We Still Believe

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The Philippines went down to Kuwait last night in their World Cup Qualifier (Round 2) match with a final score of 3-nil.  No excuses.  The 10-time Gulf Champions were simply the better team.   While it’s easy to analyze the match in front of our laptop screens, I’m sure the Azkals did their best under the circumstances.  You’ve got to hand it to those guys.  Last year they played in sub-zero temperatures in Ulan Bataar (AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers against Mongolia), last night they played Kuwait under the Gulf heat. Hey, all these experiences can only be good for football.   For Philippine football fans, this is part of the long process of building up the quality of football in the country.  For recent fans (bandwagoners) football excellence doesn’t happen overnight.

The beautiful game may be baffling to some because of the use of the feet and legs.  It’s counter-intuitive. It’s just not natural.   Our brains are wired to use our hands.  Thus, the natural urge is to throw or wield something – a rock, a spear, a sword.  The footballer needs to train his body to forego the use of his hands to be able to translate thoughts into action.

But once you step inside the pitch, it is understood that you have agreed to suppress this urge to take things into your own hands, and become part of a team.  The result is simply beautiful to watch.

Because of the Azkals’ performance in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, football has enjoyed a renaissance in the recent months.  As for me, I’ve always been afflicted with football fever.

Go Azkals!  Win or lose, we still believe.

The 2nd match is scheduled on July 28, 2011 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

Need Help With Business Jargon?

The three wise monkeys over the Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan. Photo by David Monniaux. Copyright © 2003

At the end of the day it’s your responsibility to build your personal brand.  You can drink the Kool-Aid or employ a blue ocean strategy.  Better yet, utilize a new paradigm so as not to forget these key learnings.

It’s Monday again!  Meetings, meetings everywhere!  How often do you hear these words?

• Core Competency
• Paradigm
• At the end of the day
• Personal Branding
• Bio Break
• Learnings
• Voluntold
• Blue Ocean
• Best Practices
• Win-Win
• Value Proposition

A lot, right? You know it’s a new word when everyone you know seems to be using it.
Intimidated?  Confused?  Don’t be.
Unsuck It is the go-to site when it comes to unlocking the secrets of corporate speak.  This collection of terms used to be available only to those within the inner management circle.  Now you can talk the talk, so you can build your personal brand.

Give it a whirl. Click here to visit.  Dilbert would have loved this site.  BTW here are the meanings of those words listed above.

1. Core Competency – strength (“Let’s focus on our core competency.“)
2. Paradigm – model
3. At the end of the day – after all, in conclusion.  As in, “At the end of the day, you need to deep dive on that topic to get a better understanding“.  (Oh, this means to focus or explore details)
4. Personal Branding – reputation (“Use social network strategies to improve your personal branding.“)
5. Bio Break – a break (bio or otherwise)
6. Learnings – a lesson or new information (“Here are the key learnings’)
7. Voluntold – forced to volunteer
8. Blue Ocean  – new, untouched market (“We need a blue ocean strategy!“)
9. Best Practices – method, practice or technique (often borrowed from a competitor)
10. Win-Win – good for everyone (“Now that’s a win-win situation.“).  In Filipino, “Panalo!“.
11. Value Proposition – unique offering or selling point

Laughter is NOT the Best Medicine

Image by Felix Atsoram, Buenos Aires, AG

Not always.

It’s different when we laugh as we rebuild after natural disasters. Catastrophes instill resilience in people. Laughter heals us, gets us through the crises and gives us momentum as we rebuild.

The ability to laugh at our misfortunes can be a double-edged sword. It’s an admirable way of coping but let’s not forget that laughing in the face of calamities can also divert us from the more important job of rebuilding our lives.

I write like
Arthur Conan Doyle

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Stop Managing Your Time. Manage Your Energy!

Instead of trying to fit our goals in our already crammed planners, we should manage our energy to take advantage of whatever time that we have.

These days, the modern workplace mandates that we become multi-taskers.  With calendar in hand, we start the day full of pep but fizzle during mid-afternoon.  You may have tried mightily to juggle several tasks but like most of us mortals, you have failed miserably.

In the book, “The Power of Full Engagement”, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz offer strategies for time-management that focuses on leveraging energy rather than time.

We cannot alter time but only our perception of it.  Instead of trying to fit our goals in our already crammed planners, we should manage our energy to take advantage of whatever time that we have.  We can, however, manage our personal energy. When we feel are rested and feel good, we are able to do more.

Set goals
What’s your purpose?  This keeps your eye on the ball.  Ask yourself, “Why is this task important?” “Is the task worth doing at all?”  “How will it impact my life?”  Having a purpose helps guarantee that we complete our objective.

From Bad to Good
Put the hardest task out of the way first.  Don’t feel like doing that report?  Put that on top of your list!  Your energy level is highest at the beginning of the day.  The succeeding easier tasks become your reward and gives you the necessary momentum as you complete your day.

Be Fit
Stephen Covey talks about preserving the greatest asset that you have – you. Sharpen your saw by exercising, eating healthy and engaging in sports.  This raises your energy level and stress tolerance.  Ensure that you are properly hydrated.  Water eliminates sluggishness.

Sprint
Can’t catch up?  Try sprinting.  Work in short, intense bursts of 30-45 minutes.  Lock your door and focus all your energy on a particular task.  By focusing on accomplishing one key objective at a time, you’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish.  With each completed task comes momentum to fuel you further.

Enjoy your downtime
Having rest or “do nothing” periods recharges you.  Weekends, time with your loved ones, pursuing a hobby or iterest are also good ways to recharge.  Everybody needs time off.  It’s the eye in the center of the work storm.

These strategies won’t give you more time but they can help you enjoy the hours that you have.  Stop being frustrated and start accomplishing more.  Manage your energy now!

Stuck in Corporate Limbo

At some point in your working life, however, you will be consigned to a position where you go neither forward nor backward.  There’s neither progress nor decline.  You’re just…there.

Popular culture is filled with stories comparing the workplace to hell.  We are all familiar with tales of evil bosses, hopeless conditions and corporate minions being set loose to rain misery on the hapless employees.   At some point in your working life, however, you will be consigned to a position where you go neither forward nor backward.  There’s neither progress nor decline.  You’re just…there.

Welcome to corporate limbo.

In this workplace purgatory, you’re not a part of rank and file anymore.  So you don’t have the bargaining power that comes with being part of the union.   But neither are you sufficiently placed high enough to be given the perks of management.

Stock market analysts call this a period of consolidation.  Pilots refer to this as a holding pattern.

What’s a guy to do?

Plenty.  There’s hope for you yet.  The present time is the best time to take control of your destiny.  If yesterday is now just a memory, we can only act on the present to impact the future.

Understand life cycles
Just because your career or business is down in the dumps doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.  Like everything in life, businesses and careers go through cycles.  There’s a period of infancy (market introduction), rapid growth, maturity and decline.  Realizing and accepting this phenomenon can help in your recovery process.

Invest in yourself
Charles Handy said that you should “Invest in yourself.  If you don’t, why should they?“  This is just another step to realizing your full potential. Learning a new skill or taking a new course related to your long-term goal encourages you and does wonders for your confidence.

Start small
Baby steps can help you started in the right direction.  The hardest part is always the beginning.  Don’t wait for the perfect moment to start.  It’s ok to begin badly – as long as you begin.

Formulate your exit plan
Are you doing all this to improve get that promotion or to prepare yourself for striking out on your own?  Things may not be working out no matter how hard you try, so you must admit to yourself that you and your company may have to part ways.  It is useless to whine about your job while getting your sustenance from it.   When you see that you are no longer making any progress in your position, face it –  you and your company may have to part ways. If this is the case, formulate your exit plan.

Message to Dreamers: Do What You Love No Matter What

We only get to play this game one time.

At some point in the pursuit of our dreams, there will come a time when we get tired or distracted.  This is when we start to feel lazy and lacking in initiative.  Our efforts seem to produce progressively lesser results.  In other words, we’ve lost our mojo – our life force, our groove.

Gary Vaynerchuk, of Wine Library TV gives us dreamers a timely shot in the arm.    In this TED talk, he tells us to keep plugging away at our goals.  He’s an interesting, energetic and intriguing guy.  He may sound obnoxious at times, but you have to admit that he gets your attention and drives his message across.  Enjoy Gary’s talk here or click the video below.

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.