But sometimes we are not willing to do what it takes to be happy or we simply have habits that prevents happiness from entering our lives.

Here are 96 ways from various wonderful personal development blogs on how to be happy, both at home and at work

I also highlight the strategy that I like the most.

At Work

Happiness Resource #1: 17 ways to be happier at work

• Never obsess over things you cannot control.

  While it’s often important to know about other things–like the economy, the markets that you sell to, the actions that others might take, your focus should remain on what you actually control, which is 1) your own thoughts and 2) your own actions.

Happiness Resource #2: 10 things to stop doing to be happier

• Blaming.People make mistakes. Employees don’t meet your expectations. Vendors don’t deliver on time.So you blame them for your problems.But you’re also to blame. Maybe you didn’t provide enough training. Maybe you didn’t build in enough of a buffer. Maybe you asked too much, too soon.Taking responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others isn’t masochistic, it’s empowering–because then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time.And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier.

Happiness Resource #3: 17 ways to create a relaxed workday

• Take breaks and stretch. While focusing on one task at a time is important, it’s also important to take breaks when you can. Get up, stretch, get a glass of water. Massage your shoulders, neck and head. It keeps you relaxed throughout the day.

Outside Work

Happiness Resource #4: 9 Daily habits that will make you happier

• End each day with gratitude.

  Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as a making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again.

Happiness Resource #5: 10 simple sure fireways to make today your best day ever

•  Get one important thing done. As I said in the previous point, do less but do more important things. When I say important, I mean things that will have a huge impact on your life (personally or career wise) over the long run. Not things that need to be done today or else. Here’s why: If you get something important done, something that will help you in the long run (even if it’s only a step towards a major accomplishment, it’s important), you will feel great! You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment. That makes any day a great day.

Happiness Resource #6: 12 things happy people do differently

• Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous.  If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority.  Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out!  If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made.  What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place.  If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
  

Happiness Resource #7: 10 habits you must quit to be happy

•  Quit procrastinating on your goals.Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.  Action and change are often resisted when they’re needed most.  Get a hold of yourself and have discipline.  Putting something off instantly makes it harder and scarier.  What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow.  And there’s nothing more stressful than the perpetual lingering of an unfinished task.The secret to getting ahead is simply getting started.  Starting, all by itself, is usually sufficient to build enough momentum to keep the ball rolling.  So forget about the finish line and just concentrate on taking your first step.  Say to yourself, “I choose to start this task with a small, imperfect step.”  All those small steps will add up and you’ll actually get to see changes fairly quickly.

Happiness Resource #8: 8 secrets of the happiest people on earth

• Happy people take care of themselves

  We can’t deny the mind-body-soul connection. Have you ever noticed when you decide to eat better, you are more motivated to exercise, or when you exercise, you are more inclined to think positively? You cannot take care of your mind without eventually wanting to take care of your body and soul, and you cannot take care of your body without eventually wanting to take care of your mind.

  As long as a part of you is neglected, you will feel restless, like you should be doingsomething. The degree of restlessness will be directly related to how neglectful you have been. The only way out of this kind of restlessness is to take care of yourself and your environment.

Happiness Resource #9: 3 scientifically proven ways to boost your happiness

• Commit acts of kindness.

  Performing acts of kindness helps you to feel happier. And they don’t have to be big things; small kindnesses go a long way in increasing your happiness.

Happiness Resource #10: 8 daily activities that will make you happier

• Create something to look forward to. 

When you have something to look forward to, you boost your happiness

***

Which happiness tip struck you the most and will implement immediately? Share them in the comments below

Stay Happy,

Argee

**

Being human, we can’t escape from anger, misunderstanding and brokenness no matter how we learn how to heal it and hold it. Let me share some views and lessons inspired by the lines and knowledge from one unknown monk.

The monk questions why it is seemingly natural for human nature to let out anger and voice out their emotions by shouting. While this may be okay if done alone in a quiet room or place, the situation is different when it is done publicly and at another person. When people lose calm, they get too anxious that they do not care about their manner of speaking.

