WE EACH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO DO SOMETHING BEYOND OUR WILDEST IMAGINATION, AS LONG AS WE’RE PREPARED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN ON ANY GIVEN MOMENT OF OUR LIVES.

How to Create Momentum

Momentum is needed to feel growth and existence when you have a career. Believe me, a career is not just a job. You can have many jobs... or experiences. But all these adds up to your the building of your career, what you want in your life. That to some people is happiness and satisfaction.

Here is the formula to the creation of momentum:

Momentum=Goals + Attitude, Skill Set, Action and Network

1. Determine what you want
2. Approach each task with that goal in mind
3. Gain knowledge on how to accomplish it
4. Get in motion - means action and not sit your your butt
5. Surround yourself with people who supports you and are liked mind

Never surrender to circumstances. There’s always another path to discover or create.

Let's Blame God For Our Mistakes

Today as I thought about why people like to blame God for the world’s crap that is going on, makes me angry at the stupidity of intelligent men. Men who think they are scientist and intelligent beings. How could someone so intelligent be so idiotic?

The common question is if God is so powerful and so wonderful, why did he make little kids die? Or cause a holocaust? Or war? Etc.?

These kinds of unthinking questions make the mind so lazy. Just think again… How come men do not accept responsibilities for their own actions? If people choose to be evil and take that path of greed that destroys humanity, then blame people and their actions. Why throw your hands up to heaven and say… oh why did God permit this to happen? The question is why are not men fighting back for their cause when injustice is done to them? Why can’t men use their brains to negotiate a peace treaty? Why are people not doing something instead of sitting on their asses?

God gives us choices; we decide where we want our lives to be. To reach a certain goal, we must do things that build the foundation so that we can reach that destination. We cannot control unforeseen circumstance, but we can prepare for it, to prevent it or to let it happen and learn from the situation. If there is a roadblock ahead, take another way that is the path of least resistance.

Do we really know where we are going in life? Or are we just scattered and wondering aimlessly, following people because we do not know the way…

Maybe we should ask ourselves, what is our purpose in life? What do we want to do in our last days? What kind of lifestyle do we want to have? How do we want to be remembered when we are gone?

Sometimes, we need to stop and ask ourselves why we are doing this job? Why are we being so intolerance to another person? Instead of blaming others, as we cannot change them, how about taking the responsibility and say what can I does that will make a difference in other people’s life?

At Work
What can I do that will add value to the company? (global thinking)

What can I do to make my boss life easier?
By taking the initiative to do better that what my boss expect, to make my boss/department look good and achieving the goals and objective that is set in a successful way, resulting in fruitful results.

What can I do to make my direct report’s life better? How can I be a better leader of example? How can I add value to each employee growth?

At Home
How can I make my relationship be stronger with my kids and spouse?
How can I initiate independence so things can run while I am not around?
How can I be a good influence?
What can I do to satisfy or help my spouse or family make life easier and not stress out?
How can I improve myself so that I can be better at helping others or the situation?

Within us
Do I give enough time to my reflections and meditation?
Am I moving at 200 miles per hr. that I neglect to take care of myself?
Am I eating the right food that to get the right nutrition for my body?
Am I getting the right exercise so that my body is circulating in a healthy way?
Am I learning and reading enough so that I can improve and share the knowledge?
How can I continue to be a blessing to others?
How can I be wiser?
How can I be a good influence to others?
Am I giving freely and not selfishly?

Life is about scheduling and prioritizing. Do this well and you can get a balance life. For life is always a fine balance.

The Secret of Health and Mind

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

- Buddha


Timeless Quotes From the Buddha from Gerald Penilla on Vimeo.

Design Philosophy

I cannot understand why a painting should look exactly like a photograph. If it has to be, then there must be elements that are unusual enough to arouse the curiosity.

Wisdom- What does it mean?

Rigor Are The Secrets of Creativity ...
Wisdom means so many different things to many people. Wisdom is life experiences that you share with others that is inspiring and doing something about it to make a difference.

Energy Transference

I believe that we, our DNA are made up of our ancestors and generations before that. Just think about it...

As such, we have the power to choose all the best things that are given to us and use it to our best ability to live in this world. Life and all the experiences, good or bad are a learning curve. Happiness is to be cherished. Hurt needs to be healed and learned. Anger needs to be recognized and dissipated. Joy is to be celebrated. Deceit needs to be confronted and understood. Excitement needs to be exacerbated and watched. We all have the range of emotions and we do have the power to control and influence the negative or positive emotion.

