What We are Paid For

This was written nearly five months ago and because of the temporary hiatus of  Phase II, it is only by now that this article will be shared to you.  

Phase II hopes that you may learn something from this articles. 

***

Today, I had an opportunity where I was asked to write an essay based on predetermined topic (something of which Phase II is not very much accustomed to). There are lots of choices and I opted to write about “The value of excellence in one’s job.” I don’t have a copy of my original article but I will try as much as possible to replicate it here.

What We are Paid For

If someone would say that he is paid, let say, Php50 per hour, that person does not have a right perspective about what he is being paid for.  We are not paid for the time we’ve spent on our work.  Rather, we are paid for the value we add into it.  If we are to be paid based on the time we spent on work, people with 12-hour shifts would be the highest paid employees.  But such is not the case.

What is that value we are paid for?   Is it simply for doing our assigned task?  For the sake of compliance?  I think not.  It is about the excellent value we add into it.

You and I are being paid for the value of services and contribution that we give.  As Jim Rohn said, we are being paid based on the value we provide to the market place.

….

(Because it has been too long ago, I can no longer remember what my exact words were, but let me continue in this current setting)

What we are actually being paid for are for the things that we contribute to our work.  The more we provide, the more we receive in return.  But more often than not, we equate activities, to accomplishments.  I am guilty of it, then as much as today.  Brian Tracy said, mediocre people equates accomplishments with inputs; excellent people equates accomplishments with output.

If only we are to honestly jot down every activity that we do in a day, we will be surprised to learn that most of it are not that important at all.  As they say, 20% of our time devoted to meaningful activities provides 80% of the results we desire, and 80% of the time we really spent produce only 20% of the results.  The unscheduled meetings, unexpected visitors and phone calls, chitchats over snack rooms, emails that demand answers… and a lot more that consumes most of our time at work.  Are we being paid for these things?  Well, even though these are parts of our daily activities at work, we are not necessarily paid because of these things.  We are paid for the results.  We are paid for the excellent results we provide.

But what is excellence?  Is it being on top of the group, the alpha of the pack, the cream of the crop?  Being excellent is not being number one as compared to everybody.  Being excellent means being better than your best every single time.  When you exceed your best, be it attitudes, performances, and accomplishments, you are demonstrating excellence.  It is not being the best; it is being at your best.

So how do you beat your own personal best?

First, know where you are and what you’ve done.  When you know where you are standing, you definitely have the edge over the others. There is no better security than knowing where your feet are planted.

Second, know where you are going to go.  As one of my former bosses told me, “the world makes way for the man who knows where he wants to go.”

Third, commit to excellence.  Daimler Gottlieb once said, “Das Beste oder nichts” which means “the Best or nothing at all.”

Fourth, devote more time to improving yourself.  Again, mentor to millionaire Jim Rohn said, “work harder on yourself than you work on your job.”  Why?  When you excel in your job, you produce excellent results, but when you excel as a personal, you produce an excellent individual – and that is something you can always carry wherever you go whatever job you may take.

Fifth, acknowledge your limitations before God.  You may always be at your best, working out to be the excellent one, but remember that you are still human – subject to errors and mistakes.  So acknowledging your weaknesses and limitations before God means you are acknowledging a higher power.  Only God can truly bring you to excellence.

At the end of the day, what we planted is what we will always reap.  So plan well to be paid well.

***

Until next time, I hope that you’ve learned something new as we continue our journey towards Phase II… the next phase of our lives, the next phase to excellence.

Have a great day and God Bless.

Finally, My First Ebook on Amazon.com

After almost a month after I have completed the manuscript of the book The Five Successful Ways to Fail, I have submitted it directly to amazon.com’s Kindle Direct Publishing. In just 12 to 24 hours from now, if everything goes well, it will be published. I will be a published author! I am so excited about this and I want to share the excitement with you.

In just a short time, it will be available for sale worldwide at a very affordable rate. My words seem to be without sense right now, maybe it’s because of the excitement I’m feeling or may be it is the feeling of fulfillment that I have completed one of my goals – to have my work published.

Hummm… what do I feel right now? Pure Excitement!

