Wednesday, February 16, 2005

1. Just go ahead
Don't worry that there's not enough time. Just get started and go from there.

Don't worry that it won't be perfect. Just get going and give it your very best.

Don't be concerned about what others may think. Just go ahead and do what you know is
best, what you know is right for you.

Don't be discouraged when you encounter obstacles. Just work your way diligently through
each one.

Don't give up when the first attempt does not work out. Just learn from your mistakes and
get going again.

There will always be plenty of excuses for not taking action, yet to achieve you must choose
to look beyond those excuses. Just go ahead and get it done.

2. Choice of attitude
Your attitude is not something you're stuck with forever. You can change it whenever you
wish.

Your attitude does not define you. It does, however, represent you to the rest of the world.

Your attitude does not determine who you are. It does, however, determine what you can
accomplish.

Your attitude is not the inevitable result of events that happen to you or circumstances that
surround you. It is, instead, based on the way you choose to respond to the events and
circumstances in your life.

You can choose an attitude that will open your eyes to the valuable possibilities. You can
choose an attitude that will attract success and accomplishment to you like a magnet.

No matter what has happened in the past or where you are now, you are free to choose
whatever attitude you wish. So choose, in every moment, a positive, empowering attitude.

For that will always serve you best.

3. Real success
There are as many definitions of success as there are people who pursue it. Real success is
what feels right to you, what you know in your heart that it is.

If you have to compromise your most deeply held values to achieve success, that isn't
success. If you have to make yourself miserable to achieve success, that isn't success.
Real success comes from bringing to life the best of who you are. It has nothing to do with
acquiring trinkets or exercising power over others.

Real success comes when you use each moment to express a purpose that is uniquely you.
Success is a gift you work to give rather than a position you strive to attain.

You can never be happy by accumulating things you don't truly cherish, no matter how
many of them you may have. Happiness is yours when you simply let it be, with no
conditions and no requirements.

Move on past the disappointment that comes from following a dream that is not yours. Be
the best of who you are, and live the joy of real success.

4. You have now

You are here and you have now. What are you going to do with it?

Will you fill it with guilt and regret over past mistakes? Or will you use it as an opportunity
to move positively beyond previous disappointments?

Will you fill this moment with worries about problems and difficult challenges on the
horizon? Or will you use it as an opportunity to grow stronger and prepare yourself for
successfully dealing with whatever may come?

You have now to work with. You have now to live, to enjoy, to love and to learn.

Now is when you can get busy on the things you've been meaning to do. Now is a fresh new
chance to live with powerful positive purpose.

Now is everything you have to work with. When you live it fully, it is more than enough.

5. Enjoyment

Life is made enjoyable not by certain people, activities or circumstances. Life is enjoyable
when you decide to enjoy it.

And that can be any time, at any place, with or without anyone else. Whether the moment
is quiet or noisy, bright or dark, peaceful or frenzied, you can decide to enjoy.

Enjoyment is much more than just a pleasant experience. Enjoyment adds power and
effectiveness to whatever you're doing.

When you're enjoying life, you become better at it. Enjoyment makes you more focused,
more committed, and more inspired.

Enjoyment connects you to the best that is within you. And it shows in the results you get.

Even when there's no good reason to enjoy where you are, enjoyment is its own best
reason. So choose to enjoy, and delight in the real value it brings.
 6. Dive deeply
At first glance, this day may appear to be just like all the rest that have come before. In
fact, it may even look a little dreary.

Take time, though, to look more closely. And you'll discover a world of rich and beautiful
treasures that you might never have imagined.

On the surface, the person you just met may seem completely ordinary. Yet when you make
the effort to truly know that person, you'll find a unique and fascinating individual.

At first, the things you have to do today may appear to be tedious and boring. Yet when you
put the best of yourself into each task, you'll find them to be richly rewarding.

Though the surface of life may have a certain sameness, beneath that surface is a vast and
inexhaustible richness. In the ordinary moments you'll find truly extraordinary opportunities
for lasting fulfillment.

Look lovingly and dive deeply into what life brings your way. There's no end to the real
value you'll discover.

7. Almost there
Even when it seems that you're not making progress, you most likely are. The biggest
breakthroughs often come after a long period of being stuck.

If you're making a focused, determined effort, then you are making positive progress, even
if you can't see it yet. Keep going, for the breakthrough will come.

It is impossible to create value without receiving value in return. Keep working to create
value, and the value you seek will come to you in time.

Your next bit of effort may be what finally makes everything start falling into place. You
may already be so close to the goal that you can almost touch it.

Keep going, for your efforts will pay off. Keep on acting with purpose, with focus and
commitment.

The path to the top of the mountain of accomplishment will grow steeper as you near the
summit. When the going gets difficult, keep going, for it means you're almost there.

8. The difference you make

You'll rarely be able to make things perfect. Yet you can always make things better.

You'll never be able to improve the past. Yet you can always improve right now.