The tone of voice becomes different, as well as the pitch. Especially when the other person is just sitting right next to you, you can tell him why you are angry without transforming into a “Hulk.” In a soft manner, you can have understanding and communication by directly pointing out what went wrong and what bugs you. Here’s the scenario of the monk: One of the monk’s students asked him, “Why do people shout in anger shout at each other? Is it because we lose our calm?” Another asked, “Why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.” He just then replied, “When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot.

To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.” Another question pop out from one of his students, “What happens when two people fall in love?”

The monk smile and answered “They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small… When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper ‘n they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper; they only look at each other ‘n that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.”

All of his student quietly absorb every word their teacher said, then the monk added… “So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.” Anger makes hearts of people become distant. To quote the monk, “The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.”

In the same way, when people appreciate each other, they do not reprimand and berate others they care about. Instead, they talk softly as if their hearts are the ones speaking. Those who are in love do not need to talk explicitly at all, for love understands even in silence. True lovers can whisper and look at each other in the eye to easily forge connection.

Count to ten

This is basic but if you just take the time to breathe in and out while counting one to ten, you can manage to break away from stressful and tense situations. Before acting out loudly, think about the words and the manner of letting them out. Be void of frustrations and if you want, you can even close your eyes to make yourself calmer.

Exercise

To vent out your anger, you can do aerobic activities such as simple exercises at home. This is to make your mind become lucid and make your thoughts very clear. Exercises come with good mental strength and good blood and oxygen circulation. So you can have an outlet for your emotions once they are nearing to erupt.You can go for a swim or a jog. You will then feel more relaxed after the workout.

Identify the cause of anger

Once you are angry, your brain would like to release all angry thoughts and you’d want to bark them out. But if you just practice analyzing the real reasons of your anger and consider that nothing will be fixed with your attitude, you will have the power to tame that fire inside you.

So ask yourself many questions on how your problem came to be and identify possible solutions without blaming anyone. Although being angry is a natural circumstance of being human, arguments with loud screams and hollers will only result to pain and further quarrelling. These instances will make the hearts grow distant. So as much as it is hard for you to keep away from doing this and practice anger management, you know this is the right thing to do. Do not be self-destructive and multiply the problems. Practice reaching out to the hearts of others to grow your relationships. To make the hearts close, don’t use sarcasm and express your anger with soft voice but with strong points to fuel both understanding and insight in tackling the problem.

Author Bio:

Apple is a clayist, band vocalist and OPM enthusiast. Also likes eating, sleeping, art, skin tattoos and photography – learned some of it. She is currently working for a company as a social media specialist.

These laws can bring you happiness and make you achieve your goals much faster.

LAW#1: The 80/20 Rule or the Pareto Law

Simply put, this law tells us that 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort and time.

80% of our happiness and positive results comes from 20% of our inputs and efforts.

How do you apply the Pareto Law in your life?

Focus on the important things. Do more of the the things that contributes most to your happiness and success.

Do the things that tap your natural strengths.

Alternatively, this law also tells us that 80% of our unhappiness comes from 20% of the inputs in our life.

So the thing we have to do is to eliminate those things that contribute to the bulk of our unhappiness.

Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away.

~Antoine De Saint-Exupery

 LAW#2: PARKINSON’S LAW

A synonym of the Parkinson’s Law is the Deadline.

Given a deadline, we get efficient with the time we have and become more productive.

If you give yourself a week to complete something, you will use up that week. If you give yourself only two hours for the task, you’d complete it in those two hours.

I mean how else did you manage to meet those deadlines in school after partying the whole weekend?

All those cramming and last minute work is Parkinson’s Law in Action.

1+1 =3

When you combine Pareto’s Law and Parkinson’s Law, you’ll free up your time to much to do high value tasks.

How do you combine the two laws? Simple. By attaching deadlines to your most important tasks. 

It’s simple but in reality we end up spending so much time on unimportant tasks and procrastinate on the important ones.

Priorities + Deadlines = More time, More happiness

**

Your turn, are you applying these laws in your life? What are the main distractions and challenges in your life that prevents you from tapping these wonderful laws?

