Author: akosiallan

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Life Lessons

Why Continuous Learning Is Important?

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to do a 2-day workshop for the leaders of our organization. During our Q&A session, I was asked about what habit has helped me create the results that I have.

The question was quite a surprise. It took me a few seconds to come up with an answer.

I thought about all the skills I have built over the years.

I thought about all the daily routines in my personal life as well as in my business.

Obviously there were so many changes over the years, both good and bad. So right away, I couldn’t pinpoint a single item that could have made the biggest impact.

Then the answer came to me.

I am a LEARNER by heart. I am always CURIOUS on how things work.

I am excited to figure things out. I geek out whenever I learn something new. It gives me a glimpse on how the world works. The moment of discovery is always fascinating. That’s why I can be perfectly fine being alone with my own thoughts.

The habit of CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING has created the biggest impact in my life.

Sometimes that means simply keeping quiet. Paying attention to what other people say and do, observing and learning at the same time.

Reading books. Attending seminars. Going through online courses. Doing things. Failing. Adjusting. Giving it another try. Succeeding. Repeating.

So why should you invest time in continuously learning?

It’s because your income can only grow to the extent that you do.
If you want your income to stop growing, you simply stop learning anything new.

Sometimes, you also need to update what you know.
What you used to know no longer work. You get frustrated, not realizing that it is you who need to change.

The most dangerous idea is in thinking you already know everything.

In my years of mentoring individuals in building their businesses, one things always comes up.

They often get frustrated for not getting the results they desire inspite of attending all the trainings. The thing is, you dont get better by training, you get better by actually applying the training. You get better by doing and failing. You get better by getting feedback and correcting.

Unfortunately, not acting is only half the equation. When you stop looking for answers because you think you already know everything, a new problem you didn’t expect will blindside you.

The danger is not found in the things you already know. It is in those things you don’t know.

Remember this. You don’t know what you don’t know.

Until someone points it out to you, you will be held back without realizing it. That’s why a mentor is crucial to recognizing your blind spots. But no one can help you if you already decided that you don’t need any help to begin with.

It starts slowly. You miss a day or two of training. Then a week, which turns into a month. Suddenly what used to be familiar seems vaguely what you used to know. Then one day it struck you. You already lost it. You don’t know how to get back.

You stoppped going to seminars. You stopped listening from your mentors. You stopped reading books. You stopped thinking for ways to improve.

When you look back what replaced all this? It’s the “busy-ness” that you think you have. It’s in those times you endlessly scrolled on newsfeeds of your Facebook and Instagram. It’s in the countless hours you spent watching videos upon videos on Youtube. It’s never ending.

That’s why it’s important to push yourself out of bed and get up. It’s important to show up even when you don’t feel like it. It’s in those moments of decisions your destiny is shaped.

One step at a time. That’s what my mentor always say.

Progress doesn’t have to be big. It just needs to be progress
So be patient when you are still far away from where you want to be.

Celebrate every milestone however tiny you think it might be.

There are 100+ books in my library, most of which I bought after graduating. But I bought only one book at a time. I didn’t read them all at once. I just let my curiousity lead me to which book I should read next, one book at a time.

I have attended seminars of Francis Kong, Anthony Pangilinan, Bo Sanchez and many more. Looking back it seems so many, but I just attended one at a time. I didn’t even plan to attend so many. I simply enjoyed learning from other people and let them lead me to a wonderful place of continuous learning.

In my business I have had the opportunity to extend the same, as I get asked to share my experiences by being a speaker to schools and events. In turn, I also learn from doing the things I am most afraid of. I get to learn from the audience and of myself even more.

Speaking of seminars, last night’s event with Mr. Francis Kong was a blast! I met a few readers from this blog during the event. It turned out they were also a fan of Sir Francis. Here’s something I learned last night. Sir Francis shared the difference of a businessman and an entrepreneur.

A businessman…
– is up to make a profit
– is self-reliant
– is competitive
– prefers strict conformance
– prefers a singular approach to decision making
– an opportunity satisfier with minimal risk
– most pre-occupied with profit factor
– profit oriented

An entrepreneur, on the other hand…
– is up to satisfy a need
– relies on network
– is collaborative
– prefers empowerment
– prefers team-oriented decision making
– an opportunity finder
– driven by strong motivation to excel
– looks for long term profit
– service oriented

I am not an expert in word semantics but I feel the point is made very clear. If you are not going to adapt to the changes in the business landscape, soon you will be out of business.

Today, there’s a great risk for businesses to fail if they are not able to adapt quickly. When that happens, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs.

That’s why it’s important to keep on learning. Changes are happening faster and faster. Today, your job can suddenly become obsolete. You can get replaced by robots or A.I. In the Philippines, a lot of BPO employees are at risk of being replaced by A.I. Think of Alexa, the “smart” assistant you always wanted to have.

With great risk comes great opportunity. Whenever a disruption happens in the marketplace, there is also an opportunity to serve in a new way. Today, anyone with a mobile phone can be in business in just a few seconds. You can see the rise of “influencers.” They are the masters of creating a following in social media, Youtubers and Instagram influencers.

So why should you keep on learning?

I don’t know about you but I think it is the only way to live. If you stop learning, you start dying.

You need to be ready for the changes that are up ahead. Continuously learning gives you the advantage to see the opportunities. It helps you see prepare. It helps you position yourself for the future to succeed!

P.S. This Saturday, I will be attending the Truly Rich Club’ Wealth Conference 2019 (WealthCon). If you are going, I’d like to meet you. See you there! 🙂

P.P.S. If you’d like to join the next Francis Kong seminar titled “Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset” on Aug 6, you can simply hit reply to this email or message me on my Facebook Page so I can send you the details.

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Uncategorized

Exclusive Invitation: Francis Kong’s Business Roadmap Series: Maximizing Productivity, Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset and Presentation Skills

I first attended a Francis Kong seminar way back when I was still in the corporate world. He is a prolific speaker who captures the hearts and minds of attendees. I remembered laughing at his jokes non-stop. More than that, I was impressed by his intellect about different topics. I bought his books and devoured them.

Mr. Francis Kong is a sought-after speaker in the topic of LEADERSHIP. His many best-selling books on this topic is unmatched by any other Filipino author or speaker. Last year, I was also able to attend his signature LEVEL UP LEADERSHIP SERIES Workshop. The last part of this 3-part series is priced at around P25,000. It covers all the materials and food for the 2-day workshop. It’s a more intimate kind of setup where you get to ask your questions directly to Mr Francis Kong and have a more personalized leadership learning experience with him.

Being part of this exclusive group of mentors in XTRM One Eleven Inc, has also allowed me to get a special dinner priviledge with Mr Francis Kong himself and his wife. It was an amazing experience to say the least.

Over the last 8 years of being part of the group, we have had a lot of exclusive trainings and workshops with different local and international speakers like Anthony Pangilinan, Bo Sanchez, Dr. Denis Waitley, and many more. Unfortunately, most of our events are exclusive to our group and we could not invite others to attend….UNTIL NOW.

