Discouragement

“What we do not see, what most of us never suspect of existing, is the silent but irresistible power which comes to the rescue of those who fight on in the face of discouragement.”

~ Napoleon Hill

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”

~ Dale Carnegie

Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.

~ Roger Crawford

Rumba

I love to dance...I used to learn rumba - the dance of love.
It felt kinda magical in a sense. Following the music and guiding your fellow friend to be in harmony with you.
It reminds me to always enjoy life.

Wayne Dyer put it perfectly in his quote
"When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way."

It is good to be goal-oriented. But it is much better to be growth-oriented. enjoying every steps of your way toward your goals. Knowing that you have become a better person every day!

So if you stressed out today, learn to stop for awhile and look around. Be thankful for everything that you got!

and remember that what you are today is God's gift to you and what you will become is your gift back to Him.

As my best friends in Vancouver wrote to me in front of my giant birthday's card

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." --Ferris Bueller.

We live just once...so live it to the fullest one more time!

Principled Leadership

PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP

How could a person be punched, kicked, and spat upon, yet remain composed? How on earth could a group of people repeatedly absorb hateful taunts and ethnic slurs without retaliating in kind? What would motivate a person willingly to endure the emotional humiliation and physical abuse of an adversary?

In 1957, Martin Luther King, Jr. spelled out his peaceful strategy of non-violent resistance to racism in America.

“At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love. In struggling for human dignity the oppressed people of the world must not allow themselves to become bitter or indulge in hate campaigns. To retaliate with hate and bitterness would do nothing but intensify the hate in the world. Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can be done only by projecting the ethics of love to the center of our lives.”

Martin Luther King’s principled leadership inspired a generation of young civil rights protestors to embrace the peaceful strategy of non-violent resistance—even when they endured violent acts of bigotry.

The history of the civil rights movement in America is filled with stories of heroism in the face of hatred. But perhaps no single incident tested King’s principle of non-violent resistance better than Bloody Sunday—the name historians have attached to a monumental protest march in Alabama.

On March 7, 1965, around 600 civil rights marchers planned to walk from Selma, Alabama to the state courthouse in Montgomery. In accordance to Dr. King’s strategy of non-violent resistance, they were peacefully protesting the harassments which prevented blacks from voting. On the outskirts of Selma, the marchers arrived at the Edmund Pettus Bridge where they encountered a blockade of state troopers and local patrolmen.

Despite warnings not to cross the bridge, the protestors forged forward and were viscously attacked. The troopers and patrolmen struck them with billy clubs, whipped them, stabbed them with cattle prods, and showered them with tear gas. Amazingly, the marchers chose not to fight back, and were beaten mercilessly. Journalists snapped horrific pictures of the violence to capture its brutality. Images of bruised and bloodied protestors quickly flooded the news outlets to give America a sickening glimpse of the assault.

By holding true to the principle of non-violence, the Selma marchers were able to prick America’s conscience with the moral justification of their cause. Their message of freedom and equality spoke loudly through their silence as they underwent painful beatings. By sacrificing their physical well-being, the protestors at Selma won a major moral victory for the cause of African-Americans in the United States.

Martin Luther King, through his unwavering belief that love was more powerful than hate, transformed the way we view race in America. His principled leadership of brave civil rights protestors helped to make the dream of equal rights a reality for blacks across the country.

For more thoughts on principled leadership, visit the Ivey Business Journal’s online site and browse Principled Leadership: Taking the Hard Right by authors Gerard H. Seijts and Hon. David Kilgour. http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/article.asp?intArticle_ID=688

We are still children anyway....

Children pay little attention to their parents' teachings, but reproduce their characters faithfully.
Mason Cooley

President T. Roosevelt once said....

It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement.

And at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

President Theodore Roosevelt
Paris 1910

The enemy of a great life.

Always keep in mind that,

tbe real enemy of a great life is a good life.

Thus, we have to learn to get out from our comfort zone and sharpen ourselves to be sensitive in recognizing and seizing the opportunities of a life-time withint the life-time of the opportunities themselves.

