to fulfill our purpose in life regardless of the uncertainty. If we die tomorrow, at least we will not regret not doing anything to make life worthwhile. 

Do you agree with me on this? 

 

 

 

~Photo by airfocus on Unsplash

Continue ReadingTo Plan or Not to Plan

Ways to Having Healthy Working Relationships

What kind of person wants to work in a toxic environment? Of course, there is no one. I believe that everyone wants to be part of a workforce that is full of positivity. Yes, it is impossible for problems not to arise in the team. However, there are ways that the impact will be lessened. The most important way is to maintain healthy working relationships. 

Now, we know that people have different personalities, characteristics, beliefs, and values. But, there are ways that each person that is part of a team or organization can do to compromise. Here are the ways to do so:

  1. Respect everyone’s privacy. More often than not, people who work together get very close and familiar with each other, especially when they start to share experiences. While this is not a bad thing, we should never forget to put a boundary. If one party is not willing to share something, we should never force them. 
  2. Avoid any forms of gossip. Cheap talk does not only lead to a waste of time, but it also leads to cracks in relationships. It is a hindrance to creating a harmonious working relationship.
  3. Be a good team player and do your tasks well. Each team member has different roles and responsibilities, yes, but cooperation is needed for the common goal to be achieved. We should always make sure that we are not weighing down the group’s productivity by missing to perform our tasks or refusing to work with others. 
  4. Accept constructive criticisms gracefully. Being able to handle and use feedback is essential not only in improving ourselves and our performance. It is also vital in creating a harmonious and cooperative atmosphere in the workplace.
  5. Communicate your concerns politely. Misunderstanding often occurs when a message is not conveyed the right way. Even when reprimanding someone, the possibility of the other party being offended is less if the message is conveyed nicely or politely. In this way, negative emotions will not get easily triggered.
  6. Follow the rules of the team. Conflicts typically arise when members of a team do not conform to regulations that are in place. Who would be happy when you are religiously following the rules to avoid trouble or problem in the team only to see others not complying at all? 
  7. Maintain a positive attitude in every situation. Being faced with loads of work every day makes people stressed, whether they choose to feel it or not. However, allowing stress to affect your mood and attitude will not only affect you, but it will also affect the people you work with. Therefore, we should always try to lighten our mood to make the environment conducive for working productively.
  8. Be willing to help and support your teammates. Working in a team means helping one another. A team has a common goal. When one member cannot fulfill his or her tasks well, don’t you think you wouldn’t be affected? Helping and supporting a teammate will lead to a great working environment and lead to more productivity. 
  9. Avoid laying blames when a task goes wrong. Mistakes or failures are expected. Committing one can happen to anyone. We should bear this in mind when working with others. Instead of blaming others when something goes wrong, we might as well work together to solve the problem. 
  10. Appreciate everyone’s efforts and contributions. Acknowledging good work creates motivation. When people work hard – especially when they get great results – they become more motivated and inspired to do better when appreciated. This can make them work harder, and they will also become happier to work with and for the team.

Indeed, some things are out of our control, yet we control how we react to those uncontrollable circumstances. It may take us a lot of effort, but we should learn to compromise to have a great relationship with the people around us, whether at home or work. 

Do you think these pieces of advice are helpful?

 

 

 

(Photo by fauxels from Pexels)

Continue ReadingWays to Having Healthy Working Relationships

6 Things We Should Learn from Children

During our childhood years, we were conditioned to act and think like adults. We did not realize that we should not lose some of our childlike nature because those are important when we go through our adult years. We tend to get rid of all those thinking that those will hinder us from being mature and responsible adults through the years. 

I believe that for us to get through life, we need to learn or relearn the following things that are inherent in children:

  1. Never be afraid to ask questions. One way that a child fills his or her mind is by satisfying his or her curiosity by asking questions. This supposed helpful act usually disappears when the child goes to school and subconsciously learns (a mistake) that asking questions means one is stupid. Afraid of being judged for not knowing anything, we now tend to keep quiet even rather than ask questions. How can we grow if we pretend to know all? We should never be afraid to ask questions like a curious child. 
  2. Get excited always. As we grow older, we become more and more reserved with our emotions. We lack enthusiasm even about huge things. We must be excited like a child over a new career, a new project, or other achievements. Remember, excitement and motivation give us the driving force and play a significant role in achieving our dreams.
  3. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Initially, children do whatever they want out of curiosity since they do not know the consequences. Yet, when they feel the result after doing the act, they learn to do or not to do it again. Adults should also be like that – never afraid of taking risks to learn. The more mistakes we encounter, the more lessons we learn. And the more lessons we learn, the more we improve ourselves.
  4. Find happiness in the minor things you do. Have you noticed how a child can be ecstatic when given candy or when seeing something for the first time? On the contrary, adults rarely even show happiness when obtaining small or significant achievements. As we grow older, we become harder to please. It is a choice. If we are grateful, we should be able to be happy even with the smallest thing. That is a secret to happiness. 
  5. Ask for help when you need it. Just like how unhesitant they are to ask questions, children also tend never to hesitate to ask for help from others when they need it. Adults should also continue to have this will because nobody is perfect and can do everything. We need help. We need each other. To achieve what we want, we must seek help or guidance, particularly from people who have experienced unbelievable challenges and breakthroughs after breakthroughs.
  6. Dream big and be fearless. Do you still remember what your dream was when you were still a child? I believe most of us had such big dreams, and we’re not afraid of not fulfilling them. However, as we grew older, we became cynical due to the different factors and struggles we experienced, resulting in our dreams diminishing. This act of giving up led us to take minimal effort because we changed to dreams that we think are more achievable. This should not be the case. Let us continue to dream big because only then will we dare to take big actions. 

Indeed growing is a must. However, we need to remain childlike to enjoy the wonders of life. While we continue to grow and acquire new knowledge, skills, and experiences, we should not forget to retain our childlikeness. Do you agree? 

What else do you think we can learn from children? 

Continue Reading6 Things We Should Learn from Children

35 Life and Career Quotes I Live By

A while back, I attended a training wherein the trainer shared how he keeps a notebook with him all the time to write down inspirational adages he sees or quotes he comes up with based on his experiences. I realized then that doing so does make sense and may come in handy in the future. We should not discount the wisdom that comes with quotes that people develop because it is the product of their every experience. This kind of wisdom can help in motivating ourselves and other people as well.

Recently, I turned 35 years old, and in those years, I have learned a lot about life as a whole. Since it is my mission to inspire other people to live life to the fullest and achieve great results in whatever they do, I am sharing 35 quotes of mine. These quotes are from all the different experiences I have had in this life so far, whether it be in my career or personal life. 