]]> http://pinoyminimalist.com/the-two-laws-that-will-radically-change-your-life/feed/ 3 http://pinoyminimalist.com/5-simple-ways-to-deal-with-change/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-simple-ways-to-deal-with-change http://pinoyminimalist.com/5-simple-ways-to-deal-with-change/#comments Sat, 28 Jul 2012 00:22:11 +0000 Argee Abadines http://pinoyminimalist.com/?p=394 Recently, I have been dealing with major changes in life.

For one, I have moved to a foreign land to teach. It’s my first time to work abroad.

Instead of dealing with primary kids, I now handle teenagers, kids often bigger than me. Instead of me towering over my students, I find I often have to look up to them.

Changes in routine, for example, weekend routines back in the Philippines have changed as well. It’s now more simple.

Relationships wise, from a mini-long distance, it becomes a even longer distance relationship.

Foreign language, foreign place, everything is new.

It can get overwhelming at times really.

Change is really the only constant. 

However, I think I adjusted well and here are 5 ways I used to deal with the change:

1) Think of your Whys.

Think of the reasons that led to your decision that brought about much change in your life. Those reasons will keep you grounded.

2) Surround yourself with friends. Connect.

I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded with great friends and colleagues here in this foreign land. They help stave off homesickness and provide positive cheer.

3) Be humble

Dealing with new environments and changes can lead you to doubt your confidence. Be humble to acknowledge that you don’t know everything. Ask. Learn from others. This will lead to confidence.

4) Connect with God

Each time you wake up with the sun lighting up brightly in the sky, you know that God has a purpose for you and you have not yet accomplished it. Being in this new situation is part of the journey leading to your soul’s purpose.

5) Enjoy

Embrace the new change. Enjoy this new journey. Change often brings new things to learn and experience. One day, you will remember these experiences and smile that you braved the changes and it made you a better person.

Enjoy Change! Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese! 

Spencer Johnson, Who moved my cheese?

*****

Being stuck in heavy traffic jam will surely ruin your day no matter how well you’ve started it. Even when the car air conditioner gives off cool air, you will be so frustrated and feel hot to the point that you’re burning inside, experiencing hell on earth. In this article, we will discuss some tips and activities you can do to while you’re in traffic.

1. Look for alternative routes.

Listen to the radio news intently. Search for channels announcing traffic information on the routes to your destination. If you have a GPS in your car, set the recommended routes on the device at once for you to follow suit. Also, you can refer to the taxi drivers beside you or other drivers for suggestions. Better yet, if you have a mobile app on your smart phone which can detect the paths with the heaviest traffic at that specific time, avoid them and follow through with alternatives.

2. Sing along to songs over the radio.

Not every car has an MP3 player, Bluetooth technology capable of connecting your music player to your car’s audio system and other high-technology devices, but almost every car has an in-built radio. Why not take the opportunity to sing when you’re all alone? Singing will somehow ease your anger and tension. Take on high notes and see how high your vocal cords can reach. Simply, have fun.

3. Listen to a podcast.

Before you leave the house, make sure that you have podcast and/or other audio educational or learning materials that you can utilize while in the traffic. iTunes, for instance, offers a lot of free podcasts from universities, professionals, educators, experienced individuals and entertainers. If your mobile phone has Internet access, you can even stream the episodic series of your favorite speaker and download it to your library. Use the time to get as much information to further your knowledge at some things. This can range from learning a new language, learning how to have a more positive mindset, how to sell efficiently, etc.

4. Reflect on things in life.

Maybe you’re so busy every day that you miss to have reflections on what you do, your relationships with your family, friends, colleagues at work, and the community. By thinking about the wrong and the right things you have accomplished, you are improving your personality and outlook to become a better individual. In addition, you can meditate, set priority tasks and be compelled to plan for the near future with a lighter mood and apt preparation. Jot these reflections and thoughts down on your journal (either digital or paper-based) and review them at the end of the day or share them with someone you trust.

5. Eat.

In your car, you must always have something to chow and chew on. Eating generally makes us happier. With more energy, we can think clearer and act with more vigor. If you don’t have anything from your fridge, buy food from the nearby drive-thru and eat the food while trapped in the traffic jam.

All good things happen to those who wait—patiently. So don’t let your frustration lead to anger and be patient instead. Do things that are useful to kill boredom and spend your time wisely while waiting for the red light to turn green.

