ROAD TO SUCCESS

Hi Readers, I just want to share with you my applicant’s inspiring story.

Let’s name him “Jeck”, of course not his real name. He is 29 now and has been exposed to Events Planning, Production Designing, Film Directing and Marketing for almost 11 years. His 7 years was spent with freelance jobs and have worked with different TV stations like GMA 7, ABS-CBN and TV 5. He always excels in Film Directing, Production Designing and Events Organizing. In fact, he received several awards and the most prestigious one was held last 2008 when GAWAD URIAN commended him as one of the BEST PRODUCTION DESIGNER here in the Philippines.When he got a chance to work abroad, in Dubai, he accepted it and thought that it would be a good opportunity for him to earn more for his living. He never dare to think of the ups and downs that he might encounter and since he has a dream, he just nailed it.

During the middle part of the interview, I asked him, “What would you consider as the greatest challenge in your life/career?” He stopped for a while and think. Teary-eyed he said, “Well honestly, having a retarded mom and the fact that she doesn’t knew that she has 2 sons”. When I heard that, I was shocked. I never imagined that a successful person like him would have that kind of situation. He endured that pain since grade school. Imagine your classmate would ask you, “where are your parents?” every PTA meeting, he always say, “I never met my dad and my mom is a retarded so they won’t be able to attend”. His classmates would laugh at him and insult him having a retarded mom. Then I asked him, “How did you managed to overcome that situation?” he said, “I don’t take it as a problem, she’s my mom. I understand her situation more than they do and I love my mom. When they started to insult me? I simply don’t listen to them. I only listen to those people who understand me, those who knows me well.” Jeck never thought of it as a hindrance in pursuing his dreams.

Like Jeck, what would you consider as the greatest challenge in your life? How would you take those challenges? Would you consider having a retarded mom as well?

It’s not how big your problems are rather its how you perceived those obstacles that are on your way to success. Others may dismay you, but never yourself.

Keep moving forward.

7 Reasons Why Not Making Mistakes Is The Biggest Mistake

  The FEAR of being nothing, achieving nothing and becoming

 nothing should be way bigger than the fear of making mistakes.

  A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable,

  but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. ~ George

  Bernard Shaw

  Here are 7 reasons why not making mistakes is in fact the biggest

  mistake you could ever make.

 

  1. MISTAKES HELP US DISCOVER WHO WE ARE

  With every mistake that we make we discover more and more

  about ourselves, about who we are, about our limits, about our

  capabilities, about what we can and cannot do. They help us be

  more compassionate and more tolerant with ourselves and others.

 

   There is a power inside every human against which no   

   earthly force is of the slightest consequence. ~ Neville  

  Goddard

 

2. LIFE LESSONS – MISTAKES TEACH US VALUABLE LIFE LESSONS

By making mistakes you will in fact learn valuable life lessons and you will become a happy learner. There is so much we can all learn from our mistakes, and the moment we see them as lessons rather than mistakes, we will no longer have this crazy fear of encountering them along the journey.

Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it’s a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from. ~ Al Franken

 

3. FORGIVENESS – MISTAKES TEACH US HOW TO FORGIVE

One of the greatest lesson you will learn from making mistakes is forgiveness. With every mistake that you’ll make, you will learn how important it is to forgive yourself and many of the people around you. You will understand that you are not perfect and that perfection doesn’t really exist, only our intentions of doing our best. And who wants to be perfect anyways? Perfection leaves no room for improvement.

The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that that situation is over, you cannot move forward. ~ Steve Maraboli

 

4. FREE FROM FEAR – MISTAKES HELPS US LET GO OF OUR FEARS

NOT MAKING MISTAKES – isn’t that actually the biggest mistake you could ever make? Life isn’t about avoiding mistakes but rather embracing the idea that mistakes will come your way and being willing to learn from these mistakes. Let go of your fears and allow yourself to really experience life.

There are some people who live 70 years, and there some people who live one year 70 times, repeating what they’re doing over and over in the name of the gold watch or whatever. ~ Wayne Dyer

 

5. LIVE WITHOUT REGRETS

Believe it or not, if you play it safe you will have more and more regrets about the things you did not do rather than the things you did do, you will regret not making more mistakes. Personally, whenever I hesitate doing something because of the fear of making mistakes, I imagine myself on my death bed ( I know, a bit too crazy but it works ) looking back at my life on what I achieved. By doing so I realize that if i don’t take action NOW, I will have regrets.

I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life had been like if I’d just been myself. ~ Brittany Renée

 

6. GROWTH – WITH MISTAKES COMES GROWTH AND PROGRESS

If you don’t make mistakes how can you expect to GROW and to EVOLVE as a human being? How many of us get stuck because they allow the fear of making mistakes to paralyze them? How can we expect to learn anything new if we don’t allow ourselves to make mistakes?

What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning – and some of them many times over – what do you find? That you can swim? Well – life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live! ~  Alfred Adler

 

7. MISTAKES ARE STEPPING STONES TO HAPPINESS

You gain confidence, courage and experience every time you make a new mistake in a very narrow field and in time you will get better and better at the things you love to do. Remember Thomas Edison? He failed more than 10,000 times while working on the light bulb and in the end he succeeded.

When you know exactly what you want and when you are able to see this something in your mind’s eye, nothing can stop you from moving forward, nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams and allowing happiness to enter into your life.

I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. ~ Michael Jordan

 

Believe it or not, you will not make all the mistakes you expect to make, and when you do make mistakes, the sky will not fall down and the whole world will not stop from doing whatever it is doing just so it can laugh at you.

Your Failures Are Temporary

 

Failure can be devastating.

 

Just recall your most painful failures.

 

          Have you failed in school?  Have you experienced waiting outside the registrar’s office, your body sweating, your knees shaking, your stomach churning, praying that your grade isn’t a 72% but 75%–or you get kicked out of school? (Been there, done that.)

 

Have you failed in your job? In your business?  Did you lose money in your investments?  Have you plunked in hard-earned money in a business—only to have the money disappear? (I’ve experienced this ten times in my life…)

 

Have you failed in your diets?  My friend tried the Atkins Diet and he failed. He tried the Mediterranean Diet and he failed. He tried the After Six Diet, and he failed. He tried the South Beach Diet, the North Beach, The East Beach, and the West Beach—and failed all of them too. Finally, he’s doing the Seafood Diet and its been working. What he sees, he eats. 

Have you failed in your exercise programs? Have you decided to run each morning—and lasted only for two weeks? Have you bought a treadmill and now use it as a clothes hanger?  Skywalker? Abroller? Abflex? ThighMaster? StepMaster?  Used them for three weeks max, and are now symbols of your undisciplined life?

 

Have you failed in your love-life? Have you ever experienced a broken heart? Have you loved someone with all your heart, but that someone didn’t love you back but just wanted you to be a friend? (“But I don’t want to be just your friend! Grrrr!”) Or have YOU broken someone’s heart?   Is your theme song, To all the girls I’ve loved before. Who travelled in and out my door       Have you failed in your family life? As husband, wife, father, mother, sibling, child, grandchild? 

 

       Have you failed God?

 

       Have you failed yourself?

 

       People ask me how could I have written 27 books, so far. The answer is easy. It’s not because I have more brilliance. It’s because I have more blunders. Because every time I fail, I try to learn from my failures—and share this wisdom in my books.

 

Here’s God’s big message for you today. Failure is Temporary, but Victory is Permanent—because God cannot fail…

 

3 Lessons I Will Never Forget

       A few years ago, I wanted to learn how to play badminton. I asked my friend Mike Joseph to teach me how to play. Mike was phenomenal in badminton. He has been playing the sport for 30+ years. Before badminton became fashionable, he was already playing it as a kid. I bet when he was still in his diapers, he wasn’t holding a rattle, he was holding a badminton racket.

 

After two training sessions with him, something unforgettable happened. While we were dressing up to train, two guys invited us to a doubles game.

 

I was about to tell them, “Oh sorry guys, I don’t know how to play yet. Just in kindergarten…”  But Mike blurted out, “Sure!”

 

My jaw dropped. Was he out of his mind? I told the two men, “Excuse me for a moment while I confer with my friend…”

I walked near Mike and whispered, “Are you insane?  I don’t know how to play! These guys look like star players. We’re going to be massacred.”

 

He said, “It’s okay, Bo. Here’s what you do. Just stand in front of the net. If the shuttlecock goes near you, raise your racket and swat it down.  Remember these two things: Give it your best shot.  And I’ll take care of the rest.”

So I did the unbelievable.