We live just once, let's go all out! Be Bold and Courageous!

Take calculated risk, and have fun in the process!

Have an extra-ordinary weekend!

Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens?

Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens?
Maybe that Nun knew what she was singing about after all!

By Carrie Wilkerson


As I was picking up school supplies a few weeks ago (good grief $$), I had to gather some things for my office as well. A binder, ballpoint pens - basics. As I was checking out - it hit me...I was smiling at my new notebook and pens! I was EXCITED to open them and put them to use! WHY?

Because I was anxious to work? NO! Because they make me smile! My binder has 2" pastel polka dots on it and the pens are the chubby, curvy kind (hmmmm, why do I relate to those?)! I could have purchased a solid binder and thin pens...but I gravitated to the things that made me smile! When I got to the car...I grabbed my pink plaid and polka dot (ha! another smile!) spiral journal that I carry for brain downloads and immediately made a list of things that bring a smile to my face! I thought I would share some of those with you:


Polka Dots (again with the chubby, curvy theme - what IS that?)! Big BOWS on Babies! Chunky Writing Pens! ANYTHING ORANGE! Gerber Daisies! Kids singing! Babies laughing! Doors being opened for me! Trumpet fanfare! Marching Bands! New lip gloss! Bumblebees & Ladybugs (not real ones)! Pregnant bellies! Kissing crinkly cheeks and stroking wrinkly hands (I DO love and appreciate our seniors, don't you?) and it always makes me smile when someone SMILES at ME!!


Am I trying to sway you to like the things I like? No, of course not! But what I've noticed is, that I tend to drift towards the people, the things, the music, the environments that make me smile, laugh and remain up-up-up!! I tend to mirror the atmosphere around me. Don't you? Hanging with negative people tends to make you more negative! Agreed?? Hanging with very positive people -- DOES tend to make you see things on the sunnier side!


I challenge you to make a conscious effort to surround yourself with people and things that make you smile and NOTICE things this week. If they drain you - ditch 'em! (That goes for negative friends too! Family? Well - you're stuck with them - but you CAN limit your time with them...that's a whoooole different issue!) I keep my journal and my chubby pen very handy and I've been adding to my page regularly...the one that says at the top, "THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE!" Have a list of things that make YOU smile? Send it to me with SMILE in the subject line!

I believe in Incredible YOU and we are limiting our effectiveness and influence if we are not as positive and energized as we can be!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Be Beautiful! Be Positive! Be Blessed! Carrie Wilkerson is an author, International speaker and editor of IncredibleU! (www.IncredibleU.com) a free ezine designed to encourage women of all ages! She is a wife, mother and business woman and enjoys singing with a group of friends in her spare time. Carrie can be reached at carrie@unitnews.com

Can You Hear Me Now?

Great article taken from John Maxwell's Leadership Wired

Can You Hear Me Now

It’s happened to all of us. We’re blazing through conversation when we realize we’re not getting cues, (uh-huh, yeah, yep, ok), from our friend on the other end of the call. Uncertain, we ask whether or not our buddy remains on the call: “Hello? Are you there? Can you hear me?” The ensuing silence prompts us to look at our phone. Sure enough, the call has been dropped.

As frustrating as a dropped call can be, given the complexity mobile phone communications, we are not overly surprised when we occasionally are cut off from a conversation. At some level, we understand the limitations of network bandwidth, battery life, and signal strength.

While dropped calls are explainable, few experiences are as demeaning or insulting as being dropped in face-to-face conversation. When we’re talking to a person who tunes us out, we feel worthless. When a listener’s posture or facial expressions show boredom or disinterest, we feel insignificant. Similarly, we are annoyed by ceaseless interruptions or being cut short when speaking.