******

Ann Joy Perez is an alumna from Arellano University Philippines, a former Marketing Assistant and a 25 year old, single.

She is into almost all types of Music especially love songs. She also love playing basketball, video games,watching entertainment and films.watching news tv and reading news paper is one of her favorite hobby and also she loves to eat. Follow her interests on her Tumblr.

I learned a lot of content marketing ideas from this event.

I am an avid reader on the topic of content marketing so a lot of the ideas I have heard or read before but it’s nice to hear the ideas spoken with conviction and passion.

I have categorized the ideas under the following headings:

On Attitude and Mindsets (The Self) 

• Carlo Ople talked about finding that meeting point where your passion meets strength and meets money. This means your blog should tap your passion, uses your strengths and your target niche should be a market where you can make money.
• Rem Tanauan shared the idea of the ‘soul of blogging’. Where do you find inspiration? Where do you find insights for your blog?
• Create your own rules and goals for your blog. Create eternal memories when you blog.
• To blog is to write. To write is to acknowledge our need to express the self.
• Janette urges bloggers to be assertive. Volunteer and ask for writing gigs.
• Decide whether you will be the influencer or the one to be influenced.
• Wendell Cagape shares that to be a great blogger, you have to be a great reader. Read plenty. Be inspired about your life’s experiences.
• Marcelle Fabie brought the house down with his humorous antics. Don’t force yourself to be funny. Humor will come naturally and is a powerful engaging mechanism for your blog.
• He urges us to find the humor in everyday life and our daily life experiences. This highlights the importance of paying attention to details.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously. Laugh at yourself at times

Your Blog as an Artform (How to blog like a rockstar!) 

• Be creative
• Have good layout
• Relate to your audience
• Be easy to understand
• Boris Joaquin talked about the importance of having a strong, focused blog and that you should seek to be original. He also highlighted the need to have a strong and engaged readership for businesses to have an interest in your blog.
• Boris shared that writing skills is important to develop when running a blog.
• Boris Formula for Traffic: Great Content + Good Connections + Good Promotion= Great Traffic
• Guest post in other blogs.
• Add a personal touch in your entries. Engage your readers.
• LESS CLUTTER. MORE CONTENT. ARCHITECTURE IS IMPORTANT.
• Give comments that add value. Converse with bloggers and your readers.
• Build your identity. Find your voice. Discover yourself. STAND OUT.
• Great Blogs Inspire.
• Capture great photos!
• Be consistent in your blogging.
• Make posts that have IMPACT!
• Bien Elli Nillos summarizes blogging as STORYTELLING. Be a great Storyteller.  Appeal to your readers by tapping their emotions. Inspire action through your stories.
• Victorino challenges us to create world class blogs and to WOW our audience.
• Marcelle urges us to write about things we love and to make lists posts.

Your Blog as a Business and Platform

• Carlo Ople talked about a blog as an online publishing business. He gave an estimate that digital advertising is growing rapidly and is worth around 2 billion pesos at the moment.
• Carlo also shared to us that as bloggers, we are in the online publishing business and thus we have to see our blogs with a marketing mindset.
• As a business,we have to make our sites appealing to business and advertisers.
• There are 3 major business models: ads, services, and products. Decide what business model your blog will use.
• Your blog is a platform to build expertise.
• Have a media kit to those interested to advertise in your blog and collaborate with you.
• Mark Delgado talked about the importance of branding your blog and that the branding should be uniform and it should follow your niche.

Social Media

• Mark Delgado talked about creating online campaigns to drive traffic and engage readers via social media. An example is creating online contests.
• You can also create events to bring exposure and promote your brand.
• Mark highlighted the importance of creating alliances (networking) to promote your brand. Content and social media are tools you can use to do this.
• Carlo Gonzales urges us to use twitter well and to curate awesome content to tweet and post online. Understand and Tap Hashtags.

Relationship Marketing

•  Your blog is also a platform to build relationships.
• Jason Acidre also discussed the importance of engaging your industry influencers. Who are the leaders in your niche? The Klout Score can be a useful tool to measure digital influence.
• Boris highlighted the importance of connecting to people via email, calls and face to face events.
• Build your tribe. Build your community.
• Victorino Abrugar underscored the importance of getting mentors for your blog and life in general.
• Victorino urges us to focus on your audience.
• Carlo Angelo Gonzales shares the following tips to engage your readers: (1) Ask questions, (2) Mention your fans, (3) Thank people, (4) Provide Value, (5) Ask readers for their opinions.
• Jeoffrey Solas reminds us to be sincere both online and offline. Be credible. Walk the talk. Show your identity.

