The Bigger Room

We can easily fill the small room with our stuffs. We can easily settle there and be satisfied with what we see. Opening the window is an option so you could what's outside. Yet, it doesn't change the fact that you are still inside that small room. You can't buy more because there will be no enough space.

Let me talk straight. What are we living for? Why are we satisfied with just living in the small room? Aren't we curious of those living in the huge room? Our days are numbered by God. If for nothing we were brought here on earth, then we are part of those "anything that occupies space". Just you and me. Nothing special. Nothing significant.

As Brian Tracy shares,"There are no extra human beings; you are here to do something special with your life." What's something special in settling for less? If we are doing the same things day after day then we need to check if we are growing as a person and in our profession. Surprisingly, until today, a lot of people are scared to move their cheese. As I was inspired by the stories of successful people, I learned what makes all of them similar is their belief in stretching their potentials, even undiscovered potentials.

Until we look farther, we won't get anywhere. Until we open our eyes, we won't be able to see the good future prepared for us by God. Book at the bigger room and enjoy life and its abundance.

Pen It Down!

Write your goals and stick to it. Unless something reminds you to be back on track, you are more likely to be swept away, off the road.

Ever met a person without a concrete plan in life? Observe his lifestyle. Time passes and he's not even aware that opportunities knocked his door. There's a traffic light so we know when to gear up or full stop. There's an owner's manual so we can take the best out of the product we just bought.

Oh, I remember a delightful experience. During the first week of my married life, we bought a nice wooden closet. It was too easy to assemble, I supposed. So I asked the seller if there's an instruction manual inside so I could fix it myself and without any hesitation, he said yes. Great! I was too excited to build it up so we brought it home and got ready for the (mis)adventure. When I opened the box and laid all the parts on the floor, there was no instruction manual! Here, with the nails, screws, body parts and everything, totally didn't have any idea where to start. Then, I've found a very helpful prints on the box that show 15% of its finishing looks! I tell you, it took me 2 hours to fix it. This was learning and sweating, quite awesome experience.

When you don't have a project plan, don't expect your project will be launched soon. The world doesn't work that way. We may have an idea of the outcome, but unless we plot the steps on the sketch pad, we wouldn't know where to start.

Write your goals, before others write yours. Pray that you'll be able to accomplish your tasks and move to the next level. Create a blog. Grab a journal. Buy calendars. Read books. Attend seminars. Listen to podcasts. Be inspired! You are halfway to your dreams.

Are You A Depositor?

Great leaders are masters of this. They know how to invest. Setting the stock market and business aside, true leaders know when and where to invest and how to deposit greatness to their successor.

The virtue is TRUST. I once told one of my mentors that it could have been so easy to be a high paying executive because all you need is to approve and sign documents or works. He said, "You think it's easy? Well, it's not because you need to shell out huge amount of trust to the person who submitted the work." Well said.

See? In just few moments of discussion, he was able to deposit an important principle to me. That's what depositors do. They invest their acquired knowledge and experience to their followers. Only confident leaders do this.

The next question choked me. He asked, "Have you met significant people lately? Who are they?" He believes that I need others to build me up. I need to connect with people so I could learn and I can tap connections within my networks. No wonder he's a seasoned "connector".

If you are a depositor, make sure you are casting good investments. And to the receiver, nurture the seed, make it grow. Begin with good relationships.

New Things

A bold question: What's new to you?

Well, new things make us excited. New shoes. New watch. New dress. New mobile phone. New car. New place to go. Even, new friends. New born baby is a source of joy for the parents.

Wonder what makes life boring? There's nothing new. No reason to get up from your lazy bed and catch the time to be in the office. Imagine if all you have for many years are the things you have now:

Same shoes. Same clothes. Same food to eat. Same phone. Same place.

You'll find yourself stuck in the same mindset and belief.

Turn on the TV. Imagine you are going to watch that TV show all day. Then, tomorrow it will be the same TV show, same episode, same sitcom, same...same..same... What do you think will happen to you?

Give yourself a little favor. Create. Discover new things. Play new video games. Explore.

Those who love books will agree with me. When I buy a book, I get excited as if it's the best book I've ever had. That's why, I keep on buying books. I'm excited on the new things I'll learn from it.

Raise Your Hand!!!

In my observation, successful people are those who volunteer themselves in a specific task and even it's out of their job descriptions, more often than not. That's what sales and marketing people are good at because they know that consistent exposures lead them to more sales. Connectors and networkers value volunteerism.

Why is it important? Top Executives look at those who could perform well. School teachers give credit to active students. Parents appreciate the helping child rather than the complainer. Each work done voluntarily has a value and I think it always work for our advantage. Just make sure it's out of passion, not for compensation. (Money will just follow those who have a good heart.)

Volunteers are endangered, like the wildlife. They are rare. You can only find few, if not a handful, in any existing organization. That's why I believe not everyone is a leader. Only few are willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the sake of a purpose. Some are settled already and change is not welcome anymore. The word "improvement" is not in their vocabulary.

If you are a leader, observe your people. The one who has the most number of volunteer works and doesn't complain got the "big picture". He values personal and organizational growth. Let him fly.

The Great Life Issue

The broken mirror has an issue. Anybody can't just cover the cracks with packaging tape nor try to fix it with glue. Same with trust. When you lose it, it's so difficult to bring it back.

American journalist Barbara Walters has a reputable credibility in her field. She was the highest-paid news personality on television. Anyone can just approach her and talk to her about anything. A quote from the book Winning With People says,"People trust Walters, so they talk to her." This stopped me from reading and began to ponder.

Have you ever thought why people talk to you? They trust you. Turn the table, when they don't talk to you, chances are, the trust gauge might have reached the level zero. When friends talk to you about their life, drop by your office to let you know their recent engagements, what keeps them busy, what bothers them...it means they trust you.

For me that's an issue. A great issue. We make friends everyday but how many of them talk to you like a brother or sister? How many of them do you think trust you with their secrets? I know how it feels when a friend drew away from me. Completely ceased conversations. It was a lesson of trust and it wasn't easy. Trust, in any relationship, is important.

I still owe eternal gratefulness to those who trusted me for who I am, I was and would be. Thank the people who have trusted you, family ,friends and colleagues. Their trust is enough for us to be inspired everyday.