For the first time ever, you will get a chance to attend an event of Mr. Francis Kong this coming July 23, August 6 and August 12. This rare 3-part series titled BUSINESS ROADMAP SERIES will include topics such as Maximizing Productivity, Entrepreneurial Mindset and Developing Presentation Skills. The event is from 7pm to 9pm so that most of the professionals who have a 9-to-5pm daytime job will be able to attend.

This event is especially tailored for professionals who are seeking to build additional income or upgrade their skills for promotion. If you want to LEVEL UP YOUR INCOME POTENTIAL by developing additional business skills, this is your oppportunity. The good news is that you will not need to invest P25,000 for this event, not even P2,500…the event is only P1,500 for the whole 3 days (July 23, August 6 and August 12). Should you choose to attend only 1 or 2 of the 3 days, we can also accomodate you. You only need to invest on the days/topics you are going to attend. Ticket price is only P500/day or topic.

If you are interested to attend this event, you can email me at allan@allaninocente.com or contact me at +63-917-8034015 so I can send you the payment instructions. SPECIAL DISCOUNT is available for groups of 10 and above. So bring your friends along! Limited slots only. Hurry, get your tickets now!

Categories
Story

The OFW story: Why Do Millions of Filipinos Go Abroad?

Recently, I went to Singapore to do a 2-day training and workshop for our teammates who are mostly OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers). Some of them have been in Singapore for more than 10 years, some around 8 years, while others have only been there for 1 year.

It was a blast sharing stories with them. More than a decade ago, I was also an OFW living and working in Malaysia. It reminded me why I decided to pursue my career outside my home country, the Philippines.

You see, a year prior to my decision to go abroad, I was in the U.S. for a 6-month stint from my former company. It was a great time for me, especially that it was first time outside the country, in a far away land. Our company took care of everything, the house, the car, the allowances, etc.

The thing is, it was my first time to experience a life like that. It is almost like you were living in a dream land, just like what you see in the movies. Every night, me and my friends would go out swimming and enjoying ourselves in a jacuzzi. Once a month, we would go out of town to unwind and visit new places like the Grand Canyon, or L.A.’s Disneyland or Universal Studios.

The work was surprisingly easier compared to when I was in the Philippines. I felt like a child going out in the playground. It felt like going outside after being grounded for so long. It felt like the new place was a playground.

You see, most of my workmates work really early. At around 7am most of them are already in the office. They take lunch on their desk and leave early at 3pm. When I asked, they simply said it’s because they are fetching their kids from school. Some are going to their kid’s baseball game or something like that. I was amazed.

The experience gave me a picture of what life could be like in a land full of opportunities like the U.S. When I came back to the Philippines, the drastic contrast to the work enviroment suddenly made me feel so overwhelmed, and severely undercompensated. What 6 months prior was just “tiis tiis” lang muna, made little sense anymore.

They say when your mind is expanded to a new idea, it will no longer be able to go back to its original form. Add to that, I learned that my batchmates who were working in Malaysia were earning 3x as much income as me. So when my bond with my company ended, I resigned and pursued a career abroad. I only had one goal then, to save up enough money so me and my gf (now my wife) could get married. After a year, my dream came true.

We spent another year and a half abroad. This was in the middle of recession of 2008. Many of our officemates were fired. It was scary to say the least. Everyday you are worrying whether you will be next.

It made me realize that there is no such thing as job security. Even if you are the most loyal employee with the greatest skill, even if your boss likes you and trust you do a great job, when recession strikes, no one is immune. The whole company can suddenly collapse and you find yourself without a job.

Fortunately, the company was able to whether the storm without letting us go. But the minute an opportunity to come back to the Philippines for good was made available for us, we grabbed it and never looked back.

There are a lot of sacrifices being an OFW but I cannot deny there are also a lot of benefits as well.

When I was in Singapore, I was able to meet up with a reader of this blog. Her name is Daisy. She’s been working in Singapore for 8 years. Back home, her family of 3 kids and husband live in the province of Negros. Once a year she is able to come back home for 15 days to be with her family.

She shared to me her struggles as an OFW, of the challenge of raising her kids while being away from home. Also her advocacies in helping our fellow OFWs in their plight overseas. Some of them I realized could not even make a simple phone call to their loved ones because they are not permitted to do so. A lot of times, their friends do some “patak patak” to help one of them who is in need. It reminded me of the term “bayanihan.”

She hosts a radio show online for 2 hours once a week, and thousands of OFWs are blessed from her show. The thing is, she’s doing it not for the money, but she just feels great whenever she is able to help out our fellow OFWs.

Our conversation was cut short because I had to leave for the airport or I will miss my flight going back to the Philippines. I was inspired by her story and I pray she will bless more OFWs in her advocacy.

It made me reflect why do Filipinos go abroad. It reminded me of my reasons more than a decade ago to do the same. Here’s a video that captured my thoughts on this topic. By the way if you are not yet subscribed to my Youtube channel, please subscribe so you get to watch our future episodes. Watch and enjoy!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=KG7uRV3H1l8

P.S. Are you an OFW working abroad? Comment what country and what made you decide to go abroad in the comments below. If you are reading this email, you can also hit the reply button and share with me your OFW story.

P.P.S. Watch out for our upcoming episodes on How to Save Faster as an OFW as well as What Kinds of Businesses an OFW Can Start While Working Abroad. Subscribe to my Youtube Channel and click the notification button to get updated regularly. Cheers!

Categories
Life Lessons

Why Your Habits Determine Your Financial Destiny

My mentor recently gave me a book to read. Atomic Habits by James Clear.

According to the book, your financial situation is a result of your habits about money.
Rich people simply have better money habits than the poor or middle class.

The past few months, I’ve had one of the most challenging period when it comes to finances.
When I looked back, it is all because of my money habits.

Over the last 8 years, my business has allowed me to earn passive/residual income.
This income has allowed me to support my family and have the freedom to spend time with them.

This is one thing I would always be thankful for, for having built a business
that would allow me the freedom to spend time with my kids.

However, one thing I didn’t know then was the idea that “passive does not mean permanent.”

In any kind of business, changes would eventually happen. Ready or not.
In my case, I wasn’t ready. It didn’t happen abruptly. But I still could not adopt to the changes fast enough to put a stop to the bleeding in my finances.

In the end, I had to make some major sacrifices just to keep the boat afloat.

Thankfully, the changes allowed me a little breathing room, for the meantime.
I am not out of the woods yet, but I feel fortunate to have gone through it.

The experience allowed me to re-examine how I view money as part of my life.

In the world of business, there’s often the idea to focus on marketing “the lifestyle.”

Is it effective? Yes, sometimes. But not always.