 

With trembling knees, I took my place near the net. I looked at the two opponents on the other side and froze. They looked like pros.  Because they had expensive badminton rackets. And matching outfits!

 

In the entire game, I did what Mike told me to do—stand near the net and swat whenever the ball came near me. And Mike would do everything else. Believe me, he was like The Flash. When I turned to my right, he was there. When I turned to my left, he was there. When I looked behind me, he was there!  

 

What happened? That day, Mike and I crushed those guys. They didn’t know what hit them.

I felt great winning the game. Honestly, I didn’t do much. Goodness, I think I didn’t even perspire. In the entire 45 minutes of playing, I probably hit the ball twice. Okay, that’s an exaggeration.  I did more than that.

Let me share with you three key lessons I learned that day…

 

1. Always Play Doubles

Today, you’re fighting different battles in your life. Perhaps you’re fighting health problems. Or you’re fighting financial difficulties. Or you’re fighting relationship conflicts. Sometimes, you feel these opponents are huge and strong and powerful.

Here’s my word for you: Don’t try to fight alone.

Because God designed your life to be lived NOT as a Singles Game, but as a Doubles Game.   You need a Partner. 

There are people I know who fight their fights alone—and sooner or later, they lose.  People think they lose because of a lack of proficiency. Or a lack of power.  Or a lack of perseverance. Or a lack of provision. But actually, they lack a Partner. They lack a Champion Partner. Because if they had a Champion Partner, that Partner will give them the proficiency and power and perseverance or provision they need.

In our first game, the score was 15-9. We got 15 and they got 9. Do you know why the opponent had 9 points? Because I made 9 mistakes. 

Here’s what I learned: If you Partner with a Champion, you can make all sorts of mistakes—and still win.

 

I Shouldn’t Be Here!

This is the story of my life. I have made so many mistakes in my life, I’m wondering what in the world am I doing here, experiencing great blessing and success?

As I told you, I failed in school.

I think it all started when I was in Kindergarten. My teacher asked the class to write our names. Simple, right? Not if your name was Eugenio Isabelo Tomas Reyes Sanchez Jr. At that time, I couldn’t even memorize my name, much less write it down.

So I probably felt bobo (dumb)because by recess time, all my classmates were already playing outside—but I was still on my seat writing my name.

Seriously, I probably was mildly dyslexic because I couldn’t spell my words right. In Grade school, my teacher gave us 20 words to spell—and I only spelled 2 words right. The two words were “cat” and “dog”. But I couldn’t spell words with two syllables.

I was also bullied. Note: Not just by my classmates but by my teacher. Not only was I small and thin, but I was terrible at sports. I remember playing baseball. My teacher assigned me to be right outfielder. But I was so uncoordinated, I couldn’t catch the ball. My Teacher told all my classmates, “Try to hit the ball towards Eugenio because he won’t be able to catch it…” and then he’d laugh really loud and all my classmates would laugh with him. 

For our yearbook, they couldn’t write anything under my photo. There was nothing to write about. So they wrote something like, “Eugenio existed… sometimes.”

       As I grew up, I failed God. I sinned against God many times.

And that’s why God’s big message for you today is very close to my heart: Failure is Temporary, but Victory is Permanent—because God cannot fail.

Despite all those failures, I’m living a dream life today. I’m blessed beyond my wildest imagination. Everyday, I’m surrounded by love. I have a wonderful family. I have phenomenal friends. I have the most amazing work in the universe. There are days when I pinch myself. How can someone who has failed so much be so blessed? 

Here’s how: God’s specializes in transforming your failures into your fortunes, your defeats into your doorways, your disasters into your destinies, your messes into your magnificence.

Have you failed in your life? Have you made so many mistakes that you can’t count them? I’ve got good news for you. If you make God your Partner, no matter how many mistakes you‘ve made in your life, you can still win!

I repeat, Failure is Temporary, but Victory is Permanent—because God cannot fail.

Here’s my second key lesson…

 

2. Always Give Your Best

Mike told me only two things. He said, “Give it your best shot. I’ll take care of the rest.”

As I said, in our first game, the opponent had 9 points because I made 9 mistakes. Think about it: If I stood there like a flagpole, and did absolutely nothing, we would have won the game with the score 15-0. It would have been a more impressive win for Mike.

 

But Mike’s goal wasn’t to win. Mike’s goal was to teach how to win. He wanted me to learn, to grow, to develop, to be better. So before playing, he told me, “Give it your best shot.” Even if my best wasn’t good enough. Even if my best meant making all sorts of mistakes.

 

Friend, that’s exactly what God is telling you to do now.

God wants you to give life your best shot.

The world is your stage! And everyday, God wants you to go out there, stand on that stage, and give your best performance.

 

So if you’re a teacher, then teach your students so well that they’ll be wiser and better and kinder and nobler than their parents. If you’re an Entrepreneur, sell us products that will elevate the human spirit.  If you’re a janitor, hold your mop like a king holds his scepter and make that floor shine so that when people look at it, they’ll say that life is getting brighter everyday.  If you’re a nurse, then love your patients so well that they’ll think angels are walking in our midst. It doesn’t matter what you do. The world is your stage and your audience is begging you to give your best performance every time. Soon, people will travel for miles, line up for a chance to sit at your feet to watch you give your best. 

 

Here’s my final lesson…

 

3. Always Trust Your Partner

We actually played three badminton games that day.

In the first game, we won. But in the second game, we lost. The score was 13-15. Yes, I made more mistakes.

We took a water break after that. I walked up to Mike and said, “I’m such a lousy player. I think we should give up.”

“Nonsense!” he said, “You’re getting better!”

“Huh?” I looked behind me, wondering if he was talking to someone else. Nobody was there.  “Gosh Mike, we lost! All because of me.”

He shook his head, “We just lost one game. We’re now going to win the next game.”

That’s when I remembered that Mike gave me only two instructions. First, he said, “Give it your best shot.” Second, he said, “I’ll take care of the rest.”

I realized I needed to trust my Mentor. If he said, “We’re going to win this next game,” then we’re going to win the next game. If he said, “Bo, you’re getting better,” then I’m really getting better!

True enough, we won that third game. The score was 15-7. They made 7 points because I only made 7 mistakes.  I was getting better because I was committing lesser mistakes.

Friend, perhaps you’ve made a lot of mistakes and you feel disappointed with yourself today. But God is telling you, “You’re getting better! You’ll win in the next game.”

When you turn to the right, God will be there.   When you turn to the left, God will be there too. When you look behind you, God’s got you covered. He’ll back you up. He’ll make you win.

Live by this Law: Do your best and let your Partner do the rest. Friend, remove worry from your life. Trust in your Partner! Even when your situation is impossible. Especially when your situation is impossible!

 

Do Your Best And Let Your Partner Do The Rest

       Let me tell you a true story of my friends, James and Diana, a married couple who have been members of Light of Jesus for 30+ years now. (I’ve changed their names.)

30+ years ago, James and Diana had 3 friends who wanted to work abroad. Luckily, Diana had another friend who was in charge of hiring staff for luxury ships—and asked for her help for their friends. In no time, the three men got jobs as waiters in restaurants in the ship. The men happily worked as seamen, sending precious dollars to their family.

That same friend offered James a job as well.  “James, we still need waiters. Why don’t you apply?” she asked.

Diana and James talked about the offer – which was really tempting, because at the time, they were in their 20s and were minimum wagers.  Diana worked in a printing press and James in a food chain. They already had three kids, and their eldest, already six years old, would soon start school.

At that time, they were already part of the Light of Jesus Family.  After praying together with their friends in community, James didn’t feel peace about working abroad. He decided he should turn it down, stick it out here, and believe that God will prosper them.

“In the beginning, it was difficult to stand by our decision,” Diana told me. “I saw the families of my 3 friends happy with the money the men were sending them.  They had big TV sets and nice ovens. The ladies also showed me their branded imported bags.  Their kids played remote-controlled big toy cars—and my sons just watched them, their mouths salivating.  When the men came home for a vacation—they gave us chocolates and imported canned goods. Through those early years, we wondered if we made the right decision or not. It felt like we were failures and they were winners.”

Fast forward 30+ years later. Here’s what happened to them…

Friend #1 fell in love with a chambermaid in the luxury ship. His wife threatened to leave him. James advised his friend to quit working at sea.  He listened.  He found a job as waiter in a local restaurant—and saved his marriage.

