Live the Charmed Life

Image courtesy of Live the Charmed Life

Simple living is a concept that few people can relate to, let alone understand.
So I am thrilled to have discovered Live the Charmed Life; a site dedicated
to elegant simplicity.

Live the Charmed Life talks about the life and times of DeeAnne. A former
executive of The Ritz Carlton Chicago, DeeAnne gave it all up, packed her bags
and moved to the land of Wine, Cheese and Joie de Vivre. At the moment, she is
learning French, writing a novel and falling in love. I know it sounds so surreal.

DeeAnne is also an avid fan of the 100 Thing Challenge. Except her 100 list
includes: Spieglau Wine Glasses, Le Creuset cookware and a bottle of perfume.
Don't mistake this for frivolity, it's really just her take on "quality over quantity".

Check out Live the Charmed Life for another perspective on what simple living
has to offer and where simple living can take you.

The 3 Powerful Steps to Phenomenal Success

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I will not bore you with my commentary on Bo Sanchez's
latest inspirational message. The article speaks for itself.
Read it and live a phenomenal life!

The 3 Powerful Steps to Phenomenal Success
by Bo Sanchez

"Friend, do you want to be successful in life?
Remember that success doesn’t happen overnight.
Success is a journey.
In fact, you’ll have to pass via three landmarks in this journey.
Between where you are now and where your success is are three landmarks.
Here they are:
Landmark 1: When you discover your talent
Landmark 2: When you develop your talent
Landmark 3: When you deliver your talent

1. Discover Your Talent
A lot of people ask me that question: How will I discover my talent?
Kids ask me that question a lot. Teens ask me that question a lot.
Amazingly, even adults ask me that question a lot.

Let me be frank with you.
One of the biggest reasons why you haven’t discovered your talent
is because you haven’t been saying a lot of Yeses to life.
You’ve been habitually saying No.
To opportunities. To learning. To experiences. To stretching.

You’ve been saying No because you’re afraid.
You’re afraid of making mistakes.
You’re afraid of being laughed at by people.
You’re afraid of falling flat on your face.
You’re afraid of being humiliated.

Discovering your talent is like discovering buried treasure.
Treasure hunters don’t dig in one spot and automatically find
the treasure.

Treasure hunters go through a lot of surveying the area.
They dig in one spot, find nothing, dig in another spot again,
find nothing again, dig in another spot again, find nothing again…
until they dig in this one spot and find the treasure!

God has called you to serve Him with your talent.
So serve Him and be willing to make mistakes.
Be willing to fail.
Be willing to be a fool for Christ.
All you’ve got to do is say Yes to God!

2. Develop Your Talent

But I didn’t stop in the discovering of my talent.
I developed my talent.

Some people discover their talent, but they don’t develop it.
They’re good mechanics, farmers, speakers, writers, thinkers,
listeners, musicians, engineers, mathematicians, administrators—
but they don’t develop their talent.
They don’t hone their craft.
They don’t sharpen their saw.
They don’t expand their expertise.
They don’t increase their initiatives.
They don’t grow their gifting.

How did I develop my talent?
Simple.
I used it.

I said “Yes” to every single invitation given to me to speak.
Tiny prayer groups invited me to speak; I said yes.
Prisons invited me to speak; I said yes.
Hospitals invited me to speak; I said yes.
Poor dilapidated schools in far-flung barrios invited me to speak; I said yes.
I had to cross three rivers before I spoke; I said yes.
Only twenty people showed up; I said yes.
Only ten people showed up; I said yes.
Only three people showed up; I said yes.
In my early years, I would preach every single day.
I didn’t know it, but saying “yes” to every invitation was fulfilling Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 Hour-Rule of Greatness.

Sometimes, young preachers come up to me and tell me,
“Brother Bo, I want to preach as good as you do.”
“Great!” I say. So I ask him, “How often do you preach?”
“Oh, about once a month…” he says.

I want to strangle him.
“Once a month? By the time you’ll be any good, you’ll be 150 years old.
You should be preaching every single day!
Create opportunities for you to speak!”

Here’s the truth: The only way to develop your talent is to use it.
Let me say it again. If you don’t use it, you lose it

3. Deliver Your Talent
One of the things I’ve found out about this world is that
you don’t get rewarded for discovering your talent;
you don’t get rewarded for developing your talent;
you only get rewarded for delivering your talent.
In other words, do you have the ability to launch?

Planning to launch is not enough.
Preparing to launch is not enough.
You have to actually launch.

There are those who like tinkering with their work endlessly.
So they delay. And delay. And delay.
And they never launch.
It’s the sickness of corporate world.