  1. “Passion gives you energy. Discipline gets you there. Attitude brings you to the next level.”
  2.  “The moment we compare ourselves with other people and focus on what we do not have is the moment we allow ourselves to feel unhappy.
  3.  “When you’re facing problems in life, learn to humble yourself and ask for help or support. Remember, your pride and ego will only trap you with your problems.”
  4.  “Taking small steps every single day is always better than just thinking of doing it.”
  5.  “Stay strong amid adversity. You never know who you are inspiring to see the light in their dark moments.”
  6.  “Whatever product or service you offer, always put your heart into it and do it with high energy.”
  7.  “If you want to elevate your results in life, always invest in yourself and take massive actions. Follow this pattern for your growth.”
  8.  “There’s no such thing as bad salespeople. They are just untrained salespeople who need to be trained.”
  9.  “If you keep on receiving the ‘price is too much objection, it is a reflection of your belief about your product. In other words, you believe that your product is expensive. Change your belief.”
  10.  “If you’re not serious about investing in yourself, you’re not serious about elevating your results.”
  11.  “Always remember and give credit to the people who helped you, supported your journey, and stayed with you from the beginning.”
  12.  “Every goal you want to achieve in life requires a different version of yourself.”
  13.  “You have to change your perspective to see that every opportunity, big or small, is a blessing. “
  14.  “When people pull you down, ignore them. When people pull you up, thank them. Know where to invest your time and feelings.”
  15.  “Don’t complain about your results. Your results come from your habits, decisions, and actions.”
  16.  “You are not in the business of giving information and hoping people to buy. You are in the business of asking questions and leading people to take action.”
  17.  “If we work without a mission, we can’t achieve what we want to achieve. But when we work with a mission, not only can we achieve what we want to achieve, but we can also celebrate wins and be grateful for them.”
  18.  “Faith requires trust. Trust requires actions.”
  19.  “There is no such thing as the perfect life. Yet, one can still be genuinely happy by living a fulfilling life.”
  20.  “Always think, speak and act positively in negative situations.”
  21.  “Closed deals and referrals are proof that clients are happy, satisfied, and they feel that you care for them.”
  22.  “Learn new things, not gossip. Take actions, not judgments. Make results, not promises. Enjoy success, not dramas.”
  23.  “Acknowledge promises, not efforts. Appreciate efforts, not promises. Reward results, not promises nor effort.”
  24.  “Self-discipline means taking away all the excuses and doing what you should do whatever it takes.”
  25.  “Don’t just pray for success. Be intentional about achieving it.”
  26.  “When your heart is in the right place, other people’s opinions about you won’t matter.”
  27.  “Never allow yourself to be stuck in the past, nor worry about the future. Instead, live your life today with faith, love, and kindness for tomorrow may never come.”
  28.  “No matter how good you are to others, there are people who think otherwise. Never let that change you. Just continue to be good and love others as God loves you.”
  29.  “In any relationship, not honoring a commitment is a sign of disrespect.”
  30.  “Time is too precious to waste on proving yourself to others.”
  31.  “Wealth, fame, and power can never equal the joy that comes from serving others.”
  32.  “You can be the instrument for others to see God’s goodness.”
  33.  “If you are passionate about what you do, you are unstoppable.”
  34.  “Being content doesn’t mean that we stop growing and hoping. It simply means that we’re happy and grateful for every blessing.”
  35.  “The best way to feel rich, happy, and abundant is to count all the gifts, blessings, and opportunities you have that money can’t buy.”

While it is true that each one of us has a different journey from one another, we cannot deny the fact that we can also learn from each other’s experiences. My intention for sharing these quotes is to remind people of how wonderful life is. With all its highs and lows, life can be a beautiful journey if we choose it. 

Which one of these quotes can you relate to? Comment your answer below.

Continue Reading35 Life and Career Quotes I Live By

The Basics of Growing Your Sales Career

“You are the best person who can help yourself best.” This is one of the statements I keep repeating to myself since I was a teenage boy laden with difficult life situations until now that I am working on my life mission.

Whether you are struggling with an inner battle with yourself or experiencing difficulties caused by outside forces, the decision to allow such challenges to bring you down is with you. This mindset helped me in all aspects of life, most significantly in my career as a salesperson.

When I struggled to obtain the required sales results in the past, I helped myself move forward and be better by first deciding to do whatever it takes to improve my character and skills. I learned and kept learning throughout the years because I chose to and accepted the different lessons that can help me. Here are the most significant pieces of knowledge that I decided to follow and, in turn, helped me be better in my chosen career:

  1. Find your one thing and put your 100% energy into it. So many of us have tried saying yes to a lot of things and opportunities. We believe that if we have more things to do, the better. That is why we keep on adding tasks as we go along. We should learn to subtract something from our plates and focus on one thing at a time. Going small in what we do and putting our energy into it will help us achieve what we want. If we direct our energy and time to many things simultaneously, we only get minimal results. Learn to say no to be busy and say yes to be productive.
  2. Focus on your mission, not on the commission. It is sad to say that many salespeople enter the world of sales solely for the commission. Their actions make people feel that they intend to gain money and not fulfill their supposed purpose as company representatives. This type of salesperson usually can’t connect with the buyers because the heart is not in the right place. Inadvertently, buyers are left to feel that the transaction is favorable to the salesperson but not to them. As I always say, selling is a transfer of feelings or beliefs. Focus on your mission, and commission will follow naturally.
  3. Have strong self-discipline every single day. A lot of salespeople don’t achieve what they want. Not because they are not able, but because they don’t have self-discipline. For example, we should not only be working hard when the deadline is close or when somebody is watching us. Instead, we should be working regularly and productively to achieve our goals consistently – every single day. It does not mean that you cannot relax. It only means that you should use your time wisely, set a daily goal, and do whatever it takes to accomplish it. Remember, your self-discipline plays a significant role in your success.
  4. Build harmonious relationships with your valued clients. We should not only be friendly when we are still convincing them to buy or avail of our product or service then become cold when they finally do. Our clients buy because they trust that we will help them when they encounter difficulties with the product or service. Leaving clients to figure out things about the product or service on their own or waiting for them to contact us for whatever they need will make us unreliable, untrustworthy, and not an expert. Communicate with them regularly.
  5. Keep learning new things and improving yourself. Whatever information we know now may still be true but no longer applicable tomorrow. The skills that we use now may no longer be practical the next day. If you are still having a hard time selling your product or service using your old strategies, try to learn something new and make it work for you. We need to keep updating ourselves with further information and skills and engage ourselves in training to upscale our knowledge and skills. Learning and improving ourselves must never stop.

