Everything Has A Purpose. Everything.

We often find ourselves struggling with the question “why?” It applies to every minute detail of our life but more often it becomes magnified when an event unexpectedly goes against or disrupts the kind of life that we’ve been accustomed to. These events are often called challenges and how we respond to these challenges determine the quality and direction of our lives.

Everything in life has a purpose. Everything.

It is our duty to determine the purpose of things that affect us but more than that it is our mission to go beyond these events and turn it to our advantage.

When the unexplainable happens we often tend to focus on the reason behind the event and, sad to say, we get trapped on it. Thinking about the whys and not about what we can do causes emotional, mental and spiritual wear and tear which saps the life out of us. As we stay trapped on this stage, opportunities pass by our way and in the end we miserably ask ourselves questions about what could have been.

Challenges are never unavoidable. They’re a part of life and it bites deep into the very marrow of life for those who have built their lives to avoid it. Prevention is indeed better than cure but in life it also helps to be prepared.

Maurice is a man whom I’ve met a long time ago. Amiable and easy to get along with. He has this gift of making people laugh. Really laugh. He even has this skill of making you laugh at yourself, at others and at the most unfortunate events without offending anyone.

Last month, I had the privilege of meeting Maurice again. He has developed his gift to entertain people by performing at kid’s parties as a clown, magician and puppeteer.How good is he? He’s so good that you can’t tell who’s doing the ventriloquism act, Maurice or the dummy beside him (I just have to put this in.)

The first time I heard about Maurice’s foray to the entertainment scene I immediately had to ask myself these two questions: First, how did he get into the scene? Making a profession out of entertaining people is not something that you just think of doing as a career. No matter  how funny and entertaining you think you are. Second, is he able to make a decent living out of it?

I soon received the answers. Right after his act, I was able to spend some time with him to ask these questions.

Maurice was a tag along for a group of puppetteers way way back. He was young and enthusiastic. One day, a church from a far away place asked them to perform for their Sunday school. The arrangement was that they would be picked up at a specific place and time to bring them to that church. But lo and behold, when Sunday came no one was there but Maurice. The pick-up vehicle was also behind schedule so when it arrived it had to leave at once to get to the place on time. Maurice was placed on a position whether to go ahead by himself or wait for his team to arrive. Waiting would mean a possible chance of missing the performance but going ahead alone may spell disaster just the same.

He decided to go ahead and the rest is history. 

Fourteen years have passed since he made that decision and he’s still entertaining children with his own brand of act. He has improved and progressed a lot.

Everything has a purpose. Everything.

The question is, what will you do about it? Maurice made a solitary decision that changed his life forever. He made the decision to perform by himself because he was prepared. Years of exposure coupled with eagerness to learn finally paid off. He never knew what would eventually turn out of it but when the time came he found himself prepared for the challenge. He paid his dues and when it was time to collect he received more than he expected.

By the way, about the second question, if you want to get Maurice you have to wait because he’s booked- solid up to February of 2008.

Until next time, let’s educate our minds. 

One of a Kind.

SUI GENERIS. Latin adjective word which means one of it’s own kind, a class alone, unique and peculiar.

What separates others from the rest of the pack is not the physical features that people often strive to replace, alter and enhance but the resolute spirit to go beyond themselves and their circumstances. What we see as challenges they call it opportunity.

I’d like to share this video clip of Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing “Time to Say Goodbye” (A Night in Tuscany Live). Bocelli may be blind but he turned his circumstance as an opportunity for us to be inspired……as well as to be serenaded.

It’s one of my favorite songs and video as well. After a long week, we all deserve to be soothed with this song. Just sit back and listen.

Have a great weekend.

Until next time, let’s educate our minds.

Of Leaders And Those That Only Have The Power.

When Alexander the Great saw the vast expanse of his kingdom he was soon overtaken with sadness.

Grievingly, he uttered, “alas, for there are no more kingdoms left for me to conquer.”