Again, the reason why people don’t deliver is fear.
It’s same old enemy.
They’re afraid of failure.
They’re afraid of rejection.
They’re afraid of public humiliation.
So they want everything perfect before they launch.

And there lies the mistake.
There’s no such thing.
They don’t understand that perfection doesn’t exist.
What you need to do is launch and re-launch and keep on re-launching
until you get it right.


Give your talent to God.
Just say “Yes” to Him.

May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez"

Giving It Your All

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"Once upon a time, I asked this question: Why is God so demanding?

Just look at the greatest commandment. Why does God want you to
love Him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your
strength. (Matthew 22:37)

Shouldn’t He be satisfied if you loved Him with half your heart,
¾ of your mind, and 58% of your strength?

Why does God want you to give your all?

Helloooooow.

God doesn’t need your time.
He’s the owner of eternity. He invented time.

God doesn’t need your talents, definitely.
He can just snap his finger and ten thousand battalions of angels
kneel before him to serve.

And obviously, God doesn’t need your money.
He’s owns the universe.

So why does He want you to give your all?

Here’s why: When you give, you create a vacuum. An empty space.

When I was a kid, my Grade 6 science teacher said, “Nature abhors
a vacuum.” Nature wants to automatically fill vacuums. That’s why
vacuums are powerful magnets. That vacuum—that empty space—
attracts blessings. What blessings? The stuff that you gave away will
be returned to you, only of far better quality and greater quantity.

Listen carefully. The more you give, the bigger the vacuum you create.
The bigger the vacuum, the stronger the magnet—and the more
blessings you’ll attract into your life.

That’s why giving your all is the secret of big returns. There’s magic
when you give your All. Because you also attract All that God wants
to give to you." - Bo Sanchez

This is powerful stuff! Lately, I've been dreaming, planning, praying,
hoping, and moving to accomplish one too many stretch goals. This
is a great affirmation that all my efforts will one day bear fruit.

All in God's good time!!!

Perfect Timing

God's timing is perfect - it's never too early; it's never too late, it's always
on time.

A few weeks ago, T and I were at a function. I asked her how their recent
family trip went. The kids had loads of fun! And that was that... or so I
thought...

I found myself up and about at 3:00ish in the morning. Not unusual as
Baby M feeds at the oddest of hours. And then it hit me... Just as I was
about to crawl back into bed, I suddenly got a clarity of purpose; an
answer to a question I didn't even know I had...

Suddenly, I found myself with renewed energy and strength. Suddenly,
I had courage. Suddenly, I knew what I needed to do and why it needed
to be done.

Sometimes we ask if God is listening. Maybe we should be asking ourselves,
"Do we listen to Him?" I believe He speaks to us in many ways, sometimes
all we need to do is LISTEN.

What can you do with a paper clip?

A few eons ago, I came across this question in a “psych” test. It was
supposed to be an exercise at creativity. Due to my lack of time – or
imagination??? – I didn’t get to list down much.

Here are some interesting uses for a paper clip: homemade compass,
flashlight part and camera tripod...

Pretty mundane right? Except that someone used a red paper clip to get
his dream house.

Moral of the story: Sometimes, with a little creativity, the impossible
can suddenly become possible.

Remembering Cory Aquino

After a brave fight with cancer, Corazon C. Aquino, passed away
last August 1, 2009. Tita Cory, as she was fondly called, is known
as The Mother of Philippine Democracy. The multitude of Filipinos
who showed up in streets to participate in her funeral march is an
indicator of the great respect the Filipino people have for her.

"Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino (Jan 25, 1933 –
Aug 1,2009) was the 11th President of the Philippines and the
"Mother of Democracy", serving from 1986 to 1992. She was
the first female president of the Philippines and the first
female president of any country in Asia.

A self-proclaimed "plain housewife", Aquino was married to
Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., a leading figure in the political
opposition against the autocratic rule of President Ferdinand
Marcos. After her husband was assassinated upon his return
from exile in the United States on August 21, 1983, Aquino,
who had no prior political experience, became a focal point
and unifying force of the opposition against Marcos. She was
drafted to run against Marcos in the 1986 snap presidential
elections. After Marcos was proclaimed the winner despite
widespread reports of electoral fraud, Aquino was installed
as President by the peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution.

Aquino's presidency saw the restoration of democratic institutions
in the Philippines, through the enactment of a new Constitution
which limited the powers of the presidency, restored the bicameral
Congress, and renewed emphasis on civil liberties." - Wikipedia

Her achievement in Philippine and world politics made her
Time Magazine's Woman of the Year

Rest in peace Tita Cory!

How was the first half of YOUR 2009?