You may accept all these pieces of advice or not. The decision is yours. No matter how much knowledge and skills we learn from other people, it will be up to us to accept those or not at the end of the day. But, I got life-changing results when I applied the above learning in my life. I hope that it will help you, too. Will you allow me to help you through these recommendations?

Continue ReadingThe Basics of Growing Your Sales Career

8 Life Lessons I Find Most Valuable

I have always heard people say that life is hard. For me, life is easy, but living is hard. There are different reasons as to why I say that life and living are such. From childhood until now, I have encountered varying difficult situations that I deem very challenging and disheartening. 

These circumstances, however, helped me to transform into a stronger person. I overcame each difficulty by allowing the lessons that the different people of my life taught me to guide me. Throughout my life, I have acquired great opportunities of learning from these people. Here are the top eight lessons I value that led me to live my life the way I do now:

  1. Always do your best in everything you do.  If you perform each task at 100% level and consider every single day as your last day here on earth, no matter what you do, you can guarantee that you’re doing things excellently. Even when you fail, you will feel less disappointed because you know that you have done your very best. There will be no regrets or what-ifs at the end of the day. 
  2. Never forget the people who influenced and helped you to be where you are in life. You can only indeed be happy with your achievements when you give credits to the people who aided you in reaching your goals. There’s no such thing as self-made success. We succeed because of the help of other people.
  3. Give and help without hesitation. Giving will not make you have less; instead, it will fill your heart with a sense of fulfillment and happiness. No matter what ideas, things, support, care, time, or how much or how little you can give, you always have the power to touch the lives of other people, and you can influence them in ways possible.
  4. You can’t please everyone. Whatever good things you do, there are always people who don’t agree or appreciate your ideas, opinions, or efforts. Therefore, avoid getting affected by negative comments or criticisms about you, and focus your energy on people who love to support you.
  5. Do not be ashamed of having weaknesses. No human being is perfect. Instead of sulking about it, embrace it and focus on turning that weakness into a strength. Use it as your testimony someday to inspire people.
  6. Self-discipline is a must. Without discipline, you will acquire nothing you dream of achieving. The knowledge and skills you have can only be put to good use when you have the self-discipline to use them consistently.
  7. Be responsible for your life. Instead of blaming people or circumstances for your misfortune, work on alleviating yourself from the difficulty you are experiencing. Remember, your results come from your own decisions and actions.
  8. Always be a learner and an action taker. We all know that life is a never-ending process. The more you learn, the more you realize that there are so many things you do not know. Therefore, the more you learn, the more you will grow. When you learn, make sure to apply the lessons and maximize them to fulfill your mission here on earth.

Living by these lessons, I experience a lesser surge of negative emotions. I can appreciate the beauty of life and the different experiences in it. Life is not perfect, but you can make it an incredible journey. Embrace and apply the lessons that life wants to teach you.

What lessons do you value in your life? Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

Continue Reading8 Life Lessons I Find Most Valuable

5 Things to Do to Ensure an Effective Online Training

Before the pandemic, I was never really keen on conducting training online though I believe that learning could occur through any medium. However, I have to accept the inevitable and pivot in that direction to avoid getting stuck, waiting for things to go back to normal. 

Was the transition easy? Definitely not. Change, especially sudden and radical, is never a piece of cake. The transition from in-person to online training required a lot of courage, patience, and commitment. It is not easy but successfully doing it is not impossible.

For those who wish to conduct online training, seminar, coaching, or meeting, you should put the following things into consideration to ensure achieving the goals of the activity:

  1. The medium (Zoom, Streamyard, Google Meet, etc.) and materials (virtual whiteboard, flip chart, virtual background, etc.) to be used should be secured, checked, and tested before the event. It would be unfortunate to discover that your Zoom application subscription, for example, can only accommodate 100 participants while your 500 participants are already in the waiting room waiting to be accepted. 
  2. There should be a thorough preparation of the content and delivery. Although you cannot avoid mistakes, you can lessen the frequency if you are well-versed about the topic and you practice the delivery. Equip yourself with related information that the participants may ask during the event. 
  3. Having reliable assistance from other people makes a lot of difference. As a host or trainer, you cannot possibly do all the small tasks successfully (e.g., accepting late participants, sending messages to participants) while the event is ongoing; you would be highly needing a teammate or teammates. The team can also help address participants’ concerns, especially if the host or trainer’s focus is on the main task.  
  4. Energy is a must. Getting the full attention of an audience is much more challenging in the online setup because of many factors, including distractions. The audience will most likely feel bored if the delivery is not energetic or enthusiastic. It is a transfer of emotion, so if you want to inspire your participants to participate, you have to give them 100% energy.
  5. Interaction should be encouraged. Many say that what people hear, they quickly forget. Yet, when they are actively involved with the activity, they will most likely understand and learn. Thus, it is vital to encourage the participants to participate in drills, share their thoughts or ideas, and ask questions. 

It is essential to focus on these factors to ensure successful online training, seminar, coaching, or meeting. Although it took my team and me several tries before we made our online training smooth-flowing and effective, identifying these factors made those challenging times all worth it. 

Do you think these can help presenters, trainers, salespeople, and teachers alike?

Continue Reading5 Things to Do to Ensure an Effective Online Training

4 Things To Consider Before Joining Any Training Courses

What do you usually expect when attending training courses or seminars? Do you expect to learn something or improve your skills? Or do you attend for the sake of obtaining a certification?

I am not discounting the benefit of obtaining a certificate because it has various purposes – mostly to the career growth of the person who obtained it. However, there are times when the participant neglects the main purpose of the training course or seminar. The main purpose is to educate or provide further learning and skills. I have encountered many professionals who just join a training course or workshop because it is mandatory or can give them additional credentials.  

More than the benefit of obtaining a certification, our end goal when attending training or seminar should be learning and improving our skills. After all, such programs are created to help people grow. 

