Tag Archive: Self-Improvement

It’s Okay to Fail

Written on February 3, 2012 by in Management, Motivation, Productivity, Self-Improvement

Sean is a kid who would play Plants vs Zombies that when he got a little overwhelmed by the zombies, he would restart the game right away. In keyhero.com, a typing training site, he would press escape even if he just missed a single letter. He is also the type of kid who would cry because he got a 97 in an exam.

He is a kid who’s not yet good with failures.

But I believe Sean’s behavior is completely normal. I too sometimes is guilty of that.

There is a game in Nintendo DS called Brain Age 2. It’s about playing a series of test, and the game will grade you by giving the age of your brain – according to the result of your tests. The ideal brain age is 20. The lower the number, the better.

When I reached a brain age of 25, I thought I got a pretty high grade, and stopped playing the game. The reason? I got comfortable with my success that I fear I may fail the next game, and would get an older brain. Since then I never played the game until recently…..got an age of 46.

The truth is we are so afraid to fail that we actually Fail.

It is OKAY to fail, and there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

But there are two failures that are not acceptable: Failure to TRY and Failure to LEARN from your failures.

To close this post, let me leave you with 3 of my favorite quotes about Failure:

“Success is a lousy teacher.” – Bill Gates

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

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Sweet Yesterday

Written on January 30, 2012 by in Motivation, Self-Improvement

If time machines do exists, the moment that I want to relive is the time when I was still living with my cousins under one roof. Specifically the summer vacation that we (Jerome, Mike, Evan and I) just stay up all night building and playing Magic the Gathering until 5 in the morning.

At around 5:30am Jerome and I will walk to the nearest bakery to buy freshly baked pandesals and a liter of Coca-cola, while Mike and Evan cooks garlic rice, fried eggs and hotdogs.

We then watch live NBA games as we eat our breakfast….and then hit the sack by 9am…would wake up carefree by 5pm. And does the same thing over again the whole vacation!!

It is one of the sweetest yesterday that I look back to…but what if I decided to not have that moment in my life? What if I opted to just sleep the night away than play with them?

Then perhaps there will be no so-called “sweetest yesterday” for me do I?

We all have the power to change our past TODAY.

**Happy birthday to my BEST COUSIN IN THE WORLD, Jerome. God Bless you always! :) **

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Embracing the NEW

Written on January 2, 2012 by in Self-Improvement, Uncategorized

In college, I was on the brink of failing a subject because my professor did not allow me to take the mid-term exam. It was a disciplinary action for accumulating too many lates on his class. On the examination day, I tried my luck and spoke with my professor. Saying I should take the exam because I might fail if I didn’t; and that my parents are going to kill me if I fail; and I do not want to fail because I never failed on any subjects before…

He looked me in the eye and said, “There is always a first time Jed.” and walked away.

Well, at that moment, I thought failing a subject was something new. The fear was new. The amount of pressure to work harder was new. If I ever fail…that would be my first time. That would be all “New” to me.

Whether we like it or not, my prof has made a point. There will always be a first time to all of us. “NEW” is a part of our life. Change is inevitable.

We are now in another new year. We will experience new challenges, new failures, new success, new lessons, new goals, new cars, new house, new work, new pains, new joy, new career, new business ..whatever new it is, good or bad, don’t be afraid to embrace it. Because these are the things that makes a New YOU.

Happy New Year!

P.S.

Credits to Mr. Acuña – My favorite professor of all time!

And thanks to God, I managed to pass the subject even though I failed to take the exam. It was a “new” level of hard work. :)

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How To Have An Effective Workday

Written on November 27, 2011 by in Management, Productivity, Self-Improvement

Morning Coffee

Photo by rachelsmarties

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

 

We all only have 24 hours a day, and sometimes the difference between success and failure lies thinly on how effective you spend your day. In my current position as a general manager and part-time entrepreneur, 8 to 12 hours of work seems like not enough to carry out all my day’s tasks. I have tried to restructure my daily routine ever since.

I read tips from various articles online and practiced which one works for me. I have formulated a simple routine, that I am using for the past 3 weeks, which gave me better productivity.

1. Before going to bed, Ponder on important tasks that will be accomplished the next day.

By doing so, it will align your mind with your tasks and will greatly help you be more organized the next day. Being organized saves you a lot of time.

2. Divide your day in 2 halves. First half, with routine. Second half, free-for-all.

I usually have my routinary work when I got to the office until lunch time. After lunch I spend the rest of the day: spreading the word about my products, getting involve in trainings, developing our website, meetings, planning and conceptualizing, etc. Basically it depends on my mood, whichever I enjoy doing.

3. Accomplish everything in Bursts. Avoid multi-tasking.

Give pure 10 to 15 minutes in every task. If you’re checking your emails, then just check your mails. Do not invite another task that may intervene with the  current one. This way, you are clear about your task’s progress.

The first thing I do when I arrive my office is to check and reply emails. Then open our company’s Chatter to get updated with what happened yesterday and if there are any pending tasks. Then go to our company’s Facebook or Twitter to see if there are any queries. After accomplishing all those online stuffs, I then go ahead to offline matters. It starts by checking out my incoming documents that is needed for review and signature.

After accomplishing those, the number 4 item is what I do next:

4. Delegate.

There are corresponding responsibilities for every department in the company. Be sure to delegate those tasks that are applicable to the department. This not only workout the company’s system, but it also helps you proceed to the next task.

5. Pray.

No matter how good and organized a routine is, your day may be ruined by a single unexpected problem. Be sure to always backup your plans with a prayer.