Such was the rule of the king from Macedonia that his life has been a model for leaders all over. Thrust into power at the young age of 17, Alexander’s father King Philip had one last instruction for his son before he passed away: “My son, ask yourself for another kingdom for that which I leave is too small for you.”

With those last words, Alexander unceasingly conquered the rest of the civilized world and it was said that when he led his army outside of Macedonia it was the last time that they would see their wives and children again. Other accounts would say that his army were able to return to their country after seven years (Alexander died at Babylon.)

What kind of a leader was Alexander? What kind of a leader could compel his men to leave family and country to pursue an unknown quest for greatness?

Men of authority should take note of this. Could you bring your people to unprecedented heights and perilous lows and still command their allegiance?

Alexander rose because he sacrificed himself first in every campaign, led by example and shared the spoils to his men. He did not pawn his warriors to do first his bidding and sat at the back of the battle but he rode in front to show leadership and courage. And at the end of the day, when flags are lowered and arms are raised, his men were also the first to taste the fruits of their sacrifice.

There are leaders and they have their followers and there are those who only have the power to create followers.

Until next time, let’s educate our minds.

When Kingdoms Crumble.

Ethics. Recognized by many used by so few.

Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the “Big Five” accounting firms (the other four are PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG), performing auditing, tax, and consulting services for large corporations.

The firm was founded in 1913 by Arthur Andersen and Clarence DeLany as Andersen, DeLany & Co ^[1]. The firm changed its name to Arthur Andersen & Co. in 1918.

Arthur Andersen , a son of Norwegian immigrants headed the firm until his death in 1947. He was a zealous supporter of high standards in the accounting industry. A stickler for honesty, he argued that accountants’ responsibility was to investors, not their clients. During the early years, it is reputed that Andersen was approached by an executive from a local rail utility to sign off on accounts which contained flawed accounting, or face the loss of a major client. Andersen refused in no uncertain terms, replying that he would not sign the accounts “for all the money in America”.

Leonard Spacek, who succeeded Andersen at the founder’s death, continued this emphasis on honesty. For many years, Andersen’s motto was “Think straight, talk straight.”

As an Arthur Andersen partner, Leonard Spacek united the firm’s numerous factions after its founder’s death in 1947; he emerged as managing partner at only 39. Spacek revealed his “ethical” trademark when, in the absence of any partnership agreement, he arranged to pay the founder’s widow an annuity worth about $600,000.

Sad to say, Andersen and Spacek were succeeded by those who settled for far less than all the dollars in America. Today, Arthur Andersen has tumbled from a bastion of honesty into a hallmark case model for corrupt accounting practices.

Two years after Spacek’s death in 2000, Arthur Andersen LLP voluntarily surrendered its licenses to practice as Certified Public Accountants in the U.S. pending the result of prosecution by the Department of Justice over the firm’s handling of the auditing of Enron, the energy corporation, resulting in the loss of 85,000 jobs.

Andersen fell not because it lost to its competitors. It fell because they ignored the very foundation that that it was built upon. Honesty.

We always underestimate the value of ethics as a variable to success supplanting it with those that we could easily manipulate, control and determine. Oftentimes, this kind of an alternative leads to unprofessionalism and gross acts of misconduct.

The story above proves that it pays to do the right thing and those who employ unethical practices are either forever condemned from reaching their full potential or doomed to fail miserably.

Until next time, let’s educate our minds.

(Italized text were lifted from the Internet)

The Cost of Commitment.

There’s a story about a hen, a cow and a pig who wanted to make a difference. They were farm animals of noble character who dreamt of stopping hunger in their village.

One day, they met and decided once and for all to accomplish this task. They called all of the wayfarers, peasants and the farmhands.

The hen flew on top of the farm fence and cried, “The time has come for us to free you of your hunger and suffering, henceforth, I will lay all of the eggs that I could give to feed the poor.”