Besides viewing training courses and seminars as tools that can help us improve or acquire new knowledge and skills than just a means to obtain a certification, we should also know how to make the most out of it. To use it fully to our advantage, we should consider the following before joining any training course: 

  1. Make sure you do not have the I-already-know-that syndrome. One of the reasons why some people do not take training programs or seminars seriously is that they think that they already know about the topics covered in those events. However, hearing or encountering such concepts or information in the past is not enough, especially if you have not applied those to make yourself and your work better. For example, knowing the information that exercising daily is best for your body does not lead you to have a healthy body unless you do it. Having this kind of mindset hinders you from getting the most out of a learning opportunity. My advice is to have an open mind, empty your cup, and develop a growth mindset before joining a training course. 
  2. Identify your challenges in your business, career, or life. Seminar hopping for me is really not advisable, especially if you are investing money in it. Ensure that you know what you need or what you want to improve on before investing time and resources into it. Therefore, before attending any training course or seminar, assess yourself and identify your current challenges or the areas you need to improve.
  3. Know the topics or lessons you will learn. After identifying your challenges or the areas you want improvement on, choose the training courses that will help you meet those needs by identifying the training topic. Take time to do enough research about the training program and ask questions for more clarifications for your peace of mind. 
  4. Make sure you are trainable/coachable. You have to know that a trainer or teacher can only provide you with the necessary knowledge needed to improve your skills. If there is no willingness on your part to learn, there will be no change no matter how hard the trainer or coach tries. Be ready to learn, relearn, unlearn, and be pushed. Learn to trust the process. 

Being a trainer for a few years now, I have met many people who have a misplaced view of training courses or seminars. I put this out there in the hopes of helping others to have a changed mindset. Use training courses or seminars as a tool to grow wholly.

Continue Reading4 Things To Consider Before Joining Any Training Courses

How I Found a Path to My Future in a Bookstore

          I have always been vocal about how grateful I am to the people who served as the bridge for me to be on this mission I have now. These people include the Laurus Enterprises team, who brought some of the world’s greatest inspiring individuals, motivational speakers, and professional trainers here in the country. From attending the National Achievers’ Congress that they organized to being one of the speakers of their recently concluded TakeOff Summit 2021, I can say that they have been a significant part of my journey. To say that I might have been on a different path now if I hadn’t known them is something I would not discount because it’s a possibility. For this reason, I am forever thankful that I followed the urge to visit the National Bookstore one fateful afternoon years ago. 

          When I was still working as a salesperson, I barely had time for other things because I was always busy entertaining inquiries, talking with clients, or conducting orientations. I barely even give myself time to breathe. Yet, one fine afternoon, I suddenly felt the desire to visit the bookstore across our office to buy some books. While I waited for my turn at the cashier counter, I saw this poster about the National Achievers’ Congress that would be held in Manila.  It included who the speakers were, and I saw that many inspiring speakers would be there. I got excited because I had always wanted to witness those speakers give a talk in person, so I took note of the details on how to register. A day after, I successfully registered.

          Through that event, I learned about the Millionaire Mind Intensive. MMI then led me to Quantum Leap, and the rest is history. I did not keep it a secret that these training events transformed my life for the better.  If I did not follow that urge to go to the bookstore that day, I would not have known about that event which led me to the other life-changing programs that the event organizer brought in the country. Then I wouldn’t be where I am now. I wouldn’t have realized that my mission is to help other people become champions in sales. 

2 Lessons I got from this experience:

  1. We should not take any moment for granted. Any little moment can lead to a big one. Everything happens for a reason indeed. When you feel an urge, do not ignore it. You feel that push because there is a reason. Believe in a force that is working to help you fulfill your destiny or purpose in life.  
  2. More importantly, be never afraid to take risks. You may feel that the situation you have back then is more comfortable than your current one, keep going still. Do not abandon your path right away if it gets more and more challenging. One thing can lead to another. Enjoy the process. See each step through. 

          Go with where life takes you. Trust God that He will guide you to where He wants you to be. Do not ignore signs or symbols no matter how small or simple they may be, and do not forget how you started and the people who helped you achieve what you want. 

 

 

(Photo by Stanislav Kondratiev from Pexels)

Continue ReadingHow I Found a Path to My Future in a Bookstore

5 Steps to Improve Your Selling Skills

         Many people, especially those who are my clients, usually ask me how to improve in the field of sales continuously. I have five significant pieces of advice, which worked for me since I was still starting in the sales industry until now, for those who ask me such a question. 

         The first is to attend training on sales. Different skills need to be learned and developed when you are a salesperson. So even if you are already an expert on your product, it would not be enough. Do not rely on the free training that your own company conducts regularly. Instead, take every opportunity to learn and relearn. However, do not limit yourself to learning from your usual source. You also need to learn from different mentors, especially if your current learning or strategy is no longer effective. Always remember that everything is changing, so is information. 

         The second is to implement the lessons learned from training right away. If you keep on attending different sales training sessions or programs but do not apply the learning right away, what is the use? You are just wasting your time and resources, not to mention the opportunities lost. When you expect great results from investing time and resources for sales training, remember that you are accountable for making those learning work. Your learning is like bullets – it cannot cause harm if it’s just lying around idly, yet deadly when used with a gun. 

         The third is to practice every single day. Since, as they say, we are creatures of habit, we must practice any new skills we learn regularly. More importantly, practice will make you get used to using a new skill and help you master it. One of the best ways to make sure you get to practice daily and master it is to do role-play with your colleagues, friends, or family members. Make sure also to use as many lessons learned from training in your day-to-day client interaction.  

         The fourth one is to build your self-discipline. If not all, most salespeople find it difficult to stick to a productive routine because they find it difficult or challenging. This challenge then leads to them neglecting whatever new knowledge or skills they got and fall back to doing what they are comfortable with, even if it is not working anymore. Being consistent in producing excellent results in sales entails commitment – commitment to keep moving and improving. Teach yourself never to give up when faced with challenges and never get distracted by other fleeting things. 

         The last one is to work with your mentor. I will never get tired of repeating this advice to whoever needs it. We all need people who understand how the sales industry works to guide us. We need experts to teach us how to become effective salesperson, and how to serve clients better. We don’t have all the information that answers all the questions about such. But, there are people who have the expertise in each of these aspects. We need them to help us. We need them to teach us. We need them to guide us. We need to work with them. We need to be pushed by them and be able to witness our true potential in the field of adding value, solving people’s problems, and helping them get what they want.

         If all these pieces of advice are followed consistently and religiously, I can guarantee that you will be a great salesperson and a champion in your industry. If you want to see an improvement in yourself as a salesperson, are you ready to take on this challenge? 

Continue Reading5 Steps to Improve Your Selling Skills

3 Pillars of a Successful Salesperson

Selling, just like most skills, is learnable. There are books, seminars, and training that one can engage in to acquire knowledge and hone it. However, these materials or means do not suffice for someone to be successful in sales. One must first possess some things before getting into it, and even develop to stay there.  