SEO/Google

•  Jason Acidre talked about the importance of having a value proposition. This means creating useful content and promoting it strategically to your intended audience.
• He also shared the importance of analyzing traffic statistics and to think of ways to improve conversions.
• Key things to take note in traffic statistics: Favorite pages, engagement, bounce rate and traffic sources.
• Google loves useful and compelling content. How do you know if Google will love it? Characteristics to consider: (1) Is it share-worthy? (2) Is it visually appealing? (3) Does it have a good hook? (4) Does it have good images and design? (5) Does it have clear calls to action?
• Email marketing is very powerful. Learn it.
• Optimize for search. Use keywords strategically.
• Build links through internal links and outside links.
• Make your content easy to share through social sharing buttons.
• Create ways to get the emails of people and have them subscribe to your newsletters and email lists.
• Always create awesome content.
• Be mindful of your keywords. It should show up on your title and first paragraph.
• Sean Patrick Si reminds us to use concise keywords in the title tag. He tells us to edit all our posts so that we can optimize it for the search engines.
• Kim Tryone Agapito shared advanced SEO strategies, like using blog networks and tapping authority sites for backlink purposes to your site. Blog networks can amplify your content tremendously.
• He also highlighted the need to make the anchor text in our blog entries to look natural.

Social Good and Responsible Blogging

• Danilo Arao urged us bloggers to maintain highest standards of ethics and to be responsible when we blog.
• By doing so, we maintain credibility and the reality is that trust is the currency of the web.
• Tonyo Cruz urges us to use social media for social good and to tap blogs and social media as a form of citizen journalism.
• Let us not forget that as bloggers, we are all Filipinos, and we have an obligation to help our country.
• Blogging is social. Connect with others. Help others.
• Teach others how to blog so that they can also use it for social good.
• Gellie Anne Abogado  reminds us never to plagiarize and to always provide correct information. She highlights the need to do research well and credit the source of your information and influence.
• Be accountable to what you write and always be nice to those that comment in your site.
• Janette urges bloggers to be active in the blogosphere and be nice to PR people and everyone you encounter. She says Respect is earned and you have to respect others to gain that same respect.
• Yes, there is competition in blogging so beware of politics online and tyrant bloggers.
• Do not belittle small bloggers.

So there, things I have learned from Iblog8 I leave you with the awesome quote by Carlo Ople :

Walang Basagan ng Trip! 

Did you attend the Iblog8? What did you learn? Share them in the comments below

What ideas struck you and which ones do you intend to implement immediately?

Don’t forget to share this post and connect with me on FB and Twitter and through my exclusive mailing list

So when I came across an information that there will be Tedx Katipunan, I wanted in and prayed to the high heavens I would have the opportunity. I was granted that opportunity

The Wifi there was excellent and allowed me to live tweet an event for the first time. It was an awesome experience The tweets (#tedxkatips) for the event were fast and furious. That was an indication of the positive energy in Leong Hall.

The list of speakers were diverse but all are revolutionaries in their own right.

Ideas and Inspiration are wonderful, but without action, they are nothing.

This epic event gave everyone a compelling dose of ideas and inspiration.

The ball is now on our courts to start our own revolutions.

So let me share the big ideas from the different speakers.

Dylan Wilk, CEO and Founder of Human Heart Nature

His passion and love for our country struck me. I think his sense of nationalism for the Philippines is even more than me and many other Filipinos. It should serve as a challenge for us, that national progress begins with a love of country.

Dylan Wilk’s Revolutionary Ideas for you:

• Filipinos are world class.
• The key to progress is love of country.
• Happiness is doing God’s purpose for your life.
• GK is a wonderful organization that embodies national pride: Less for Self. More for Others. Enough for all.
• Buy local products.
• When you work in another country, you make another country rich.
• Be a social entrepreneur.