Our parents have a great influence on who we are. If our parents make many comments that we are stupid, we will grow up thinking we are stupid and insecure. Or we may reject it totally and go the other way. If our parents show uncontrollable anger in the family, we could think it is also alright to do so and grow up applying that behavior to others. All these negative emotions/ energies have a way to manifest itself and contaminate others. It may not be in our earlier life but it may happen later, perhaps with a significant other... that too could be affecting us. If they have a negative impact on us... we need to recognize it, go against it, stop it or move away from it.

Both energies negative and positive are contagious. It is better to let the positive energy flow to others because that will impact work, life, relationships, the economy and the world. Negativity will only cause destruction unhappiness and wasted lives.

I did not fully understand the laws of attraction until I met this very incredible thinker and philosopher. Now I believe that it has been around but I just don't know or understand it. The laws of attraction will attract whatever state of mood/energy we are in. It could be attracting people who have the same energy or people that need help.

Meeting people of like energy, re-enforce the manifestations, like recharging batteries. Meeting people that need your energy is more of a giving process, when you are aware of their needs, give it selflessly. Meeting people that take your energy leaves you tired, drained and depressed. This is unwelcoming. We all have these kinds of energies within us... yet again, we can control these manifestations and become who we really are and need to be. There is too much negativity out there. We need to strive for the positive and be better persons, bringing the best versions in others and yourselves.

All these energies can be shown in mindful actions and words. It is as simple and obvious as that. Hard to do but not impossible through striving and being mindful.

It is being conscious of what we say and do. Thinking and reflecting, slow to speak and listening more intently. We are all very special and many ways. We do not need to downplay others or show them up to make ourselves feel good. We need to appreciate who we are because we are made differently and are special. Don't ever forget that. You are powerful and wonderful. Celebrate you, today and every day. Then give back, to show appreciation to others, to recognize that no matter how bad people are, they too, have a special quality in them that is hidden because it has not been discovered yet as they have been inflicted by too much negative baggage from others.

Cast out that negative carp that your loved one has inflicted on you as a child or as an adult and focus on being the best versions of yourself.  And No you do not like being with angry drama queens/kings. That is a bad habit that should be shed away.

Teaching Art to Kids

This week I had the opportunity to teach art to 10 interesting "at risk"children at the Touchdown Camp for 3 days. "At Rick" means children that came from broken homes, poor and unfortunate. You see all kinds of personalities from the quiet, to the boisterous, the mischievous, the mean, the bully, the sweet and those who really wanted to learn. Age range is 6 -12 years old.

I discovered that teaching kids was more of a challenge than adults. My first day was to lecture on lines and shapes that makes everything you see on this planet. The second and third day was to learn about the different styles of different artists; Rambrant, Valeques, Ruben, Vermeer, Monet, Miro, Rivera and Kahlo. Music of different periods and culture.

It is suppose to be simple... and I was going to give a short presentation and let them do the exercise later. However, I notice that their attention span is only 5 minutes and they get really rowdy and disturbed the other children who wanted to learn more. At first I could not identify the ring leader, but then I noticed that one of them will influence a couple of boys to his way of behavior by provoking the other children to a reaction, then fight,  joke and laugh. But I know he was trying to disrupt the class by wanting to do his own thing. I wonder why that is? Maybe a cry for attention! Another boy was also trying to become the other alpha male. This is an amazing discovery. It is the animal kingdom once more.

This is a challenging discovery for me, as this class is not just a simple art class but is also a psychological war game. I realized that some of these kids does not want to be here. One of them is very intelligent and cry out for attention. And another one, just wanted to do his own thing. Maybe they needed to be challenged as were older. I was discovering that when children get bored, they would have already absorbed the learning process or simply want to be disruptive as they are bored.

When I asked a question who would you like to draw this card for... any love ones? The 4 older boys said themselves, which could mean that they see themselves self reliant and maybe discover that they need to love themselves to survive? One of them said their uncle and two said moms. No one said fathers. One boy did not even care what was going on, tore the card up and just sat there the whole time.

Then there are two girls who have potential and the real ability to draw, one who already knows about Frida Kahlo. I think she maybe 9 or 10 years old. She is amazing and she got the gift. The other girl who is quieter has the ability, she does not talk much but she has the skill.

