Studying the online information that I can find and also having attended MMI myself, I find that this is an interesting training worth exploring.
Through high-impact processes, exercises, games, and case studies participants will learn:
* How to earn a million dollars a year in any business you choose!
* How to generate million-dollar ideas every 60 seconds.
* How to make or save a fortune using guerrilla negotiation tactics.
* How to start any business or division with little or no money down.
* How to raise $10,000 to 1/2 a million dollars without asking anyone to finance anything.
* How to set up your business for massive passive income or (sell it for millions if you choose to!)
The Guerrilla Business Intensive with T Harv Eker is not for everybody because you will have to work incredibly hard during the five day program and many people will not be up to it or don't want to succeed enough. I think the intensity and the activity through out will be pushing the participants to the limit and making it worth every penny.
Harv Eker shares eight wealth tactics in Guerrilla Business Intensive Seminar
1. Results Lead To Strategy
The lesson here: don’t think conventionally. Think outside the box. For example, if you are a cab driver, and you earn 1000 per month on an 8-hour shift, if you want to double your salary, you could work 16-hour shifts everyday to achieve your goal. If you wanted to triple your salary, you could– by working 24 hours a day. But if you wanted to quadruple your income, it would be almost impossible.
Don’t limit your capacity by thinking in terms of using your resources, but set a goal and then find ways to achieve it.
2. Business Is As Simple As To ‘K.I.S.S.’
Business, according to Harv Eker, is as easy as KISS.
In other words, Keep It Short & Simple. You can break it down into 3 components:
- produce/buy/create (content/product) Piggy Backing
- sell
- operations/admin
How much time do you spend on each of these things – how much time do you spend on what brings results? The ideal breakdown of your resource and time allocation should be:
- create - 20%
- sell - 60%
- admin - 20%
If you are not selling, you won't make money. If this means that you have to reduce your operations, or outsource, then you should because you only get paid when you sell, not before.
3. The Rich Are Experts
Like Chet Holmes and Joel Roberts have said, find one area of specialty and focus on it. Find one thing and become really good at it. For example, not every project manager should have to spend time figuring out the site structure, setting up an email auto responder, and writing copy. You should professionals for each area of expertise. This way, your company can get more done, in a shorter time, with better quality.
Many of the richest and most successful people started out by making it big in one industry or by becoming an expert in one area, and after their success, they branch out.
4. Create High Price Ticket Items
Let me give an example. Take John and Peter, who are in the same industry. John has 100 customers per day, he makes 30 sales per day, and he has a 30% conversion rate. Peter, on the other hand, has 10 customers per day; Peter makes 2 sales per day, and his conversion rate is 20%.
Yet, Peter is richer and happier than John. Why? Because Peter has chosen to supply good to a market with low competition and more money. If John is selling a standard iPod, and Peter is selling a diamond-plated iPod shuffle, then Peter has a far better deal because even if he sells very little to a few people, he still makes enough to
What expensive products are you selling? You can give an exclusive seminar or a personal coaching program, and use these as your high price ticket items.
5. Piggy Backing Concept
Find someone in your field (or in a similar field) who is willing to buy a large volume of your product at one time, minimizing your marketing efforts and maximizing your income in a short time. They can sell your product in large volumes, for example, if they sell yours complementary with theirs. You can ask them to give away your free samples, and when these customers visit your site, you can upsell them on the back end.
6. Sell Them Before They Buy
By building a list of interested people, you have higher negotiation power when looking for partners/affiliates. It also means that you can move faster because you can go straight into creating a squeeze page for your already existent and interested list. This is similar to Bob Serling’s Tollgate Method and uses similar advanced JV tactics. By connecting your list to the products they are interested in, you act as a broker.
Harv Eker, for example, offers and charges for seminars a year in advance – a form of ‘selling’ without products, and using the revenue to create/fund products.
7. Focus vs. Scatter
Focus on completing one task at a time. This is not rocket science, but you’ll find that successful and rich people focus on completing one task at a time, then expanding and moving on to the next project. Idea evaluation is very important because without it, opportunities can become obstacles. Every morning, choose to accomplish 3 main goals that will contribute most to your revenue.
8. Processes and Automation
Systematize things and emphasize on processes and automation. Find all the repetitive tasks that take up your time and find a way to automate or outsource them. The definition of a successful business is one that can run without you.