How about you? How do you make your day effective? Share!

God Bless!

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You Got A Story To Tell

Written on August 25, 2011 by in Business, Motivation

I must admit, my current business is not doing well.

It resulted to:

Delayed issue of salaries.

Failed to fund a couple of checks.

Suppliers withdrawn their products.

Cracked business relationships.

Employees resigning.

and so on..

I think I just hit rock bottom.

It’s sad. It’s tough.

But I should never lose hope.

Should find a way to turn these things around.

I know there’s a way.

I should keep fighting.

It is not the end.

I want to have a happy ending.

An inspiring ending.

Ending it with success!

Because one day I have to tell my story.

To my children.

To my grand children.

Or the public.

How boring and less inspiring it would be if it was pure success from beginning to the end.

On the other hand, it would be just a complete waste if I did not make this story end with success.

Today is the part where the story gets interesting.

Tomorrow is where it will be an Epic!

*

One day we all are going to tell our story. How will yours go?

—

“I believe man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.” – Zig Ziglar

Sabi nga nila, Ang bida ay nagpapabugbog muna sa simula. Toinks! :-D

 

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How To End Well

Written on April 27, 2011 by in Self-Improvement

I just want to share this simple message that was blessed to me in our church service a few Sundays ago.

It is so pleasant to witness how children were born, and the next thing you know they’re up on stage receiving their diploma. Getting ready for the next chapter of their life. It is nice to see that these kids are starting off their life on the right track.

…But how many of them will still end on the same rightful track?

A lot of people may have started strong in their life, but as they journey through it, they may be influenced by money, power, fame, greed, etc. that they ended a terrible life.

Our pastor has cited 2 persons in the Book of Second Chronicles. They both started their life pretty well. They were already proclaimed as kings when they were just teenagers, probably around 16 to 17 years old. Started with God leading their lives, but let power and fame overwhelm them in the end. They both died young (in their 30′s) and wasn’t recognized as kings. They were merely known as”The man who died with a disability,” and “The man with leprosy.”

Here are 3 tips that will guide you to end well:

BE LOYAL/FAITHFUL AND COMMITTED TO GOD

Always commit everything to God. No matter how busy you are, let Him still be your number one priority.

HUMBLE BEFORE GOD

No matter where you are, what you have achieved, always be reminded that it is the Lord who helped you and guided you there. No matter how powerful, rich, or famous you think you are now, He is still far more superior.

GUARD YOUR HEART

We are only humans, there might come a time that you may be challenged to comply with the first two tips. So be defensive. Guard your heart.

***

“It is not how you START, but how you FINISH.”

 

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What is Procrastination

Written on February 5, 2011 by in Productivity, Self-Improvement

According to Wikipedia: Procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions or tasks with low-priority actions, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.

From Merriam-Webster: to put off intentionally and habitually; to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.

During my elementary, high school, to college days.. I never heard about the word Procrastination. I first heard, or rather, read about it was when I became enthusiastic about blogging. I’m assuming the reason why the word “procrastination” became relatively usual among bloggers it’s because it is one of the common hindrances a blogger must face in his/her blogging career.

Procrastination is not a good word. It is something that will make you less productive. It’s like a hole in your hourglass that wastes away your time. And what’s dangerous about it, is that most of us doesn’t even notice that we are already procrastinating. Even worse when it becomes a habit.

I can personally say that I have been a big time procrastinator before… But I didn’t know. When I was still a student, I remember that I was studying for an exam…then the next thing I knew I’m doodling all over my notebooks and books – then doze off without me knowing. In blogging, whenever I’m in the process of writing a post, I usually checkout other blogs for inspiration… but then I ended up pimping my site instead, because I felt inferior about how other blogs looks so nice. And another instance is when my mom or dad would ask me an immediate favor.. I would always say: “Alright. Later.”

Today, I’m still not 100% procrastination free; never will be. To take it a little further, I think no single person is totally procrastination free. It would be an unending battle between you and procrastination. Even my grandfather sometimes procrastinate before taking his medicines.

When I think about it now, Failure is not your obstacle towards success.. it’s Procrastination.

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Distraction

Written on June 7, 2010 by in Self-Improvement

Distraction.

One of my favorite game shows on TV is the show named Distraction. The concept is simple and funny: A simple question and answer game show with a little twist. Any participant who gives the wrong answer will be punished – Punishments like putting a snake inside their underwear, beating their car, etc..

It’s really funny when participants couldn’t get the right answer even to a simple question because they are greatly distracted.

HOW GOOD ARE WE AT DISTRACTING OURSELVES?

If we are working for a specific goal, here should be a simple illustration of how it should be achieved. If we work without any distractions, we are creating a clear channel from work to our goal. As a result, our goals can be achieved faster with better quality.

But there are times that we are just good at distracting ourselves (I’m guilty of this); That even a simple task that could be done in the span of 30 minutes, will be accomplished in an hour or two.

CUT IT

I easily get distracted at work when I started to open the internet. I tend to Stumble and Tweet, the next thing I know I already spent 30 minutes online. And my work still undone.

The first step to cut the distraction is determine what distracts you most. In my case, it’s the internet so now I make sure to accomplish my work first before going online. If there’s a need to go online, I make sure to control myself from launching Tweetie or TweetDeck – Sometimes even Safari. I check my mail via Apple Mail and calendar on iCal, rather than Gmail and Gcal.

Discipline is the key. Don’t temp yourself to get yourself distracted.

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