What am I thinking? A lot of things! When will I publish my second ebook? Will this book be able to sell? I don’t want to dwell on the negatives right now. But I do hope that amazon.com will be generous enough to have my works published immediately.

I can’t really explain how I feel after taking that step of conquering my fear of rejection and mockery. I know I don’t write as well as the others. It’s just my experiences and my thoughts that I’ve shared in this book.

Once published, I will give you an update in this site and on the other sites where I write so keep posted.

God Bless Everyone!

P.S. If you are too excited about this book as much as I do, send me a private message. You may never know, I might give you a surprise.

***

It is now 05 March 2012.  Nearly two months since I’ve published my book.  It is still available in amazon.com. In case you haven’t got your copy yet.

“Ezine Article” Got Me Published

During my student days, high school and college that is, I applied to be part of our school newsletters.  Not just once. And more than once also I have been denied.

Those experiences left an impression on me – deep scar as you may like to call it – that I am no good in writing, be it a news, an essay or a poem. I have been turned down many times. I’ve given up.

Why do I like to write in the first place? I write to express my self. I write to share what I know. I am an introvert, you’ll often see me on one corner, alone, and writing has been helping me to communicate – at least to my self.  But of course, I want to communicate to real people, to other people.  If I can’t do the talking, I thought I can do the writing.

But after I was turned down many times, I forced myself to give up. I don’t want to be hurt anymore. I had enough. Until recently when I realized that it’s not about me but it is about the information I will be sharing to other people. It is about that “something” that I will be sharing to someone.  So I said to myself, “I am going to try again.” And when I learned about Ezine Article, how they published articles from contributors, I said, “I will try it again.  I won’t stop until I have my article published.” Sadly, my first draft was not approved. I felt like giving up again. But then I said there’s no way I am giving up again. I made some revisions, resubmitted my article, and now it is published. It was December 2, 2011 but only now that I’ve learned that it has already been out.

It is truly a very wonderful feeling, knowing that your article has been reviewed and scrutinized and then approved. Now, it is available in the world wide web for all people to see. I no longer see my own blog address before it. The moment I saw it, I got so excited I have it shared on facebook and on twitter immediately.

With that, I would like to thank the Lord for being so merciful to me, for giving me the opportunity of having my article published. Secondly, I would to thank Ezine Article for giving me the chance to make my dream come true.  Moreover, Ezine Article staff are very helpful.

Friend, if you are now reading this and you are presently going through trials, if you’ve been hurt or rejected before, or you failed before, know that is God working in mysterious ways to heal you, complete you and make your dreams come true.  Just keep on working on those dreams.  Learn more on what you have to learn and BE MORE!

***

Update on my first ebook: It is nearly completed and I am too excited to share it with you.

God bless you and make your dreams come true!

What’s In A Name?

During the past few days I was thinking of writing about personal excellence and development.  But this morning, I had this happy thought again.

Here it is.  I was thinking of what could be in my name.  Then a thought came to me.  What if every name is a gift from God?

Hmmmm… So I pictured out my father in the hospital the day I was born.  The nurse asked him, “Sir, what’s the name of your boy?”  ”Ahmmmm,” my father looked in the heavens, asked for a sign, and blurted out, “Jose Roy!”  Then all the angels in the heavens were suddenly singing.  Not that I am special but because every child born in this world is special.

Fast forward 20 years later, I asked my parents, “Where did you get my name?”  As you can see, I am the only Jose in the family.  So I wondered where did it come from.   I still don’t have the answer until now.

Then, I made some research.  Here’s what I found out.

Jose – aside from being the name of my two favorite characters in the Bible, Joseph the Governor of Egypt and Joseph “The Silent”, the foster-father of the King of kings – means “the Lord will increase.”  I call him Joseph the Silent because he never spoke a word in the whole Bible in spite of the significant role he played in the life of Jesus.

Roy – came from the family of words like, rey, hence, the word royal – means king or monarch.  My brother’s name is Rey, by the way.  That makes us two kings in the family.

Put them together and you will have “a king whom the Lord will increase.”

