The Pursuit of Happiness

Sometimes it’s easier to wish for financial windfall than to persist in pursuing our life’s dreams (“How I wish to win the lottery so that I can begin living my life the way I’m supposed to”). However, the pursuit of the dream is also what invigorates us. The process of going after and eventually, achieving our goals molds us, shapes us and defines us. It can either add or take something away from us.

Preferred clients

If a business establishment assigns a special transaction lane for their prime customers and designates it as for “Preferred Clients”,  does this mean that they would rather not do business with us regular customers?  Maybe a name change is in order.

Hmm.

Is Passion Overrated?

Photo by Miguel Saavedra (Galicia, A Coruna, Spain). Courtesy of stock.xchng

If all you love to do, for example, is sleep, loaf around and gorge yourself – do you really think that the money will follow?

Much has been said about following your passion.  Some successful people say that because they followed their passion, the money came as a result.  Not mentioned are the hardships they endured and dues they have paid to get to where they are.

We’re so hung up on this idea that we sometimes fail to see that the things we love can actually be harmful.   If all you love to do, for example, is sleep, loaf around and gorge yourself – do you really think that the money will follow?

Passion is a powerful thing. Keep it under control or surrender yourself totally to it.  Which will it be?

Your goal is not necessarily your passion
It’s a matter of priorities.  Do you have a job directly related to the things you love doing? Good for you!  Others are not so blessed.   So it’s sometimes necessary to forgo (for now) the things we enjoy in order to achieve our dreams.   Being too focused only on the interesting things can also make you ignore excellent opportunities.

Fulfillment vs.  Passion
You can also find consistent gratification in what you’re currently doing, even if it feels boring at times.  You might be able to turn your hobby into a career but if you’re not finding delight and satisfaction,  guess what?  It can turn into work, and you’re back to where you started.

Time to redefine passion
What is your real purpose in pursuing your passion?  Is it doing interesting work every day?  Or is it the lifestyle that you imagine you will have,  once you eliminate the monotony of your day job?   What you used to define as your true love, the type of work that gives you happiness may only be ONE of the components of your passion.  Passion is not the only ingredient for success. Qualities such as patience, perseverance and many others also go into the mix.

As you gain more experience you learn a lot more about yourself –what drives you and your environment.  New opportunities and new realities will unveil themselves to you.  Now you have the luxury of choosing which path to take.

Be warned, however, that you should not pursue your passion at the expense of your family and others who are dependent on you.

Do you want to go into a particular field (your passion) but cannot, at the moment, because of pressing obligations? Try this — make living an exemplary life, serving others, providing for your family and leaving a good legacy YOUR PASSION.

Give thanks for your blessings and ask yourself
Do you really think you’re stuck in a dreadful job?
Think of the unemployed.

Are you miserable because you think you’re not realizing your full potential?
Surely, you can incorporate these qualities into your present position.

Do you want to go into a particular field (your passion) but cannot, at the moment, because of pressing obligations? Try this — make living an exemplary life, serving others, providing for your family and leaving a good legacy YOUR PASSION.

My Goal For This Blog

…we all have the potential to create value for others in this world…

Call Card Chronicles started as a journal of my discoveries and experiences in my quest for personal improvement and self-development.  I am constantly on the lookout for better ways to work, to live and how to do things better.  My purpose is to feature a wide variety of resources through productivity tips, motivational messages, useful links and resources.  I believe that, by deliberately cultivating the ability to acquire knowledge and to apply it,  we all have the potential to create value for others in this world.

My eventual goal is for Call Card Chronicles to be an acknowledged resource for helping others on their quest towards realizing their full potential and improving their situation in life.

Achieving this goal will be extremely fulfilling for me.  The idea that an average person can reach out to others and bring a positive message, and with it improvement and change, is enough to inspire me and to make me want to help even more.  This is only the beginning.  Sustaining this hard-earned recognition shall be part of my future objectives.  At the same time, I must be open to the idea of reaching out and expanding my reach, to include other untapped segments of readers.

The Corporate Guy

When a Senior VP said “Jump,” The young Corporate Guy said “How high?,” when he jumped.

Steve Stone, a Business (re)Designer and noted speaker on the value of creativity and innovation within education and business, writes about The Corporate Guy.   A tale about an ambitious worker who climbs up the ladder but eventually realizes that there are more important matters beyond one’s career.   He then takes a close look at his life and finds 7 Secrets to Success and Happiness.   It’s a fitting parable for our times.

Steve’s next book is titled The Big City Girl.

The manifesto has been published on ChangeThis.  You can view the entire contents here or download it here.