Friend #2, lonely at sea, found comfort in shabuhe found in ports where his ship docked.  He became a drug addict and was fired.  Because of his addiction, he couldn’t find work in the Philippines, so his family went bankrupt.  To save her kids from poverty, his wife left him and lived with another man who provided for her. Friend #2 is now living on the streets, begging for food from his neighbors.

Friend #3 did not have a mistress, neither did he become a drug addict.  He provided for his family so well that his kids were able to go to exclusive schools. Happy ending?  Not quite.  His wife, unable to sleep during the long nights that her husband was gone, took downers—sleeping pills that eventually affected her brain. She is now mentally ill and he had to quit working abroad so he could take care of her and their kids.

Meanwhile, James and Diana, gave their best. And God did the rest. Their home now also has the large TV set. James rose through the ranks until he became a top supervisor. But most importantly, they had their family intact.

       By the way, I’m not telling you this story to tell you NOT to become an OFW. It’s still possible, but I urge you that if you’ll be separated from your spouse, it can’t be for too long. If at all possible, find a way to be together. Because that’s how God designed families.

But that’s the main reason why I tell you this story.

Here’s my main point: Early on, Diana and James thought they failed in life. But God vindicated them. 30 years later, they realized that failure is temporary, and victory is permanent, because God cannot fail.

 

God Doesn’t Do The Easy Things Only

Nothing is more impossible than death.

In the Bible, Jesus raised 3 dead people to life. They were the daughter of Jairus, the son of the Widow of Nain, and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.

The daughter of Jairus had just died a few minutes ago. Her body was still warm. Because when Jairus asked Jesus to pray for his daughter, she was still alive. But when they arrived at the house, someone told Jairus, “Don’t bother the Master. Your daughter is dead.” But Jesus still entered the room, and said to her, “Rise!” and the daughter of Jairus rose up from her deathbed.

The son of the widow of Nain died possibly for more than 12 hours. When Jesus met the funeral procession on the road, the guy was already in a coffin about to be buried. So his body was stiff and cold. They didn’t embalm people then, so they bury people in the same day they died. But Jesus stopped the funeral procession, touched the coffin, and said, “Rise!” and the man rose up from his coffin and started talking.

But among the three, no one was deader than Lazarus. Lazarus has been buried for four days. In fact, when Jesus came, Mary said, “Jesus, his body smells by now. His body has been rotting for 4 days.” But Jesus still said, “Lazarus, come out!” and Lazarus walked out of the grave.

What do these three miracles say to you?

       Perhaps your dreams have died—and they’re dead in varying degrees.

Perhaps your dream just died yesterday and it’s lifeless now on its deathbed. Perhaps your dream died some time back, and it’s now lying stiff and cold in a coffin. Or perhaps your dream died many years ago and it’s rotting in a grave.

All that doesn’t matter. Because God is in the business of resurrecting dead dreams. 

       God isn’t here to do the easy things only. God is here to do the impossible things.

God is telling you now, “Nothing is too hard for me.”

       All your failures are temporary. All your difficulties are temporary. All your disappointments are temporary. All your heartbreaks are temporary. All your bankruptcies are temporary. Even the pain of death is temporary! But your Victory is permanent. Because God cannot fail.

 

May your dreams come true,

 

Bo Sanchez

7 Choices You Always Have (that you don’t always give yourself)

I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself. ~ Oprah Winfrey

 

Making choices is probably the most stressful thing that we do as humans. Or perhaps more accurately, the stressful thing we do is to choose avoidance when we don’t like what choices we’re facing. This is what creates the stress.

 

It doesn’t have to be that way though, especially if you don’t make yourself solely responsible for the outcome of all the things that you don’t like about your life. Basically we work like this: When we don’t like the result of our choices, we blame ourselves and lose confidence in our ability to make choices in the first place.

 

None of us can predict the outcome of every choice we make – including how others will or won’t respond to the things we choose for ourselves. And to think that we can, need to, or should is the enemy that so often prevents the feeling of living with purpose.

 

What we can do, however, when we are fearful about making a choice, is turn towards it, rather than away from it. Get uncomfortable for all of five minutes (that’s literally the length of time of actual discomfort at most), and make a decision in your mind to see how it feels before you act on it. You can learn to do this in just a few moments with practice.

 

To help you, here are seven strategies for not only making choices, but creating choices that you did know you had:

 

1. When faced with a choice that you don’t like or want to make, first ask yourself: “In this situation, what choice makes me more of who I want to be in this world?” Your choices are a reflection of what you value most in this world whether that’s love, kindness, integrity, courage, or something else.

 

2. Reflect on the choice you want to make and then ask yourself: “How will I feel about this choice in 10 minutes? 10 days? 10 months? 10 years?” Your mind can imagine future feelings that will help you to make big decisions like which job to take, what school to attend, or who to marry, etc.

 

3. Ask yourself a more beautiful question than: “What should I do?” – I guarantee that the answer is never good when the word “should” appears.

Substitute with: What’s the courageous thing to do? What is the loving thing to do? What is the life-serving thing to do? Or make up your own more beautiful question!

 

4. When in doubt, ask for some space and time before you answer. A few minutes. An hour. A day. A week. No one expects you to answer right away (except you). This way you can still your mind and feel into the right choice for you.

 

5. Find a “private ear” – someone that will mirror back what you really want for yourself. There’s always a part of you speaking your truth amongst the jumble of other stuff you’re saying. Well-meaning, highly invested people are well-meaning, highly invested listeners.

 

6. Always give yourself permission to choose again. And again. And again. Practice making choices! If you choose and it doesn’t go well, no need to be stubborn and think “I promised.” No one really benefits when you do something that you don’t want to because it shows and builds resentment.

 

7. It’s okay to re-open a decision with: “I thought this was what I wanted, but now that I have more insight/information/awareness of how I’m really feeling, I’ve decided …” You will like yourself better for doing this plus you build genuine relationships this way – the kind that you actually want in your life.

 

The goal: To feel more at home in the world. Of course!

 

By:

 

WjBesa

5 Inspiring Steps to Give Your Life a Makeover

 

 

  You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,

  Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s

  nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on

  earth. ~ William W. Purkey

 

  Are you in desperate need ofchange? Does your life feel

  out of control? Is stress taking its’ toll on you? Then a

  LIFE MAKEOVER may be the thing for you!

 

  If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t

  change it, change the way you think about it.

  ~ Mary Engelbreit

 

 

I read those words of wisdom one day and my life has not been the same since! Those words gave me the hope and motivation necessary to treat myself to a much needed life makeover! I memorized those words and committed myself to changing what I can in my life and changing my thinking about the things that I could not change.

 

1. PULLING WEEDS 

Pulling weeds was the first for me. What I mean by pulling weeds is to let go of the negative peoplefrom your life. These are the people who are more of obstacles rather than friends or people who support your hopes, goals, and dreams.  People who are miserable cannot stand to see anyone happy and will try to keep you down with them.

 

2. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE

These should be people who are positive and enthusiastic about life. You need friends who will support you in your new way of life. Always remember that positive attracts positive!

 

3. LOVE YOURSELF AND TAKING “ME” TIME

The third step is learning to love yourself and taking “ME” time. You know how when you acquire a new someone special in your life and you go out of your way to please them and make them happy? We should always do this for ourselves.  An important lesson I have learned over the years is that you cannot love anyone if you do not love yourself first. Another way to look at it is if you do not love yourself then how can you expect someone else to love you as deserve to be loved? You really need to take time out for yourself because you need to get to know yourself. You need to understand why you feel the way that you do about things. It is also good to know why you avoid certain things in your life. This will empower you. You deserve pampering and should not be afraid to say nice things to yourself while looking in the mirror. So many of us are guilty of losing ourselves in a relationship and we cannot just bleed ourselves dry without consequences. This is how we end up sick and miserable. This is how our lives spiral out of control.

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all Wisdom. ~ Aristotle

 

4. TAKE TIME OUT TO THINK AND MEDITATE

You do not have to be an expert at mediation to calm your mind. The main goal is to clean out the garbage from the day and relax your mind so that it can be at its’ very best the next day. I think of this step as preventive maintenance like caring of your car, for example; changing the oil. You need to care for your mind as well as you would a luxury vehicle. You need to stop scaring yourself, dwelling on negativity, and beating yourself up. All of these things can make or break your life. Instead, focus on the new positive changes that you want to bring about.