Wow! I suddenly feel good about myself.  Is that really my name? I must be truly blessed.  So from now on, I will act like a king, walk like a king, talk like a king, think like a king, sleep like a king, even breathe like a king.  I don’t care if I have no possession at all.  Why would I worry? The Lord will increase anyway.

I know some of you will say, “Roy, you’re nuts! Where is your kingdom then?”

Well, I have thought about that and here is my answer.  ”My kingdom lies here, behind my chest cavity, a hollow muscular organ pumping gallons of blood every second that I live.  And you are most welcome to come inside.”

What about you, what’s in your name?

Go on.  Search a little and find the history behind your name.  There must be some meaning into it.  If none, create one. Nothing is stopping you from creating a whole new different meaning to your name.

“Well, Roy, my name is unique, it is the combination of my parents’ name.”

Much better then! Here’s why! In mathematics, when you add two numbers, the result is called the sum.  Hence, you are the totality of your parents’ love for each other.  When you multiply two numbers, the result is called the product.  Isn’t that what you are, the product of your parents’ love?

I just feel good waking up this morning and I want to share this to you.   I hope that in one way or more, you found reasons to take life lighter, easier and with a smile.

 

Have a blessed day ahead,

“king”

Embrace Change. Embrace Excellence.

Yesterday, I and my fellow managers attended a one day seminar-workshop about “Managing Change Skills.”  This was an initiative by our HR Department for all managers and officers to teach us on how to deal with changes and how to handle concerns from other team members in face of changes.

The seminar was well-suited for the changes happening in our company these days.  Managing changes in work environment and in one’s self were discussed, complemented by seminars and simulated coaching sessions toward the end of the program.

As participants provided insights about the word change, lot’s of ideas came out.  Some said change is movement.  For others, change is transformation.  To some, change could be scary.  But one thing everyone agrees was that ”change is inevitable.”

It could have not been more timely as I now introduce the new activities that keeps me awake most nights.  As changes are happening in the world around me, changes are also slowly taking place within me.

And I must say, change is both exciting and challenging.

Going back to what I am about to introduce to you, let me share with you some insights about the word change and how it applies to this web blog.

I scanned this blog and noted that most of the articles published here are personal.  As I have said many times in the past, this is a collection of life lessons that I will and had encounter in my journey towards the Phase II of my life.  And true to that, I have shared with you even the most personal things that occurred in my not-so-exciting life.

Hence, I decided that maybe it’s time to change the concept of my blog and move on to something more informative and useful to my readers.

And now…. let me introduce to you the new site for personal development, growth and financial freedom.

Welcome to LEAP!

It is a collection of my realizations, accumulation of the knowledge I gathered from my readings, personal experiences and interactions with other people and thoughts that have been hanging around in my head before I go to sleep at night.  Although most of the information you will find in this new blog will be coming from me, there are certain information that were from pioneers and respectable persons in the areas of concern.  After all, we need to step on the shoulder of giants to be able to see far and wide.  

But that is just the beginning because I have far more ambitious goals than making a new blog.  And that is to write books.  So far, I have started on two, but the first one I did not continue. I decided to make the second one which is intended to be shorter and more reader friendly than the first.

I will soon be writing here some parts of that book so you will be  the first to read it.  I give it a temporary title of “The Five Successful Ways to Fail (Things You Weren’t Told About Success).”  I will be very grateful if you could provide your insights and comments.  I want you to be involved in the process of writing that book that is both for you and me.

Well, so much for that.  Let’s just keep the excitement burning.

In case you might be wondering about the title of this article, well, there’s a story behind that.

During our seminar yesterday, we were asked to give a slogan about change that our respective groups will use for the day.  So I came up with this idea and my team mates willingly agreed.  And that is the title you see in this article.

“Embrace Change. Embrace Excellence.”

Personally, I believe that unless we embrace and cope-up with the changes we will remain stagnant and will be left behind.  Although changes could be inevitable and scary sometimes, we just need to accepted it with open-mindedness, creativity and calmness and we will get along just fine.  Have I not attended that seminar yesterday, I wouldn’t have much of this insights about changes.  So to my fellow attendees, you know who you are, I thank you for sharing your ideas, insights, experiences and most of all, your time.