The Leapfrog Theory

Decide that you will operate on a higher level than everyone else

The Leapfrog Theory by Robert Ringer (Winning Through Intimidation, Looking Out for No. 1) states that you can leapfrog over your competition to be ahead of the pack.  All you have to do is decide that you will operate on a higher level than everyone else.  You don’t have to wait for another person or organization to tell you that you have arrived.  If you haven’t been promoted yet, act as if you have already been elevated to the next level. Take it upon yourself to be the best.  Decide that, from now on, you will do things better than everybody else.  You will perform even the most common task with a flourish and passion that people receiving your service can’t help but notice.  You will motivate people with your enthusiasm and energy.  You will add value to all your interactions.

With the simple act of choosing this path, you have distinguished yourself from the rest by simply refusing to be bogged down in intrigues, backstabbing and other maneuverings.

Of course, this is easier said than done.   A gutsy stand such as this calls for changes – in your mindset, in your beliefs and in your routines.   Sustaining excellence can exert pressure and test the motivation of even the most determined individual.  You have two choices: You can enjoy the initial exhilaration that this declaration of freedom brings, then creep back to the comfort of your old ways.   Or you can fight on and continue the quest for improvement.

Which will it be?

Walking The Talk

I went on to finish what I had to say but now I felt slighted instead of feeling grateful

One of the highlights of our recent National Sales and Marketing Conference was an inspirational talk by one of the country’s top motivational speakers.

In one of the exercises he made us shake hands with a partner while we looked behind them, as if distracted by someone or something.  The takeaway from this exercise is to make us realize the value of focus.  Without focus, the speaker said, there’s no value and impact to what we are doing.

After the talk I went over to him to thank him for inspiring us and for sharing his valuable insight in inter-personal engagement with us.   The lessons have been clearly etched in my mind.   I shook his hand, and then realized that “Thank you” were my only words that he heard.   A colleague of mine had come up along side me and called him.   As he became distracted,  Mr. Motivator shifted his attention and started to talk with her – while shaking my hand.    I went on to finish what I had to say but now I felt slighted instead of feeling grateful.   The famous speaker had just contradicted himself after only a few minutes.   He did not practice what he preached.  He failed to walk the talk.

You’re No Loser!

Image:FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The year 2008 seems to have gone by quickly.  Some of us are still regretting missed targets and wasted opportunities, but now is the right time to get one thing straight:  You are not a loser.

You may be still far from your goals at this point but you may have just made some bad decisions.   At the time when you had to decide, you sincerely chose the best path and made the best effort to snare your objective.  You’re in trouble because you’re suffering the consequences of the past actions you’ve taken.

Need more encouragement?

• The successful people we read and hear about made monumental mistakes before being victorious, but were not afraid to try again.
• A loser is somebody who quits, so how can you lose if you don’t quit? Failure is part of the success process.   Avoid failure and you also avoid success.
• Focus on the lesson to be learned from failure.  We hear this all the time.  We ignore this all the time.

• It’s in the execution.  We may have excellent plans but we need to implement them well to claim victory.

Pick yourself up and start plugging away!  Now is the perfect time.

Welcome 2009!

Happy New Year from the Call Card Chronicles! Here’s to more success and blessings this year!

Operation Smile at Ospital Ng Makati

Operation Smile is a private, not-for-profit volunteer medical services organization and worldwide children’s medical charity headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia that provides reconstructive surgery and related health care to indigent children and young adults. Medical volunteers repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships to provide training to health care professionals and improve local capacity in partner countries.

Last 10-12 November, Operation Smile Philippines conducted one of its medical missions at the Ospital Ng Makati.  Prospective patients have been screened the week before.  Volunteers from Citibank, and Johnson & Johnson Philippines were on hand to lend their time and energy to this worthy cause.

Like all the other missions, this one had a good turnout

In 1982, Dr. William P. Magee, Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen S. Magee, a registered nurse, both of Virginia, U.S.A. , participated in a medical mission with a group of medical volunteers to repair children’s cleft lips and cleft palates in Naga City, Philippines. That time the team could only treat 40 children.  They soon found out that the need was greater than they realized. Overwhelmed by what they saw, they made a promise to come back.  What began as an idea to help a few children has grown into a network of volunteers and evolved into a mission to continuously transform thousands of lives.

All kids are beautiful.

This particular mission is no different as this is part of a series of missions regularly performed worldwide in an effort to provide treatment and hope to those afflicted with cleft palates and cleft lips.
Some first-time volunteers were surprised at the huge turnout, with some patients coming from provinces as far as Romblon.

Click here to know more about Operation Smile.  To volunteer, click here.

A patient being screened.

Patients came from as far as Romblon.

Nonie Perez of Johnson & Johnson coordinating with the patients