The only drawback is that this opportunity is not for everyone as it costs a lot of money and it is an extremely intensive experience, but life changing some say.
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
Saturday
Tony Robbin's Unleash the Power Within (An intepretation)
The Top 10 Secrets of Success from Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within. I have the great honor to have someone share it with me. In any case, it does sound interesting, so I am going to post it up here to share with everyone.
1. YOUR POTENTIAL IS DETERMINED (OR LIMITED) BY YOUR SELF-BELIEF.
As the promotional material says the event was 'about creating breakthroughs, moving beyond fears and limiting beliefs, accomplishing goals and realizing true desires, turning dreams into reality, creating fulfilling relationships, and modeling the strategies of peak performers to produce a quantum difference in your life.'
If you cut out the hype, the simple message is if you believe in yourself enough you can achieve anything. A memorable one-liner was "the only thing that's keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself".
2. MOST PEOPLE HAVE SELF-DOUBT AROUND UNIVERSAL THEMES.
Ask anyone and most people will admit they lack confidence in some areas of their life. The interesting thing I learn from this seminar is that this self-doubt is around universal themes. These themes cross age, gender, religious, cultural and language barriers.
Common doubts include 'I am not good enough', 'I am lazy' and 'No-one loves me'.
3. YOU CAN LEARN MECHANISMS TO ELIMINATE SELF-DOUBT.
Robbins calls it 'immersion' where you break old patterns and build new ones by repetition. He uses a lot of Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques to achieve this with his audiences.
He says "progress is not automatic". A memorable moment in the seminar was when we had to visualize ourselves inside a bubble and inside that bubble was a series of videotapes neatly arranged in a time-line that represented all our memories in our lives so far. We had to pull out the negative videotapes and destroy them. This was followed by time spent visualizing the future and how your life will look 10 and 20 years from now.
4. BELIEF IMPACTS ON MANY LEVELS.
The Robbins message was that 3 things shape our self-belief. He calls them the Triad. These are our patterns of physiology, focus and language or meaning.
He highlighted this with the quote: "where focus goes energy flows".
5. OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS SHAPE OUR ACTIONS.
Robbins believes you can "vanquish whatever is holding you back from taking action".
Walking barefoot across a bed of glowing coals is the physical metaphor he uses in his seminars to prove this point to the skeptics. Eliminate negative self-belief and take massive action are his keys to success.
6. TO CREATE POSITIVE OUTCOMES YOU MUST TAKE MASSIVE ACTION.
"Where focus goes energy flows" is a quote used by Robbins in his presentation to highlight why you need to know your outcome and why achieving this is a must.
But many people fail to take the next step. They delay, put off and find many reasons or excuses not to act. Robbins believes "progress is not automatic" and "action is power". Take action, even if it is the wrong action. He says it is "never a failure if you learn something".
7. MATCHING & MIRRORING CREATES CONNECTION, TRUST & EMPATHY.
Robbins spent a fair amount of time in the seminar talking about and demonstrating interpersonal communication skills.
He used people from the audience to show how the process of "matching and mirroring" the non-verbal communication and body language of others can be a very powerful way to connect with people. In essence, you create rapport by adopting the body language of the person you are communicating with.
He believes "rapport is power" and "total responsiveness is created by a feeling of commonality". If you have learn these techniques before and haven't used them for a while, I suggest it is time to dust them off and put them into action next time you are communicating with someone on a one-to-one basis.
8. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF YOU FOCUS ON PASSION AND PURPOSE.
Robbins believes that "to have an extraordinary quality of life you need two skills: the science of achievement (the ability to take anything you envision and make it real) and the art of fulfillment (this allows you to enjoy every moment of it)."
He says "success without fulfillment is failure". Find your passion and purpose in life. My purpose is to make a difference in people's lives and use my gift as a speaker.
9. MODEL YOURSELF ON OTHER ACHIEVERS.
To gain improvements quickly and step up to a new level of achievement, Robbins believes learning from others who are the best in their field is the fastest way to achieve success.
He told the story of how he wanted to improve his tennis game and so employed Andre Agassi, the then number one ranked player to help him achieve this. Who could you model yourself on? "People's lives are a direct reflection of the expectations of their peer group," according to Robbins.