Get in the habit of adding value to each moment. And those moments you enhance will
soon add value to all that is around you.
Get in the habit of being a positive influence on the people you encounter. And bit by bit,
your world will become a more beautiful, loving place.

The difference you make will make a difference for you and all that surrounds you. The love
you give adds over and over again to the love with which your life is filled.

Use your time, your energy, your resources and creativity to produce a real and positive
difference in life. It is the best investment you can make.

9. And you can

The unexpected will happen today, and you can adapt. Complications will arise, and you can
work through them.

Opportunities will appear, and you can make the most of them. Challenges will threaten to
hold you back, and you can find your way beyond them.

Some of your efforts will bring desired results, and you can build on that success. Other
efforts will not work out, and you can learn from what went wrong.

There will be setbacks, and you can let them make you more determined. There will be
victories, and you can put what you've gained into the next effort.

Life will be filled with ups and downs, chances to move forward and times when you fall and
must pick yourself back up. When you give your best to each moment, regardless of what
that moment may bring, there is no limit to what can be achieved.

And you can. If you will.

10. You are not your problems

The more you identify yourself with the problems that face you, the more difficult it will be
for you to get past them. If your whole identity is wrapped up in your limitations, how can
you ever be free of them?

There is a part of you that exists beyond every problem, beyond every limitation. Let that
part of you dominate your thoughts, your words, and your actions.

Though you will certainly experience problems, don't allow those problems to define who
you are. Operate from a level that is above all the problems, for it is from that perspective
that you'll successfully transcend them all.

If you think of yourself as a loser, that is what you'll always be. Yet when you think of
yourself as a winner who is experiencing some difficult challenges, you're sure to work your
way successfully past those challenges.

See yourself not as a person who has problems, but as a person who creates value out of
difficult situations. See the challenges and limitations not as permanent parts of you, but as
stepping stones on the path to the fulfillment of your greatest dreams.
You are not your problems and they are not you. You can choose to express your own
unique value no matter what your circumstances may be.

11. Get busy

You can wait and wish and hope for everything in life to be perfect. Or you can get busy
making things better and better.

You can complain that life is unfair, and lament that the best in life has passed you by. Or
you can get busy and make the very best of your life.

You can compile a big list of all the things you don't have. Or you can get busy and make
full use of the good and valuable things you do have.

You can worry that there's not enough time to get everything done. Or you can get busy
doing what you can with the time you have available.

You can let the setbacks and disappointments get you down. Or you can get busy filling
your efforts with enthusiasm and positive determination.

You can sit and watch as life happens around you. Or you can get busy and make your life
into something great.

12. Experience life

You put a lot of energy and effort into living. So on a regular basis, take time to fully
experience your life and the world in which you live.

Spend some time that has no purpose other than to take in all the richness of which you're
a part. Let go, for a while, of the need to analyze, to criticize, to judge and react.

Allow your thoughts to be still. Feel the wonder, the goodness, the beauty of simply being,
and knowing that you are.

Experience life, not in order to gain any advantage or to impress someone. Experience life
because the depth of its richness has no limit.

The more fully you experience and appreciate life, the more you'll find yourself needing less
and having more. Experience life, and you'll clearly see how truly rich you already are.

Life is a gift so precious that it has no equal. Experience life, and give that gift to yourself
and others.

13. Reflecting back

This day will reflect back to you the thoughts and feelings you have about how it is going.
The world will reflect back to you the expectations you have of how it will be.
The people you encounter will reflect your attitude back to you. The situations you come
across will reflect your own perspective back to you.

The shortcomings you notice in others are reflecting similar things within yourself. The
beauty you see around you is a reflection of the beauty that is a part of you.

The problems you encounter out there can be most effectively addressed by first
considering what they reflect within you. The opportunities out there can best be grasped by
first connecting with the part of you that they reflect.

Be your best, and life will be too. Live with integrity, a generous spirit, a positive
enthusiasm, and the world will reflect it all back to you.

What you experience is a reflection of who you are. Nurture the value and goodness inside
you, and the reflection will be magnificent indeed.

14. Go one better

What's a great way to get beyond a bad experience? Create a good experience of equal or
greater significance.

When something bad happens to you, it can continue to take its toll even long after the
original damage is done. In the absence of anything else to focus on, you're likely to
continue to dwell on it and allow it to put a negative spin on everything in your life.

And what happens when you try not to think about it? The very effort involved in trying not
to think about the bad experience will probably make you think about it even more.

There is, however, a very effective way out. And that is to create a new experience so
overwhelmingly positive and memorable that it takes over the primary focus of your
thoughts.

Put your imagination and creativity to work. Think of how you can be especially good to
yourself, to those around you, and to the world in which you live.

Respond quickly to the negative experiences by creating even greater positive experiences.
It's a habit that will add extraordinary richness and serenity to life.

15. You did

There have been situations in your life that you thought you would never get through. And
yet, you did.

There have been challenges you faced that you thought you would never overcome. And
yet, you did.