On another note, he mentioned that in Human Heart Nature, they have a no firing policy. I thought that was a radical and interesting idea. The result apparently is that it’s an honor system that works really well because the workers trust the management and do excellent work in return. And they’re paid way beyond the minimum wage. Fantastic, really

• Passion is needed to start a revolution.
• Do not wait for leaders to start a revolution. You can start your own and be a leader. Lead yourself first and others will follow.
• Revolutions need not be major. It can be small at the beginning. Just start something.
• Revolutions are never about you. It’s about empowering others.

Her Postura Project is interesting. It is a 30 day challenge for us to wear Filipino Made clothes

In that project, she learned how to jump for the photo challenge

Forget Just Do It by Nike; the new mantra should be Just Jump as inspired by Arriane

If you were to start a revolution, who would it be for and why? 

  

John Chua, Photography with a Difference

I think this is one of the most interesting revolutions I have encountered.

It taps photography as a means to raise awareness for people with disabilities and special needs.

It collaborates with photography groups to have programs and photo exhibits that would benefit the PWDs communities.

They also teach these people to use photography to express themselves to their family and others

It also highlighted the power of Social Media, particularly Facebook to connect groups and people to create projects and organize events. Also, it helps to have big corporations like Canon to have on your side

John Chua’s Revolutionary Ideas for you:

• Make the distance between Idea to Reality short.
• Execute the vision.
• Hold yourself accountable. Share the vision to others.
• Have strong convictions.
• Dream Big.
• Work on your revolutions.

Very passionate and witty speaker. Love her sense of humor as she describes her advocacy and adventures as an Environmentalist and Writer. I mean just her title is amusing already

Stop Global Whining! 

Pie Alvarez, Mayor of San Vicente, Palawan

Yes, she’s only 24. I didn’t know you run to be a mayor in your 20s. Time to run! Nah, I’m not for politics

Her stories of being a young mayor was quite fun and hilarious.

I really agree that our political system needs young, idealistic blood. We have too many dinosaurs in politics. New ideas. New Paradigms. Our country needs a good dose of that.

Pie Alvarez’s Revolutionary Ideas for you:

• Be bold.
• Break Rules.
• Be adventurous.
• Serve through public service.
• Young leaders can make a change in the system.
• Know yourself really well.
• Have fun in the process of serving

Do not cross the line. Promise yourself you won’t cross the line when it comes to doing evil, like corruption. 

****

I hope you learned a lot from these revolutionaries.

Start your revolutions immediately and if you have already started yours, share them in the comments below

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Do you spend more time developing your strengths or do you spend more time on your weaknesses?

I’m a big advocate of developing strengths and talents. Work with what you have rather than than what you don’t have.

For example, I’m terrible in drawing. So I don’t seek to improve it. Yes, I wish I had that skill but it’s just not in my genes.

On the other, I’m decent with writing. Not yet a super strength but a strength nonetheless. This is one skill I’m honing.

This is one major reason I blog. To hone my writing skill.

How about you? Are you actively working on your strength? Or are you letting your lizard brain take over and convince you to procrastinate?

According to John Maxwell, if you work on a weakness, you can only raise your ability a little bit (2 points on a 10 point scale). However, if you work on a strength, you can hone it even further to become  a super strength.

Malcolm Gladwell in his groundbreaking book, Outliers, say we have to clock in 10,000 hours to become truly proficient in something.

Are you clocking in towards that 10,000 hour mark?

If you have’t discovered your strengths, I highly recommend you take the Strengthsfinder Test by the Gallup Institute.

It will tell you your top 5 strengths and how to harness it in your life.

For me, I have gotten: Futuristic, Learner, Intellection, Input and Empathy as my major strengths to work on

Have you taken it already? Share your results below!

What are your thoughts on strengths and weaknesses? Write them in the comments below!

Also don’t forget to join my mailing list for exclusive content and offers!

Come to the Edge.

No, we will fall.

Come to the edge.

No, we will fall.

They came to the edge.

He pushed them and they flew.

by French poet, Guillaume Apollinaire

The poem reminded me of baby eagles where their parents nudge them off cliffs to force them to spread their wings and unleash their flying prowess.

