LIFE GIVES YOU WHAT YOU EXPECT

The happiest people in life don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just try to make the best of everything. They’re like the person in a remote village going to a well every day to get water who says, “Every time I come to this well, I come away with my bucket full!” instead of, “I can’t believe I have to keep coming back to this well to fill up my bucket!”

A person’s attitude has a profound influence on his approach to life. Ask a coach before a big game whether his attitude and that of his players will make a difference in the outcome of the game. Ask a surgeon if the patient’s attitude matters when she’s trying to save that life in an emergency room. Ask a teacher if students’ attitudes have an impact before they take a test.

One of the things I’ve learned is that life often gives you whatever you expect from it. If you expect bad things, those are what you get. If you expect good things, you often receive them. I don’t know why it works that way, but it does. If you don’t believe me, try it out. Give yourself thirty days in which you expect the best of everything; the best parking place, the best table in the restaurant, the best interaction with clients, the best treatment from service people. You’ll be surprised by what you encounter, especially if you give your very best to others in every situation as well.

Begin your thirty-day trial of expecting the best of everything.

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

THE POWER OF RIGHT CHOICES

Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. What will you do for your career? Who will you marry? Where will you live? How much education will you get? What will you do with today? But one of the most important choices you will make is who you will become! Life is not merely a matter of holding and playing a good hand as you would hope to do in a card game. What you start with isn’t up to you. Talent is God-given. Life is playing the hand you have been dealt well. That is determined by your choices. The talent-plus people are the ones who maximize their talent, teach their potential, and fulfill their destiny.

I was reading a book by Dr. Seuss to my grandchildren called Oh, The Places You’ll Go! In it, I found a wonderful truth. It said,

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself,

Any direction you choose.

I believe that with all my heart. My prayer is that you steer yourself in the right direction and make right choices that will empower you to become a talent-plus person, build upon the foundation of your abilities, and live your life to its fullest potential.

Maximize your talent by steering your entire life in the right direction.

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

ADD SIGNIFICANCE

Moishe Rosen teaches a one-sentence mental exercise that is an effective tool in helping a person identify his dream. He asks a person to fill in the blanks:

If I had _____, I would _____.

The idea is that if you had anything you wanted - unlimited time, unlimited money, unlimited information, unlimited staff (all the resources you could ask for) - what would you do? Your answer to that question is your dream.

Everyone has heard the story of Isaac Newton’s discovery of the law of gravity after observing the fall of an apple. What few people know is that Edmund Halley, the astronomer who discovered Halley’s Comet, is almost single-handedly responsible for Newton’s theories becoming known. Halley challenged Newton to think through his original notions. He corrected Newton’s mathematical errors and prepared geometrical figures to support his work. Not only did he encourage Newton to write his great work, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, but he edited the work, supervised its publication, and financed its printing, even though Newton could easily afford the printing costs.

Halley encouraged Newton to act on his dream, and it added immeasurable significance to Newton’s life. Halley received little credit, but he must have gained great satisfaction in knowing he had inspired revolutionary ideas in the advancement of scientific thought.

What would you do if there were no limits on your life?

Reference: 

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

ENCOURAGE THE DREAMS OF OTHERS

I consider it a great privilege when people share their dreams with me. It shows a great deal of courage and trust. And at that moment, I'm conscious that I have great power in their lives. That's no small matter. A wrong word can crush a person's dream; the right word can inspire him or her to pursue it.

If someone thinks enough of you to tell you about his or her dreams, take care. Actress Candice Bergen commented, "Dreams are, by definition, cursed with short life spans." I suspect she said that because there are people who don't like to see others pursuing their dreams. As a result, they try to knock down anyone who is shooting for the stars. By talking others out of their dreams, critical people excuse themselves for staying in their comfort zones.

Never allow yourself to become a dream killer. Instead, become a dream releaser. Even if you think another person's dream is far-fetched, that's no excuse for criticizing them.

Ask someone to share their dream with you today.

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

TAKE CARE OF THE LITTLE THINGS

I wish to share with you the lessons that I have learned from John C. Maxwell's Maximize Your Day: 365 Days of Insight to Develop the Leader within You (2007).

St. Francis of Assissi said, "Start doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." All good leadership begins where you are. It was Napoleon who said, "The only conquests which are permanent and leave no regrets are our conquests over ourselves." The small responsibilities you have before you now comprise the first great leadership conquest you must make. Don't try to conquer the world until you've taken care of things in your own backyard.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY USING THE 100 WEEKLY INCREMENT SAVINGS SYSTEM

I call this the 100 Weekly Increment Savings System. Whether you allocate 20% for savings which I have discussed in my previous blog, or follow this system, you are sure to save.

This system is quite challenging. But a better way of saving, this assures me around $117,600 savings.

The system is incrementing your savings by 100. For instance, for the month of January which has four weeks, savings can be started with $100 for the 1st week and ending with $400 for the 4th week. This will give you $1,000 savings at the end of January. To simplify this below is an illustration:

1st week - $100
2nd week - $200
3rd week - $300
4th week - $400
Total - $1,000 (January)

Since this increments on a 100 dollars basis, your 1st week on February should be $500 on the 1st week and end the month with $800. To continue the illustration:

5th week - $500
6th week - $600
7th week - $700
8th week - $800
Total - $2,600 (February)

Provided that each month has four weeks (there are months which reaches to five weeks), below is a summary of what you will earn from January to December:

January - $1,000
February - $2,600
March - $4,200
April - $5,800
May - $7,400
June - $9,000
July - $10,600
August - $12,200
September - $13,800
October - $15,400
November - $17,000
December - $18,600
Total - $117,600

By the way, you can use your own country's currency. I am using dollars as an example. If you live in the Philippines, you can use pesos.

Hence, at the end of the year, it is $117,600 savings (or Php 117,600 if pesos is your currency).

Again, this endeavor is very challenging. But it will save you a lot of money.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY USING THE FOUR BUCKET SYSTEM

I would like to share with you how I save money using the four bucket system. The four bucket system is an imaginary system of buckets where I place my money. These four buckets are: Expenses, Savings, Investments, and Tithes.

Every time I receive money, whether this is my monthly salary or an honoraria from a speaking engagement, I divide the money into four buckets. The first bucket is called Expenses. I allocate 50% for this bucket. Let's say I received $1,000 monthly salary for the month of January, my first bucket is allocated $500. This bucket I use for my daily expenses which includes food, gasoline, housing, cosmetics, toiletries, payment for loans, and clothing.

The second bucket is called Savings which is 20%. For a $1,000 monthly salary, this means that I allocate $200 for this bucket. I would highly recommend that you open a separate saving account with passbook in another bank. In this manner, you are able to separate this amount from your expenses. If your bank issues a passbook with an ATM card, I would suggest that you keep the ATM card so that you will not be tempted to withdraw the savings.

The third bucket is called Investments. I allocated 20% for this bucket. For a $1,000 monthly salary, $200 goes to Investments. This bucket is for my personal insurance, money market, and other bank investments.

Finally, the fourth bucket is for Tithes at 10%. I am a firm believer that 10% or more of what we receive should be returned to God. Should I receive $1,000 monthly salary, $100 goes to tithes. I donate this amount to my church or give this to charities. God loves a generous giver. And He will bless you more.

At the end of the year, I have $2,400 for savings and another $2,400 for investments. If there is a 13th month pay and bonuses given on December, my savings and investments increases as well. My church and charities are also thankful with my donations which amounts to $1,200 per year.

On a monthly basis, I am reminded to fit my day-to-day budget based on my Expenses bucket.