The Prodigal Son Teaches About Success

“The heights of great men reached and kept

were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

were toiling upward in the night.” -Longfellow

 

Two millennia ago, the greatest teacher ever to walked on earth told a story about forgiveness and God’s loving kindness – the parable of the prodigal son.

A young man asked for his inheritance while his father is still alive, sailed off to a faraway land, spent his possessions on luxuries and worldly things, ended up broke, ate with the swines, repent, reconciled with his father, forgiven and was made heir again.  Time and time again, generations after generations, this story is being told to show us how God can be so merciful and loving.

But now, join me as we look at it in a different angle.

Now, it is telling us of a way on how to reach our much desired success.  I’m not saying it’s the “perfect” or the “best” way, but simply something to be considered by anyone dreaming to “live a good life”.  As simple as this…

Reverse the plot of the story.

Intigued?  Here’s how…

• First, believe that there is a loving and caring God.
• Second, accept your mistakes or sins.
• Third, ask for forgiveness and reconcile with the Source of life.
• Fourth, be grateful for whatever you have.
• Fifth, eat and live with the swines.
• Sixth, dream the BIGGEST dreams.

It may sound absurd as it is, but think for a moment and meditate on what you have just read.

Step 1: Believe that there is a loving and caring God.

This is the core of our being, the essence of our lives – that there is a God who loves us and cares for us.  Know that every good gift comes from Him.  While most people would tell you to visualize first, we say, you have to believe first of all that there exists a source – God.

You always have the option to believe or not.  But I suggest you take the first one, it makes life less complicated.

The prodigal son only realized this when he was already eating feeds for the swines.

Step 2: Accept your mistakes.

As it is often said, the first step to forgiveness is acknowledging your faults.  It means taking accountability – taking responsibility for your actions and your life.  But unless we learn from our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat it.

The prodigal son only learned this during his time of desperation, when he got nothing more to spend and no more decent food to eat.

Step 3:  Ask for forgiveness and reconcile with the Source of Life.

It is not how many times you acknowledge your mistakes or seem to control your life, it is until you learn to ask for forgiveness and reconcile with God that matters.  Reconciliation with Him means entrusting your life again to Him, knowing that He alone is the sole provider of happiness and joy, both here and in the next life.

The prodigal son only thought about this when was already starving to death and eating feeds for the swines.  Only then he realized that the true source of wealth and happiness is in his father’s home.

Step 4:  Be grateful for whatever you have.

Remember that to whom much was given, much is expected.  Be thankful with whatever you have.  And what is the best way to show gratitude?  Use it, make it grow and share it with others.  To him who has more, much will be added.  Unless we can be trusted with a few, we cannot be trusted with the many.

Obviously, the prodigal son blew his chance of increasing his possession.

Step 5:  Eat and live with the swines.

No! Of course not! You don’t eat with the swines, literally! What i mean is, work hard.  On the road to success, there  is no substitute for hard labour.  Sacrifice to achieve your heart’s desire.

To reach your dreams, you may have to work the dirtiest, the most menial, the most tiring and the most difficult job there is.  But, who cares! In showing you are trustworthy with the little things, surely, you will be entrusted with greater things.

Living the life you dream of, without hard work, spending beyond your means just to have a taste of the “good life” and waiting for the “universe to conspire” to grant your wish, is no way to real success and enjoyment in life.  Where’s the meaning in it?

This, the prodigal son did – literally.  He claimed the fruits first without working for it.

Step 6: Dream the Biggest Dreams.

Now this seems to contradict with step five right?  No, it doesn’t.  In fact, steps four (4) to six (6) work together.  How? By being grateful for what you have, you learn your strenghts, your possessions and your gifts that you could use to work hard to achieve your biggest and grandest dream.  Gratitude.  Hard work.  Faith.

You may be working hard but you still have to have “that” dream.  You need something to fuel your passion, something to keep you going.  So when you dream, dream big.

You dream the biggest, the grandest, the most wonderful dream there could possibly be because you have faith that it could be attained.