In my years of sales experience, I have truly learned a lot about the art and skills of selling from colleagues, leaders, mentors, and even renowned international trainers. While continuing the journey to growth in this field, however, I needed (and still need) the following for me to have a direction, stay on track, and fulfill my vision:

  1. Unstoppable Passion. Passion fuels us to be persistent amidst all the challenges we encounter in our work line. Without passion, we will more likely give up easily. It gives us energy. Passion typically serves as the compass of some to go in a specific direction. Some discover it early, but a lot of people find it a bit later.  
  2. Firm Self-discipline. Human as we are, we are prone to distractions. This fact is the reason that we need to develop firm self-discipline. We can overcome distractions when we know how to control ourselves from getting lost in those. With self-discipline, we can go back on track when we become unbalanced for a moment. Successful people, who consistently achieve success in what they do, definitely did not just happen on their accomplishments. They paved their way towards each success by painstakingly following what needs they need to do.  
  3. Positive Attitude. In school, we learned that before our body can carry out any action, we think of them first. That is why when you think you can’t do something, it becomes a reality. In short, you sabotage yourself every time you think negatively. In selling, there are no amount of training and sales techniques that can help us sell if in our mind we are already doubtful. We always have to maintain a positive attitude. 

Being successful in sales requires all these and continuous learning because we can only become the best in what we do when we are at our best self – heart, mind, and soul. When we think about it, this also applies to any field of specialization. Whatever career path or whatever our calling is, we need to help ourselves grow in it, continuously burn with passion, maintain self-discipline, and muster positive attitudes. When we have all these, we find fulfillment in what we do because we know we are doing the best we can. Not even money can give us such. Don’t you agree?

Continue Reading3 Pillars of a Successful Salesperson

4 Questions to Ask a Prospective Business Partner

Have you seen the news about people getting scammed by their so-called business partners? I have heard a lot about this case in the past years, which disheartened me. Seeing others getting cheated and losing their life savings because of it, I somehow become skeptical. However, as I continue to grow in my personal and professional life, I learned that I could prevent such from happening. It really pays when you continue to learn and equip yourself. 

Before starting a business partnership or a joint venture, all parties involved should be on the same page to avoid future conflicts. Besides the financial aspect, there are other essential things to be considered.

For me, it is vital to find out your prospective partner’s goals or mission first. Check if your mission or goals are the same or similar to that of your prospective partner. Not knowing about each other’s goals may lead to a conflict of interest and dissatisfaction. It is also essential to understand why that person is doing it – is it for personal gain, or is it for service? If your mission is to serve others, it would be best to work with people who have the same heart. 

It is also equally important to check the values and ethics of the person if it is similar to yours. Regardless of the kind of business you are in, you should do it to make other people happy or make their lives better. Thus, it would be best if you were doing business conscientiously. If you are to venture into such with another party involved, it only fits to check if they value integrity over income the most. Not securing this aspect before diving into the partnership will possibly compromise your business or your morality in the future. 

So here are the questions you should ask your prospective partner before deciding to collaborate or partner up:

  1. Why do you want to partner with me?
  2. What is your goal?
  3. What is your mission in life?
  4. What is your definition of success?

Their answers to these questions will give you an idea of the other parties’ priorities, preferences, and values. 

Even people who belong in the same family or group of friends have different goals and values, so we should not use kinship or affinity as bases when venturing into something crucial, such as business, with someone. In fact, if that partnership does not work because of the differences you have, it will ruin both your business and your relationship with each other. Therefore, we have to be practical and decide wisely. 

Do you agree with this?

 

 

(Photo by Savvas Stavrinos from Pexels)

Continue Reading4 Questions to Ask a Prospective Business Partner

6 Morning Habits That Help My Productivity

I am the kind of person who loves systems. I do not just go with whatever goes my way in my day. Although I accept the fact that nothing is certain in life, I still love to organize. That is why establishing a routine comes easy for me. 

I also believe that success is not accidental. One needs to have a lot of self-discipline to reach their goals in life. Self-discipline includes developing healthy and effective habits and getting rid of bad ones. 

When I started in sales many years ago, I had many unhealthy habits, such as checking my phone when I wake up in the morning. Although my intention for doing so was work-related, I realized that it was not a good practice. Instead of having a fresh mind in the morning, I immediately became bombarded with work-related information and worries. My day would often turn out to be very stressful and a bit unproductive. 

A change took place in this aspect of my life, just like other significant aspects of my life, when I started to attend personal and professional development training and seminars. All of my trainers and mentors recommended a change in habits and routines for growth and development to be possible. I definitely took all of those teachings by heart. I do the following routine that is inspired by the book of Hal Elrod, The Miracle Morning. 

  1. When I wake up, the first thing I do is to stay still while either lying down or sitting on my bed. I usually spend 10 to 20 minutes in that position while talking to God quietly, and taking in the fact that I am awake on a new day. Whatever I feel physically or emotionally at that moment, I always talk to God about it rather than complain and sulk.  
  2. When my senses are finally fully awakened, I start to visualize my day – what I plan to do and what I want to accomplish. I do it by writing down the goals I have for that day. When I do this, I always feel motivated to act because I have a clear direction regarding what I need to do. 
  3. After visualizing my day, I write a journal containing all the things I am grateful for on that day. This habit helps me maintain a positive outlook on life every day because it reminds me of all my blessings in life. 
  4. After writing my gratitude list, I declare what I want to be and have – good health, a positive mind, a grateful heart, and more. This act is not just a mental declaration. I declare everything verbally and repeatedly. 
  5. To inspire me even more, I allocate 10 to 15 minutes to read books that help my spiritual, personal, or professional growth. I find this particular habit very handy, especially when I need an idea or information about a project. Sometimes, I would even stumble on words of wisdom that I never thought I would need but eventually do.  
  6. After priming my inner self, I then proceed to exercise. This activity completes the perfect morning routine for me because my body becomes energized after. It becomes ready to take on the challenges for the day. 

These habits thus far are the most effective ones in helping me in being productive every single day. I am not saying that these are perfect for everyone because we are all different from each other, but these are worth a try. 

How about you? What are your morning habits? Are those helping in your productivity? 

Continue Reading6 Morning Habits That Help My Productivity

4 Mentalities That Hinder Learning

We have numerous sayings about learning being a lifelong process. It is a notion that possibly no one disagrees with because it is evidently true. However, even the people who claim to believe in this statement have a challenge in following it. For instance, have you encountered people who are fond of joining seminars, courses, or training events for either personal development or professional development yet do not display significant improvement afterward? 

