Retirement: Two Kinds of Old Age

It's been a while since I last posted on my personal blog. It's been, uh, a year? Yaiks. I've been busy with work and my other project on the other side of the fence (Wordpress). 

So, anyway, since my wife and I are writing financial literacy in our latest blog Journey To Millions. Let me share the two kinds of old age. This article is from Business Mirror written by Edmund Lao, a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. Hope you can do something about your retirement as early as now. 

Do you know that there are two different kinds of old age? Let us consider the short story below. 

There was once a father who has retired from the corporate world due to his compulsory retirement age. He is currently staying with his youngest daughter. One morning, as he woke up, he overheard his daughter talking to his son at the living room. The conversation went like this: 

Daughter: Brother, what now? When are you going to take Dad with you? He has stayed here too long already. We can hardly make both ends meet. My husband is already complaining of the expenses due to Dad’s overstaying. 

Brother: My apologies. We are also having a hard time at the moment.  Maybe Dad can stay a little bit longer. Also, we do not have any room available for him. And besides, we are already too crowded. Honestly, I do not know if my wife will be agreeable to have Dad live with us. Is it possible for our eldest sister to take Dad? 

Daughter: Oh, no. Don’t you know that my husband and I are already stressed out because of Dad? 

The father felt the world crashing down on him. The truth of the matter was that he has become a liability to his children after being a good provider in the past. His daughter and son were having financial problems already and having him in their home was an additional burden to them. His children belonged to the sandwich generation where they have to feed their own family and, at the same time, take care of him. 

This is the first type of old age. 

Let us see another scenario: 

Daughter: Hey, brother, how come Dad has been staying with you for so long? My children are already missing him. When do you intend to let Dad live with us? 

Son: Oh, I am so sorry.  You know, my children do not want to let go of Dad because they are happy to have him here. My children enjoy mall hopping with Dad, and Dad enjoys their company as well. Possibly, Dad may be with you next month. If you want, why not pay Dad a visit in our place so you can bond with him? Bring your kids along, too. 

Any father who overhears this exchange of conversation would be the happiest one alive. In this case, the father is an asset to the children. Instead of a burden, he is a blessing to them and his children need him more than he needs them. This is the second type of old age. 

The short story above depicts a real-life scenario that happens to everyone when their golden age arrives. The first kind of old age shows that the father is an unwanted guest (pinagpapasa-pasahan) in the family while in the second one, he is a welcome guest (pinag-aagawan).  In both cases, there is only one common reason: Money. The lack of money and having lots of money can spell a big difference in the treatment a father receives from his children come his golden years. 

It is a fact that all parents sacrificed a lot to give a good future for their children. The only problem, especially with Filipinos, is that parents consider their children as investments, such that when they finish their obligations, it is now payback time for their children. This is a wrong mind-set. It must be noted that the only way the children can pay back their parents is for them to become good parents themselves. 

This is what is called paying forward.  

Further proof can be found in Proverbs 13:22 which states that “a good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.” This verse means that as parents provide for their children, they should not forget to build their retirement fund that will support them in their old age. By having a good retirement fund, the children will not be burdened at all, and the parents will always be in demand by their children and grandchildren. If their retirement fund outlives them, the money can be passed on to their descendants. By successfully building their retirement fund, the parents eliminate the first kind of old age. They also eliminate the possibility of retiring broke, suffering from emotional stress and feeling of helplessness. 

What kind of old age do you want?

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I Salute Truly Rich Billionaires

This morning, I read a news article from Yahoo Philippines about an 80 year old billionaire named Han Chang-Woo. He wants to give away all his money before he die in order to improve the relations of Japan and Korea. 

"I'm no longer interested in making money but in how to spend it," Han said. "These days I'm thinking about social responsibility activities all the time."

I believe that truly rich millionaires are really thinking not just about themselves but also how can they help in improving lives of other people. 

I salute Han Chang-Woo for being a truly rich millionaire.

By the way, here are some facts about Han Chang-Woo. Han Chang-Woo is the founder of Maruhan Corp., Japan's largest operator of pachinko parlors. He generates 30 trillion won ($27 billion) in annual revenue. 

Let's aim to be millionaires (or billionaires) so that we can help others. 

Until my next post,

Elvin

PS. Be a truly rich millionaire! Join Bo Sanchez' Truly Rich Club and learn how to conquer the common external obstacles that always prevented you from moving forward on your road to becoming a truly rich millionaire. Click here to join Truly Rich Club.

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Edel gave me a surprise that I didn’t notice

Here’s the story. 

Valentines Day. I got home from work tired and exhausted. Even though I’m tired and exhausted I decided to give Edel a visit (which I always do – please take note that Edel is a good source of positive energy. One smile or hug or kiss from her can really expel the exhaustion from me). 

Most of the time Edel is doing some school tasks on her laptop upon my arrival. However, that day she’s using her niece’s laptop. I wonder why. 

So I asked her, “where’s your laptop?”

She responded, “Upstairs”. Then she requested me to get her laptop. I agreed.

I didn’t know that she did that on purpose. I didn’t know that there’s a surprise waiting for me upstairs. However, I failed to recognize that.

Here’s what happened. 

I went in her room. I was surprised that the lights were lit. That scene was very unusual but I didn’t mind. I saw her laptop sitting on her bed. I grabbed it then went out of the room. While walking, I noticed that there were pieces of paper posted on her mirror that says:

When you look to me I can see the GREATEST story LOVE has ever told!

I thought that those were affirmations. I thought the word “you” refers to the one looking at the mirror (which is Edel most of the time) and the word “me” refers to the mirror. I got confused, so I went downstairs to give Edel her laptop. 

Then I asked her, “what’s about those paper posted upstairs on the mirror?”

She smiled.

And then I told her that I didn’t get it. 

We went upstairs then as we open the room; I realized that there were a lot of papers hanging on the curtain. There’s also a paper posted on her TV saying “Happy Heart’s Day Ming.”

Gosh!

What happened to me? Why I didn’t notice this?

Photos from Edel's Valentines Day Surprise

I failed to see the surprise Edel gave me. I asked for forgiveness and gave Edel a hug. I also greeted her and said that I love the surprise she gave me. 

I realized that I failed to see the blessings for being focused on the things that needed to be done.

With this incident, I realized that blessings are really everywhere. Most of the time, we fail to notice them because of our busyness. We fail to notice because we’re looking on other things. 

Bo Sanchez is right in his previous article. He said there that most of us are problem experts. We see problems as they are going to happen. By putting our attention on our problems we fail to see God’s blessings appearing in front of us.

I’m not saying that we don’t mind our problems. What I’m saying is that let’s be aware of the blessings coming our way. This way, we will not miss any magical moments like this. 

For sure God is giving us a lot of surprises from the moment we wake up each morning. But because we’re too much focused on the tasks that we need to accomplish within the day, we oftentimes fail to give Him thanks. We fail to see the blessings He is constantly giving us.

Appreciate the beauty of God’s surprises. He’s surprising us everyday.

Until my next post!

eLviN

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Life as a Virtual Assistant : Automating Things

For days (actually months), I’ve been answering emails as part of my tasks as a virtual assistant. As a virtual assistant, I’m handling three events, two this August and one in September. This keeps me busy for the past couple of days.

Sometimes boredom kicks in while doing things repeatedly (take note that I’m receiving and sending out emails to 100+ people). So it forced me to look for better ways to manage this kind of task efficiently.

I found a way how to automate things. I researched. I adjusted some settings in the email account. I tried sending sample email to myself to see if it works. After successful attempts, I let it go.

What software did I use?

It’s just Microsoft Office.

I am using Microsoft Word to generate a unique message together with Microsoft Excel for my email database. Then once the message is ready, it will be transferred to Microsoft Outlook that will send the unique messages to the recipients. The 100+ emails will be finished in less than five minutes. However, doing it manually, would take about 30 minutes to one hour.

Imagine that saved time. In one hour, you can read 8-15 blog posts (try reading Seth Godin, Bo Sanchez, Janmck Hilado, 43 Folders, Edel Ramilo etc). You can read 30+ status messages and comment in some of them. You can watch three to four 15-minute inspirational YouTube videos (or from TED.com). You can create a post for your blog. Or you can sleep early.

Here’s what I learned. Setting up an automatic machine would require us a lot of time. It will take hours, days, or even weeks depending on the complexity of the process before we can create one. But if we manage to create one, we can enjoy our time more in doing things we really, really love.

I know that you can do it too. Automate a repetitive task that bores you to focus more on the things you love doing.

eLviN

PS. Want to become a virtual assistant as well? You too can learn how to work from home as a virtual assistant. Email me at elvinperia@yahoo.com for more details.

PS1. While enjoying the comforts of your home doing your tasks as a virtual assistant, it will now be easier to fill the love tanks of people you love. Bo Sanchez' latest online club Family Reborn offers a great way to restore broken relationship or strengthen strong relationships. For seven months, Family Reborn subscribers will receive ten blessings that will definitely improve your relationships. To know more about Family Reborn check out this link. www.familyreborn.com.

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Marketing Lessons from Seth Godin

For the past couple of days, we’ve been reading a lot of books. As far as I can remember I read almost three books in three weeks time. It’s a bit slow you might say but I like to note that I still have my Monday to Friday work, my blog posts daily, my daily conversations with my family, my weekend activities and preparations to my first ever Internet Marketing Workshop event.

And I’m excited to read a new book from Seth Godin entitled Meatball Sundae. Before I discuss that book (because I already have some idea what topics will be discussed in that book through Tito Tony and Edel’s stories), I’ll first share with you some marketing lessons I’ve learned from All Marketers are Liars Story Tellers.

• Find a product that you really, really like. In my case, I really love to read blog articles from my mentors (this includes Bo Sanchez, Seth Godin, Jomar Hilario, Janmck Hilado, and a lot more). I love reading a lot of books (Robert Allen, Mark Victor Hansen, Seth Godin, Bo Sanchez, etc). Lastly I really love to learn more about my finances, my health, and my relationships with my family, friends, colleagues and my God in short all aspects of my life.  I have this vision of becoming a role model in a society I belong. Through the help of these materials, I know I’ll get there someday.

• Tell the world about the product that you like. In other words, share your stories. Share how these products changed your life. Share your experiences through writing, through videos, through stories, and any form you choose. In my case, this blog and the some forms of social media (facebook, twitter, mail etc), enables me to share my stories to a bunch of people online. I create blog posts like these or shout-outs in my facebook page to share some key learnings that helped me grow. Sometimes, people are not fond of reading my posts but that’s okay. It is not intended for them anyway. I know I have attracted people having the same mindset. Luckily, you’re one of them.

• Live with your story. This is the most crucial part of marketing. Your followers (or the people you have attracted) need to see an inspiration in you. They need to see a proof that the product you are telling them really helped you. If it does not show, they will never believe in your story or worst they’ll look for someone that they can trust. A follower can really distinguish if you are lying or if you are telling the truth. So be really careful what you are sharing or selling. If you can’t do it, don’t say it. Walk the talk.

A successful marketer follows the principles above. Some people can really sell products they don’t like but there will come a time that people will notice it. Once the people notice it, definitely his sales will drop significantly and the worst thing that may happen? Trust will be lost.

Don’t lose that hard-earned trust.

Find a product you believe in. Share them. Walk the talk. 

Until my next post.

eLviN


PS. Fill the love tanks of people you love. Bo Sanchez' latest online club Family Reborn offers a great way to restore broken relationship or strengthen strong relationships. For seven months, Family Reborn subscribers will receive ten blessings that will definitely improve your relationships. To know more about Family Reborn check out this link. www.familyreborn.com.

PS1. Use Social Media to Give Your Online Business A Boost. I found three great videos that would definitely amaze you. Three videos from Don Crowther for Social Profit Formula teaching us how to drive traffic (and eventually make money) to your website using social media like facebook, twitter, youtube, etc. This social media expert shows the Social Profit Landscape that would definitely help you understand which social media is appropriate to your business. Feel free to check the videos on this link. www.socialprofitformula.com

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The Truth About Lies and The Best Marketing Strategy

The other day, I bought two books from National Bookstore in Festival Mall Alabang. I bought Seth Godin’s two classic marketing books Meatball Sundae and All Marketer’s are Liars Story Tellers. These books were suggested by my mentor Tony Hilado.

I immediately read the All Marketers are Liars Story Tellers book. From the first page, I could not stop myself reading. I agree with the concepts Seth Godin presented. The way he delivered it was fantastic.

I have found a lot of good marketing strategy from that book.

I can say is that we all live in a world of lies but a good marketer believed in that lie. Godin presented one glass wine maker as an example. The glass wine maker claimed that the taste of any wine is better using his glass as compared to an ordinary glass. Obviously it’s a lie but lot of wine critics proved that the taste is really different. The wine in his $20 glass tastes really good as compared to an ordinary $1 glass.

So what are we missing here?

The answer is belief.

I have a story to tell. I have been an affiliate of International Marketing Group. I am amazed by the concepts presented during the wealth academy series. Every after the wealth academy series I am fired up. But there’s a problem. I don’t believe that I can sell. That’s why I don’t have sales. My limiting factor is belief. My limiting factor is my belief that I can’t do it.

There’s a saying that goes like this: “If you think you can do it, you’re right. If you think you can’t do it, you’re still right.”

So what’s the point?

My point is our beliefs depend on our own definition of truth. There’s no universal definition of truth (and lie). Truths and lies are all products of our mind. What we believe as true may be considered as a lie to others.

Bottomline is trust in what you believe in; live by it, share it, tell your story and eventually it will sell. That’s the best marketing strategy. That’s why Seth tells us that All Marketers Are Story Tellers.

eLviN

PS. Share, share share! If you like this article feel free to share it to everyone by clicking on the icon above the blog post title. Feel free to share it to your facebook friends, twitter followers, or you can email this to your friends. Who knows this story might change some people's lives.

PS2. Want to learn how to earn online? I am currently organizing an Internet Marketing Workshop here in Laguna together with my mentor Jomar Hilario.  In case you're interested you may email me at elvinperia@yahoo.com for advance registration. No final date yet but it will be sometime October.

PS3. Financial Literacy invades Laguna! Another event I'm organizing is the Wealth Academy Series. We'll be visiting different organizations and offices here in Laguna to conduct a free Financial Seminar. In case you and your group are interested email me at elvinperia@yahoo.com.

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The Secret in Making a Dent in the Universe: Sticking To Your Game

Each and everyone of us have our own sets of skills. Every one of us has our own set of talents. Different people have different abilities. Yes there are maybe some common factors like interest in music, dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, painting, writing, public speaking and a lot more but we have different unique combination of these skills, talents and abilities.

Just what I’ve said in my previous post entitled The Secret in Making a Dent in the Universe: Be Yourself we don’t need to pretend just to leave a dent in the universe. Our unique set of talents, skills, and abilities are enough to inspire, to motivate, to make a difference in our universe.

No matter how the world mocks at you. No matter how the world ridicule us. We just to be ourselves and trust in the talents that we have, we can still make a difference.

To illustrate this, let me share one of my favorite stories from the book The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen. This is a true to life story of Sylvester Stallone.

In 1974 Sylvester was a broke, discouraged actor and screenwriter. While attending a boxing match he became inspired by a “nobody” boxer who “went the distance” with the great Mohammed Ali.

He rushed home and in a three-day burst of creative output produced the first draft of the screenplay entitled Rocky.

Down to his last $106, Stallone submitted his screenplay to his agent. A studio offered $20,000 with either Ryan O’Neal or Burt Reynolds playing the lead character. Stallone was excited by the offer but wanted to play the lead himself. He offered to act for free. He was told, “That’s not the way it works in Hollywood.” Stallone turned down the offer though he desperately needed the money.

Then they offered him $80,000 on the condition that he wouldn't play the lead. He turned them down again.

They told him that Robert Redford was interested, in which case they’d pay him $200,000. He turned them down once more.

They upped their offer to $300,000 for his script. He told them that he didn’t want to go through his whole life wondering “what if?”

They offered him $330,000. He told them that he’d rather not see the movie made if he couldn’t play the lead.

They finally agreed to let him play the lead. He was paid $20,000 for the script plus $340 per week minimum actor’s scale. After expenses, agent fees, and taxes he netted about $6,000 instead of $330,000.

In 1976 Stallone was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor. The movie Rocky won three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing. The Rocky series has since grossed almost $1 billion, making Sylvester Stallone an international movie star.

He believed that he can act well. He believed that he had the great script that can change his life.

You too can do it.

You too possess that great talent that can make a difference.

It may be not working right now. Just continue. Just continue in sharing your skills, talents and abilities. Just continue in trusting in your instincts. Just continue in sticking to your game.

One day, the universe will recognize it and will give you that spot where in you can make your mark.

That mark is your dent in the universe. That mark is your contribution to the universe. That mark is your legacy.

So no matter what happens, be yourself and stick to your game.

Until my next post!

eLviN

PS. If you liked the story feel free to share it to everyone by clicking on the icon above the blog post title. Feel free to share it to your facebook friends, twitter followers, or you can email this to your friends. Who knows this story might change some people's lives.

PS1. It will be Bo Sanchez' birthday this coming July 11. As a gift, he will be giving you a copy of his ebook entitled My Maid Invests In Stock Market... and Why You Should Do Too!. This ebook was given to Truly Rich Club members last March. Upon reading the ebook I suggest you to become a member of Truly Rich Club. It will provide you a constant stream of powerful materials (that you'll receive daily, weekly and monthly) that would help you create an abundance mindset.

PS3. The Laguna Feast will continuing it series called “Awaken the Healer in You”. If you have a friend who lives near Laguna (Binan area to be exact) and currently experiencing health problems you are invited to join. The Feast Builder Jon Escoto This is a miraculous event you should not miss! For more information about the Laguna Feast check out: http://www.lagunafeast.info.

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The Fence

As I was browsing my old documents I stumbled upon this file. I thought I posted this already in my blog but to my surprise I didn't. I read it again and it is really worth sharing. So I hope you enjoy the story.

Edel and I attended the Basic Communication Skills Workshop sponsored by Laguna Feast and facilitated by the Light of Jesus Training Ministry. It was held at the Casa del Nino Montessori School in Pacita Complex, San Pedro Laguna. 

It was a memorable experience. Edel and I learned a lot from this workshop and we’re excited to be back next week for more! Just this day, we discussed three out of five modules. The speakers are highly knowledgeable of the topic and they’re highly entertaining. The speakers are full of energy. In fact at the beginning of time, they are form of energies encapsulated in the form human beings. 

Here's a story from that workshop that made a mark in my heart. 

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”

The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said “I hope you can forgive me father for the holes I put in you.”

“Of course I can,” said the father.

Let's be careful with our words.

Until my next post!

eLviN

PS. If you liked the story feel free to share it to everyone by clicking on the icon above the blog post title. Feel free to share it to your facebook friends, twitter followers, or you can email this to your friends. Who knows this story might change some people's lives.

PS1. Do you want to earn semi-passive income online? My mentor Bo Sanchez is offering everyone an online business through his Truly Rich Club. I've been blessed by this club through Godwhispers, Bo Sanchez' audio and video seminars and through Bo Sanchez' newsletters that helped me what to buy/sell in the stock market. I know this can help you too. I'll be honest with you, I'll be earning a commission if you become a member through the link above but that's nothing with what you'll receive. 

PS3. Here's a great Apple Gadget that can change your life check out this site. You'll be thanking me for sure after getting this!

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Steve Jobs Speech: Commencement Exercise in Stanford University

This week I saw a great video of Steve Jobs during the 2005 Commencement exercise of Stanford University. He was the guest speaker of that event. I was inspired by this video and I want to share it with you. 

Here's the video clip. 

This is the best commencement exercise speech I ever heard so far. 

Until my next post.

eLviN

PS. My internet marketing mentor Jomar Hilario will be having an Internet Marketing Workshop this coming June25-26 in Cubao. In case you're not near the metro, you can still attend the workshop online. For more information visit www.ultradust.com.

PS1. My friends are liking the post I'm doing in my facebook page where I share daily Godwhispers to them. The Godwhispers are short inspirational message that can help you have that positive mindset. It is full of wisdom just like the video on this post. To know more about Godwhispers, check out Truly Rich Club.

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The Halal Experience

I haven’t written anything on this blog for almost a week. Sigh. I missed writing. There are so many things I have to tell you. My schedule just won’t fit for me to sit down in front of my computer and open my blogger account.

Last week, I have been to three Halal restaurants for two straight days. We had a visitor from Malaysia and I learned that one of them is a Halal devotee. This means that she is not allowed to eat any food other than those with Halal certification. This forced us to adjust to her food restrictions. We ate at three Halal restaurants in the Metro (New Bombay in HV dela Costa street [2/5 stars], Kashmir in Pasay Road [5/5 stars], and Hossein in Serendra Global City [4/5 stars]). 

I never imagine that I’ll eat foods like that here in the Philippines. I went to Malaysia last year and never tasted these kind of foods. But well, I guess that completes my Malaysia experience more or less (Hmmm... I think I should get back to Malaysia to see the view from the Petronas Tower).

Anyway, here are some lessons I’ve learned from that experience.

Be firm with your faith. She could easily choose to eat anything because she’s in a different country (and no one will know except God of course) but she chose not to. She had chosen to stick with her conviction. She had chosen to be faithful even if there are a lot of temptations surrounding her. I admire her faith for sticking to the things she believes in.

Be influential. This lesson goes hand in hand with the first one. If you stand firm with your faith, no one can ever shove you away. The only thing left for others is to follow or adjust with your standards. Just like what happened. We were obliged to follow her food restrictions. 

I hope we’ll be like her.  Even if there are a lot of temptations surrounding us we’ll be able to stand firm with our faith, with our conviction thus influencing more people to follow our lead. 

If you want to influence others be firm with what you believe in.

Until my next post!

eLviN

PS. I’m happy to share with you that I have a new affiliate sale this month in Truly Rich Club. Now I’m earning passively, woohoo! If you want to become a member you may click this link (Truly Rich Club). By being a member you’ll receive a lot of materials that would help you grow your spiritual and financial life. You’ll have your own source of passive income as well. Great deal? Yes it is!

PS1. The Laguna Feast will be having a new series called “Awaken the Healer in You”. If you have a friend who lives near Laguna (Binan area to be exact) and currently experiencing health problems you are invited to join. The Feast Builder Jon Escoto invited Fr. Osorio, an anointed Healing Priest to conduct a special Feast Healing Explo! This is a miraculous event you should not miss! For more information about the Laguna Feast check out: http://www.lagunafeast.info.

PS2. My internet marketing mentor, Jomar Hilario, will be having a Truly Rich Internet Marketing Workshop this coming June 25-26 in Cubao. For more details about this event you may call Beckie at (02) 722-9562 or email her at beaconlightevents@gmail.com. I attended this event last year and it opened my eyes to a lot of earning opportunities online (this is the reason why I created this blog in the first place). In case you're outside the country or far from Cubao don't lose hope because Jomar Hilario created an online club where you can learn the things in the workshop. For more info check out this link : Internet Marketing Online

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Time Out!

Last Thursday I was sick. I was unable to go to office for my work. I was on sick leave for two days. I consumed 2 out of my 15 sick leaves in a snap.

Reason?

Too much work and not enough sleep I guess. I’ve been doing a lot in the office - data crunching, data analysis, talking to various markets for reports we require them to submit and a whole lot more. Also, when I got home, I still work as a virtual assistant (answering emails for events).

During the first day of my sickness, my anxiety kicked in. Here were my thoughts.

1. How will I finish the report my boss required me to submit on Monday? I haven’t started it yet! And also, I haven't started on the report due on Friday.

2. How will I send the Inventory report for the week? My other boss will be mad at me!

3. I will be orienting a visitor from Malaysia on Friday, who will orient her?

4. Friday will be the last annual medical check-up day at the office, what will happen to me?

I was having tons of anxieties that day.

It’s really true that too much of everything is bad for our health.

But I thank God for the time He gave me on those two days. Here was God's message to me that day.

Don’t complain about interruptions. When your plans don’t go smoothly, it means you’re receiving a gift. Every interruption is a gift. Open that gift and you’ll receive precious insight, a new way, a better path, an open door you didn’t see before.

So God is really generous, here are the gifts he has given me on those days I was sick.

1. I shared more quality time with my future dentist brother who at that time is at home watching NBA Playoffs. The Thursday up to Sunday playoff games between the Phoenix Suns - Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic – Boston Celtics where very, very awesome and exciting NBA Playoff games. For sure I’ll miss the NBA Finals Game 1 this coming Friday (Philippines time) watching with my brother. (I know you’ll get mad at me because I still watched TV during those times)

2. I was surprised by my soon-to-be-wife Edel. Her gift (t-shirt) is awesome + Andoks (yumyum even though my appetite is not well yet). Her hugs are definitely my pain killer.

3. A loving family who bought me Solmux, