Doing the Hard Thing

Sometimes in life, we have to do the hard things. Whether it's as simple as getting up in bed and go to school or work when we don't feel like it. Facing irritating clients or your boss as well as dealing with ill-tempered colleagues or employees. Even eating healthy and working out can often times be a struggle.

Regardless of what that difficult scenario is, there is no escaping doing the hard thing. There will always be circumstances that we dread to do but we must face, especially if you are in a leadership role or planning to get there.

What distinguishes us from being mature and a professional is that 'grit' or resilience in being able to produce results no matter the situation. Successful people go above and beyond what is asked of them not just for the benefit of the institution but rather for them to further learn and grow from every experience. No matter how they feel, they strive to be better everyday.

Do not be afraid to step up, take responsibility and have that initiative. Continue to learn and grow. Keep on pressing on! 

Letting Go...

I've lately realized that letting go does not only refer to relationships but is quite applicable to every aspect of our lives. But ofcourse, I know, many would read this with the hopes of reading some "hugot", so read on to find out. 

If you want to find the gist of this whole post, it's all about choices and commitment. We all have a choice however the question is whether we've got the resilience to stick to our choice, that is commitment.

So let's begin the process of letting go...

When it comes to relationships, I'm sure we've experienced hurt and betrayal at one point in our lives whether from friends or our significant other, opening ourselves to a relationship is giving the other person the potential to hurt us. And indeed the pain that comes from the heart is one that is most devastating.

Letting go of someone does not mean you love them any less. But rather, the act of letting go is the choice of loving yourself first and leaving some dignity. We let go not because we want to but rather we have to for our own benefit.

The first step to let go is forgiveness whether we feel it or not. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, writes that: "Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a commitment. It is a choice to show mercy, not to hold the offence up against the offender. Forgiveness is an expression of love."

By choosing to forgive regardless of how we feel is the beginning of our healing. Through letting go of our grudges, bitterness, unforgiveness and other toxic things in our lives it is a step forward to freeing ourselves from the burden that these emotions bring. Bit by bit, as we commit to choosing to love and forgive day by day, the weight of the hurt slowly lightens up and new things begin to unravel.

The next step in letting go is to stay clear from those toxic people, keep your distance. It could be a person or a group that feeds into your negativity and brings you down even more. The sign of these types of people are that they make you feel good by showing sympathy but in reality this is not helping you let go but rather keeping you in arms length of the very things you are trying to overcome. Based on experience, the truth hurts, but it is also the very thing that will set us free. The moment we accept that truth then things will begin to change.

When it comes to our work and our extra-curricular activities, we also have to learn to balance and let go of those that are not a priority. In other words, let us choose our battles. We cannot keep on adding work to our load when we are currently swamped with other duties. We only end up burned-out and ineffective.

To let go of these, we must take a step back and evaluate our situation. We must determine our priority as to what is really important to us and begin to let go of those tasks and responsibilities that are not that high on our priority list. In doing so, we'd be more productive as we can focus on the tasks at hand rather than be a clown juggling multiple things at the same time. If your worried that no one will do the task, then find another person capable and learn to delegate.

At the end of the day, it's all up to you. You have the power and freedom to choose. By letting go, we are opening ourselves up to other opportunities in the horizon. I pray that you choose to be better and have a joy-filled life with the new things coming your way!

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing!

Isaiah 43:18-19

Stress at the City

We've all had bad days. But in the urban jungle and technology in our grasp, expecting us to do more and have more; often times a stressful day can turn into a stressful week. 

We struggle to juggle our work with our play and everything else in between. Like getting around the city with the heavy traffic and the 'jerk' drivers is not stress enough. Everyday of the week, we face personal issues as well as problems at work in dealing with grumpy, ill-mannered clients (or our boss) and catching up to deadlines. Everything just adds up to more and more stress in our life.

I will not even bother to add to your stress by writing a lengthy post. Here's what I've got to say about this: We cannot avoid stress. It's a part of our modern lives but what we can do is manage it and have hope. 

There will be days or weeks that we are swamped and just want to stay in bed. Be steadfast. Persevere and put your best foot forward. Do your best in completing your work and achieving your goals. Tomorrow is another day, be hopeful!

TGIF! Have a stress-free weekend ahead!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Hakuna Matata!

What makes a movie interesting is not knowing what comes next, however in life that would not be the case. In fact, it is the uncertainties of life and not knowing what is to come which is the very source of our anxieties and worries.

Everyday there is always something that preoccupies us in worry. We get anxious about our career whether we should stay where we are or find greener pasture. We worry when our pay or commission will be released and wonder if it is sufficient for the mounds of bills that we need to pay. We think about when Mr. or Ms. Right will pop up in our lives or whether we will ever get married at all...

Sometimes the issues that we constantly dwell on are beyond our control. There are some that we can deal with on our own and should address now rather than to procrastinate it for later. But for sure, majority of our worries involve things that is to come or might not even happen. We have the tendency (myself included) to over-think thus leading us to worry.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own.

Although often times it cannot be helped but to worry, here's two things that help me cope with anxieties: (1) take it one day at a time and (2) prayer. By focusing on the now, I am able to be more productive as the energy I waste worrying is channeled to the tasks at hand. Being preoccupied with the worries of the day helps me from thinking about other worries that is yet to happen.

