Joy

Happy Monday! I am tired. I heard this statement said to me more times last week than usual. I spoke to people who are tired physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and for good reasons. Welcome to the reality of the whirlwind. Whirlwind is what we call our day to day activities that consumes most of our energy. The whirlwind could snatch from us energy that we could otherwise put into more directed, intentional goals. Don't we know the whirlwind all too well? Physical Whirlwind: Our daily tasks, commute, household obligations, office work. Mental Whirlwind: Our worries, self-doubt, regrets, dreams that we feel helpless to pursue. Emotional Whirlwind: Our problems, our yearnings for events and people we have little influence in, our emotional needs, our feeling of hurt Spiritual Whirlwind: Despair, guilt, spiritual dryness All of these are life's realities and they all seem urgent and important. In some cases, we may not have direct influence on cha...

Happy Monday! Early this year, I made a decision that changed the course of my company, Xperience Travel. I partnered with AT&D Travels and we are now  AT&D Xperience . Instantly, I knew that I couldn't have merged at a better time, with a better company, or with a better group of people. A shared vision and excitement over wanting to promote Xperiences, especially in the Philippines, that resonates on a personal level seems to be the common thread that made this decision a no brainer. Case in point. This February 2020, a group of volunteers from Minnesota came to the Philippines for a Medical Mission in Samar. AT&D Xperience assisted in some 50+ volunteer's post mission holiday arrangements, and one of them was Jeanne's. Jeanne is a solo traveler and yesterday, we took her on our signature "Baluarte: The Beginnings of a City" tour of Intramuros. In tours like these, you'd think we tell the story. Well, not always. Jeanne is well trave...

Happy Monday! Edited life, that is what I am aiming at. Discerning the “trivial many” from the “vital few” is soooo difficult in many fronts. It is essential to use this on: 1. Scheduling activities 2. Prioritizing people 3. Choosing opportunities Why is it difficult? 1. Fear of missing out. 2. Fear of being left out. 3. Fear of missed opportunities. Fear is such a strong feeling that it can drive you nuts if you let it rule. When we rid of the fears mentioned above, we rest in the feeling of - ENOUGH. 1. I only have enough time to do things, so I will choose my activities wisely. 2. A few people who will "jump out of their routine to be with me when needed" is just the right number in my inner circle. 3. I can say yes to everything - but I don't need to. When we measure our worth against the accumulation of activities, number of people surrounding us and opportunities on our plate, we forget that we are enough without them. We are not less impor...

Happy Monday! The dichotomy of right and wrong pulls people apart. It is refereshing to see when people display behavior that is not necessarily concerned with who is right or wrong, who is winning or losing, but rather behavior that makes sure everyone is listened to and looked out for. Although it is impossible to always maintain a middle ground, it is for me, where two points could meet and actually have the potential to work things out. Doggedly staying on your corner wi ll only validate your point of view, but it will never help in moving things forward with others. As in any relationship, negotiation or persuasion, "sunduin mo" is what comes to mind. Meet people where they are if you want them to see your POV. Here are some limiting statements that makes people avoid the middle ground and well, stay lonely. 1. I am higher. Now: "You owe me" , "If it were not for me.." Instead: "You can never play second fiddle in your success. Te...

Happy Monday! Ok, not particulary a happy one for sports fans, I admit. I had a conversation with a friend last night about how the malls and streets were not as crowded yesterday. I said it must have been because people were afraid of getting infected by the virus we are all fearing would come to our shores. Consequently , it could also be because people are still out there organizing outreach programs for Taal evacuees. Today Kobe Bryant, a legend in his own right - also a recent visitor of the Philippines inspiring many, perished in a helicopter mishap. It is honestly unsettling to know that on all occassions above, no amount of preparation can make us more or less able to cope. Natural calamities, fatal illness, death - can take us by surprise. Nonetheless, these circumstances also urge us to take a closer look at the perspectives we apply in life. 1. Control - hah! What a joke. We prepare. We do not control. 2. Accumulation - we work to create, to be useful, to bri...

Happy Monday! Yeah, got it. I myself have been receiving not very good news in the past 24 hours. Sick relatives, volcanoes erupting, cancelled flights, earthquake, etc. "The best way out is through." - Robert Frost There are just days and circumstances that we 1. Figure out 2. Experience 3. Fight through 4. Survive Life is such that we have to live it. All of it. The ups and downs and the challenges in between. As long as we are bent to get through things, we would always be given the hope and means to feed that hope one way or the other. The other day, i was recalling my ordeal with psoriasis many years ago with a friend and he asked if I got depressed. I vividly recall that I was not, simply because I was consciously keeping my head above water, keeping my hope afloat. This is not to say that I did well. This is just to say that as long as we paddle through, aware of the possibility of better days to come, it will come. This week just started, buddies. Let ...

Happy Monday! " At seventeen I'm waiting for my life to actually begin. I'm afraid I'll wake up tomorrow eighty years old and I WILL STILL BE WAITING." - Frank Warren I find that waiting to be ready to do anything is an unnecessary use of time. It is either we can do things, or we can't. Its either things are meant to happen, or not. It is either you'd get the goal or you won't. When do we know the verdict? That point where you stand still laboring on making a decision to begin is not where we would know which of the two possibilities would happen. Stepping forward, trying to make things work, changing things, aiming at a goal - this is where magic happens. This is when you'd know. Remember how things quickly change when you start acting on what has been brewing on your mind? Things become clearer. Heck, thing even become possible! It is not a matter of getting ready. It is a matter of daring, of courage, of intention. Disrupt...