10. SUCCESS IS BUILT ON A HEALTHY, HIGH ENERGY BODY, HEART AND MIND
If you are not healthy - all of the above points are a waste of time.
Your health is determined and influenced by your lifestyle. One major change I've made since the seminar is to eat a healthier diet and exercise more regularly.
As a speaker, my whole business depends on my ability to perform at a peak state. Like any professional athlete, the success of business is directly linked to my diet and health. Take care of yourself, your body is ultimately your most important asset.
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
1. YOUR POTENTIAL IS DETERMINED (OR LIMITED) BY YOUR SELF-BELIEF.
As the promotional material says the event was 'about creating breakthroughs, moving beyond fears and limiting beliefs, accomplishing goals and realizing true desires, turning dreams into reality, creating fulfilling relationships, and modeling the strategies of peak performers to produce a quantum difference in your life.'
If you cut out the hype, the simple message is if you believe in yourself enough you can achieve anything. A memorable one-liner was "the only thing that's keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself".
2. MOST PEOPLE HAVE SELF-DOUBT AROUND UNIVERSAL THEMES.
Ask anyone and most people will admit they lack confidence in some areas of their life. The interesting thing I learn from this seminar is that this self-doubt is around universal themes. These themes cross age, gender, religious, cultural and language barriers.
Common doubts include 'I am not good enough', 'I am lazy' and 'No-one loves me'.
3. YOU CAN LEARN MECHANISMS TO ELIMINATE SELF-DOUBT.
Robbins calls it 'immersion' where you break old patterns and build new ones by repetition. He uses a lot of Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques to achieve this with his audiences.
He says "progress is not automatic". A memorable moment in the seminar was when we had to visualize ourselves inside a bubble and inside that bubble was a series of videotapes neatly arranged in a time-line that represented all our memories in our lives so far. We had to pull out the negative videotapes and destroy them. This was followed by time spent visualizing the future and how your life will look 10 and 20 years from now.
4. BELIEF IMPACTS ON MANY LEVELS.
The Robbins message was that 3 things shape our self-belief. He calls them the Triad. These are our patterns of physiology, focus and language or meaning.
He highlighted this with the quote: "where focus goes energy flows".
5. OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS SHAPE OUR ACTIONS.
Robbins believes you can "vanquish whatever is holding you back from taking action".
Walking barefoot across a bed of glowing coals is the physical metaphor he uses in his seminars to prove this point to the skeptics. Eliminate negative self-belief and take massive action are his keys to success.
6. TO CREATE POSITIVE OUTCOMES YOU MUST TAKE MASSIVE ACTION.
"Where focus goes energy flows" is a quote used by Robbins in his presentation to highlight why you need to know your outcome and why achieving this is a must.
But many people fail to take the next step. They delay, put off and find many reasons or excuses not to act. Robbins believes "progress is not automatic" and "action is power". Take action, even if it is the wrong action. He says it is "never a failure if you learn something".
7. MATCHING & MIRRORING CREATES CONNECTION, TRUST & EMPATHY.
Robbins spent a fair amount of time in the seminar talking about and demonstrating interpersonal communication skills.
He used people from the audience to show how the process of "matching and mirroring" the non-verbal communication and body language of others can be a very powerful way to connect with people. In essence, you create rapport by adopting the body language of the person you are communicating with.
He believes "rapport is power" and "total responsiveness is created by a feeling of commonality". If you have learn these techniques before and haven't used them for a while, I suggest it is time to dust them off and put them into action next time you are communicating with someone on a one-to-one basis.
8. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF YOU FOCUS ON PASSION AND PURPOSE.
Robbins believes that "to have an extraordinary quality of life you need two skills: the science of achievement (the ability to take anything you envision and make it real) and the art of fulfillment (this allows you to enjoy every moment of it)."
He says "success without fulfillment is failure". Find your passion and purpose in life. My purpose is to make a difference in people's lives and use my gift as a speaker.
9. MODEL YOURSELF ON OTHER ACHIEVERS.
To gain improvements quickly and step up to a new level of achievement, Robbins believes learning from others who are the best in their field is the fastest way to achieve success.
He told the story of how he wanted to improve his tennis game and so employed Andre Agassi, the then number one ranked player to help him achieve this. Who could you model yourself on? "People's lives are a direct reflection of the expectations of their peer group," according to Robbins.