I realized that people, of course, are attracted to a certain lifestyle.
We all desire to look good in pictures, to have a lot of friends,
to travel to beautiful places, to own the most luxurious cars or houses.

There is nothing wrong with that.

However, when you identify your self-concept or your value too closely
to this social status, you tend to succumb to the pressures of living up to this lifestyle.

We all know that there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Success is rarely easy nor simple.

There’s the unglamorous part where you are hustling day in and day out, stressed out
in just keeping up with the lifestyle that is supposed to free you up.
But now it has become a cage.

You feel so restricted. You are now posting for likes or engagement, rather than
share what you really value and who you really are.

For sometime, I tried to de-activate my Facebook account.
I wanted to see what happens.

At first, it was really hard to do. A few days after, I re-activated it again because
I wanted to upload a picture or video.

Eventually, I managed to de-activate it completely with one exception.
I had to keep my messenger active.

Maybe it’s the fear of missing out. I don’t know.

After a month, I realized I didn’t miss much. Of course I still went back and activated it.
I had to post pictures of important family events, just to update family and friends.

Staying up to date with social media has increasingly made little sense for me.

This is one habit. that I would hope to find a balance on. I am still trying. I am afraid the only logical step would be to completely get out. We’ll see.

Recently, I had a chance to facilitate cashflow 101 boargames.
I was surprised to see that many people still haven’t played the game yet.

Here are some of the things I observed.

People are naturally risk-averse. They would buy a few shares of stocks here and there.
Just keep them and not do anything with them. They would pass on opportunities after opportunities.

After an hour of playing, they are still nowhere near the goal of getting out of the rat race.

They could not see the opportunity right in front of their eyes.
Maybe it’s just that. We see what we are trained to see.

At the start, the players are so happy whenever they receive their monthly paycheck.
In the game, there’s always this gradual shift on what the players focus on.
At the start it is all about the paycheck. But as the game goes on, they would rather get an opportunity card than a paycheck. Because they know, a paycheck would only get you so far.

The real key to getting out of the rat race is in taking advantage of the opportunities you are dealt with.

Just like in real life, having this shift in mindset and habits takes a really long time.
In my case, it has been years since I am out of the corporate world but I still find myself clinging to the allure of security.

Your habits can also change. In the same way that your weight can fluctuate with every fad diet that comes along, so too are your finances if you succumb to every fad about money.

But the fundamentals about money habits is still the same.

Make as much money as you can.
Spend less than what you earn.
Protect your money and make it grow.
While keeping a healthy perspective in life that there’s more to life than money.

Money is only a magnifier of the things you value in your life.

When you use that money to grow your relationships with your family, your love within your family will grow.

When you use that to keep a healthy lifestyle, then you will have a healthy mind and body to grow.

When you use that money to bless other people through tithes and fund ministries, then your spiritual life will grow.

It’s a lifelong process to build a habit. The only way to replace a bad habit is to create a new one. The good news is that you can start a new habit anytime. The best moment to start one is now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Life Updates Uncategorized

My goals for 2019

As I am writing this, the 1st half of January is already over. Today, I am in Roxas city for a 3-day business trip. As part of our financial literacy workshop, we played Cashflow 101 board game and it was a blast! It’s amazing how much you can learn by playing. You learn so much more when you are having fun.

My business partners and I had lunch together by the sea side. It was so refreshing. The wind is soothing. The sound of the waves is like a relaxing music to my ears. Being the seafood capital of the Philippines, the array of seafood is a delight to the eyes (and to my hungry stomach.) The food is so delicious I wanted to just stay there and chill the whole day. I also learned “Talaba” (Oyster) is so abundant here, you can buy 1 sack for only P180! Yummy! 🙂

How about you? How’s your first weeks of January so far?

Every year, I spend some time going over my business and personal goals. I have shared a bit of my 2018 in my posts on “How to get unstuck,” “How I lost 7.8 pounds in 10 days,” and “How to Break Free.” You may notice all of them are about overcoming challenges. These are actually messages I wanted to tell myself as a form of encouragement as I was going through some finacial, emotional and mental challenges. Somehow, it gave me hope that the situation can get better. And it did.

If you are going through some challenges right now, know that everything in the universe go through cycles. Pain. Regret. Breakthrough. Success. Boredom. There’s a famous saying which says, “this too shall pass.” Take hold of that message and embrace God’s plan for your life.

Over the holidays I got a chance to think a lot and reflect. There are definitely lessons to learn from my experience last year that I hope to improve on this year. Today I’d like to share them with you.

These are my goals for this year 2019.

Business Goals

1. My goal is to grow my business income by at least 100%.

It’s going to be a challenge I know. But it’s possible. I also don’t want to put a limit to what can happen. I only know that based on the lessons I learned from last year, my business is due for a major upgrade.

You see, for the past 4 years, I have been coasting along. There’s a certain comfort zone you develop when you reach a certain level of success. In my case, I realized I have not been growing personally in the last 4 years, that’s why my business is also not growing as much as I would like to. Yes, it remains profitable and creating good income. But I want to challenge myself to grow my business even more. I want to try breaking the barrier that I have set mentally for myself the past few years. So this year, I decided to make a major expansion by growing at least 100% from last year’s business income.

There are multiple ways I am planning to do this. Obviously, these can change as I adjust them along the way. But here are some of the top in mind ideas on how I am plan to do it.

Over the past few years, I have always been concentrated in building my business offline 80% of the time. My days are consumed by lots of meetings, meeting people face to face. Add to that the horrendous traffic you have to go through when you are living in Metro Manila and you will have a heavily-packed day with lots of time spent driving to and from meetings. Only a small part of my business is done online which is around 20%.

Over time, I started to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. In the end, I got exhausted and burned out multiple times. I would have a few days that my week is full of meetings, talks and coaching sessions. The following week I would catch a cold, and would spend a few days just getting back on track again. I had to find a way to recharge myself to get back. My body is complaining and can’t keep up.

For my sanity’s sake, I think I really need to re-assess how I am spending my time and make sure I am delivering value to a lot more people without sacrificing my health, my time and my energy.

So this year, I decided to revamp the way I do things. I plan to take advantage of online systems even more to scale the value that I am offering. Doing most of the things I do offline is hindering me from scaling my value to the world. That’s why my plan is to create a more scalable system to share what I know and bring value to more people.

I am also looking for ways to maximize the assets in my business. Perhaps, even introducing other streams of income in the process. These are still at their early stages so you will learn more about them in the coming weeks.

This year I am planning to write more in this blog and share some of the lessons and stories I come accross. This is one thing that I feel I need to do more of. Expect to see more posts this year. Maybe publish an article at least once a week. This is a way for me to scale my value and reach out to more people, to serve those who I won’t be able to meet in person or face to face.

Do you have particular topic you want me to talk about in future posts? Do you want me to feature your story in my blog? Let’s connect and exlore future collaborations together. If you’re up for it, then you can message me here.

This year, I also want to ensure my time is spent in tasks that help me bring better results and not stuck in mindless surfing on the internet or social media. When you are operating your business through social media, it can be a double-edge sword. You can leverage it to scale your business, or it can consume too much of your time you are no longer being productive. You are stuck in scrolling and browsing at Facebook or Instagram posts instead of delivering value to your clients.

I am intentionally being vague about my plans for two reasons. First reason is that I have not figured everything out yet. Another reason is more practical. If there’s one thing I learned in business, it’s that ideas are a dime a dozen but the really important part is being able to execute it. Part of execution means being open to all ideas. Sometimes an idea that sounds good on paper performs horribly. Other times, a ridiculous or crazy idea works out perfectly. So I’m always experimenting and adjusting along the way. Besides, it’s a lot more fun that way as well.

Personal Goals

Write my 2nd book. Right now, I am in the middle of writing my second book. It is still in the early stages, so you will hear more about it in the coming weeks or months. I am planning to launch it this year. By me writing that book, I hope to reach more people who I might not be able to meet in person. I’ll be going to share some of the stories and lessons I learned over the past 7 years doing business.

The first book I wrote titled Rich Money Habits – 8 Ways to Shift Your Money Habits and Be Rich was written in 2011 back when I was still exploring the world of finance and entrepreneurship. It has blessed and inspired hundreds of people around the world. Good news for you, you can get your FREE copy of my ebook Rich Money Habits today. Simply click here to get instant access and download the ebook.

Travel somewhere I’ve never been to every quarter.

One of the things I love doing is spending some time with nature and just reflect on life. I am introvert by heart. Yes, I do get invitations to speak in public and conduct trainings and workshops in different provinces all over the Philippines. I love doing that and being able to deliver a message that can change people’ lives. However, I also need a way for me to recharge and nourish my spirit and soul. I get that from my miracle mornings (a routine I do every morning.) as well as from travelling and spending time with nature every now and then.

When I got busy with my business the past 4 years, these has remained in the back burner. Travels were always jampacked with activities for growing my business. It has led to burnout. This year I want to create more balance in this area of my life.

I think I have a great headstart. Today, I am writing this in Roxas City. Yes, I am also on a 3-day business trip but I feel this has been a more relaxed trip. It has allowed me the chance to just enjoy nature eating seafood over the seashore. It’s an amazing feeling just staring at the sea, enjoying the wind soothing my face as I listen to the sound of the waves, while eating “talaba” (Oyster.) Life is beautiful.

Build Habits Around My Daily Morning Routine

Late last year, I discovered this book called Miracle Morning, which allowed me to develop my own morning routine. This has given me extra energy. I feel more energized. I feel more productive. In fact, for the first time ever in the last 7 years, I have finally setup my own workstation complete with my own mini-library at home. I’ll give you a glimpse of my workstation setup in my future posts.

One of the things I discovered is that you have to build habits into your life if you want to create a longer-lasting impact or result. If you try to force it, you may hit your goal for some time but soon it will come crashing back down.

I have experimented with this late last year and it has given me great results. I plan on enhancing it even further. This year, I included 2 items in my morning routine. One is to do a 20-minute walk. Another is to create a gratitude list. That is, to list down 5 things I am grateful for every day.

This may come out like a new year’s resolution for some. But one difference is that my morning routine is so simple and easy to do. Creating a new routine is hard enough. So I’m taking it one day at a time. Making it simple enough so that I won’t force myself too much.

By following through on my morning routine, I get a head start in centering myself first before I get started with work or reply to communications (in social media.) I feel this will allow me to balance the benefit of having social media but not overwhelm me too much that I am no longer productive.

There are a lot more that I want to do this year, of course, but I know that having a good plan doesn’t always guarantee success. It’s always a combination of a great plan, superb execution and having the right mindset to adjust along the way if it doesn’t work.

How about you? What are your goals this year?
What are you planning to do differently?

Categories
How To Tutorials Life Updates

How I lost 7.8 pounds in 10 days

Madalas ka bang mainit ang ulo?
Pabigla-bigla ba ang mood swings mo?
Pareho tayo.

Madalas ka din bang sipunin o di kaya ubuin?
Mabigat ang pakiramdam?

Ilan lang yan sa mga rason baki naisipan kong mag-lose na ng weight.

Ikaw ba yung every year na lang ang new year’s resolution mo ay mag-gym at mag-lose ng weight? Pero for some reason, every time tumutuntong ka sa treadmill, bored na bored ka kaagad.

Kaya lang pag nahimasmasan ka na, ang dami mo na namang naiisip.

Ang hirap kaya bumili ng damit pag hindi ka physically fit.
Yung damit mo di rin nagfi-fit sayo.

Pag nasa display parang ang ganda ganda ng porma.
Pag suot mo na, bakit ganon nagiging pangit. Haha.

Kahit anong hinga mo ng malalim, di pa rin lumiliit ang tiyan.
Kahit anong angulo mo tingnan ganon pa rin di papasa pang instagram.

In fairness, maganda ang fit sa akin ng shirt sa old navy.
Siguro dahil malaki na talaga nilaki ko. American size na. Haha.

Gusto kong maging mas fit kasi gusto kong maging mas maganda ang pakiramdam ko sa sarili ko.
Confidence booster kumbaga.

Tsaka alam ko kasing maraming kainan na naman ngayong December.
Sigurado ako pag wala akong gagawin pagdating ng January mas lalong ang laki ko.

Anyway, eto ginawa ko.

Matagal naman na akong distributor ng USANA products.
Since 2011 pa. Minsan nakaka-complacent din kasi alam mo may product kang maganda.
Anytime na gustuhin mong magpapayat, pwede talaga.

Nung bago ako, nag-try din ako maglose ng weight naging maganda naman ang effect.
Kaya nga lang siyempre habang tumatanda ka, yung metabolism mo mas bumabagal din.
Ang sarap ding kumain. Lalo kapag pagod na pagod ka sa gabi. Gusto mo lang ipamper ang sarili mo.
Marami pang dahilan (at excuses) pero ayaw ko nang humaba pa.

To cut the long story short, after 7 years lumobo na talaga ako ng todo.

Last Nov 8, 2018 umabot na ako ng 225.4 pounds.
Mabigat na talaga. Overweight kumbaga.

Kaya ayun. Nag-NUTRIMEAL RESET program na ako.
Inisip ko na lang. Tutal 5 araw lang naman to.
Lilipas din naman to. Mabilis lang yun 5 araw.

Para ka lang batang magpapa-injection sa doctor.
Sasabihin sayo, parang kagat lang ng langgam.
Kaso masakit pa rin. Pero at least tapos na. Kaya wala ka nang magagawa. Haha.

Minsan late na talaga ako nakakatulog. Tapos late din ang gising.

Sabi nila gawin mo daw yung routine mo naka-anchor sa una mong ginagawa pag umaga.
So ginawa ko naman.

Ano bang unang una kong ginagawa sa umaga? Of course, mag-CR ano pa nga ba.

So eto ang routine ko pag umaga.

– Pagkagising, diretso na agad ako sa CR.
– Pagbalik sa kama, uupo ako at magbabasa ng PSALMS
– Then after, makikinig ako sa audio recording ko ng affirmations
– Pupunta sa kusina, magti-timpla ng Nutrimeal. Cold water, 2 scoops Nutrimeal Dutch Choco flavor. Plus 1 scoop Fibergy.
– Iset ang timer ko sa phone ng 2 hours. Why? Para maremind ako kelan ako kakain ulit.
Minsan kasi either nakakalimutan kong kumain such that gutom na gutom ako after.
Or paminsan kain din ako ng kain.

So 2 hours it is! Iniisip ko yung yung (Nutri)meals happen every 4 hours.
So meryenda is after 2 hours of each meal. Siyempre inexplain ko talaga. Haha.

After 2 hours kain ako ng light snack. No carbs. No rice. No pasta.
Sinubukan kong kumain ng fruits like apple. Ok naman kaya lang naasiman ako sa lasa.

Mas ok sa akin ang veggies. May lasa. Chopseuy. Itlog.

No rice lang talaga. No colored juice drinks. Water lang.

Coffee pwede as long as walang sugar or creamer.
Brewed coffee di pwedeng 3-in-1 may sugar yun. Kaya alam mo na ang lasa.
Mapait? Oo naman! Hehe

Anyway, first day ok naman. I just made sure na hindi ako gutumin.
Malakas pa rin ako kumain pero puro vegetables lang.

Hinalo ko din yung Nutrimeal Choco sa Coffee.
Nag-end up parang MOCHA ang lasa. Masarap naman. 🙂

Ano pa ba mga ginawa ko?

Ayun, after another 2hours. Drink nutrimeal ulit.

Minsan pumunta ako sa Coffee Bean. Di ko maalala ano nga yung masarap na salad doon.
Sabi ko sa wife ko, sige if ever yung Greek salad na lang papasabay ko na order sa kanya.
Too bad, narealize ko nung niserve na. Yun pala yung hindi masarap. Kaya pala tumatak sa akin ang pangalan. For the wrong reason. Siguro sinabi ko sa sarili ko nung una ko tong natikman na hinding hindi na ulit ako oorder nito.

Well to be honest di naman talaga ako sanay kumain ng salad kaya lahat di masarap.

Except for Go Salad. “Man Go Wild” for the win!

Ayun masarap yun. Man Go Wild. Madalas hati kami ng wife ko. Mahal din kasi. P275 ata per piece. Kinukuha namin yung naka-WRAP. Tapos hahatiin yun sa dalawa. Enough na yun kalahati para sa akin. Hinay hinay lang haha.

In fairness, hindi siya lasang parusa katulad ng Greek salad. Feeling ko talaga nun para akong kambing na ngumunguya ng dahon. Kadi di ko makain yung ibang kasama dun sa greek salad. Yung dahon lang ng lettuce kaya ko.

Kaya lang after sometime, nagsawa din ako sa Man Go Wild. So sinubukan namin yung Caesar salad nila. Ayun masarap din! Dagdag pa yung chicken. Medyo mahal nga lang. Aabutin ka P345.

Iniisip ko na lang since hati kami ng wife ko. Lalabas parang P173 each kami. Parang kumain na lang din ako sa McDo or KFC. Only this time, healthy yung kinakain namin.

Marami akong na-observe sa 5 day program, pero eto yung pinakamahirap na part.

Ang hirap maghanap ng healthy na pagkain! Marami sa pagkain ng Pinoy kasama palagi ang RICE!!! Ang daming rice meals! Longanissa with rice. Egg with rice. Bagoong with rice. Chicken, beef, fish with rice!!! Lahat na lang may rice!!!

Kaya nangyari every night bumibili ako sa grocery store ng veggies para bukas may lulutuin.
Nung nilista ko ano yung mga ulam na kinain ko, eto ang lumabas.

Chopsuey
Pinakbet
Bulanglang
Ampalaya with Egg
Nilagang itlog
Kalabasa at sitaw
Ginisang upo
Brocolli with garlic
Toge with Tofu
Lumpiang gulay

Sa totoo lang ang hirap kumain ng walang kanin. Sanay na sanay kasi ako kumain. Sabi nga ng wife ko pag kumain daw ako parang construction worker! No offense sa mga construction workers. Pero ibig lang niya sabihin, ang dami ko talagang kinakain na kanin. 🙂 Kaya ang laking adjustment para sa akin ang walang kanin.

After 10 days, ayun Nov 18 naging 217.6 pounds na ako. That’s 7.8 pounds lost.

Ang pinakamababa ko nang weight recently ay 215.8 last November 25. That’s 9.6 pounds lost!

Pero ayun after a few days, napakain na naman ako.
Nag-start yun din nung manonood sana kami ng UAAP sa MOA kaso naubusan na ng tickets.
Kaya para mabawasan ang lungkot, nag drive thru kami sa McDo ng wife ko.
Nagorder ako ng 6-piece chicken. Ang sarap. Crispy. Fatty meal. Haha.

Kahapon, ayun kumain na ulit ako ng kanin. Fried rice sa Mann Hann. Hhhaayyy.. Ang sarap talaga kumain ng kanin.

Kaya di na rin ako nagtaka na tumaas na ulit ng 218 pounds ang weight ko.

Kaninang umaga, sabi ko kelangan kong bumalik sa gulay lang.
Narealize ko pag may breading ang chicken, carbs din pala yun.
Tsaka mahirap pumayat kung wala ka ngang rice pero sangkatutak na chicken wings and legs din ang palagi mong kinakain.

No choice. Balik ulit sa fruits ang veggies.

Yun isang bagay na di ko pa nagagawa talagang concistent sa weight loss goal ko ay yung exercise.

Mahilig ako sa sports. Gusto ko ulit maglaro ng tennis o di kaya badminton. Yun nga lang paminsan kasi kelangan mo kalaro or kapaluan pag ganon. Eh minsan yung mga kaibigan ko hindi naman sila available.

So bakit nga ba ako all of a sudden naging seryso ulit magpapayat?

This year kasi ang goal ko ay mag-focus sa fitness ko. Admittedly, sobrang naging erratic ang outcome. May time na bumaba siya. May time na tumaas ulit siya. May time na palagi ako may sipon at inuubo. May time na hindi na talaga maganda pakiramdam ko.

Pero after I lost the 8.2 pounds recently, medyo mas gumaan at gumanda ng konti ang pakiramdam ko. Excited ako na magtuloy tuloy yung fitness journey ko. Goal ko next is mapababa to at least 210 pounds…then down to 200 pounds…then down to 190…and settle down to mga 185 pounds.

Teka, ano nga ba yung ideal weight for men para sa isang taong may 5’8” na height at large frame? After google-ing, nagulat ako nasa 165-169 pounds daw pala!

WHAT??!!!! Malayo pa pala yung 185 pounds hahaha! Kung aabot ako ng 169 pounds, by then, I would have lost 225 minus 169 = 56 pounds (around 25kgs)!!! Parang araw araw ko palang buhat buhat sila Ethan at Ervin with my extra weight of 25kgs. Haha! 😀

Alam ko I am still a long way to go dun sa goal na yun. But I am enjoying the process. Roller coaster ang emotions. Roller coaster din ang discipline. Roller coaster din ang results. Pero at the end of the day, masarap pa rin ang mag-set ng goal at unti unti mong nararamdaman na may progress. Anuman ang mangyari, grateful ako sa character-sculpting experience na to.

Ikaw, may plano ka din bang mag-lose ng weight? Kung may napulot ka man sa article na to, hopefully, na-encourage kita na hindi ka nag-iisa. Kaya mo din yan. Importante tuloy tuloy ka lang. Pasasaan ba’t makakamit din natin ang minimithi nating weight goal na yan.

Looking forward to seeing you na confident na sayong beach body pagdating ng summer escapades this 2019! 🙂

P.S. Want more tips? Here’s my short video after 30-days of trying to lose weight.

P.P.S. Wanna learn more about the 5-day weight loss program? Contact me here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN5PG34NCXo

Categories
How To Tutorials Uncategorized

How To Break Free

As I am writing this, the song playing on the radio is “Jingle Bell Rocks”
I know, we just celebrated All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
Time flies so fast.

Not too long ago, you were writing your New Year’s Resolution.
Once the “BER” months kick starts, it seems time enters warp speed.

Do you realize we only have 6 weeks left before 2018 ends?
Everyone is busy getting all their work done.
Everyone wants to get on with their 2-week holiday vacation.
Maybe go home to the province and spend some time with friends and relatives.

Yes, we are all about ready to wrap up 2018.
But wait, there’s still ONE QUESTION that needs to be asked.

So, how are you with your 2018 goals?

Have you accomplished all you set out to do?
Have you visited the places you want to go to?
Have you achieved the level of success you wanted?
Career? Lovelife? Fitness? Money? etc

The good news is, there’s still some time.
Time to make a LAST PUSH for your goals.
Last 6 weeks to be exact.

This year, my goal was to focus on fitness.
Admittedly, I am nowhere near where I want to be.

My weight has really gone crazy.
There were some good months where I managed to bring down my weight a little bit (around March).
But most of the time, it’s growing in all the wrong places.

One thing I realized is that everthing you do is connected.
If your fitness is not good, you won’t have the energy to accomplish the goals for your career.
You are sluggish. Your mood swings make you a bore to be around.
You undergo roller coaster of emotions as you battle stress from you business, finances, love life, and more.

It also happens the other way around.
A stressful problem in your business triggers your cortisol levels.
It makes you eat more. You dump all your stress into eating out.
In the end, your health suffers. You get sick.
And the cycle continues.

It’s like the proverbial question of which one came first, the chicken or the egg.

The good news is, if you’re like me who went through a similar situation, there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s what worked for me.
Do something. Do anything. DISRUPT your pattern.

What you need is to BREAK FREE.

Break free from your mental patterns.
Break free from the self-deprecating beliefs that is causing you pain and lose of confidence.
Break free from the cycle of financial struggles.
Break free from the emotional roller coaster.
Break free from the situation you are currently in.

How do you break free from your current situation?
Here are some things that might help you get started in this direction.

1. Setup a morning routine.

After reading the book The Miracle Morning, it inspired me to create my own.
There’s an acronym from the book that summarizes how to do it.
S – silence
A – affirmation
V – visualization
E – exercise
R – reading
S – scribbling or writing

I’ve created my own morning routine using this as a guide.
– Read the PSALMS after waking up.
– Listen to a 4-minute affirmation audio I recorded.
– Drink Nutrimeal.
– Lace up my rubber shoes.
– Put on the headphones.
– Go to the gym and run.
– Listen to audiobook while running.

I am still not as consistent as I want to be but sometimes the process is more important than being impatient with yourself or your results.

There are also some areas where I want to improve on.
For example, I want to make my wake up time a bit more consistent as well as my exercise routines. I am enrolled in the gym but I am hardly using it. It bores me to walk on a treadmill.
I try to put on headphones and listen to an audio book to motivate me.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

I am looking to add sports into my routine.
Maybe play basketball, or tennis or badminton.
We’ll see.

2. Lose weight.

I finally got around doing the USANA’s 5-day RESET program.
It’s been 10 days and so far, I’ve lost 8.2 pounds.
It’s a good start towards a healthier lifestyle.

I’ll tell you more about what worked for me in one of my next articles.
I am still a long way to go from my weight loss goal so I am still not that confident to show some pictures. But if you are so curious and want to join me and get fit too, feel free to message me so I can share with you what worked for me.

3. Take a vacation.

There’s something about going someplace near nature, to the beach or closer to the trees that sooths your soul. When your life is in an imbalance, there’s so many things going on.
You are in chaos mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc.

If you can’t go anywhere far, maybe staying at home and doing nothing is something that you need to do. Taking a moment to STOP what you are doing is sometimes enough to disrupt the pattern.

As for me, I go into hibernation mode.
I go back to what I enjoy doing.
Watch that endless videos.
Eat that unhealthy meal you always wanted to eat.

Do something you love doing.
Don’t worry, that is not indulgence, as long as you are not hurting anyone.
That’s reminding yourself that you are LOVED.
And you can ENJOY LIFE’s so many blessings.
Even if your finances are not ok.
Even if you feel you don’t deserve it.
Even if there’s so much work that needs to be done.
Even if there’s a lot of things going on.

Because what’s more important than any of those, is YOU taking care of YOU.

Sometimes, you need to prioritize YOU.
Why? Because when you are not ok, the people who depends on you will suffer as well.

So they need you to be OK. And that’s the best thing you can do at that moment to serve them.
Forgive youself. Let go of your pains and frustrations. You deserve to break free.

No one said you have to suffer endlessly. Enjoying the journey is part of the package.
You have a right to living your life the way you want it.

The same applies to your goals this year.
Yes, you may be nowhere near accomplishing them. But who cares?
Life is a journey.
One moment you are so far away from your goal you can’t imagine how you can achieve it.
Another moment, unexpected circumstances happen ALL AT THE SAME TIME and give you the desires of your heart.
It is as if the heavens opened up to POUR you an AVALANCHE of BLESSINGS that you have been waiting for all this time.

So, enjoy the next 6 weeks.
The path with a heart will always give you the best results.
Sometimes that lesson is not to struggle, but to accept that there are deeper lessons to be learned such as enjoying the joys of the journey while you are in the middle of chaos.

Cheers to your 2018 goals and to the journey that this year has been! 🙂

Categories
How To Tutorials Uncategorized

How To Get Unstuck

In a couple of days, June is finally over. The first half of the year is done.

This year has been a roller coaster ride for me so far. How about you? Perhaps we are both going through some challenges right now.

I have some encouragement for you. This too shall pass. The best is yet to come.

No, the storm is not yer over for me. But, thankfully, there are people who believe in me that makes me hopeful. They give me the strength to push through and focus on the future.

During the first quarter, our business went through a major overhaul.
Due to a leadership challenge, key people in my business made
the decision to take their business into a different direction.

In short, some people left. Some people stayed.
It was a tough time for me emotionally and mentally.
As a leader, I needed to be strong for the whole organization.

At first, I questioned myself.

Did I fail as a leader?
What can I learn from the situation?

What could I have done differently?

How can I make sure that it will not happen again?
Or if it happens, how would I be able to bounce back faster?

There were times, I no longer feel excited going to the office.
Every day I asked myself whether I should still continue building the business.
It’s hard when people close to you, people you thought you knew, catch you by surprise.

There were days I stayed late at night thinking endlessly.
Am I still fit to lead? I honestly think, my confidence suffered the most.
It hit me deeply. I started to doubt myself.

But slowly and surely, I am starting to get back on my feet.
It helped a lot that I have good people around.

Close friends encouraged me. They provided a listening ear when I needed it the most.
I am fortunate to have people like them that I get to share in my journey.

Having people like that in your life, makes everything bearable.

When you are down, it’s hard to get back to being joyful.
It’s easier to stay in bed. Sleep all day. Do nothing.

But the more you do nothing, the more you become depressed.

Then a friend suggested that I do things that I used to enjoy.
Perhaps to rekindle the excitement in your life.

Doing things you are happy, helps a lot.
Sing with my guitar at home. Check!
Watch movies! Check!
Play with my kids. Check!

Yes there are challenges outside and within. But life is like that.
There are also silver linings, as well as big blessings that come with it.

Business problems come and go. That’s why you are getting paid. You are supposed to solve problems. The bigger problems you can solve, the bigger your income will be.

As Jim Rohn said, “don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills.”

Money problems are just that. You just need to create and handle money better.

No matter how many financial problems you have, there are still things you can be grateful for.

As for me, I was reminded of these things.
1) I have a loving family.
2) I have time to spend with them.
3) Watch them grow.
4) Learn and bond with them whenever I want to.
I am blessed beyond measure. Lots of families can’t say they have all four.

I have people who still believe in me. They trust me that I can help them.
They look up to me, and my confidence grows as I see them grow.

Business is recovering and slowly getting back on track.
The team is growing. New leaders are emerging. Business is once again looking up.

I am thankful I started getting into business.
It’s been 7 years. It’s been a wonderful journey, of ups and downs, learnings and fun times.

What makes life so colorful are the people you meet along the way.
It’s true, some stay with you for a little while, some stay with you longer.
Each for a different purpose, but both are there to help you in your journey.

Life happens for you, not to you.

We are emotional beings. We are meant to connect with each other.
Sometimes, that connection fizzles out. Sometimes, it becomes stronger as the years go by.

We are changing. We are always changing.
As we change, the people you need in the next chapter of your life may change as well.
Embrace the change anyway.

Yes, you are going to be hurt. Definitely, you are going to learn.
But don’t let the fear of being hurt, rob you of the joy of connecting with a fellow human being.
To connect, to enjoy, to feel alive is in itself a gift that you can only experience by giving it to somene else.

We are only passers by here on earth. Our journey is bigger than the hurts, emotional traumas, business challenges, money problems or emotional roller coasters. It’s bigger than what we think it is or what we believe we were supposed to do here.

There’s a reason why you are here. You are destined for greatness.
You may think you have nothing to offer. But you are not here by accident.

You are made for a purpose. You were meant to do something only you can do.

Don’t hold on to past hurts. We need you to get unstuck.
Get up, stand up. People look up to you.
They need you to lead them.

So, take charge and be the leader you were meant to be.

Categories
Story

Featured Story: Billy De La Fuente Transformation Story

Today’s article is very special because I will be featuring one of my mentors for the last 7 years in my journey as an entrepreneur. His name is Mr. Billy De La Fuente. One of the things I admire about him is his passion to teach and train people, regardless of their current background. There was this one time where we had a bonding session with my co-mentors. We just decided to play bowling together. I am not very good with bowling but one thing I noticed was, Mentor Billy could not contain himself. I saw him helping out, giving tips to the new bowlers like me. When you are passionate about what you do, it just comes out naturally for you. You can’t help it. It’s already in your blood – a teacher, a mentor, a friend who cares.

Anyway, to get a glimpse of who he is, here’s an excerpt from his website at http://www.billydelafuente.com/. Read on and enjoy.

Billy Dela Fuente (or Mentor Billy as his team XTRM 1-11 fondly calls him) is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, XTRM 1-11 Founder and CEO and father rolled into one – or to sum it up, superman in a suit, jeans and Jordans. He was born and raised in Metro Manila and is currently residing in their dream abode in Pasig City with his wife Pin, and their three sons Godfrey, Enzo and Joaquin. He graduated Chemical Engineering from the University of Santo Tomas but did not push through with the career, instead he ventured into various businesses while also modeling.

Billy modeled for both Globe Telecom and Coca Cola before. His eureka moment happened when he reached the age of 24, and was already planning to settle down with his then girlfriend Pin. He realized that the amount he was earning from his Franchising and Loading businesses were not enough to support a sustainable future he has envisioned. Because of that, he frantically searched for solutions for this dilemma. Until one day, he was able to read Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, and Multiple Streams of Income by Robert Allen. He was also able to watch the documentary The Secret. Those books and video changed his life.

The things he learned became the foundation of Billy’s business fundamentals – the value of Time and Residual Income. Time being our biggest asset and it being limited instilled in him the importance of acting swiftly. On the other hand, Residual Income is having your money work for you. These concepts plus the unrivaled hardwork he has put in, propelled him to become one of the top Directors of USANA Health Sciences, a leading global health and wellness company, today. It has also allowed him to achieve his goals and live the life he has imagined with his family.

Nowadays, Billy’s business and know how have helped touch thousands of lives not only in the Philippines but around the world. The organization that he has co-founded, XTRM 1-11, has been a beacon of transformation in the field of entrepreneurship as well as professionalism. Billy being the head of the pack, continues to train and develop people for them to get their personal wealth and health goals. Expanding his network in the process, his business enabled him the opportunity to live the lifestyle of their dreams. And he’s not finished yet. Because he wants you to live the dreams you have imagined, too.

Billy just needs two things from you: an open mind, and the mentality of helping others to succeed. Because, an open mind makes you become ahead of others, and helping others get what they want will eventually make you get what you want. Pretty neat, right?

Looking back over the years, I got a rare chance to witness first-hand how his transformation has been, from a reluctant leader to a strong leader who leads thousands of associates around the world. He leads by example. He is naturally curious. But one thing I noticed about him is his people skills and his ability to read people. Sometimes, he jokes around and says he is not that fluent in English but he has improved a lot and has been invited as motivational speaker into countries like the U.S., Mexico, Canada and many many more.

Today, I’d like you to get a glimpse of the “Taglish” version of him. He speaks from the heart. He cries when he can’t contain his emotions. But a leader who leads from the heart, sometimes, speaks with his eyes. For the eyes is the window into the soul.

Here’s an excerpt from one of his Facebook Post when he shared his story of transformation.

Alam nyo ba na ang path para maging successful tayo ay hindi diretso?
Yan ang narealize ko looking back at my journey. Kadalasan ang daming detours sa daan. Yun tipong akala mo tama na yung dinadaanan mo, naligaw ka na pala. Or worse, yung tumbok pala nun, di yun ang gusto mo na mapuntahan.
Pero iba talaga si God. His plans are always on point, maybe not in the timeframe that we expected, but in the timeframe that fits. Swak. Sakto.
Naalala ko, nung elem pa lang nagbebenta na ko ng NBA cards (relate ka?), na napalitan ng pagbenta ng magic (the gathering) cards nung High School. At syempre nung college, kaliwa’t kanan ang part time ko: red ribbon crew, sa catering, modelling. Ambitious kasi ako. And I really want to make a name for myself para sa family ko at sa future.

Looking back, all the sacrifices have been worth it. All the detours that I have experienced along the way have been instrumental to my transformation. Ang focus dapat pala wala sa kung ano ka sa ngayon, kundi kung sa ano ang pwede ka maging in the future.
Remember, we are all potentials waiting to be unleashed. Kaya laban lang!

Nowadays, mentor Billy is growing his influence across different channels. You can reach him @billydelafuente on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Linkedin, Snapchat and through his website at http://www.billydelafuente.com/ to get some tips in life, travel, inspiring stories and more. He also gets invited regularly to different youth organizations to share his story and give some tips on how to become a young leader.

I have had a chance to be invited in his lovely home many times. I can still remember, how he taught me regarding financial management for 3 straight hours. One on one. Not many successful people care enough to invest on a personal level like that. I learned how to grow my financial portfolio by focusing on controlling my expenses and knowing where to invest to grow my income even more. I realized some of my past programming as an employee has been hindering me from fulfilling my full potential. Slowly but surely, I am growing my entrepreneurial mindset and skills. Thanks to mentor Billy.

As with any story of transformation, the main ingredient is having a mentor who can guide you. Yes, mentoring is very important. It fast tracks your success.

Today, much of my work goes into mentoring individuals who are hungry to learn about doing business, just like what mentor Billy has done for me over the years. It is time to pass on and extend the same help to those people who are hungry to learn from a mentor.

Perhaps, you are just like me before, tired of reading so many books and attending so many seminars but with no results to show for it. You may have fears and you are looking for a community of entrepreneurs who will be there to support you, not only in training you the skills but in enabling you to manage the ups and downs of emotions you go through as an entrepreneur. Now, you are ready to take action. Now, you are seriously considering something with your situation. There is hope! As they say, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

If you are at the stage in your life, I have good news for you. This month, I am in the middle of building a new team of 10 people as part of my newest project. If you are interested to be part of it, simply reply to this email or message me through my website at http://www.allaninocente.com/work-with-allan/ for more details. Let’s connect. This may be the start of a long and successful partnership. Cheers!

Categories
Life Lessons Uncategorized

Why The People Closest To You Can Make You Rich or Poor

They say, you are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with.

At the top of your head, who are these 5 people in your life? Your colleagues? Friends? Family? Make a guess as to how much they are earning. Compute the average. More often than not, the number will be roughly the same amount as your monthly income.

Still can’t believe it? Observe the groups of people in your office. Who do they eat lunch with? In most cases, the managers eat lunch together with their fellow managers. The team leaders, with other team leaders. The entry level staff with their peers as well.

You spend your time with the people you are most comfortable with. The people who earn the same amount flock to each other like magnets aligned on the same sides. People who have a BIG disparity in income more often than not, repel like magnets on opposite sides.

Still not convinced? Are you familiar with the saying, tell me who your fiends are and I’ll tell you who you are?

I rest my case.

This is biologically wired within us.

Have you ever seen a baby smile whenever someone smiles at him? Or is it the other way around? Perhaps the baby smiled first? 🙂

The baby doesn’t speak any language, but both baby and the adult mimic each other. It’s like magic.

The answer lies in the mirror neurons embedded on our skin cells. It’s subconscious.
We are made to subconsciously copy or mimic what we see.

Have you seen couples, over the long term start to seem look-alike?
Behaviours in money tend to be similar as well.

Why is this important?

If you want to upgrade your income, realizing this can put you on the fast track. You will invest more time learning how to develop yourself so your mindset, thoughts, behaviour and skills align with those of the people who are earning more than you.

I am not saying let go of your friends. I am not even saying you make friends only with people who are richer than you. Or even imply to judge people based on how much money they make and use that to determine whether to be friends with them or not. Far from it.

My only suggestion is for you to be conscious of who you spend your most time with. We all have 24 hours in a day. It is up to us to make use of those hours to improve our situation in life. This is the greatest equalizer of all. Rich or poor both have the same number of hours. It’s a matter of utilizing our resources to the fullest within those 24 hours.

Don’t waste your time spending it with cynics. Don’t associate yourself with negative people, people who drown your energy, people who always complain and make excuses but do nothing to improve their situation. If you spend your time with them, sooner or later, you will become just like them.

Instead, invest your time developing yourself. Do yourself a favor and find someone who has achieved the results that you like. If you can, take that person to lunch. Ask him questions. Observe not only his answers, but how he answers them.

The power of a mastermind group

Want something better? Find a group of people who has the results you like. Spend time with them. If it’s not possible yet, start by reading their books. Attend their seminars. Observe them. How they act. How they think. How they behave. Be with them.

It’s going to be awkward at first. You may feel out of place. You may start to think you are way over your head. Just stay. Take a deep breath. Know that you are ok. It will come, sooner than you realize.

Always remember, you are who you are because of the books you’ve read, the places you went to and the people you met. Of the three, what carries the most influence are the people you spend the most time with.

If you want to accelerate your path to financial success, as what Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich, you need to form a mastermind group. He devotes a whole chapter just talking about it. This tells you how important having a mastermind group to a person’s success is.

No one is an island they say. In the same way that nobody can claim to be a self-made man. There is no such thing. Our success is a result of our own efforts plus the help provided to us by the people we encountered along the way.

Once you realize that the universe is ready to serve what you want most in life, you will undrestand that everything you ever wanted is possible. It is reachable. You just have to decide to make it happen.

As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said,

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”