Risks are an essential part of our existence. If people did not risk and make mistakes in the process, we would still be living in prehistoric civilization.

To risk is to live. To avoid risk means to avoid to live. You are simply existing. But in risking, you become alive.

I’m sure you are familiar with the line, No guts, No glory. 

Of course, I’m only talking about taking risks that can have benefits, where something can come out out of it.

Vices like smoking, is not taking risk. It’s just plain stupidity.

A lot of us get stuck in our comfort zone. We like being comfortable. We can blame our lizard brain for this.

We need to defeat the lizard brain so that we can take good risks and live once again.

I have taken many risks in my life. Some had good results, others did not materialize but on hindsight, i never regretted taking those risks.

Looking back, what I regretted was not taking enough risks. I wish I was more bolder, more courageous.

Srinivas encourages us to take small risks daily.

How about you? Are you a risk taker? What was the most risky thing you have done in your life?

Always remember this quote: Boldness has genius, power and magic in it! ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I also had a chance to get to know awesome bloggers that came along with the Club. Although it was a tiring trip on the car, being in great company made up for the minor discomfort.

Azalea Residences

Our hosts in Baguio was Azalea Residences, a newly opened private haven in Baguio catering to families, couple retreats and for business workshops and team meetings.

Their exclusive suites were spacious and looked very much like high end condo units. They were also very clean and well equipped with everything a typical family would need in a stay there. You can cook meals and they even had a microwave for quick meals for midnight supper.

Their lobby was simple and clean, and manned by courteous and friendly staff. Beside the lobby was a cozy lounge called 8 degrees, which I found to be an interesting name.

Here are photos on Azalea Residences

Workshop Learnings

The next day, we had the Digital Filipino Workshops. Day 1 focused on the different internet business models while the second morning was about the science behind digital influence.

I learned many things but here are 10 epic ideas from the workshops

• The Philippines has a young population and we need to adjust our business models to cater to them because very soon, they will drive the economy with their purchasing power.
• The Youth is the Free Generation, i.e. they expect things fast and free (at least online) so your business should definitely have a free component while you provide higher value products and services beyond the useful free content.
• Your readers/customers seek significance and the sense of belonging. Give them that and your business will prosper.
• Give your community and audience  the opportunity to define your brand and business.
• Work with influencers in your niche and industry.
• We buy with emotion and justify with logic. Appeal therefore to both.
• Content marketing is all about providing epic and useful content; content that informs, inspires and that promotes positive actions.
• Understand your customer. Really, Really, Really understand them from all angles.
• Make your value proposition compelling.
• Social Media is all about relationship building. Build and cultivate your relationships.

Tour of Azalea Residences

After the 1st day morning workshop, we were toured by the manager of Azalea Residences around the hotel rooms and facilities

Notable things about Azalea Residences:

1) They have a playground outside for kids. Truly children friendly.

2) They have tent facility outside where you can hold different functions, whether business or family related. It can house 250 people.

3) They have a Vacation club wherein for a lifetime membership of P220,000, you can stay there for free 7 days a year! If you’re a frequent Baguio visitor, that fee is a steal I think Plus, there are plans for Azalea Residences in Boracay. Yes, even though the places begin with B, they are A+ destinations.

4) They have CCTV cameras all over the place and roving personnel at every floor to make sure everything is secured.

So if you’re heading out to Baguio anytime soon, check out this remarkable accommodation. If you’re a Baguio newbie, and want to explore it with a trusted guide, the hotel offers personalized tours.

You can see their room rates and reserve your rooms online with instant confirmation

Also, drop by their Facebook Page to see photos and raving reviews from previous guests. Don’t forget to like it!

Here are more photos of Azalea Residences

Chilling with the Bloggers

It was fun to get to know the bloggers that came along to the Workshop: Jinkee Umali, Cha Sy, Mac Vasquez, JayL Aquino, and the associates of Ms. Janette: Randolph Rovino and Heidi Kleiber.

Here are some places we visited and ate at

Once again, special thank you to Ms. Janette Toral of The Digital Filipino Club for inviting bloggers like me to join. Thank you also to Azalea Residences for the awesome accommodation and props to my fellow bloggers and to the Digital Filipino Club for making it a a great learning and fun experience