The rest of the kids are still in discovery as they are introverts and needed to be discovered much more.

To get a better learning experience, children with different level of intelligence should be taught at a different capacity to either move up in the learning curve or catch up as compared to the norm.

I believe each of them learn something the past 3 days. It is reflected in the art the next day. They could not let go of Miro's style of drawing. They even remembered the symbols and drew it in their cards. They asked questions about Kahlo's paintings. Some say that that do not like classical period as it is for the old.

What an incredible experience for a 3 day class. One could do so much with more days. I salute all teachers and love them dearly!

25 Lessons Learned from Steve Jobs

Jobs has paved a powerful path of innovation, excellence, passion, and prosperity and has modeled a way of leadership that’s all his own.  Here are some of the key lessons we learn from his journey:

1. Beginners don’t have baggage. The lightness of a beginner frees up creativity.  Steve says, “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.”
2. Be bold. Life’s brief, then you’re gone.  Steve says, “Life is brief, and then you die, you know?”
3. Be what’s next.  Don’t chase after what you missed.  Instead, figure out what the next big thing.  Steve says, “If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it’s worth — and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago.”
4. Design by committee doesn’t work.   You can’t arbitrate your way into a great design.  Take it from Jobs, “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
5. Design is more than veneer. Design is a multi-layered thing.  It’s a lot more than just veneer.  Steve says, “In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.”
6. Don’t live someone else’s life. Live YOUR life.  Steve says, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
7. Drive to do great things.  It’s your ambition, passion, and drive that will take you places you never dreamed possible.  Don’t worry about impressing others.  Impress yourself.
8. Excellence is a way of life Steve finds the art in life and the beauty in engineering.  He sets a higher bar.  Steve says, “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”  Jobs also says, “We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life.”
9. Get out of the way for the moving force. The ones doing the work are the moving force. Steve says, “The people who are doing the work are the moving force behind the Macintosh. My job is to create a space for them, to clear out the rest of the organization and keep it at bay.”
10. If they fall in love with the company, everything else takes care of itself.  The real secret to taking care of the company is hiring people that fall in love with the company.  Steve says, “When I hire somebody really senior, competence is the ante. They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me is, are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself. They’ll want to do what’s best for Apple, not what’s best for them, what’s best for Steve, or anybody else.”
11. It better be worth it. If you’re going to put your life force into it, then the journey has to be worth it.  Steve says, “And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”
12. It’s not the money.  It’s the impact.   Make people’s lives better.  Leave the world a better place.  Steve says, “I was worth over $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over $10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.”  Jobs also says, “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”
13. It’s the crazy ones who change the world. Think differently.  Don’t be afraid to be different. It’s the crazy ones who change the world.  The crazy ones change the world. The ones who think they are crazy enough to change the world, are the ones who do it. It’ not crazy, it’s genius.
14. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.  You don’t buy your way through innovation.  Innovation is a by-product of leading great people.  Steve says, “Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.”
15. Make people great.  It’s tough love.  Steve says, “My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better.”
16. Perseverance pays off.   Steve says, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
17. Put your heart and soul into it.  Don’t just go through the motions.  If it’s really worth doing, then it’s worth doing really well.  Steve says, “I think the key thing is that we’re not all terrified at the same time. I mean, we do put our heart and soul into these things.”
18. Pick your priorities carefully.   So no to the hundred other good ideas.  Steve says, “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”
19. Simplicity wins. It’s about power and simplicity.  Steve says, ““We’ve gone through the operating system and looked at everything and asked how can we simplify this and make it more powerful at the same time.”
20. Talent is a huge multiplier. In the book, The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation , Jay Elliot and William Simon write that Steve Jobs would say, “great engineers are a huge multiplier.” They also write that a lesson they learned from Steve is, “One of the greatest things about finding good people is that they become your best recruiters. They are the people most likely to know others who have the same values and sense of style that you and they themselves do.”
21. Take responsibility for the complete user experience. Don’t take a piecemeal approach to user experience.  It’s not about a bunch of beautiful parts …it’s about the end-to-end experience.  Steve says, “Our DNA is as a consumer company – for that individual customer who’s voting thumbs up or thumbs down. That’s who we think about. And we think that our job is to take responsibility for the complete user experience. And if it’s not up to par, it’s our fault, plain and simply.”
22. What you don’t do defines you as much as what you do. Steve says, “I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.”  In the article, “Think Different”: The Ad Campaign that Restored Apple’s Reputation, Tom Hormby writes, “Amelio had reduced 350 projects to 50, and Jobs cut that number down to 10. He turned Apple’s convoluted (and often overlapping) product line into a simple product matrix.”
23. You have nothing to lose. Follow your heart. Avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.  Steve says, “Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
24. You just might be right, even if nobody listens to you. Just because nobody listens to you doesn’t mean you’re wrong.  Steve says, “You know, I’ve got a plan that could rescue Apple. I can’t say any more than that it’s the perfect product and the perfect strategy for Apple. But nobody there will listen to me.”
25. Your brand is your most valuable asset.  It’s what you stand for.  It’s the attributes that people think of or feel when they think of you.  It’s the perception and the aura.  Steve says, “Our brand is the most – or at least one of the most – valuable things we have going for us now.”