There have been losses you've suffered that you thought you would never be able to get
beyond. And yet, you did.
For you are here today, stronger, wiser, more experienced and more knowledgeable as a
result of it all. Though the road has had its rough spots, you've successfully made your way
along it.

There will certainly be more rough spots ahead, and there may even be some particularly
difficult ones right now. So it pays, every now and then, to look back and remember that
even though you thought you wouldn't get through, you did.

And perhaps, if you think about it, you'll see that there's really never any reason to doubt
yourself. For when life challenged you to make your way through, you did.

And now, even more importantly, you will.

16. A positive attitude

Will a positive attitude solve all your problems? No, but it can open your eyes to the
valuable opportunities within even the most difficult situations.

Will a positive attitude make you rich and powerful? No, but it will serve as a constant
reminder that you can achieve whatever you choose to achieve.

Is a positive attitude a way to escape from reality? No, in fact a positive attitude is a very
powerful and effective way to successfully deal with reality.

Will a positive attitude magically bring into your life all the things you desire? No, but it can
enable you to see and to follow the very real path from where you are now to where you
want to be.

Will a positive attitude bring you any new energy or resources? No, but it will give you
vastly greater access to the overwhelming abundance that is already yours.

Do you want to fully live the best that life has to offer? A positive attitude will enable you to
see it, so that you can be it.

17. Not what they say

You are not what they say you are, and you are not even what they think you are. You are
who you choose to be.

You are the way you choose to live, to speak, to think, to wonder and to wander. You are
what you are most profoundly thankful for, and what you love.

You have no obligation to meet anyone else's expectations. Yet you have a serious
obligation to yourself and to life, to set your own expectations beyond even the reaches of
imagination.

There is no need and no reason to be intimidated. Live so that what might have previously
intimidated you will instead begin to inspire you.
This life you have is nothing short of a miracle. What you do with it today, tomorrow, every
little moment, is up to you.

So choose wisely, and remember that in all things you do have a choice. Choose as if your
life depends on it, for it does.

18. Trust yourself

Trust yourself to love what you truly love. Have plenty of confidence to say what you really
want to say.

Life is too precious to always be asking permission. Go ahead and live your authentic
purpose in every thing, in every moment.

Have faith in what impassions you. Go with what you know is good and right, energizing
and empowering.

Anyone else's mere opinion about you is that person's concern, not yours. Trust in your
unique worth and beauty, for they are absolutely there.

Be endlessly curious and joyously delighted about whatever you care about. Let yourself be
fascinated by the special, sparkling gems of life that catch your eye.

You already know how to live richly. Trust yourself, and do it.

19. Challenge yourself

Go beyond what you know you can do. And just like that, you’ll know you can do more.

Go beyond again, and again. Grow past the limitations you’ve imagined, a little bit at a
time.

Challenge yourself, and then do what it takes to meet the challenge. As you feel your
strength increasing, reolve to add it through your own efforts.

The way to have real confidence is to build it. Everyday is your opportunity to make yourself
more confident, competent and effective.

The skills and abilities that seem out of reach are really just a number of steps awat.
Challenge yourself toward them, and with each effort you move closer.

Push yourself beyond the familiar, beyond the comfortable, and into a higher level of ability.
Feel the unique joy of breaking through your limitations again and again.

20. who you can become

What you truly desire is indeed possible. If it were not possible, you could not have the
genuine desire for it.
Your true desire is not there to taunt you or to frustrate you. Its purpose is to point out your
attention, your effort, and your energy in a clear, specific worthwhile direction.

The desires that demand the most from you are the ones that end up being the most
valuable. For those desires compel you to discover nd fulfill who you truly are.

It is not easy to transform a desire into reality. And that is one reason you desire it, to
encourage you to get it done.

Its not easy, yet it is possible. And in pursuing your most desired possibilities, you more
fully become the unique and valuable person you are.

Listen to your highest desires, see them, feel them and bring them to life, in those desires
you’ll discover who you can become.

20

R-responsible
Mamila, I have always looked up to you because of you handle your responsibilities. High
school pa lang ta, you are always willing to do the task assigned to you bahala magka-unsa samut
na daun sa college and most of all, you know how to handle pressures. I don’t know how you do
it but it’s something I find amazing about you. Now you’re 18, realize that you are responsible
for your life and for the world around you.

Responsibility is not some burden that is arranged upon you. On the contrary,
it is a powerful and effective tool for moving your whole world in the direction
you choose.

Invest your awareness, attention, effort and commitment in the responsibility

that is yours. And enjoy the dividends that come from truly making a
difference in the world.

Zimple
Lisoda pd aning Z ui. Wala nmn ko lain mahuna-huna-an. Zimple nlng. Hapit rmn pd. Haha! Ingon nila
mamila, “Zimplicity is beauty.” Pero para sa ako, “Zimplicity is RA, therefore RA is beautiful.” Eeeeeht!
Haha! Gwapa akong mamila kay birthday niya karun. Hahaha! Bitaw mamila, isa pd sa ganahn nko sa
imo.