10. SUCCESS IS BUILT ON A HEALTHY, HIGH ENERGY BODY, HEART AND MIND
If you are not healthy - all of the above points are a waste of time.
Your health is determined and influenced by your lifestyle. One major change I've made since the seminar is to eat a healthier diet and exercise more regularly.
As a speaker, my whole business depends on my ability to perform at a peak state. Like any professional athlete, the success of business is directly linked to my diet and health. Take care of yourself, your body is ultimately your most important asset.
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
Friday
How can I stay competitive in today's job market?
It is a tough and competitive job market out there. We ought to do everything we can to stay employed and work on improving ourselves.
I am going to put in some key points or key words that I think we should look into weekly no matter at which level we are at:
1. Career Objective
2. Update CV
3. Draft Cover Letters
4. Market Research and Potential Organizations
5. Build Networks
6. Approach Agencies
7. Online Presences
8. Attend Training
9. Voluntary and Social Work or Event
10. Stay Positive
11. Plan your Time (remember your loved ones)
Ladies and Gentlemen, lets not waste any time and every minute of it is precious :)
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
I am going to put in some key points or key words that I think we should look into weekly no matter at which level we are at:
1. Career Objective
2. Update CV
3. Draft Cover Letters
4. Market Research and Potential Organizations
5. Build Networks
6. Approach Agencies
7. Online Presences
8. Attend Training
9. Voluntary and Social Work or Event
10. Stay Positive
11. Plan your Time (remember your loved ones)
Ladies and Gentlemen, lets not waste any time and every minute of it is precious :)
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
T. Harv Eker's Millionaire Mind Intensive
I have been invited once again by a good friend of mine to a seminar that features Kieron Sweeney, a Canadian guy and Adam from New York. Both of them leads the entire event and Harv wasn't here though :(
Anyway, all was not gloomy or bad. In fact, both of them did a good job I think. It happen early February 2010 in PWTC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Getting food was a bit difficult, to an otherwise OK event. Of course the place was jam packed with about 800 to 900 people.
Learning:
Harv's Millionaire Mind Intensive (MMI), is trying to make simple the get rich process by first focusing on our mindset. The thing is that having the mindset right is crucial in being rich and stay rich. Several methods used on providing a solution of money spending, known as the JAR system, which helps different types of personality to plan their saving. This alone is already good stuff and of course there is a lot of other teaching which when put together, really make me thing that I can do a lot more.
MMI also set the record straight once and for all about being rich, if you want to be rich, go do your OWN business. Or something sales related that, does not limit your income ability.
Interesting:
In the midst of teaching, we witness how they SELL and I am not kidding, some of their courses worth a fortune, ranging from 4 digits to 5 digits. But with their skill and experience, they seem to be able to make the sale pretty easily. I am not going to say more, but, you should see it for yourself to be fair :)
Networking:
Plenty of opportunity to mix and mingle with a wide variety of people. Most of them comes from sales background, network marketing and business owner. If you plan to come to one of this MMI, bring plenty of name cards.
Energy:
Another thing that is interesting is that, Kieron talks a lot about energy and that everything is energy and also a lot about the Law of Attraction. I don't buy the law of attraction thing, but, the energy in the room is kept high all day. They are very good in using the volume of their voice, like suddenly loud, to asking you to do something (like, giving a High 5), to getting the audience attention.
Train the Trainer Course:
This is something I really wanted, but for the price, I figured I could get a better deal somewhere. Well however they sell it, they are right, I used another principle that they taught me. I am in control of money and I can find my way, one way or another.
Challenges:
You ought to try every challenge they put you through. All I can say is that you wouldn't regret it. You will reap more than you sow. And you have to listen to them at least once, why, because they really achieve success in life. They do not only speak about money only, but also on happiness and the ability to give back and the satisfaction they gain out of it.
Conclusion:
If you have not gone for an MMI, go for it. If you have read his book or you have not, still, go for it :) At least once, I am already planning to go for the next one for a recharge :)
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
Anyway, all was not gloomy or bad. In fact, both of them did a good job I think. It happen early February 2010 in PWTC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Getting food was a bit difficult, to an otherwise OK event. Of course the place was jam packed with about 800 to 900 people.