It Just Is...

People come into your life for a reason; A season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do with that Person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real, however only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson. 

Love the person and put what you have learned to use, in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Live Today, Plan For Tomorrow

I recently know of my brother's good friend who passed away in an automobile accident, leaving a wife and 2 small kids behind. How very sad and unfortunate that this has happened. It makes me think that life is so precious and short. What are we doing now that is worthwhile and how are we to be remembered? What have we achieved in our past and what can we do now to improve things, relationships, help people and make the world a better place? For the future... we will never know, but we can certainly plan ahead wisely.

In the simplest form of how we speak to each other, to make good friends, improving ourselves to the best versions that we all can be. Having this thought is the first step how we can take on the world, making it a better place by being better people.

To me, time is very precious. Even as I am blogging now, I hope that my thoughts will encourage someone, to get out of their self-imposing mode and to reach out there, experiencing what can be, the possibilities and new experiences. The drive to kick the old habits, the drive not to be addicted to anything, to be free of crap. Gather your strength and make a sound decision to improve what you need to do. And JUST DO IT.

Be thankful that we are living today and be grateful for yet another tomorrow. Start Now for there is no more time to waste.

Corporate TIp

There are three main reasons most strategies in business fail to get executed:

1) The people primarily charged with execution (employees) have little or no buy-in to the strategy

2) Employees buy-in however they don’t know precisely who they need to be and what they need to do to fulfill their piece of the execution puzzle

3) Employees are insufficiently appreciated when they do well and/or poorly held to account when their performance is less than agreed it will be Most companies spend somewhere between 1% and 3% of their annual revenues on training.

Change cannot be force- it needs to be influenced. How?
By knowing what is the needs are of the individual. People are influenced by what benefits them the most. Or what they need or what they want for themselves or for others.

Persistence

If you have the passion, all obstacles can be overcome!

Fearless

The x-Mayor of East Palo Alto was just telling the story about Martin Luther King... He was a teenager when he was working with Martin. He told me when one meets Martin, he has a fearless demeanor.

I thought about this for a long time and it is true. To be fearless and not to be bogged down by opinions of others, to be aware that other people's fear is not your own... , some people are fearful... and they put their fears on you so that you are influenced and be in fear too. It is important to do what is true to what you believe, and just go do whatever that will lead you to a good cause.

When others say no, just think about it a little more. They may have their own agenda and prevent you from doing what you need to do. BE FEARLESS, JUST ASK and be PERSISTENT. It's either a no or yes.

Be That Inspiration

One way to be inspired is to have the attitude of wanting to be inspired. Then your energy will direct you to be drawn to books, friends, pictures, movies that help you achieve that positive mental attitude. It will be a glow to yourself and others too. You are what you think. I strongly believe it!

There are a couple of etched stones in my favorite areas of the room that says love, dream, hope and peace. These are important words to me and I live by it. You got to be true to yourself before you can actually give back to others. To understand, to see the overall importance, to keep your stance, to be of influence, to bring the best versions of others and yourself. These are all important traits of living a rich and fulfilling life.

Be the leader that sees the strength of others, encourage that change to be a positive experience. A direction that will make a difference to people's lives and improvements of how we live. Make the words you say, mindful and meaningful to others... bring them up, encourage and motivate. For I believe that people are so full of talents and strength, they just don't realized it. We are capable of so much if we just let it out. We have been bogged down by the insecurities of others and the power play that we do not see the great potential within us. Realized who you are and take your potential to the next step!