While not all of the contents of such courses or training events may be useful, for sure, there are nuggets of wisdom that one can get from those as they are designed for that purpose in the first place. No matter how many training and courses we attend, we cannot use those if we do not rid ourselves of the hindrances to learning. What are these hindrances? The barriers that keep us from learning include the following mentalities that we possibly have:

  1. “I am intelligent.” This statement is the same as the infamous I-know-that line. When a person is heavily confident that he knows a lot of knowledge and is defined as academically intelligent, that person will most likely have difficulty learning more. When one has this confidence that he knows a lot or everything, he unconsciously refuses to accept the knowledge that is different from what he was initially taught.  
  2. “I am better than you.” Although humans being imperfect is generally accepted to be accurate, people still tend to expect teachers or mentors to be perfect. As a result, the valuable lessons are overlooked when one observes a weakness in the teacher or mentor. We hinder ourselves from learning when we see or observe that the one teaching us has flaws that we think make them unreliable, especially if we are strong in that area. 
  3. “I already achieved success.” Many people tend to rest on their laurels or stop improving themselves once they achieve a win. This mentality hinders one from learning because complacency takes over. If one is complacent, learning is never a priority. 
  4. “I do not see the need for change.” This mentality follows after one achieves a particular win or success. Willingness to learn new things tends to stop for a person with this mentality because, the knowledge or skill that he has worked. 

If a person has these mentalities when trying to learn, he will not achieve the goal of learning. The responsibility of teaching falls on the teacher’s shoulder or mentor, but learning is the student’s responsibility. When one is equipped with knowledge and skills yet hindered by his negative mentalities, learning is impossible. Knowledge can only become useful and powerful when applied. Real learning only takes place when we are ready to unlearn or relearn. In other words, when our minds are open. 

Do you agree with this?

Continue Reading4 Mentalities That Hinder Learning

5 Ways to Prevent Stress

I have observed for a long time now that people tend to become extremely stressed when the first month of every year comes. It’s like people become frantic to make a lot of things done. Should this be how we start the year? Aside from careful planning and goal setting, we should also learn how to consciously rid ourselves of stress, or even prevent it from sticking to us. Why? The answer is simple. Stress makes us less productive. So here are some tips on how we may be able to prevent ourselves from getting unnecessarily stressed:

  1. Perform tasks one at a time – avoid multitasking. Why does doing tasks one at a time prevent stress? It is because when we do more than one thing at once, our mind becomes overloaded. Our thoughts become mixed up. This will then result in confusion, errors, or delays, then inevitably stress will immediately take over. On the other hand, if we stick to completing one task at a time, we can focus all our energy and mind on the task at hand with no other distracting thoughts. This will then result in the task being finished faster, and for another task to be started. When this is the case, would we feel relaxed or stressed? I bet we all know the answer.
  2. Get enough rest every day. Have you ever tried waking up in the morning feeling very tired and not wanting to do anything? While there can be several possible reasons for such feelings, the most common one is not getting enough sleep. If we already feel that way in the morning, what do we expect the rest of the day would go? This feeling would lead to a lot of consequences such as unfinished tasks, and a hot temperament. Needless to say, not having enough rest will lead us to stress.
  3. Energize yourself by eating healthily and exercising constantly. Based on personal experience and from others’ experiences, eating healthy food can boost our mood and energy as opposed to eating unhealthy foods. When we eat unhealthy foods, we tend to become sleepy and less energized. On the contrary, we feel refreshed and energetic when we ingest the right kind of food. This has a similar effect on our body as exercise. Although we become sweaty and almost breathless after exercising, we can feel that our muscles become more alive as the tensions that build up was released.
  4. Take a breather from time to time. We sometimes think that a productive day means being able to work on a lot of things nonstop. We often fail to realize that when we push ourselves to continuously work the whole day, our minds and bodies become weary and less efficient. Despite the seemingly endless tasks we may have, we should always take even a short breather every day. We should always take the time to go on break to refresh ourselves. Taking a breather is not only a way for us to regain our strength, but also a way to rid ourselves of possible unhelpful thoughts building up in our minds.
  5. Embrace the fact that there are things you can’t control. Of course, there are things that no amount of planning or concentration can solve. Some things are out of our control, may it be because of natural causes or human intervention. This is a fact that we need to accept. What we can control is how we respond to such inevitable situations. If we try to control it, we are just unnecessarily adding stress to ourselves. What we should do is do what we can on our end and let it go.

“Life is what you make it.” ~Eleonor Roosevelt

While it is true that we have no hold over a lot of things or happenings around us, we have control over ourselves. We can help ourselves or condition ourselves to do what can result in something good or better. We have to choose to help ourselves rather than giving in to negativity.

Do you agree?

 

Continue Reading5 Ways to Prevent Stress

3 Reasons to Invest in Training in 2021

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” -Jim Rohn.

While the arrival of a new year gave everyone new hope, the fact that the world is still experiencing the blows of 2020’s challenge cannot be ignored or discounted. Do you make this as an excuse to be idle once again? Do you use this condition as a scapegoat to fall back to laziness? 

The fact that you survived a deadly pandemic is enough reason to believe that you ought to continue working on your life’s purpose. For that reason, you must refrain from acting like you are a helpless victim of the situation and start adapting to it instead. After all, humans have the one most crucial ability needed to cope in a changing environment – the ability to think. As a human gifted with such capacity, you can direct and redirect yourself and overcome adversities.

Redirecting here means changing your steps to achieve still your goals aligned with your mission. One of the things you can do to shift is to engage in learning and training. While you may be held by varying reasons not to invest in such at the moment, here are the top reasons why you must:

  1. A new season requires a new you. The pandemic, which remains a challenge until now, caused a change in our condition as a whole. Things are now done differently, like interacting with others. This change alone affects a lot of industries, like sales and business. To address the challenges that result from this change, you need to change a lot in yourself. You can make these happen through learning and training.
  2. Knowledge can become obsolete. This truth is undisputed ever since, and even more so now. There is a lot of information that can no longer be considered applicable because of the pandemic and the changes that came with it. The same applies to the knowledge and skills that you acquired in the past to address specific situations. You might have realized by now that you can no longer use some of those. Thus, you need to learn the competencies that can help you address the new challenges that come your way. Where else can you acquire these competencies but from the people who have dedicated their time to devise new ways around each challenge. Take selling as an example. Industry experts have already come up with new marketing strategies that work in this kind of situation. Thus, you have to learn it from them by attending training programs about it.
  3. You are on a mission. If you are on a mission, you must know that it is more significant than your circumstances. It would be best if you do not allow any setbacks to stop you from fulfilling that mission. So, if you want your approach towards your mission to be effective, you need to learn the necessary knowledge and skills and train how to use them accordingly. 

Whatever industry you are in or whatever mission you have, you can only do better in it by equipping yourself. Please do not waste time complaining or blaming others for the challenge we are all experiencing now. Instead, focus on adjusting yourself to rise and overcome the adversity. You know what to do. Are you up for the challenge? 