Secondly, there is just that peace that comes when you pray. There is no alternative to that feeling of being able to lay down your worries and anxieties to God, especially when the thing we worry about is beyond our control. So it is up to us to pray and trust God that He has a great plan for our lives.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7  

For those with a curious mind: Hakuna Matata is a Swahili phrase which means 'No Worries' and has been popularized in the movie The Lion King.

The quote mentioned above is a passage from the book of Matthew 6 verse 34.

Moving On...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, or so they say... Often times it is so easy for people to speak these words when in reality they have not experienced nor can comprehend the pain of life's affliction.

If this is so, then you can consider yourselves lucky for not having undergone such an experience. But for the rest of the people, it is a daily struggle that one has to live with.

For those that have or are currently going through something: it does get better. Things may not make sense or does not appear like there is any hope of your circumstance improving, but it will. This may not be what we want to hear but having gone through a time of testing myself: time does heal all wounds though it leaves a scar. We've got the power to change things it all boils down to our choices.

Often times we share our story to our friends thinking and expecting that they can fix the issues we face. To allow someone else to make up for our mistakes or just not take responsibility of our shortcomings. We also share in order to throw ourselves a pity party that our life is messed up because it does feel good.

In life's adversity;
Do not seek sympathy.
Rather allow it to work,
To toughen your personality,
and strengthen your mentality.
Build up your character and integrity.

Whatever concerns we face, the important thing is that we start moving on... We let go of the past and look at the brighter things ahead. In order to do that, we must first choose to forgive those that have hurt us and the most important part is that we learn to forgive ourselves. Let's not be too hard on our self.

Everyday is a new day. A new beginning. A fresh start with troubles of it's own. It's time to pick-up the pieces and choose to move on.

It's normal: The first step is always the hardest. Be strong!

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.  

John 16:33

How Many Tacos?

2 Tacos?! Really...

How many tacos do you see?

Over the weekend after watching Wonder Woman, my gf and I grabbed dinner in a Burger + Burrito place in Ayala. Kind of famished, I ordered a taco which was advertised to be two (2) pieces, however upon being served there was only one taco on the plate. (As seen on picture above)

I was not happy with what I saw. Being "hangry", angry when hungry, I was about to react having to pay a premium price for something that was misrepresented on their menu. When my expectations did not meet reality, I was going to transform into Wonder Man and add end credits to the movie by making my own action scene right there and then.

In reality: 2nd Taco right behind the first taco

Lucky for them (Lucky me to be honest), my girlfriend pointed out that the second taco was tucked away behind the wrappers. So when I changed my viewpoint and looked at the plate from a different angle, there it was, the beautiful crispy shell filled with juicy beef with refreshing vegetable salsa topped with creamy cheese... Thank God for food! 

Now I'm hungry...

But back to point. I'm sure we can all relate to this. When it's so easy for us to react because we rely on how we feel. We easily flame up when we're stressed and facing issues at work or in our personal lives. We easily get agitated during certain times of the month or when our blood sugar goes low, in my case. We may also lose interest in doing our work when our mind wanders over other issues affecting us.

When our expectations are beyond what is happening in reality, we are also easily disappointed, thinking our life sucks. Even going to extremes by saying there is no God, just because things are not going our way; or everyone else is in a relationship or getting married, while we're still single.

To be real: Life is hard. As we progress in this journey called life, we will face trials and difficult points. There is no escaping that. Nonetheless there is one thing we can control and that is our perspective. At first glance, we may face an impossibility, but we could actually take a second look at our circumstance and have a different viewpoint. Our challenges may be possible after all, it would be hard but we can overcome.

Over-all do not make decisions based on feelings, we will later regret it. Do not lose hope when our expectations don't meet our reality, we can overcome it. At the end of the day, it all matters on the perspective of how we look at things. Nothing is what it appears to be.

In every circumstance, good or bad, take a second look. You never know the second taco is just right in front of you.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - - his good, pleasing and perfect will.  

Romans 12:2

Live Louder

In today's world, we are all interconnected. It's so easy to get your voice heard. We have become not only a "selfie" generation, we have also become one that is loud and vocal.

Now, being vocal is a good thing however the problem lies in being real. There are so many people who are opinionated that rant and bash online through social media but when push comes to shove and it is time to take action, they cower behind their anonymity and online profiles.

On the other hand, there are other people who are masters of perception management. No, this is not a new type of business management style. What this refers to are people that have a front: "artistas", "tupperware", "plastic", "imitation", "fake" and down right hypocrites who maintains an image online as well as offline for people to see. Their agenda is to make people believe that they are one thing when in reality they are another.

It is so sad to see that they think they are fooling people, when in reality they are only fooling themselves. No matter who you are, please take note, it's not about what you say, it's what you do that truly counts. Words may be powerful but it is through our actions that we are able to make an impact.

It's not about what you say, it's about what you do that matters.

If you're reading this and feeling guilty, please don't. I'm not talking about you. I'm referring to the person beside you.

But seriously, kidding aside, I've learned through experience that it's so easy for people to say one thing but then do another. We can always talk but does our walk back it up?!

Essentially, you can be loud with your words but you can even be louder with your actions. Here's my challenge:

Stop Saying, Start Doing: Live Louder!

But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18

Promo:

For friends in Cebu who have nothing planned next Friday, 16th of June. Let's get together for the loudest event in Cebu this 2017: Live Louder! Tickets are at P200. It will be an event that can change your life. See you there!

For tickets or details you can contact me or visit the following page: http://www.citichurch.ph/event/live-louder/

For more info visit http://www.citichurch.ph/event/live-louder/