Learning:
Harv's Millionaire Mind Intensive (MMI), is trying to make simple the get rich process by first focusing on our mindset. The thing is that having the mindset right is crucial in being rich and stay rich. Several methods used on providing a solution of money spending, known as the JAR system, which helps different types of personality to plan their saving. This alone is already good stuff and of course there is a lot of other teaching which when put together, really make me thing that I can do a lot more.
MMI also set the record straight once and for all about being rich, if you want to be rich, go do your OWN business. Or something sales related that, does not limit your income ability.
Interesting:
In the midst of teaching, we witness how they SELL and I am not kidding, some of their courses worth a fortune, ranging from 4 digits to 5 digits. But with their skill and experience, they seem to be able to make the sale pretty easily. I am not going to say more, but, you should see it for yourself to be fair :)
Networking:
Plenty of opportunity to mix and mingle with a wide variety of people. Most of them comes from sales background, network marketing and business owner. If you plan to come to one of this MMI, bring plenty of name cards.
Energy:
Another thing that is interesting is that, Kieron talks a lot about energy and that everything is energy and also a lot about the Law of Attraction. I don't buy the law of attraction thing, but, the energy in the room is kept high all day. They are very good in using the volume of their voice, like suddenly loud, to asking you to do something (like, giving a High 5), to getting the audience attention.
Train the Trainer Course:
This is something I really wanted, but for the price, I figured I could get a better deal somewhere. Well however they sell it, they are right, I used another principle that they taught me. I am in control of money and I can find my way, one way or another.
Challenges:
You ought to try every challenge they put you through. All I can say is that you wouldn't regret it. You will reap more than you sow. And you have to listen to them at least once, why, because they really achieve success in life. They do not only speak about money only, but also on happiness and the ability to give back and the satisfaction they gain out of it.
Conclusion:
If you have not gone for an MMI, go for it. If you have read his book or you have not, still, go for it :) At least once, I am already planning to go for the next one for a recharge :)
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
Monday
Spiritual Growth: Spiritual Development in a Challenging World Today
To grow spiritually in a world defined by power, money, and influence is an uphill task. Modern conveniences such as electronic equipments, gadgets, and tools as well as entertainment through television, magazines, and the web have predisposed us to confine our attention mostly to physical needs, desires and wants. As a result, our concepts of self-worth and self-meaning are muddled. How can we strike a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives?
To grow spiritually is to look inward
Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.
To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials
Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.
To grow spiritually is to search for meaning
Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to---a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.
To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections
Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.
To grow spiritually is to know how to have quiet time
We are continuously being hurried into the speed of how we live our life. If we are truly to break free and feel liberated, we must first break free from the speed and take quiet time for ourselves to find out from the root of it, what do we really want. The fact is that today, we think so little and reflect so little that we do not see life as a whole picture but only small fractions of it in which we make our decisions based on. It is time to learn to be quiet and give our conscious and sub-conscious mind to dictate to us what is the direction and purpose of our life.
Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
To grow spiritually is to look inward
Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.
To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials
Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.
To grow spiritually is to search for meaning
Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to---a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.
To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections
Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.
To grow spiritually is to know how to have quiet time
We are continuously being hurried into the speed of how we live our life. If we are truly to break free and feel liberated, we must first break free from the speed and take quiet time for ourselves to find out from the root of it, what do we really want. The fact is that today, we think so little and reflect so little that we do not see life as a whole picture but only small fractions of it in which we make our decisions based on. It is time to learn to be quiet and give our conscious and sub-conscious mind to dictate to us what is the direction and purpose of our life.
Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
Thursday
Mapping Live - Vision of Success
What does success means to you? Success is more than just economic gains, titles, and/or degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the
aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route. The clearer you are in definition, the better result you will get and the better chance you are to reach your destination.
Origin: Who you are?
A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior highschool student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.
Destination: A vision of who you want to be
“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.
Vehicle: Your Mission
A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.
Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude
Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.
Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives
Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.
Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes
The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But often times our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly.
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
aspects of your life. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route. The clearer you are in definition, the better result you will get and the better chance you are to reach your destination.
Origin: Who you are?
A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most people when asked to introduce themselves would say, “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior highschool student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.
Destination: A vision of who you want to be
“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.
Vehicle: Your Mission
A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.
Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude
Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.
Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives
Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.
Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes
The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But often times our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly.
~~~ Do or Do Not. There is no Try - Yoda
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