It is now July 2009. How was the first half of YOUR year? By now, your
New Year's Resolutions are most likely nowhere to be found. But since half
a year has gone by, you might have some regrets that you did not do this or
you did not do that.

Have no fear! I just found a great solution from Rookie Moms. It's called
the Did-Do List:

"If you’re getting sick of your “to do” list getting longer and not shorter
and wondering where the heck is all your time going, try writing a
“did do” list..."

If you're thinking along the lines of "What's the point of making a Did-do
List? AND/OR I don't need a poor excuse for not getting things done."
Then, you are missing the point. The Did-do list is a conscious pause. It is
a celebration of what one has accomplished thus far. But mostly, it is an
opportunity to reflect, assess and strategize for the second half of the year.

My Did-Do List:
1. "Survived" a miscarriage
2. Rebonded my hair
3. Moved house
4. Got pregnant again
5. Updated my blog
6. Set up our common file system
7. Updated the family budget
8. Helped organize a talk on Entrepreneurship
9. Attended the Bo Sanchez Lenten Retreat
10. Invited friends over at our place (household)
11. Completed a 3k run
12. Helped organize the Singles Engagement Retreat
13. Finished my 101 things in 1001 days list
14. Finished my bed rest for the current pregnancy
15. FINALLY got our camera back!


I love lists... There have been so many that I can't
recall them all...

This is my ode to the humble list...

What is TED?

I had a few interesting reactions to the TED talk "Don't Eat the
Marshmallow Yet" by Joachim de Posada...

Some people were wondering if the Marshmallow Experiment
were some urban legend created for a feel good effect. Just to
clear the air, one such experiment was conducted in the 1960s
by Stanford University Psychology professors. The test subjects
were then tracked through the years to validate the initial results.
You can read more on that here.

I thus realized that I should give a proper introduction on TED.
You see, I feel privileged that I can easily access the TED talks.
It is not everyday that one gets the opportunity to listen to the
great minds of our time. My current life, though eventful in its
own way, does not merit an invitation to a TED Conference.
No problem! I am quite content with watching the talks in the
comforts of my home.

"TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design -- three
broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future.
And in fact, the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that
matter in any discipline. The format is fast paced: 50+ talks
over the course of four days (to say nothing of the morning
and evening events)...

Attendance at TED is by invitation only, and the attendees --
CEOs, scientists, designers, intellectuals -- are as extraordinary
as the speakers, who in 2007 included former US Pres Bill
Clinton, author Isabel Allende, legendary biologist EO Wilson,
designer Phillipe Starck, and Virgin CEO Richard Branson;
in 2008, speakers included brain expert Jill Bolte Taylor,
physicist Stephen Hawking and undersea explorer Robert
Ballard. Indeed, TED's success is based on the extraordinary
effect of bringing together 1,000 of the world's most remarkable
people. The result? Unexpected connections. Extraordinary
insights. Powerful inspiration.

TED was first held in 1984, and featured early demos of the
Macintosh computer and the Sony compact disc.... No longer
just an annual event, TED now encompasses a sister conference,
TEDGlobal, held biannually in different cities around the world,
and a simulcast event, which allows even more people to enjoy
the TED Conference's content and connections."

Be a Superstar!

One of the things I look forward to is my weekly newsletter from Bo Sanchez.
For those who don't know him, Bo Sanchez is a Filipino Catholic Lay Preacher.
He is a gifted writer and speaker. His approach has always been simple and
pragmatic. His articles just never fail to inspire me!

This week, Bo encourages us to BE A SUPERSTAR!

"Friends, the world needs Superstars.
You owe it to the universe to become one.
No one benefits if you play small."
Click here to read the entire article...

This week's article was a refreshing read! You see, Filipinos are usually NOT
the type to want to shine out. The average Filipino is content with just blending
in with the background. I believe this is part of the "damaged culture" we've
acquired due to hundreds of years of colonization.

But that happened ages ago! How much longer are we going to live with this
excuse?!?

No, I do not mean for us to be mayabang (boastful). What I mean is that
we, as a people, should stop settling for mediocrity. I do believe our country
would not be in the sorry state that it were in if we took a little more pride in ourselves.

We, as a people, need to improve our skills. We, as a people, need to strengthen
our spirits. We, as a people, need to be superstars. And we need to do these in
all aspects of our lives - in our homes, in our workplace, in our organizations
and in our communities.

The task at hand is not easy. We may be met with fear and criticism by those
who are not ready for change. We may be misunderstood. We may make
mistakes. I believe it is not about being perfect. I believe it is about trying
until one succeeds. I believe the Lord has many blessings in store for us WHEN
we are ready to receive them.

Let me end with this affirming quotation:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?'
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."
~ Marianne Williamson