Maintain Your Presence

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.36 >> Maintain Your Presence, Your contented presence shows an air of simple elegance and refinement in attitude and form. You appear physically, emotionally and spiritually strong, yet you seem to have even greater strength in reserve. You are poised, coordinated and balanced. You command with effortless, assured confidence. Be calm. Be deliberate. Feel assured and alert. Look good. Feel good. Keep your head up and your shoulders back. Keep your eyes forward. Breath deeply. Speak with a soft voice in a thoughtful manner. Rarely interrupt. Be brief. Walk with a purpose. Don't rush. Have a firm handshake. Your eyes are friendly. Your demeanor is respectful. Let your smile begin in your mind. You exhibit both style and class. First impressions are lasting.

The things you want drawn to you will come as a result of your good nature and determined persistence. Pause and savor the moment. Begin your work.

Pinoy Self-Help Investing No. 6

Story of my Investing Adventures - Brilliant Reader

Pinoy Self-help Investing No.6, Napakalaking bagay talaga yung habang bata pa eh nag-uumpisa ka nang mag-ipon at mag-invest. Hindi tayo dapat mag-stick sa lumang kasabihan na mag-enjoy muna habang bata pa. Ang pinaka-wise na mindset ay magsipag at magtiyaga habang bata pa at malakas pa dahil kapag tumanda ka eh dun mo aanihin yung mga pinaghirapan mo. I believe marami sa mga parents natin o mga mas nakatatandang relatives ay iisa ang mga sinasabi, "Kung maibabalik ko lang ang panahon, hindi sana ako naghirap ngayon". Average ng tao sa lipunan kung mapapansin natin eh halos pare-pareho ng pinagkakaabalahan sa buhay. Magttrabaho mula monday hanggang friday tapos gigimik pagdating ng saturday and sunday.

Mahalaga na dapat maging aware tayo sa pag-spend ng pera natin. Halos lahat ng mga books na nabasa ko about saving and investing ay iisa ang pinapayo. Gawin dapat nating rule na wag hayaang mas malaki ang halagang inilalabas o ginagastos natin kesa perang kinikita o sweldong natatanggap natin. Madalas sinasabi ng karamihan sa atin eh "Di bale nang maubos ang kinita ko, ang importante masaya naman at nag-enjoy ako", ito yung nag-uudyok sa atin para maging careless at na-overlooked na natin na may future pa na naghihintay sa atin at nakaabang na malaking responsibility. Di natin naiisip na darating ang araw na mag-aasawa na tayo, magkakaron ng mga anak, magpapaaral ng kolehiyo at marami pang bagay na dapat i-konsider. Nagiging balisa na lang tayo kapag dumating na ang time na nagkaka-edad na tayo, may mga sakit nang nagsusulputan at nababaon na sa utang. Isang napaka-popular na solusyon natin kapag wala nang cash na pambili ng mga luho natin eh ang kumuha ng credit card. Ang akala natin eh makakapagpadali ng buhay natin dahil pwede tayo bumili at oo nga naman babayaran na lang pagdating ng sweldo. Hindi natin naiisip na habang ginagamit natin ang credit card eh para na rin natin ginagamit yung perang hindi pa man natin natatanggap eh ubos na. Kaya kadalasan, tinatamad na tayong pumasok sa trabaho kasi alam na natin na pagdating ng sweldo eh ipambabayad lang din naman at wala nang matitira.

Nakakalungkot na halos karamihan ganito ang nagiging life style natin. Kahit alam na natin o nakikita na natin base sa karanasan ng mga magulang natin eh yun pa rin ang sinusundan natin. May impluwensya na rin siguro dito yung environment kung saan ang nakikita natin eh ganitong istilo o trend ng pamumuhay. Isang magandang solusyon dito ay huwag natin i-pattern yung sarili natin sa kung ano yung kadalasan nakikita natin. Dapat maging matalino rin tayo sa pag-observe ng kung ano yung applicable at hindi dapat gayahin. Bumili tayo ng mga libro na nagtuturo about saving and investing kasi lahat ng mga mababasa natin dito eh ayon sa mga experiences ng authors at kadalasan proven na rin yung results. Kung anuman yung mga napulot nating aral o tips eh subukan din nating i-apply sa actual na pamumuhay para mas makita natin kung epektibo ba o hindi. Huwag tayo matakot sa mga possible risks o failures dahil part talaga yun. Ang bata, bago yan makapaglakad ng tuwid eh talagang nadadapa. Kelangan bago pa man dumating ang risk, napag-isipan na rin natin kung pano natin ma-mitigate iyon ng hindi din ganon kabigat ang impact kung sakaling ma-encounter man natin.