This is the first thing that the prodigal son had thought of.

In summary…

Know that there is a God who cares and loves each of us so much, to whom we  should regularly reconnect with by giving thanks and asking for forgiveness for our actions and mistakes that we are taking accountabilities for.  And in achieving our grandest dream,be sure not to by-pass the process of hard labour while keeping the faith to the Source of all great things.

Again and again, we reiterate that there is no substitute for hard work.  As the Apostle James said, “faith without works is dead.”

 

Now, where is that book in Basic English Grammar that I planned to read?

Love… Lost and Found

Today, let me be a little emotional.  Let me share with you a story of love.  I want to share with you a celebration of life.  It may not be the most wonderful love story you’ll ever read, nor will it be the most inspiring, but I just want you to know that true love can happen.  And true love does exist.

It was the year 1939 when the war in the western part of the world started to erupt.  A young man from a poor family in the province met a young and lovely woman from an affluent family in the city.  They met in one of the prestigious universities in Manila where the young man was taking up law through a scholarship and the young lady was on her way to becoming a doctor.  They became the best of friends until one day they both realized that their feelings were beyond friendship.

Amorsolo fell in love with his best friend Corazon.

They’ve shared wonderful moments together, taking leisurely walk in the old streets of Manila and spending lots of lovely sunsets by the world famous Manila Bay.

Then the war broke out in the Pacific.  Japanese forces invaded the Philippines.  Amorsolo was forced to join the guerrilla forces to fight against the foreign conquerors.  One fateful evening, Amorsolo met Corazon to bid goodbye.  They engaged in the longest and the most melancholic embrace of their lives.  As tears fell from their eyes, Amorsolo gave something to Corazon, his promise of love and to return when the war is over.

Manila was devastated, it was levelled to the ground.  Guerrilla forces where driven to the farthest regions of the country, in the mountains and unknown parts of the Philippines.  Corazon never heard anything from Amorsolo again.

Four decades later, the war was long over and the Philippines had recover from the hellish episodes of war, slavery, pains, lost and death.  Amorsolo, now an old man, lawyer by profession with successful businesses here and abroad, returned to the Philippines after a long stay in Guam.

In the twiglight of his years, Amorsolo yearned to return to his homeland.  Never did he forget about his country and love he left behind.  The first thing he did was to look for Corazon.  But nobody could remember her nor could anyone tell where she is or what happened to her.  He searched long and hard but only to end in despair and heartache.  His return to fulfill a promise turned hopeless.

In the midst of his despair, he returned to their favorite place, the Manila Bay.  It is totally different from the last time he was there.  Things have really changed, but not him, not his feelings for his Corazon.  He went there every late afternoon, reminiscing the blissful moments of his life.

One day, he noticed a young lady who also went there every day.  She was stunningly beautiful but her face shows sadness beyond compare.  Her eyes show grief and loneliness.  Another week passed by and the young lady just kept showing up on the very same spot, everyday.  Intrigued, Amorsolo approached her and engaged in a pleasant conversation.

Her name is Amor.  She’s a nursing student from Manila.  She was orphaned at the early age of six when her parents met an accident on their way to the province to attend to their business.  She grew up with her Lola whom she loves so much.  She is waiting for someone.

Over time, Amorsolo’s day ends in pleasant conversations with Amor.  She became a grandchild to him and he is a grandfather to her.  Later, he realized that Amor never got the chance to meet his real grandfather.  She’s a Japanese Mestiza.  Her grandma told her that her father’s father was a Japanese Officer who was assigned in the Philippines during the war.

Amorsolo’s hate for his previous enemies rekindled.  He felt the intense anger again.  If not for them, he and his Corazon could have possibly been together right now, enjoying the wonderful scenery of the setting sun.  But war is long over and Corazon is nowhere to be found.  All he has right now is the memories they had.  He sighed as if he had expelled his last breath on earth.  Then he let Amor continue her story.