And before the hen could finish her words, eggs suddenly filled the land and everybody gathered to pick up the eggs until none was left to be found.

“Here here” bellowed the cow. “I too will squeeze all of the milk within me to nourish the children.”

Again, before the cow could finish her words, a sudden gush of milk filled all of the buckets to the brim and the children drank from it until none was left to be drank.

The hen and the cow then turned to the pig and poked at him to continue,“go ahead, dear friend, declare what you could give to these people.”

The pig stood still, frozen and motionless. He stared at them and replied, “my dear dear friends, I admire your boldness and generosity. But while you confidently declare your contribution, I concluded that I have neither eggs nor milk to spare but I only have myself to give.”

And so the pig bade his friends goodbye and threw himself to the masses.

This story is often told in a different way but the message is still perfectly clear:  HOW FAR WILL WE GO TO ACCOMPLISH OUR DREAMS?

I’m leaving you with a video and I hope that this would open our eyes and make us understand that there is only one thing that separates us from realizing our dreams: commitment. Passion may give us the direction but commitment gives us the fuel to reach our goal.

Until next time, let’s educate our minds.

Speaking in Tongues.

It It was 1988 when Spanish was removed from the college curriculum. I was a freshman then and I thought I enjoyed that privilege of not having to study a foreign tongue. No longer was it deemed necessary to learn the language of our colonizers.

Last July, I accompanied my friend who got an invitation from a call center offering her a job within the company. She graduated from a very good university where she took Spanish as her major. The company was looking for fluent Spanish speakers and there was such a short supply of qualified applicants with this kind of a skill. After half an hour of waiting, she came out and told me that she passed the interview and that the company  pays a premium for foreign language speakers so she’s being offered THRICE the amount that the regular guys were getting.

Who would have thought that a seemingly “archaic” and”irrelevant” language would creep back after 20 years and this time not only to tickle the intellect but to provide a lucrative source of income for those who have mastered it. Trade agreements among nations have eliminated walls and fences so that learning a new language has become more of a need rather than a choice.

Below is a video that would best illustrate this point. Watch and be amazed.

Choosing to abolish the Castillian language may have been good at that time but those who had the power to do so may have been only concerned with the here and now and not the long term effect of their decision. We often make the mistake of making a decision based on its popularity not on their merits. Unfortunately, it’s the next generation that reaps the consequences of our folly.

By the way, my friend turned down the position. A month after, she got a better offer from a bigger and different company.

Until next time, let’s educate our minds.

Like Coals.

We sometimes find ourselves in a slump after doing something that seems to be getting nowhere. In my case, I got into a slump trying to come out with a decent blog. Until I found out that I had a friend who had the knack for making blogs and had the same vision of “liberating” the workforce.

And so I’m reminded of coals. Those sedimentary rocks that we use to produce heat. We’re like coals too. A coal can’t produce enough heat by itself and dies out easily if left alone. We need to surround ourselves with people who have that same passion or interest to keep our spirits burning. Being with the right company encourages you to develop your ideas and gives you the opportunity to turn it into a reality.

If you’re currently in a slump, I suggest that you draw yourself close to those who could provide a fresh air of inspiration, breathe new hope and encouragement. This may be a respectable senior staff at your office,a peer who approaches every work with excellence or somebody outside of your circle who knows your kind of work. Stay away from street philosophers who get their wisdom from the gutter. They squeeze the juicy details out of your misery and in the end you’ll find yourself more lost than when you first started and left still empty-handed.

One last thing about coals, they need wind to burn more brightly. Coming up with this blog from the title to the design needed a new perspective. This fellow liberator kept on fanning new ideas which made me even more enthusiastic about continuing.

I’m encouraging you to gather coals and get yourself out of that slump.

Until next time, let’s educate our minds.

Starting the Week Right.

Start the week right! Here’s a video by the David Crowder band, “O Praise Him“.