Learn, Live and Laugh!

To be Inspired the Right Way

How to make a difference in the world is to be a leader who begins with a good intend. More with Jacueline Novogratz.

Jack Dorsey

3 Keys to Twitter's Success

Jack Dorsey: 3 Keys to Twitter's Success from 99% on Vimeo.

Choices That Shape Your Life

Wherever you are in life or business is a result of the choices you have made.
While there are outside forces that create setbacks, it is still your choice as to how you will respond to those incidents that determine whether or not you climb forward or fall behind.

The Choice to Grow

Growth is not automatic. You must choose to remain teachable, to work hard on yourself. When you choose not to grow, or have an attitude that you know everything, you become stale, arrogant and will plateau.

The Choice to Give

Giving your time, expertise and resources without expecting anything in return is an unselfish choice. The world needs more givers. Amazingly enough, when you focus more on the wants and needs of others more of your own wants and needs are met.

 The Choice to Listen

One of the best ways to build a connection with others is to listen to them. Take the focus off yourself and focus on the other person. This draws others to you because you place importance on others.

When you choose to do all the talking, you rarely build strong, or sustainable relationships. You are a turn-off and people will avoid you.

The Choice to Make a Difference

Making a difference by adding value to others is a choice. Similar to its cousin, giving, making a difference goes a step further by causing you to leave others and the world better than you found it. It goes beyond crossing the finish line by yourself and causes you to bring others across the line with you. On the other hand, when you choose to live in a selfish world, absorbed only with your own problems, after you die, it will be as though you never lived. You added value to nothing and impacted no one.

The Choice to Take Care of Your Health

It is said that your body is your temple, but many people treat it like an outhouse. On the way to get more and more, they sell out one key thing that money cannot buy: Physical well-being.

Make no mistake about it: Exercising or not, is a choice. Putting the donut in your mouth or not is a choice. The same going for smoking or drinking. The earlier life you decide to develop the discipline to live a healthy lifestyle, the better your health is in the long run.

Life is all about the choices you choose to make that shape who and what you are.

Inspire To Innovate: Eric Lindell

“In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.” — Eric Liddell

“We are all missionaries. Wherever we go we either bring people nearer to Christ or we repel them from Christ.”
— Eric Liddell 

 

Eric Henry Liddell was born on the 16th January 1902 in Tientsin (Tianjin) in North China, second son of the Rev & Mrs James Dunlop Liddell who were missionaries with the London Mission Society. He was educated from 1908 to 1920 at Eltham College, Blackheath, a school for the sons of missionaries. Eric, with his older brother Rob, were left at their boarding school while their parents and sister Jenny returned to China.

During the boys’ time at Eltham College their parents, sister and new brother Ernest came home on furlough two or three times and were able to be together as a family - mainly living in Edinburgh.

In 1920, Eric joined his brother Rob at Edinburgh University to read for a BSc in Pure Science. He graduated after the Paris Olympiad in 1924.

Athletics and rugby played a large part in Eric’s University life. He ran in the 100 yards and the 220 yards for Edinburgh University and later for Scotland. He played rugby for Edinburgh University and in 1922 played in seven Scottish Internationals with A. L. Gracie.

As a result of having insufficient time for both running and rugby he chose the former, aiming for the 100 metres in the Paris Olympics. When he learned that the heats were to be run on a Sunday, he switched to the 400 metre competition as he was not prepared to run on that day. Being a godly man he dedicated Sunday to the Lord and in extreme dedication to Him he would not make any exceptions to the rule. He won a gold medal for the 400 metres and a bronze medal for the 200 metres at the Paris Olympics.

After the Olympics and his graduation he returned to North China where he served as a missionary from 1925 to 1943 - first in Tientsin (Tianjin) and later in Siaochang. During his first furlough (1932) he was ordained as a minister. On his return to China he married Florence Mackenzie (of Canadian missionary parentage) in Tientsin (1934). They had three daughters, Patricia, Heather and Maureen, who now all live in Canada.

Living in China in the 1930s was potentially very dangerous and in 1937 when Eric was sent to Siaochang where he joined his brother Rob. He was now crossing the Japanese Army lines.

In 1941 life in China was becoming so dangerous that the British Government advised British nationals to leave. Florence and the children left for Canada. During 1941 - 1943 Eric stayed in Tientsin, then in 1943 he was interned in Weishien Camp until his death in 1945.