“Be kind to your mind. ~ Louise Hay

 

5. LEARN TO LIVE IN THE NOW

Last but not least, learn to live in the NOW. I have found this to be very necessary when you want to relieve yourself of stress. I used to stay awake all night long worrying about tomorrow. I would obsess about things that I could not do anything about. Since then I have learned that this is very unhealthy. Now that I have learned to look for the joy in this moment and not worry about the future I live a muchhappier and healthier life. When I lived in the past I was quite depressed. I had to learn that I could not have a bright future to look forward to or a happy present life by dwelling upon my past. Learning to live in the now has been very beneficial to me. I now realize that every moment of every day I have a choice and I now choose peace, love, joy, and happiness!

 

With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

This article was written by Andrea Picarelli.

 

Reposted by W.J.Besa

Change Your Attitude, Transform Your Life

 

I regret nothing in my life. Even if my past was full of hurts, I still look back and smile because what I am today is because of my past. It made me stronger and stronger. ~ Author Unknown

 

Are regrets present in your life? I really hope not, but if they are, it’s really important for you to have a talk with your own person and make sure that you get to the point where you understand how important it is to change your attitude towards life and let go of regrets. Nothing good can ever come from holding on and resentment, for they are only holding you stuck in the past, now allowing you to enjoy your present life.

 

 

We can’t change the history but we can definitely change how we perceive the present moment and influence our future, we can definitely change our attitudes, because just like Charles R. Swindoll said it,“attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

 

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home… We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”

 

So what is it that you want from life, what is it that you want from yourself? Why are you here on this planet? No, I don’t think it’s just so you can go to school, college, get a job, get married, have some kids, retire and then spend the last years of your life regretting the past, thinking about the things you could’ve done but because of the many excuses you used, you didn’t.  There has to be more to life than this, don’t you think?

 

You want to build a happy and successful life and let go of regrets? Well, start working on improving your attitudes toward yourself and towards life and every single day work on building happy, precious moments and in the end, when you will look back at your life you will realize that the sum of those moments helped you build a successful life. It’s that simple and Lao Tzu said it best, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 

This is how you start building on your happiness, this is how you learn to let go of regrets, and this is how you learn to focus on what you can change – the present moment, and what you can influence – the future!

Focus On Your Ambition, Not Your Addiction

 

Do you have a hidden addiction that is stealing your life away?

Are you a logical person?

Let me ask you 4 questions to test your powers of logic (I’m sure you’ve seen these before):

1. Question:How do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator?

Answer: 3 steps: 1) Open the Ref; 2) Put the giraffe in; and 3) Close the Ref.

2. Question #2: How do you put an elephant in a refrigerator?

Answer: If you answered, 1) Open the Ref; 2) Put the elephant in; and 3) Close the Ref, that’s not correct. Here’s the right answer. It now takes 4 steps: 1) Open the Ref; 2) Remove the giraffe; 3) Put the elephant in; and 4) Close the Ref.

3. Question #3: Lion King called for a meeting of all the animals. One of them couldn’t make it. Which one?

Answer: The elephant, of course. He was stuck in the Ref.

4. Question #4:There’s a river that’s home to lots of crocodiles. How would you cross that river safely?

Answer: Just swim through it. Because all the crocodiles are attending a meeting with Lion King.

How did you fare? Are you a logical person?

Let me share with you a story in the Bible about someone who didn’t think too logically…

 

The Illogical Thinking That We All Do

Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. But Esau was considered the eldest because he went out of the womb of his mother first.

One day, Jacob was cooking some stew. Esau arrived from hunting and was exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved. Give me some of your red stew.”

Now Jacob said something absolutely nutty. He said, “All right, but you’ve got to do one thing first. Trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” You get an inkling on how jealous Jacob must have been towards his twin brother.

But what was nuttier was Esau’s reaction. He said, “Sure! Now give me that red stew now.”

Jacob said, “You’ve got to swear first that you’re giving me your birthright…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… whatever! I swear! Now give me that lentil soup…”[1]

Now why would Esau exchange his birthright for a single bowl of red stew?

Was his brain taking a vacation on that day? Was it on a Caribbean cruise or gone shopping in Hong Kong? Didn’t Esau know what his birthright meant? Being firstborn meant a position of privilege. Being firstborn meant great honor. And yes, being firstborn meant a huge inheritance—where he can buy a swimming pool filled with red stew if he wanted.

Why was he throwing all that for a bowl of red stewtoday?

Friends, this is a great picture of what addiction is. (By the way, I’m not saying Esau was addicted to red stew. I’m merely using his story as an analogy.)

 

The Foolish Exchanges We Make

I met a man who threw away his entire family for drugs. Years ago, he had a great job, a nice home, two kids, and beautiful wife. Today, because of a bunch of chemicals he was snorting through his nostrils, he destroyed his life. He’s lost his job and his home. His kids hate him and his wife is seeing another man…

Why exchange all that for another whiff of shabu?

There’s no logic. It’s a foolish exchange.

One day, a woman asked for my help. She said, “My husband is a compulsive gambler. He stole money from his office and used it to gamble. His boss found out about it and is pressing charges. My husband’s going to jail!”

Why exchange a great job for another crack at the blackjack table?

Again, it’s a foolish exchange.

The list goes on.

· A chain-smoker, exchanging his health for another nicotine fix.

· A porn-addict, exchanging his dignity and mental-monogamy, for another testosterone fantasy.

· A woman that gives her body to yet another man, just so that he would love her, exchanging her self-respect for a fleeting embrace.

· A government employee taking a bribe, exchanging his honor for cash. After years of doing it, he no longer feels any guilt, his conscience virtually dead.

 

One Power Skill Of Mature People

On a superficial level, the problem is impatience and impulsiveness.

And boy, do I know impulsiveness.

Like Esau, I catch myself wanting it now—no matter what the cost is to my future. Like Esau, I want my red stew now, whatever my “red stew” is. For me, it could be internet porn, sexual fantasies, and the approval of people. (For my full story on how God healed my addictions, read my book, Your Past Does Not Define Your Future. It’s available throughwww.shepherdsvoice.com.ph I’ll also be releasing the Audio book and E-book version very soon.)

Impulsiveness means I prioritize my short-term wants over my long-term needs.

This takes us to that very important, essential, powerful skill that all mature people have: The ability to delay gratification. You can’t be emotionally and spiritual mature without it. It’s impossible.

Delaying gratification is the power skill of champions. In any field!

Because there’s a huge reward in front of them, champions sacrifice today so that they can get their reward tomorrow.

Do you want to become a champion?

What great reward are you aiming for?

What is your holy ambition?

 

Anatomy of An Addiction

Before I talk more about holy ambition, let me review what we covered in my last article. On a deeper level, the problem of addiction is this:

1. Real Need è 2. Painful Feelings è 3. Addiction

Deep inside, there’s a (1) real need.

And that real need is an empty love tank. Bottom line, the addict doesn’t love himself. The addict doesn’t value himself. The addict doesn’t respect himself. Sometimes, he is conscious of this desperate need for love. Many times, he isn’t aware of it. It’s all unconscious.

My personal interpretation of the Esau-Jacob story above is that Esau didn’t value his birthright becausehe didn’t value himself. He didn’t value his future.

Once again, let me state my central point: I believe that every addiction is a hunger for love. That’s the real need behind every addiction. Your hunger of love produces the second part of the equation: (2)painful feelings—such as depression, anger, fear, anxiety, loneliness, etc.

To escape these painful feelings, the addict will pick a preferred anaesthesia. That anaesthesia is the third part of the equation: (3) addiction. It could be gambling, drugs, and alcohol. It could be workaholism until one’s family breaks down. Or shopping until five credit cards are maxed out. Or food until one becomes obese. Or dieting until one becomes very sick.

In order for an addiction to get healed, the real needs must be met. The love tank must be filled.

Thankfully, you can do that in many ways as we discussed in my last article.

In getting rid of their bad habits, I share to them one of the most powerful—and controversial—principles…

 

Don’t Focus On Your Addiction…

Bear with me. Do this exercise for me.

Say out loud “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant” for five times.

Ready? Go…

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

Let me ask you a question: What are you thinking of right now?

A Pink Elephant, of course.

People who want to overcome their addictions end up focusing on their addictions, and it simply won’t work.

When a smoker says, “I won’t smoke anymore!” 300x a day, guess what fills his mind? Smoking his favorite Marlboros, what else?

When a compulsive eater says, “I won’t eat!” 300x a day, guess what fills his mind? Eating his favorite cheeseburgers and chocolate sundaes.

When you focus on your bad habits, you enter into a vicious cycle that buries you deeper into your addiction. You end up depressed and helpless, draining your love tank even more, making you open more to your addictions.