Palagi natin tandaan, isang malaking paraan para hindi tayo mabaon sa utang ay wag tayo gagastos ng mas malaking halaga sa kinikita natin. Kung manghihiram man tayo o mangungutang sa bangko, siguraduhin natin na may ilalaan tayo para sa negosyo ng sa gayon yung kikitain natin sa negosyo ang magiging kapalit pambayad sa interest ng perang hiniram natin. Kadalasan ang nangyayari, kapag nangungutang tayo eh yung interest na lang ang binabayaran natin at hindi yung kapital kaya masaya si Bombay na nangongolekta ng kanyang pautang. Hindi masama ang mangutang basta alam natin kung paano i-disiplina ang sarili sa pagbabayad. Lagi natin babantayan yung interest na binabayad natin at wag magfocus sa perang hiniram. Minsan kasi kapag andyan na ang pera eh sige lang tayo kahit magkano ang interest, tapos sa bandang huli dun na sumasakit ang ulo natin kung paano mababayaran.

Isa pang dapat tandaan natin palagi ang concept ng "Good Debt" at "Bad Debt". Kapag sinabi mong "Good Debt", ito yung mangungutang ka ng pera sa bangko o sa kaibigan mo tapos gagamitin mo pang-negosyo. Ngayon, yung perang kinita ng negosyo mo ang ipambabayad mo sa halagang nautang. Nakapagbayad ka na, may kinita ka pa ng wala ka namang nailabas na pera. Ito yung technique kung saan nagpapasok ka ng pera sa wallet mo ng hindi galing sayo ang kapital o puhunan. Simpleng idea ito kung paano tayo makakapag-generate ng income sa perang hiniram o inutang natin. "Bad Debt" naman ang tawag sa perang hinihiram o inuutang mo pero pinambibili mo lang ng mga luho o pinang-gigimik mo lang. Parang nag-igib ka tapos natapon lang ang tubig na laman ng balde mo kaya ngayon kelangan mo yun palitan at paghirapan na punuin ulit. Ang isang halimbawa nito ay ang credit card, kapag ginamit natin pambili ng kung anu-anong mga kagamitan na hindi naman nagbabalik ng value o pera sa atin eh maituturing natin itong "Bad Debt", kasi binabaon lang tayo sa utang. (Continuation: Pinoy Self-help Investing No.7)

Go the Extra Mile!

Bo Sanchez - Spiritual preacher and Motivational speaker.

Ralph Marston - Go ahead and get it done, Don't waste your effort worrying about what you have not done. Spend your time working on what you now can do.

It's amazing how much you can accomplish when your heart is in it. Drop the doubts, self-criticisms, and anxieties, and positively put your heart into what you're doing.

Enjoy the delicious feeling of making real progress based on your own focused efforts. Have fun watching yourself accomplish as you complete each task.

Taking effective, meaningful action will put you in a positive frame of mind. And that will open the door to many great new possibilities.

Go beyond wondering about it, or thinking it through, or planning for it. Just go ahead and get it done.

Choose your destiny and delight in the fulfilling effort that makes it happen. You can do it, and now is when.

How to Create Your Own Happiness

Norman Vincent Peale - Inspirational writer of a generation

How to Create Your Own Happiness, Who decides whether you shall be happy or unhappy? The answer - you do!

A television celebrity had as a guest on his program an aged man. And he was a very rare old man indeed. His remarks were entirely unpremeditated and of course absolutely unrehearsed.

They simply bubbled up out of a personality that was radiant and happy. And whenever he said anything, it was so naive, so apt, that the audience roared with laughter. They loved him. The celebrity was impressed, and enjoyed it with the others.

Finally he asked the old man why he was so happy. "You must have a wonderful secret of happiness," he suggested.

"No," replied the old man, "I haven't any great secret. It's just as plain as the nose on your face. When I get up in the morning," he explained, "I have two choices - either to be happy or to be unhappy, and what do you think I do? I just choose to be happy, and that's all there is to it."

That may seem an oversimplification, and it may appear that the old man was superficial, but I recall that Abraham Lincoln, whom nobody could accuse of being superficial, said that people were just about as happy as they made up their minds to be. You can be unhappy if you want to be. It is the easiest thing in the world to accomplish. Just choose unhappiness. Go around telling yourself that things aren't going well, that nothing is satisfactory, and you can be quite sure of being unhappy. But say to yourself, "Things are going nicely. Life is good. I choose happiness," and you can be quite certain of having your choice.

Forget Everybody

Bill FitzPatrick - Founder of the "American Success Institute".

Action Principle No.35 >> Forget Everybody, Not everybody wants to do business with you. Not everybody wants to be your friend. Not everybody wants world peace. Not everybody wants to work hard. Not everybody wants to be president.

Not everybody is smart enough to be a rocket scientist. Not everybody is fast enough to run in the Olympics. Who is helped by pretending otherwise?

Trying to accomodate everybody is a trap. It can't be done. Be yourself. People know their own problems better than you do. Not everybody will listen to reason or even act in his or her own best interest. You can.