Continue Reading3 Reasons to Invest in Training in 2021

Top 2 Common Mistakes of Salespeople

A new year has finally taken over. Most of us, salespeople, have been preparing to have a better start and a smooth journey throughout the year. Although there are still restrictions due to the community quarantine, everyone is already gearing up to perform exceptionally. As helping salespeople elevate their results is one of my missions, I ensure to make them aware of everything that may affect their sales. Some of the things that salespeople need to be mindful of are the mistakes they are unintentionally committing and how they handle their sales transactions and results.

Here are the top two common mistakes that a salesperson usually commits without realizing the consequences each have:

  1. Lack of belief in one’s own product or service. The most common mistake of a salesperson is the lack of confidence in what they are selling. Some salespeople believe that the products or services they offer are expensive or too much. In this case, right after the salesperson asks for the client’s answer or commitment, the latter would typically say, “The price is too much.” Why is that? It’s simple! I learned over the years that selling is a transfer of feelings or emotions. In other words, if the salesperson believes that the product or service is expensive, the client would feel the same way. In the same premise, if the salesperson fully believes that the product or service is very attainable, that they would buy their product, they will easily convey that belief or feeling to the clients. There are also instances where a salesperson says what he or she needs to tell about the product. Yet, there is no sign of conviction of the product’s benefits in presenting the product to the prospective customers. As a result, the salesperson killed the sale.
  2. Not owning the same product. Another common mistake of a salesperson is selling but not owning or experiencing the product. In other words, for a salesperson to convince or persuade a buyer to own the product he or she is offering, he or she should know what it feels like to own it. How would you describe the feeling of driving a car to someone when you don’t even drive or own one? Or how would you convince someone how important securing the lives of people is if you are not insured yourself? Again, selling is a transfer of feelings. To be an effective seller, a salesperson must share his or her personal experience and the concept of what he or she offers, not the product or service itself. Indeed, you cannot give what you do not have.

Some salespeople think that these are trivial reasons for dropping sales, but on the contrary, these have a significant impact on one’s sales results. Regardless of the quality of the products or service offered, the selling techniques used, and the person’s tenure in the sales industry. If a salesperson does not believe and see the value of his product or does not even know the feeling of owning the product, it would be a struggle to sell it to customers.

Do you agree with these? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Continue ReadingTop 2 Common Mistakes of Salespeople
Read more about the article 5 Things to Do Before the New Year Starts
Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels

5 Things to Do Before the New Year Starts

Aside from purchasing a planner and brainstorming for resolutions, there are more important things we need to prepare before we welcome the new year. Yes, I know it is quite difficult to plan when we are caught in the holiday celebrations and fun but we need to balance it out and make sure that we are physically, mentally, and spiritually ready to face 2021. Although we can never have certainty in life, we can have excitement and energy when we know that we took actions that would help us tread the journey awaiting us. So here are the things I suggest we do before the first hour of the new year strikes:

  1. Set goals for your personal and professional life. Setting goals is best done before the new year starts because it will allow you to maximize the first month. When you already know your goals, you will already know your plans of action and when you’re going to start them. When planning is done before the new year starts, the first month can already be utilized for taking action. 
  2. Equip yourself with the necessary skills to achieve your goals. The mindset that we usually have when the year is about to end is days off and fun, that is why we no longer want to think about anything concerning work or business. I believe, however, that the end of the year is the best time to prepare ourselves for the goals and challenges. This can be done by identifying first what knowledge and skills we need to have to achieve the goals we have set, then finding the right action that would enable us to acquire such knowledge and skills. Isn’t it better to start the new year fully equipped?
  3. Put a closure to the things that made you unproductive. In the previous blog, I have included on the list of things to do before the year ends the identification of the reasons why we have not achieved some of our 2020 goals. This process can show us the habits or routines we have that contributed to our inability to achieve certain goals. If we can identify such unhelpful habits or routines, then we have to start working on letting those go before the new year.
  4. Start new habits that will help you achieve your goals. Besides ridding ourselves of nonsensical habits, we should also start new ones that would help us become more productive, and make us more capable of accomplishing our goals. Since it is said that it takes days to form a habit, we should start developing the habits we want to keep for the new year before it starts so that the first month will not be wasted on adjustments. 
  5. Revitalize yourself to be ready for what you are about to do. The current year brought us different types of stresses which made us exhausted not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. For most of us, it extracted a lot of energy. For this reason, we need to allocate ample time to rest our body, mind, heart, and soul. This can be done through meditation, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. 

If there were goals that did not materialize this year, the new year will be another chance to work for them. We may not know what the future holds but we should not just wait for it to unfold without physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually preparing for it. We should have a clear direction, tools, open mind, and courageous heart when we set out on a new journey. The above suggestions are some of the ways that would help us obtain these essentials. 

Do you think these are important? Or should we just go with the flow? 

Continue Reading5 Things to Do Before the New Year Starts

5 Things to Do Before the Year Ends

Many people would agree that this year is the most challenging one so far because of the fear and uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Despite the hardships and pain that it brought to most of us, we all did our best to survive and thrive. We did our best to move forward by finding alternative ways to make things work even if it means trying something new and uncomfortable. A few more days and the year 2020 will finally come to an end. We are all hopeful and looking forward to the new year, but before we welcome it, here are things we should do first: 

  1. Write a gratitude list. Despite the challenges we faced this year, we surely have a lot to be grateful for. To be reminded of our blessings, we have to count them and write them down. Before this year ends, we need to have a gratitude list.
  2. Assess our 2020 results. Another important thing to do before the year ends is to check the status of our relationships, finances, health, and other important aspects of life. Are we happy about our health or lifestyle? Are we still connected with our family and friends? Did we spend more than what is necessary? These are important questions we need to ask ourselves to assess if we got the results that we desire. 
  3. Make a list of all the things we have achieved this year. Aside from taking note of our blessings, it will also help us feel motivated to face the new year if we list all our achievements, may it be big or small. 
  4. Thank the people who made a positive impact on our life. We should reach out to all the people who helped us get through the year in any way. Expressing our gratitude to them is our way to help them realize their achievements this year as well. Let us be one of the reasons they could still appreciate the year that was. 
  5. Know the reasons why we have not achieved our other goals. When the year started, we might have set goals that became impossible to see through because of the global crisis we experienced. We should list those goals down and specify the reasons why those were not materialized. This piece of information will help us plan better for the new year. 