Look. I’m not saying you deny that you have an addiction. In fact, acknowledging that you have an addiction is the first step to healing it. By admitting you’ve got a problem, you solve 50% of your problem. But you see, there’s a big difference betweenacknowledging it and focusing on it 24 hours a day.

 

A Simple Principle of The Universe

Let me share to you a simple, powerful, universal principle that has guided me in my daily life:

What you focus on grows!

Let me sidetrack a bit and explain this principle to you.

I know some people who focus on the bad things in their day.

They wake up in the morning feeling lousy. “It’s a terrible day,” they mutter. They ride to work complaining about how hot it is. They wade through the traffic complaining about the crazy drivers on the streets. They arrive at their office complaining about the work load on their desks. They complain about their boss, the low pay, the slow internet, the over time, the terrible food at the cafeteria, and how cold the air-conditioning is.

I pity them. Because the more they complain, the more they feel miserable.

Sooner or later, they experience more problems. (Remember, what you focus on grows.)

First, they may get sick. The Bible says a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.[2] Medical studies have shown that most of our physical diseases are psychosomatic. A negative spirit may create ulcers, hypertension, and other diseases. Simply because our bodies are blueprints of our emotional life.

Second, they may lose friends. Because no one wants to talk to a whiner. About her, they’ll say, “She’s depressing and it may be contagious!”

Third, they may lose their job—or at the very least, a promotion. Someone who doesn’t have passion in his work will not be rewarded. 200 CEO’s were asked what’s the number one ability that they look for in their employee, and most of them said, “The ability to work with others.” It’s not technical skills, but relational skills that’s prized in companies.

Okay, my digression is enough. How does this apply to your hidden addiction?

 

Focus On Your Ambition

Instead of focusing on your addiction, focus on your ambition.

“Ambition” has a negative meaning today, so let me purify this word.

By ambition, I mean your vision for your future.

By ambition, I mean the dreams that God has placed in your heart.

So instead of saying, “I’ll stop smoking” 300x a day, say instead, “I’ll be healthy and run the marathon” or “I’ll be healthy and be a Class B badminton player.”

Instead of saying, “I’ll stop eating”, say, “I’ll be healthy, weigh a healthy120 pounds, go to the gym three times a week, play badminton twice a week…”

Instead of saying, “I’ll stop shopping everyday,” say, “Starting next month, I’ll save P5,000 a month, erase all credit card debt by December 2007, and start investing in a mutual fund by January 2008, and accumulate P200,000 by June 2010.”

When you focus on your addiction, it depresses you.

When you focus on your ambition, it fuels you with passion.

And what happens when you do that? As you take baby steps towards fulfilling your ambition, you value yourself more. You gain confidence. You gain self-respect. Little by little, love is being poured into your Love Tank. The cravings are still there, but they lose its urgency and intensity.

 

Make Your Dreams MAGIC Dreams

Each Sunday, I preach to almost two thousand people in Valle Verde Country Club (Beside ULTRA) in Pasig, Metro Manla (For more information, call Tel (632) 7259999). Each Sunday, I teach them how to dream. So I wrote a Novena to God’s Love Prayer Booklet and gave it to each of them.

In that Novena, I ask people to write 7 dreams that they will pray for everyday. Believe me, people were excited writing down their dreams!

And as they pray for them, I ask them to also take baby steps towards fulfilling them. (Can I make a plug? I’m mailing the Novena to God’s Love Prayer Booklet for FREE to all KerygmaFamily members who give a monthly Love Offering to our ministry. If you’re not yet a member, log onto www.kerygmafamily.com now!)

In the Novena, I also give instructions that their dreams should be….MAGIC!

By MAGIC, I mean…

 

M- Measurable

Don’t just write, “Have a happy family”; Write instead, “Have a happy family by having separate weekly dates with my spouse and each child starting August 2007”; Don’t just write, “Have more money”; Write instead, “Earn an additional P10T each month through a sideline by December 2007.”

A – Ambitious

Again, I use “ambition” without its negative meaning. By “ambition”, I simply mean dreaming big dreams! Small dreams won’t excite you. But even if they’re ambitious, let your dreams also be attainable at the same time.

G – Godly

Never dream from greed or selfish ego. They will make you empty and miserable. Instead, discover the dreams that God has placed in your heart. The fulfilment of these dreams should ultimately help you love God and others more. (And don’t you notice? G is at the middle. God should be the center of our dreams.)

I – Imaginative

Put details in your dream. Make it graphic. Don’t just write, “Own a house by 2009.” Describe what kind of house you want. “Own a 2-bedroom white house with a small garden in Laguna by 2009.”

C – Complete

Have dreams that touch the most important aspects of your life: Spiritual, Family, Financial, Physical… By succeeding in all areas, you attain Life Balance.

 

Wise Exchange, Anyone?

Yesterday, I read a beautiful story.

One day, a little girl named Jenny was with her mother in the grocery store. She saw a toy pearl bracelet worth P20. She became giddy with excitement and asked her mother to buy it for her. “Are you sure you like it?” her mother asked.

“Yes, Mommy! Please, please, please buy it for me!”

So the mother bought the toy pearls for little Jenny.

Jenny’s father, who loved her very much, read a bedtime story to Jenny each night. One night, after reading to her, he asked her, “Jenny, do you love me?”

“Of course I love you, Daddy,” she said.

“Can you give me your pearl bracelet?” he asked.

Little Jenny pouted. “You can have my princess doll, Daddy, but not my pearl bracelet. That’s my favorite.”

Daddy smiled, “That’s okay Jenny, I love you.” He kissed her good night.

Seven days later, after another reading session, the father asked again, “Jenny, do you love me?’

“Daddy, you know that I love you,” the little girl said.

“Can you give me your pearl bracelet?” he smiled.

“No Daddy, please. You can have my brush, my violet pen, and my red hair band. But not my pearl bracelet!”

He chuckled. “That’s okay, hon. I love you,” and kissed her goodnight.

But a few days later, a teary-eyed Jenny came to her father and said, “Daddy, I love you very much,” and placed in his hand her toy pearl bracelet.

Her father gave her a big hug and said, “I have a very special gift for you, little girl.” He pulled out from his pocket a beautiful velvet case with gold lining. He opened it, showing to her a genuine pearl bracelet.“This is yours. No more toy pearl bracelet for you, my princess. You deserve the real one.”

Friends, this is the kind of wise exchange that God wants to give to us.

Not foolish exchanges that the “Jacobs” and the “Red Stews” in our lives are offering to us.

Instead, God wants to take what is cheap and fake in our lives (our addictions), so that He could give us something much, much better (our holy ambitions).

Give up your addiction.

Give up what is counterfeit.

Give up what destroys you.

Give up what pulls you away from God and life and happiness.

Like Jenny, you deserve better.

 

I remain your friend,

Bo Sanchez

How A Detour Can Bring You To A Bigger Destiny

Haven’t you noticed?

The road to success isn’t a straight road. It has many twists, turns, and zigzags. With lots of detours.

Today, I’d like to talk about the Principle of Obliquity.  

Don’t be afraid of that word. What in the world is Obliquity?  Obliquity is the state of being oblique. (Are you sometimes blown away by my genius?)

Let me share with you how obliquity works: A Detour can bring you to a Bigger Destiny.

When it comes to Detours, the first guy that comes to my mind is Joseph…

 

Joseph’s Dream Becomes A Detour

When he was 17 years old, this brash teenager appeared in one family dinner and announced, “Hi Dad! Hi Mom! Hi Brother One, and Brother Two, and Brother Three, and Brother Four, and Brother Five…” He had eleven brothers. After greeting all of them, he cleared his throat and said, “Last night, I had a dream.  I saw all of you bowing low to me. Gee, isn’t that strange? But well, if this is my destiny, I might as well get used to it… Brother One, can you make me some iced tea? Brother Two, can you fan me while I eat? You guys might as well get used to serving me…”

In other words, Joseph was telling them, “One day, I’m going to lead you guys. I’ll be governor of the family business.” 

You can imagine how his older brothers reacted. I’m sure they didn’t say, “We’re so happy that you now know what you want to do in life. Bravo!”

No. They were so angry, the Bible says they threw him into a pit. While in that dark hole, freezing and hungry, Joseph was probably praying, “Lord, this looks like a wrong step in my career path.”

It would get worse. The next day, his brothers sold him to the Midianite Traders for 20 pieces of silver—and these Traders sold him as a slave to an Egyptian named Potiphar.   So from a son, he becomes a slave. Can you imagine how far this was to his dream?