Something inside of us demands to be heard, to be acknowledged, and to know that our ideas and opinions matter. Great leaders have mastered the art of listening, and by doing so, they gain wisdom, earn respect, and win friends. In its February 2007 edition of Leading Effectively,, The Center for Creative Leadership summarizes six listening tips from author Michael Hoppe. Paying Attention

One of the greatest gifts a leader can give is his or her undivided attention. As simple as it sounds, in practice, paying attention can take a heavy dose of discipline. Whether we’re thinking about an upcoming meeting or an urgent phone call, our minds are cluttered with dozens of thoughts at any point during the day.

To offer full attention in conversation, Hoppe suggests:

Paying Attention
One of the greatest gifts a leader can give is his or her undivided attention. As simple as it sounds, in practice, paying attention can take a heavy dose of discipline. Whether we’re thinking about an upcoming meeting or an urgent phone call, our minds are cluttered with dozens of thoughts at any point during the day. To offer full attention in conversation, Hoppe suggests:
Allowing time and opportunity for the other person to think and speak.
Being present, focused on the moment, and operating from a place of respect.

Laws of Lifetime Growth

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

- Chinese Proverb -

everything in this world has law....every elements are controlled with the laws of nature..
there is one law that is constant and will never change..the law of growth.
our body represents the earth. and the earth represents the life.

in every second of our life, the cells in our body is splitting and growing.
the cells are growing according to the internal and external conditioning......
whether you like it or not.......YOUR BODY IS GROWING ANYWAY.....

it means that...if you don't take care yourself..bad cells, such as cancer...will grow anyway in your body....

the choice is either growing to become better or worse......

the same thing applies to our mind and life..

if we choose to be lazy and decide not to grow.....we are indeed choosing to grow backwards..to become worse than before..
in fact it's not that we are falling behind...but we are speeding behind and build stronger walls for comfort zone....thus, it will double the efforts to go back to the origin point before we fall back

so what happen if we decide to grow, even if it's seems like insignifcant growth..?
I believe, we will feel content and fully alive.....
let's not go against the law of nature, but be harmonized and ride the wave of growth...
don't resist the constant change, but utilize the change for greater good.

I would like to pass along a few growth principles to guide you in your daily journey of leadership growth. This lesson draws heavily upon a brilliant resource, The Laws of Lifetime Growth, authored by Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura. You may visit their website at http://www.lifetimegrowth.com.

Law #1 – Always Make Your Future Bigger Than Your Past.

“The past is useful because it is rich with experiences that are worth thinking about in new ways-and all of these valuable experiences can become raw material for creating an even bigger future. Approach your past with this attitude, and you will have an insatiable desire for even better, more enjoyable experiences. Use your past to continually create a bigger future, and you will separate yourself from situations, relationships, and activities that can trap you there.”- Sullivan & Nomura Thoughts about the Future:

Abraham Lincoln said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda. We spend each day either repairing the past or preparing for the future. We can try to fix our past, but we can’t rewrite it; we can only author our future.

The future is that time when you’ll wish you had done what you aren’t doing now. Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.

Law #2 – Always Make Your Contribution Bigger Than Your Reward.
“As you become more successful, numerous rewards will come your way: greater income, praise, recognition, reputation, status, capabilities, resources, and opportunities. These are all desirable things, but they can be growth stoppers. They may tempt you to become fixated on just the rewards, rather than focus on making still greater contributions. The way to guarantee that rewards will continually increase is to not think too much about them. Instead, continue making an even more significant contribution.” - Sullivan & Nomura

Thoughts on Contribution
To make your contribution bigger than your reward, adopt an anti-entitlement attitude. Believe you must give before you receive. Expect to serve before feeling like you deserve a reward. Determine success by the seeds you sow rather than the harvest you reap. Each morning, I ask myself, “Who can I add value to and how can I do it?” It’s amazing how much I’ve been able to contribute by answering this simple question each day and following through to help a friend or colleague.