Nobody might have expected this year to turn out this way, but it gave us a lot of lessons and made us stronger, more resilient, and more resourceful. It brought out the best in many people, and it was a year of enlightenment. It is only fitting that we end it the right way so that all that we have learned will be applied in the next year. 

What do you think about these?

Continue Reading5 Things to Do Before the Year Ends
Read more about the article 5 Reasons Why We Are Not Getting What We Want
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-red-t-shirt-looking-at-her-laptop-3755761/)

5 Reasons Why We Are Not Getting What We Want

Why is it that we seldom find people who are fulfilled because they got what they want? I just recently found out the answer to this question.

In this life, we play a certain role. We have a set of responsibilities, and we do the necessary things to survive. We do these because we need to sustain ourselves for us to be capable of achieving what we want in life, which, usually for most people, is success. Success does not necessarily mean wealth, fame, or career. It could be a happy family life for some, or a simple laid back lifestyle for others. Regardless of what success looks like to each of us, it can’t be achieved if: 

  1. We don’t set goals. Not having a goal is undeniably the top reason why we don’t get what we want. Goal entails the specific things that we need to obtain, perform, and complete for us to get closer to what we want. If our plans of action, steps, strategies, and methods are not clear, we would not know if what we’re doing would yield results that would bring us closer to our success. 
  2. We care so much about what others say or think. Minding other people of what they say or think about us can make us a danger to our own selves. For instance, one person’s success means gaining financial stability or establishing his own business empire but some people close to him would always say that money is the root of all evil, or rich people have the most tendency to be evil, so he does not pursue his goals towards the success he wants. In other words, he sabotages his own success because he doesn’t want other people to think negatively about him.
  3. We are afraid to take risks or fail. Either because of a past failure or disappointment, we become overly cautious and cynical on investing our resources, our time, and our feelings on things, experiences, or people that may lead us to get what we want most in life. Risks and failures are facts of life. In fact, a life journey is not meaningful without these. If we keep on playing on the safe side, how can we get what we want when it is on the other side?
  4. We want to be ready before we go for it. We often intentionally miss opportunities that could have led us to where we want to be because we think that we need to be perfectly ready and equipped before starting our journey. We need to understand that experience is the best teacher. We can use the knowledge and skills we acquired through education, but we wouldn’t know the effectiveness unless we apply them in the real world. We have to prepare, yes, but we are not expected to be perfect before we start going after what we want.
  5. We don’t focus on one thing. A lot of people believe that doing a lot of things at the same time can make success more possible because if one doesn’t work, one might. However, isn’t energy stronger when focused than when dispersed? Therefore, it is important to set goals that would lead us to the success we want and set our focus on accomplishing those one at a time. We should muster self-discipline enough to keep our eyes on our vision, not on other unimportant or unnecessary things.

If you are at a point in your life when you are confused why you just can’t make that ultimate dream happen, ask yourself these questions: did I set specific goals? Am I allowing myself to be affected by other people’s opinions? Am I willing to take risks? Am I afraid to fail? Did I work on getting what I want? Was I always distracted?

The answer to our question of why we are not getting what we want lies in us. 

Do you have any of the above tendencies? Share your thoughts.

Continue Reading5 Reasons Why We Are Not Getting What We Want

5 Practices I Do to Cope With Hectic Schedule

I always say that passion is the reason why I do what I do, which is to train, coach, and motivate others for them to become champions not just in sales and business, but also in life. It is also what drives me to maintain a high level of energy in all the training I conduct. Nevertheless, I do not neglect the fact that my body has its limits. It is for this reason that I follow this set of ‘yeses and nos’ when I have a series of training events:

  1. Yes to more rest. Speaking with, coaching or training people may not be as physically taxing as working all day under the sun or carrying heavy loads, but it is definitely mentally exhausting. When I am mentally exhausted, my body becomes affected as well. Hence, I allow myself to catch up on sleep during my free time. In fact, I would prepare for training for many hours and days but I dedicate the one hour before to relaxing or sleeping so that I feel refreshed when I start. For this to be possible, I always make sure to plan and avoid procrastination.
  2. No to sweet foods and cold drinks. No, I am not saying that I do not eat sweets or drink cold beverages because I still do. However, I especially avoid these treats when I have training schedules because these will trigger sore throats and other related problems. Instead, I drink hot ginger tea with lemon even while in training. I also drink a lot of lukewarm water. This is quite challenging to me, being a lover of sweets, so I avoid dining out and stocking on sugary snacks when I have training schedules.
  3. Yes to exercise. Although I generally feel exhausted after each training session, I still do exercise because days, when I am busiest, are the days when I need it the most. Tony Robbins said that “motion creates emotion”, and I agree with him on this highly. When I fail to take a walk or do exercise, I always feel tired and less energetic. On the other hand, I feel pumped up and energized every time I do so. Having a full schedule is the reason to exercise, not an excuse not to, and since it helps me maintain my energy, I always make an effort to include it in my daily routine.
  4. No to being a superhero. There are people who, because of their goal for perfection, tend to do everything on their own. This is not because they don’t trust others, it is just because, since they know the task well, they can be assured that it will be completed successfully. Well, I was one of those people. Fortunately, I came to learn and realize that being such will drain me out fast, and make me inefficient. Accordingly, I let go of and delegated the tasks that I know others can do for me, and even better. Yes, there is a monetary value in exchange for it but gaining more time for the more important matters is priceless.
  5. Yes to consuming more motivational content. As my energy reserves get empty after coaching or training, I fill myself up again, not just by eating or exercising, but also by watching or listening to the contents of motivational speakers, especially those who share the Word of God. This really does wonders to me because I can always feel my weariness dissipate when I become filled with positivism. Thus, I made this practice part of my day. When time is limited, I play a piece to listen to while I eat or exercise.

These are the practices that help me keep my energy up even at times when I have multiple speaking or training sessions every day for a number of days. Some of these may be very simple but all of these are vital for my health, and well-being as a trainer. Although I generally have a positive outlook and a lot of enthusiasm, I would not be able to sustain such if I do not take care of myself holistically. 

If you are someone whose profession involves teaching, presenting, selling, or speaking, I hope you find these practices beneficial. Otherwise, let me know what you think and suggest. 

Continue Reading5 Practices I Do to Cope With Hectic Schedule

How I Sustain These 4 Important Relationships

What do you consider as your priceless treasures in the world? Without any hesitation, I would really say that my greatest treasures are the relationships I have and keep for without these, everything that I do and achieve will be meaningless. Needless to say, if I am very careful with the material things that I have, I am especially protective of my relationships. Although maintaining such relationships is a challenge particularly when these people have different values and viewpoints from me, I do not use it as a reason to neglect them. Every relationship is two-