His troubles weren’t over. Mrs. Potiphar wanted to be close to him. Very close. Being a person of integrity, he said “No” to her repeated seductions. One day, in some dark corner of the house, she grabbed him by the collar and said, “Bakit ngayon ka langBakit ngayon kung kailan ang aking puso’y, Mayron nang laman…  (Why did you come only now when my heart is already filled…”)

And he said, “Tukso, layuan ako…” (Temptation, depart from me…) and he ran away—leaving his shirt behind. Spurned by his rejection, she shouted, “Rape!”

And poor Joseph was thrown into prison. 

So from son, to slave, to prisoner!   His life was getting worse by the day. He was getting farther and farther from his desired destiny.

While in prison, he met two other prisoners—the baker and a butler of Pharaoh—had a dream that bothered them. They asked Joseph to interpret their dreams, and he did.   Joseph said to the baker, “I’m so sorry, in three days, you’ll be hanged.” And that was what happened. Joseph said to the royal cupbearer, “In three days, you’ll be reinstated to your former position.” He then said, “When you’re back working in the palace pouring martini’s for Pharaoh, can you appeal my case to your Boss?” The cupbearer promised—but he totally forgot about Joseph.

Joseph had to stay in the prison for 2 more years.

 

Joseph’s Detour Led To A Bigger Destiny

But one day, the Pharaoh had two very disturbing dreams. And all his wise men couldn’t interpret them. That was when the Cupbearer remembered Joseph. He mentioned this to Pharaoh.   And so Joseph was summoned from prison. 

He interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. He said, “Pharaoh, there will be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. During the 7 years of plenty, I suggest you start setting aside 20% of the produce of the land and invest it in the Stock Market and Mutual Funds for the 7 years of famine.” His advice wasn’t that detailed, but you get the picture. Pharaoh liked his advice so much, he appointed Joseph as Governor of the entire country.

Many years ago, Joseph wanted to simply be the governor of his family. But God had a Bigger Destiny for him. He wanted him to be Governor of Egypt. That’s why God allowed a detour, because this detour led him to his Bigger Destiny. 

I’ve seen the Principle of Obliquity work in the lives of almost all the successful people I know.

Right now, you may be in a difficult time in your life. Maybe the job that you wanted wasn’t given to you. Or the man that you wanted to marry walked out of your life. Or your plans to go abroad went up in smoke. Or you failed in a Board Exam. Or your business is losing money.

I’ve got news for you: You’re in a Detour. Gigantic obstacles have appeared between you and your desired destiny. You may feel like your life is getting worse by the day. You may feel farther from your destiny today than you were yesterday. 

Why is God allowing this? Because He wants to tell you, “Your dreams are too small. Your goals are too puny. Your ambitions are too tiny. I’ve got a bigger Destiny for you!” God is telling you, “I’ve got a better job for you,” and “I’ve got a better man for your life,” and “I’ve got a better future in store for you that you want right now.”

Here’s an illustration of Joseph’s Journey…

 

This is what I mean by the Principle of Obliquity.

When he was already governor of Egypt, his brothers came to ask for food and for forgiveness. Joseph told them, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

Perhaps you have enemies today. Believe that what your enemies intended for harm, God will use it to bless you more!

 

 

Detours Led To Their Bigger Destiny

       Let me give you examples of Detours that happen to three people and how these Detours led them to their bigger Destiny…

 

1. Steve Jobs

When he was 21 years old, Steve Jobs foundedApple in his garage. After a few years, Apple became a very successful computer company.

But 9 years later, his own Board of Directors booted him out from Apple. Perhaps you’re wondering, “How in the world can the Founder of a company be fired from his own company?” But that was what happened to Steve Jobs. Talk about a gigantic Detour! Suddenly, all his dreams crashed to oblivion.

But while Steve was away from Apple, many things happened in his life that prepared him for his comeback.  Twelve years later, Apple hired Steve Jobs again. And he made Apple even bigger and better than ever.   (Just to give you an idea, when Steve came back in 1987, Apple Stock was worth $4 per share. Last week, Apple was $610 per share.) Today, Apple, in terms of market capitalization,is the most valuable company in the world.

About his Detour, Steve Jobs said: “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

Have you also been fired? Have you been rejected? Has a door closed in front of you? Don’t be discouraged. You’re in a Detour.  Believe that God is preparing you for a bigger door!

 

2. Col. Sanders

Harland David “Colonel” Sanders owned a regular restaurant.

       But one day, a literal “Detour” came into his life. The government built a huge highway that made everyone bypass his restaurant. And he was forced to close it down.

       This happened when he was 66 years old. Because of closing down his restaurant, he became broke, living from one social security check to another. His monthly check? $104.

       If you were 66-years old, and your cherished dream of owning your own restaurant goes up in smoke—what would you do?

       The only thing Col. Sanders had in his hands was his chicken recipe. So he went from one restaurant to another, knocking door to door, offering his chicken recipe in exchange for a little royalty for every chicken sold.

Guess what happened? They said “No!” In many places, he was thrown out. How dare he offer his chicken recipe? Their chicken recipe was better.

Do you know how many restaurants rejected his offer? 1009.

If I was Col. Sanders, I don’t think I would have lasted beyond 50. If I received 50 rejections, I would have just given up and retired a retire—living in my small house, collecting my social pension checks every month.

But Col. Sanders didn’t. True enough, one restaurant said “Yes”. And Kentucky Fried Chicken was born. Nine years later, when he was 75 years old, there were 5000+ restaurants that were using his recipe and ordering sauces from him.

Imagine if that Detour didn’t happen. Imagine if that highway wasn’t built that detoured all the customers of Col. Sanders away from his restaurant. Perhaps he’d still be managing one restaurant, perhaps two, perhaps three. But because of that Detour, KFC today has 20,000 branches around the world.

Here’s the truth: Small Dreams will have to die so that Bigger Dreams will come true. If Small Dreams don’t die, you won’t even think of the Bigger Dreams.

Finally…

 

3. St. Alphonsus Ligouri

       Alphonsus Ligouri was a brilliant young lawyer.   He was such a good lawyer that for 8 straight years, he won in all his cases. 

       But one day, when he was 27 years old, he lost one case because of a simple error he made. He misread a document—and he was totally humiliated in court.

But that was the Detour that God used. When he was very depressed at what happened, that was when he heard a call from God. He left his profession and joined the seminary. Three years later, Alphonsus was ordained a priest. Years later, he formed theRedemptorist Congregation and became a Bishop.

       Are you going through total humiliation today? Don’t give up. This is a Detour that will lead to a bigger Destiny for your life.

 

A Detour Can Be The Road To Your Bigger Destiny

If You Do Two Things…

Let me teach you how to make your Detour bring you to your Bigger Destiny. To move from slave to prisoner to governor, Joseph did two powerful things…

 

1. Remain Faithful

No matter what happened, Joseph remained faithful to God. 

No matter how deep the pit or how dark the prison, he just kept doing the right thing.

For example, when Joseph was a slave working in Potiphar’s house, Joseph could have said, “I don’t deserve to be a slave. What a crummy life! This is so unfair!” And he could have just acted in a lousy way. But that’s not what he did. Joseph said, “I’ll be the great slave in the world!” He did such an excellent job as a slave—Potiphar appointed him Mayor Domo—head of all the other household servants. 

When Potiphar’s wife wanted him, Joseph could have said, “Oh, what the heck. Life is unfair anyway. I might as well have a little fun…” But he didn’t do that. He said no to sin.

When he was thrown in prison for a crime he did not do, Joseph could have just thrown in the towel and say, “The hell with life! The hell with being good.” But he didn’t do that. He said, “I’ll be the greatest prisoner in the world.” No matter what happened, he just kept doing the right thing. He was such a good prisoner, the Prison Warden appointed him to be the prison’s Mayortoo, to manage the other prisoners.

Joseph bloomed wherever he was planted.  If you want to be successful, you too need to bloom wherever you are planted.

Wherever you are right now, remain faithful. Always give your best. You may not be in the right job, you may not have the right tools, you may not be in the right place, you may not be with the right people—but do the right thing anyway—and God Himself will give you the right reward.

Think about it. Where did Joseph learn to manage a country? He took up management 101 in a prison. Before he managed the country, he managed fellow-slaves and fellow-prisoners.

That’s why the Bible says, Yes, you will suffer for a short time. But after that, God will make everything right. (1 Peter 5:10)

       However, Joseph wasn’t passive. Yes, he was being abused, but he kept looking for an opportunity to get out of the abuse.