Law #3 Always Make Your Performance Greater Than Your Applause.
“The greatest performers in all fields are those who always strive to get better. No matter how much acclaim they receive, they keep working to improve their performance. Continually work to surpass everything you’ve done so far, and your performance will always be greater than your applause.”- Sullivan & Nomura

Thoughts on Performance
To make sure your performance stays a step ahead or your applause, be growth-driven instead of goal-driven. I’m not criticizing goals, but if we aren’t careful, they can limit our growth. If we set them too high, they de-motivate us. If we set them too low, we are tempted to relax when we hit them rather than pushing for our best performance. Growth is a long and consistent process. No substitutions can be made or shortcuts taken which avoid the day-to-day process of growth.

Law #4 – Always Make Your Gratitude Greater Than Your Success.
“Only a small percentage of people are continually successful over the long run. These outstanding few recognize that every success comes through the assistance of many other people – and they are continually grateful for this support.” –Sullivan & Nomura

Thoughts on Gratitude:
We see the value in people and things through proactive gratitude. Once we see this value, we naturally treat these people and things with greater respect. People and resources are drawn to where they are valued most. The world responds to gratitude by making more of everything we appreciate available to us.

To adopt an attitude of thankfulness, Oprah Winfrey keeps a gratitude journal. She recommends her habit to others: “Every night, list five things that happened this day that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change your perspective of your day and your life. If you can learn to focus on what you have, you will always see that the universe is abundant; you will have more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough.”


Review: Laws of Lifetime Growth
Always Make the Future Bigger Than Your Past.
Always Make Your Contribution Bigger Than Your Reward.
Always Make Your Performance Greater Than Your Applause.
Always Make Gratitude Greater Than Your Success.

The Power of Choice

i've been expecting for a stomachache since i arrived in Indonesia, but it never happened until last night..wow 3 AM i have to woke up just to "release the freakin pain in the ass" hahahahaa

in a way i really amazed because i got the stomachache not because as a result of eating the food in here (fyi: food processing in Indonesia is abit below the worldwide health standard...specifically the ones on push/pull carts a.k.a. street vendors)...but because of drinking VITA CHARM...some kind of drink, intended for helping digestion....it suppose to be consumed one bottle for a day only..but i chose to drink two last night...hahaha

so i highly recommend to drink 2 bottles of vitacharm or yakult for those who have challenges in releasing their "stuf"

anyway...here is what i learn today

"Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones, says this in his excellent work, Spiritual Depression, Its Cause and Cure: “Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself.” Thoughts stream into our minds beyond our control. Instead of choosing to succumb to whichever thoughts happen to pop into our heads, we can purposefully choose to fix our minds on the positive.
(taken from "The Big 5" by Dr. John Maxwell)

Define What A Problem Is:
A problem is something I can choose to do something about. If I cannot choose to do something about a situation, it is a fact of life, not a problem.

Anticipate Problems:
A problem anticipated may be an opportunity, but a problem not anticipated is a simply a problem.

(taken from "The Big 5" by Dr. John Maxwell)

in conclusion...my focus today is to choose the righ thing

We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
~ Kahlil Gibran

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
~ Viktor Frankl

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
~ J.K. Rowling

Mommy Teresa is saying....

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.

Be the living expression of God's kindness:

kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, and kindness in your smile"


A great quote from Mother Teresa. She has been the living example for her own philosophy. I am praying and doing my best to adopt the same philosophy because as Ghandi has said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Dream Big!

The only opinion about your dream that really counts is yours. The negative comments of others merely reflect their limitations - not yours.

REunion SMPK4

It was started only as a quick idea between me and agustin at La piaza sometime early this week. wow will it be a great idea to gather all the graduates or alumni from our level at junior high school...
then...we decided to meet up on sundaynite..

I was a bit worry that only a bunch will show up, but man!!!! we ended up with 35 people including myself...

it was an amazin night.full of joy and stories.....

it seems that everyone were just about started in their carreers....

I believe that this 35 people and beyond that came from our generation will become great men and women in whatever choices of career that they are pursuing.

wonderful night..truly

and that reminds me to treasure them well

especially after i said goodbye to all my friends in Vancouver...now i do understand that
'friends are gifts that you give to yourself" (thnks iv for making the farewell thingy)

remember that what you choose to do and not to do will either make or break the relationship.