Her Lola was once a young and very promising medical student before the war broke out.  She had a boyfriend then whom she loved with all of her heart.  But because of the war, the young man had to leave her Lola and join the fight for their country’s freedom.  Days and weeks and months passed without a news from the young man.  Until one day, her Lola learned that a group of guerrillas from the nothern part of Luzon was captured.  News came to her that her beloved young man was among the captives.  In her desire to help, she went to the Commanding Officer of the Japanese forces to beg for the release of his boyfriend.  Beautiful as she was, the Japanese Officer was immediately attracted to her and agreed to her request.  But on one condition – she will stay in his barracks.  She must give herself to him.  The agreement was sealed when one night, the young guerrilla was released from prison camp.  That night became the most hearthbreaking moment of her life.  Her love was released from prison but she was not allowed to see him.  The man she loves now lives, but her heart died that night.

The Japanese Officer died in a combat but only after leaving her a son.  Her Lola had her son named after the only love she ever had.  Each day, her love for the child grew.  After the war, she thought that the young guerrilla would one day return to her.  She kept loving the young guerrilla everyday, waiting for his return.  Years passed, her son grew and had a family of his own.  The son had a child – Amor.  Amor grew with her Lola, and everyday she would tell her of the stories of her love and that of the young guerilla.  It is as if Amor knew the man already.

As Amorsolo was listening to the story, little pearls of tears fell from the corner of his wrinkled eyes.  “Could it be her?”  That was the question that kept ringing in his ears.  But he was so afraid to ask.  It’s none of his business because that was too personal.  But his curiousity got the best of him.  So, he asked Amor what happened to her Lola and what was her name.

Amor showed him an old white handkerchief with a wonderfully crafted embroideries on two corners, each with a name.  She said that her Lola never had it away from her.  It was the token of a promise that she kept holding on to.

The handkerchief looked familiar to Amorsolo.  And the embroidery as well.  The names too.

Wait, could it be her?

On one corner reads “Amorsolo” and on the other it reads “Corazon.”

Amor’s Lola was his Corazon.  Amor’s father was named Amorsolo and she was named after her father.

Now he understands why he was suddenly freed without explanation two nights after he was captured during the war.  It was her.  It was Corazon who sacrificed for his freedom.

Amorsolo wept.  He cried like a little child.

But wait, what happened to Corazon?  Is she still alive?  Where is she?  Could he finally see her again?  Is his search finally over?  Questions keep barraging in his head.  There is no time to waste.  He has to see her NOW.

Amor said that her Lola unceasingly loved Amorsolo.  Everyday she would tell stories about him.  In her evening prayers, she could hear her Lola asking the good Lord to keep her love safe from harm and to lead him back to her.  For forty years, she loved him with all her heart.  She never loved any other man.  The handkerchief became her companion althroughout her life.  Each afternoon, for as long as she could remember, she and her Lola Azon would go by the bay to wait for the return of the young guerrilla who made a promise to her.  But he never came back.  Two months ago, the very same date Amorsolo returned to the Philippines, on the very same spot that they are sitting right now, holding her handkerchief – his promise of love – her Lola Azon breathed her last, still waiting for her Amorsolo, her Only Love.

Amorsolo cried like a child.  He cried until there were no more tears to fall.  He will never see his Corazon again.  Not in this lifetime.

Amorsolo went home still saddened with the lost of his only love but also with a happy heart, knowing that his Corazon never ceased to love him just as the way he also unceasingly thinks and loves her.  In his heart, he thanked Corazon because he realized that his life was purchased with a very high price – Corazon’s very own.

That night, Amorsolo and Corazon reunited in their final meeting place.  Never to be separated again.

Love is a wonderful thing.  I think it is the best thing that was ever created.  Love endures everything.  It transcends beyond time and space.  Once it is planted in the heart, when the roots finally started to grow deeper and deeper, it only becomes stronger and stronger and stronger.  What is life without love?  It will only be an endless and useless pursuit of happiness. 

What is true love then?  I Corinthians 13:4-7 gives us a very clear definition and characteristics of true love.  But we know that the greatest love of all is to lay down one’s self for others.  Yes, just like what Jesus did.  However, we are not asked to offer ourselves to be killed for someone, we are only being reminded that true love is about thinking of the other person first.