 

2. Remain Open

As you walk through a Detour, believe me, there will be wonderful opportunities that will appear before you. Opportunities to leapfrog to your success. The reason why a lot of people don’t see the opportunities is because opportunities come dressed as responsibilities.

Look at Joseph. When Potiphar asked him to take responsibility over his household, he said Yes. When the Prison Warden asked him to take responsibility over the entire prison, he said Yes. When Pharaoh asked him to take responsibility over the entire country, he saidYes.

But some people are allergic to responsibilities. And these same people will complain why they don’t receive more blessings. Here’s the Truth: If you want more blessings, you’ve got to want more responsibilities. Blessings and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. 

Let me give you an example. Why do Managers earn more than Messengers?   Because Managers have more responsibilities than Messengers. 

 

No Matter How Long Your Detour Is…

By the way, do you know how long this circuitous Detour was in the life of Joseph? He became a slave when he was 17 years old. He became a Governor of Egypt when he was 30 years old. He was in Detour territory for 13 long years.

Perhaps you too have been waiting for a long time, seeming trapped in your Detour.

Here’s my final word to you: No matter how long, remain faithful and remain open, and one day, you’ll see your bigger Destiny become your reality.

 

       May your dreams come true,

       Bo Sanchez

Will You Break Or Bounce?

Haven’t you noticed?

Many of your problems don’t disappear overnight.

Your pimples don’t disappear overnight. Your dandruff doesn’t disappear overnight.  Even your husband doesn’t disappear overnight (and reappear as John Lloyd).

Here’s the truth: Life isn’t a straight road. It isn’t a smooth path. In fact, life has many potholes. Small potholes, medium potholes, large potholes, and super, extra, mega, ultra, gigantic, humongous, massive, nuclear-bomb-crater potholes.

And when you fall into one of these gigantic potholes, you have a choice. You can either break. Or you can bounce.

I’ve got news for you: God created you to bounce.

Some people don’t know this. So when they fall, they break. They stay down.  They give up. They throw in the towel. They quit.

Perhaps you’re having a hard time in your life right now. Perhaps you’ve been experiencing excruciating trials.  Perhaps you have many problems bullying you now.

Here’s my message—The harder you fall, the higher you bounce! Let me tell you why…

 

Dark, Dirty, and Dangerous

 

Last year, I was studying about gold mines.  One guy told me, “A gold mine has 3 D’s. A gold mine is dark, dirty, and dangerous.”

First of all, there’s a lot of darkness. You can’t see a thing. He said, when you mine for gold, you have to go down as much as 3000 meters deep into the earth.   There’s no sunlight down there. But that’s where you find gold.

Second, there’s lots of dirt. That’s why when you mine for gold, you won’t look pretty. You won’t look neat. You won’t look hip. Instead, you’ll sweat like a dog. You’ll smell like a horse. You’ll look like a pig. But that’s where you find gold.

Third, there’s lots of danger. He said, when you mine for gold, you may get hurt.  You may get burned. You may get sick. You may even die. But that’s where you find gold…

 

Your Pothole Is Really A Gold Mine

I’ve got an announcement to make: If you feel like you’re in a super-mega-extra-ultra pothole, then I’m sure it’s also dark, dirty, and dangerous. Then that means it’s not a pothole. It’s also a goldmine.

In a goldmine, you’re surrounded by gold! The problem is that you can’t see the gold because it’s covered by darkness, dirt, and danger.

I remember my friend Roy Pasimio. He was in a pothole/gold mine a few years ago.

He was describing to me that moment when he learned that his daughter Gemma had cancer. At that time, he was on a mission trip in a foreign country. Away from his family and friends, he walked alone to a church, sat down in front of the altar, and just wept. Roy—a dedicated missionary for 20 years—couldn’t even pray. At that moment, he felt thick darkness envelope his life.

If you feel like Roy right now, if you feel like your life is covered in darkness, and everything doesn’t make sense, don’t be afraid. The darkness and dirt and danger in your life only means you’re in a goldmine.

And that means you’re surrounded by gold.

Roy Pasimio discovered his gold. The cancer of Gemma brought them together. Today, the entire family now serves God. And yes, Gemma is now healed of her cancer.

Do you have a lot of problems today? Here’s my message: The more problems you have, the more gold you have. Every problem that you have will transform into gold.

That is why we can say, “All is well…”

 

All Is Well!

This story happened many years ago in Africa.

A King had a friend whom everyone called Sunny because he had a very sunny outlook in life. No matter what happened to him, whether good or bad, he’d always say, “All is well!”

If the sun was too hot, he’d say, “All is well! This sun is a blessing.”

If rains fall like cats and dogs, cows and carabaos, triceratops and t-rexes, he’d still say, “All is well. The rain is a blessing.”

One day, the King and Sunny went hunting. And in the hunting trip, Sunny’s job was to load the rifle and give it to the King. Sunny loaded the gun in a wrong way because when he gave it to the King, it fired by itself—and blew off the King’s thumb.

The King screamed in pain. And in his rage, he sent his friend Sunny to prison.

Many months later, the King was hunting again. But he hunted in a dangerous jungle where cannibals lived.

True enough, the cannibal tribe captured the King, tied him up, and hung him in a tree. And they lit a fire beneath him.

That was when one of the cannibals noticed that the King had a missing thumb. These cannibals had taste: They didn’t like to eat leftovers. In their minds, someone ate his thumb—and didn’t like it—and so didn’t eat the rest of his body.

So they released the King and he walked away unharmed.

As the King walked home, he remembered his friend Sunny in jail—and regretted sending him there.

When he visited his friend in jail, the King told the story of how having a missing thumb saved him from the cannibals. He then said to Sunny, “I’m so sorry for sending you to jail….”

Sunny smiled and said, “All is well! Prison was a blessing.”

The King was shocked by his answer. “How could you say All is well? You got stuck here in jail for one year!”

Sunny said, “If I wasn’t in jail, I would have been hunting with you today. And I don’t have a missing thumb!”

It’s so difficult to say, “All is well” when trials come upon our lives. But that’s the truth. No matter what happens, believe that all things will work for good to those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

 

Jesus Bounced

I love the Easter story.

On Good Friday, Mary Magdalene fell on a gigantic pothole—and in her mind, even when it was a Sunday, she thought it was still Friday. On Good Friday, she saw Jesus die—and all her hopes died with him.

Perhaps you’re like Mary Magdalene.   You’re grieving right now because you’ve lost something. Perhaps you’ve lost a loved one. Or you’ve lost your health. Or you lost your job. Or you lost your hope.

On Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to grieve. The Bible says, Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

She went to the tomb because the reason for her grief was in the tomb. But that was because she thought it was Friday. She didn’t know it was Sunday. Because on Sunday, the reason for her grief was gone.

Let me speak to you: Today may be Friday in your life, but your Sunday is coming. A day will come when you’ll go to the tomb to grieve as usual, only to find out that the reason for your grief is gone.

On your Easter, God will remove the reason for your grief.  God will remove that lack in your finances. God will remove that pain in your relationship.

What am I saying?

On Easter Sunday, Jesus bounced.

He was supposed to be finished. Dead. Lost. Failed. Defeated.

But Jesus was unbreakable. From the grave, He bounced.

The Bible says that the same power that caused Him to bounce is the same power that is at work in you. You too can bounce from the grave. You too can bounce from your defeat. You too can bounce from your failure.

My dear friend, Bounce.

       Shout it out: All is well!

 

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Let No One Fool You: The Real Key To Success Is…

 

I’ve been helping people change their lives for 30+ years.

And I’ve realized that one of the most common reasons why people don’t change is because they wait for the perfect condition to change.

But that’s a recipe for staying the same.

One November morning, an overweight guy told me, “I really want to get healthy. I want to start walking one solid hour every morning.”

“Great,” I told him, “When will you start?”

“I just need to buy a new pair of rubber shoes,” he beamed, “and I’m good to go. I want to walk with those hi-tech rubber shoes with air cushions in their soles. Once I buy that, I’m ready to conquer the streets. Boy, am I excited!”

When I checked him out in December, he said, “Oh Bo, it’s the Christmas season. I’m just super busy now. You know, with all the shopping and late-night parties.  But I promise you Bo, when Christmas is over, I’ll really get to it. Nothing is going to stop me from my morning exercise!”

In the middle of January, I bumped into him. He said, “I’ve not been able to start yet. Gosh, there’s a huge backlog in the office. Let me clear that off first. And I’ll jump into my exercise program right away…”

When I talked to him in April, he said, “Summer is crazy, Bo. My kids taking painting classes and music classes, and I have to drive them to all these classes every day.  After the insanity of summer is over, I’m really going to start walking every morning. You just wait. I’ll be burning the road. I’ll be sweating like a horse. I’ll be losing pounds….”

When June rolled in, he said, “The kids are back in school. Let me just settle them, buy their books, their uniform, their notebooks, and I’ll reeeeeeeeally start my exercise program in the morning. I mean, I can’t wait to walk on the road. The moment I start, I won’t stop. That’s me. That’s my personality. I don’t want to start anything half-baked…”

When I checked on him in October, he said, “Oh Bo, Christmas season is starting early this year. Let me let Christmas season pass by and I’ll reeeeeeeeeally get started on my morning walk…”

This man will never start.

Do you want to know if you’ll succeed in life or not?

Simply ask this question: Will you excuse or execute…

 

 

Just Do It

Let me ask you: What change have you been postponing in your life? What new move have you been delaying, because the conditions aren’t perfect?

Perhaps you want to change your spiritual life.

Or you want to change your financial life.

Or you want to change your family life.

I urge you: Start now!

“Just do it” wasn’t invented by Nike.

2000 years age, Jesus said the same thing. He said, “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” (Matthew 21:28-31)

At the end of the day, intentions mean nothing without execution.

 

The Three Principles Of Execution

Do you want success in your life? Execute.

For me, execution means three things:

1. Start Now

2. Start Small

3. Start Again

 

1. Start Now

One day, I was walking in a mall when a man approached me. He said, “Bo, I’m a big fan. I read your books. I watch your TV show. What I really want to do is attend the Feast.”

I said, “You’re very welcome. Come!”

He said, “Even when the Feast was at Camp Aguinaldo, I already wanted to attend it.” (Note: That’s what we call our weekly spiritual gathering.)

Huh? We were in Camp Aguinaldo centuries ago. During the stone age, before the ice age made the dinosaurs extinct.

He said, “And when you moved to Valle Verde, I wanted to attend there. And then you moved to PICC, I wanted to join there too. But I never was able to attend…”

“Why not?” I asked.

“I’m just fixing something in my life, Brother Bo. There’s something I’m repairing in my life. Once that’s fixed, I’ll start joining you every Sunday.”

I told him, “Don’t fix it on your own. Just come to the Feast as you are, and let you and God fix what needs to be fixed together.”

Don’t wait for a perfect condition before you execute.

 

My Awful Book

I remember the first book I ever wrote in my life. I was 20 years old. The book was entitled, “When My Brook Runs Dry.”

Honestly, it was awful.

When I read it now, I cringe. I feel so ashamed. I want to dig a hole in the ground and hide my head. My grammar was shameful. My use of adjectives and adverbs was utterly deplorable.

I never reprinted it.

Oh, there have been attempts. Some of my friends insisted that I republish the book, telling me that they’ll even pay for its reprinting. I want you to know they’re no longer my friends.

Just kidding.

But no matter how terrible that book is, that was how my writing ministry started. Today, I have written 25 bestselling books. And I wouldn’t be writing my 26th book now if I didn’t write my first “awful” book.

It’s the same with Kerygma magazine.

In 1990, we launched Kerygma.  Do you know what topic I wrote for our first issue?  “Hell”. It was very reader-friendly.

But because of that crazy start, we have 8 magazines today—blessing the world with God’s Love. And Kerygma remains the widest read inspirational magazine in the country.

Do you see a pattern? First things can be awful. But they open the path for the future.

 

Get Over The First Tabo

A few decades ago, most Filipinos didn’t use showers.  The shower spout was a décor. Reason: Weak water pressure all over the city.

So we used the dipper. Or tabo. 

We also didn’t have water heaters.

I remember the ordeals of cold mornings. When I took a bath, the first tabo of water was the most difficult.  After that, it gets easier.

My friend had this great idea. He told me, “Because the first tabo is the coldest, I simply throw it away…” (I have very weird friends.)

Haven’t you noticed? When we take a bath, we “just start”.

We don’t hold the tabo and wait for it to warm.

We simply grit our teeth and pour the first tabo of water on our bodies and scream, “Brrrrrrrrrr!”

Do you have a project? A dream? A plan?

Just start.

 

Real Artists Ship

Apple founder, Steve Jobs, said, “Real Artists ship.”

Artists are notorious for not delivering their masterpieces on time. Because they’re not in the mood, or they’re not satisfied with their work, or they’re still perfecting this or that detail. Artists are known for creating beautiful designs and concepts in their minds—but they fail to deliver to the customer on time.

But Steve Jobs says, “Then you’re not a real artist.” Because real artists ship real products to real customers.

One of the reasons why artists don’t ship? Insecurity. We’re afraid of what other people will say if they spot this or that error.

But let me twist Steve Job’s famous line: Real Artists serve.

If you’re after serving others instead of your ego, you’ll bring out your product to the world and let it bless others—even if it isn’t perfect.

Second, don’t wait for big things before you start…

 

2. Start Small

In other words, catch small fish before big fish.

I know of a man who everyone calls Mr. Billionaire. Not because he’s a billionaire. But because he always talks about the billion peso deals he’s making.

One day, he tells me, “Bo, I’m talking with some Japanese billionaires. They’re selling a prime property of 200 hectares for a malunggay factory.” Wow.

On another day, he tells me, “I’m brokering a deal with the Koreans. They want to invest 100 billion to start a herbal company.”  Amazing.

On another day, he tells me, “I’m talking with the people of Ramon Ang of San Miguel for a possible power plant in Mindanao.”

They’re very impressive projects. And after each conversation, he’ll always tell me, “Brother Bo, once this deal is finished, I’ll donate 25 million to your ministry.”

But sadly, I’ve been talking to the guy for 13 years, and not a single deal has been done.

In the meantime, his friends tell me, “Brother Bo, can you pray for our pal? He’s always broke. He’s renting a rundown apartment and he can’t even pay for it.”

What’s wrong with him? He’s not starting small. He’s trying to catch big fish before small fish.

Before Steven Spielberg made E.T, Jaws, and Jurassic Park, he started as a 12-year-old kid making amateur movies about their family’s camping trip.

Before Manny Paquiao fought De la Hoya and Marquez, he fought struggling boxers like himself—and lost many times.

Start small.

Here’s why: When you start, you’ll always make many mistakes. If you start small, you make small mistakes. But if you start big, you’ll make big mistakes. That’s very costly and painful.

This even applies in ministry.

Jesus said, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

       God will use you in Jerusalem first. Later, He’ll expand your impact to the entire province of Judea and Samaria. After that, the entire world.

Finally…

 

3. Start Again

I heard this inspiring story from Les Brown.

One day, two guys were retrenched. And these men went looking for new jobs—but the economy was so bad, there were no job openings.

One guy got discouraged, watched TV, drank beer, became toxic with his wife, and talked negative with his other negative unemployed friends, with topics such as…

“How the economy is going to the dogs.”

“How the rich are robbing us blind.”

“How politicians are destroying the country.”

But the second guy kept applying. But no matter what he did, he was still rejected. The most common reason they told him was, “You’re overqualified for the job.”

But he never gave up. He kept knocking on doors.

One day, in desperation, he said to the one of the bosses he was talking to, “Look, you don’t have to pay me. I just want to be useful.”

The boss said, “Okay, but don’t expect me to pay you.”

He came to work everyday. He was the first guy to come in and the last guy to leave.   Even if he wasn’t paid.

Four weeks later, the top manager quit. The owners looked for a replacement. And they remembered that they had this “volunteer” working in their office. They hired him—and that man now runs the company.

Here’s the key to success: Don’t stop moving.

When you start and fail, start again.

The old formula for success was Ready, Aim, Fire.

Today, we’re realizing that the real formula for success is Ready, Aim, Fire, Aim, Fire, Aim, Fire…

In other words, don’t aim for perfect execution butpersistent execution.

 

Conclusion: Don’t Bury Your Dreams

I usually do my morning walk around my village.

But one day, I decided to take my morning walk in the cemetery beside our village. I love going there because it’s very quiet. And even if you run and make noise, the homeowners don’t complain.

While walking, I realized I was surrounded by thousands of tombs. But I wasn’t only surrounded by dead people. I was also surrounded by the tombs of dead dreams. Books that were never written. Songs that were not sung. Friendships that were not kindled. Businesses that were not launched. Ministries that were not started.

Because people didn’t execute.

Remember our passage above?

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Friend, don’t let your dreams die with you.

May your dreams come true,