It’s been a couple of months since my wife and I together with our business partners enjoyed a 7 days 6 nights asian cruise experience on board the Voyager of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean Cruise. It was already our second time to board an asian cruise, but still the experience of boarding a BIGGER CRUISE SHIP was something we were looking forward to. This time, it’s more grand and luxurious as we were scheduled to visit China and Korea, and it’s all FOR FREE, ALL-EXPENSE PAID by our company!!! Best of all, our company also gave us $1,000 pocket money for shopping! Of course my wife enjoyed it so much. 🙂
As one of the Top 25 Growth earners in the whole Pacific region, we were treated to an amazing VIP experience during our whole stay in the cruise.
Here are a few of the perks we got!
We were given a special room, an ocean view with veranda. It was really breath-taking just chilling on the veranda, staring at the vast horizon of the sea.
On our first night on board, we were treated to a very nice exclusive dinner with the President of our company. It was an amazing feeling rubbing elbows with top business leaders in asia and the pacific. We even got a chance to have this photo taken with the president herself! Every detail was personalized including our food and drinks as we were asked a few months in advance what we would like to eat! It was my first time to eat and find out what FILET MIGNON tastes like! It was so delicious!! Our company truly knows how to pamper, we were given chocolates and these special bears with our name on it 🙂
On our second day, my wife and I were quite nervous and excited as well because we were asked to share our story in front of 800+ delegates form across asia and the pacific. I knew it was going to be a real challenge because first we had to speak in english the whole time, and second we will have to wait for the translator to convert it to Mandarin for Chinese-speaking countries like China, Hong Kong, Singapore and more. We were given the chance to share how our lives were changed in the last 4 years and in so doing, get a chance to inspire 800+ people across Asia and the Pacific region.
During the afternoon session, we had a more intimate Question and Answer discussion with a select group of top leaders. It was a chance to interact and share a little bit more of how it is like building a business in the Philippines. I shared how I learned LEADERSHIP from raising my 2 little boys and watching them grow up and take their first steps, stumble and get up again to do it one more time until they learn how to do it.
The next day, my wife and I were feeling a bit lazy to go to the buffet breakfast so we had our breakfast delivered into our room instead! It was so much fun just staying in bed all morning just enjoying the time without any alarm clocks or worrying about work or business. Remembering we were inside a ship and not a hotel, and there’s a veranda overlooking the sea we opted to take our breakfast there! 🙂
We were treated VIP seats to an ice skating show inside the cruise ship and even had the chance to do ice skating as well! At first I thought it would be easy since a lot of the kids seem to be enjoying and did not seem to exert too much effort at all. Once I put my boots, helmet and pads on and marched onto the ice I knew instantly this was not going to be a piece of cake! More than the pain of getting bruised physically, my ego was suffering more damage…seeing myself just holding on to the railings never letting go while the kids half my size were enjoying the snow and seem to be effortlessly sliding along just fine. Then finally, one moment of courage took the better of me and I let go! That’s when I realized that the moment you learn to let go of your fears of failing, or of making a mistake after trying something new, that’s when the EXCITEMENT and EXHILIRATING feeling of VICTORY within shines through. You never know how exciting life can be until you do something new. 🙂
I thought the VIP treatment would not get any better but I was wrong. We were given VIP exclusive access TOUR to the Captain’s deck. We went through an extensive security screening. While going inside and speaking to one of the security personnel who was fortunately also a fellow Filipino, I learned that the captain’s deck was OFF LIMITS to all passengers and even most members of the crew. Only the captain as well as his team along with a few security personnel are allowed inside. I was even more surprised when I asked whether it was a regular occurence that someone gets a tour inside and she answered no, not at all. Only VIP are given priviledged access to this part of the cruise ship.
There were a lot more we did and experienced while on board the Voyager of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise, but I feel no words can describe the feeling of being there and experiencing it yourself. As I look back on the experience I realize I could easily buy a ticket for me and my wife, however, it still would not be the same. One thing that made this trip extra special was because I was with friends and business partners. It is always super fun and exciting to spend an amazing experience like these with team mates from XTRM 1-11.
Looking back at all the experiences I’ve gone through over the past 4 years before I got to this point in my business career, I must say IT IS ALL WORTH IT. I realize there’s no such thing as an overnight success. It is always a result of HARDWORK and DETERMINATION. But until you DECIDE to change something, nothing happens.
One of the blessings (and curse) of being a Filipino is that we have this trait called “matiisin.” It is bordering on becoming a “martir” sometimes. When I decided to let go of my former career as IT consultant and shift my focus into business, the decision was not easy but I had one thing going for me. I had a wife who was always there to support me. I asked here one evening whether I should resign or not, and she simply asked me back, “KAYA MO PA BA NG ISANG TAON?” At that time, my answer was a definite “NO.” And the rest, as they say is history.
I’ve learned from my mentor that there’s such a thing called 3 C’s of life: “You must make a CHOICE to take a CHANCE or your life will never CHANGE.”
My only wish for you is that you are able to find the fourth “C” which is the COURAGE to make that CHOICE and live in the direction of your DREAMS.
P.S. I am always on the lookout for people who are seriously considering making a change in their life. If you wish to be part of my team and get a chance to experience the same lifestyle like I do, you can visit my Facebook business page @ http://www.facebook.com/allaninocente111 and send me a message. Or if you received this in your inbox, you can simply reply to this email. Here’s a quick video to get a glimpse on what kind of life is waiting for you if you decide to act now.
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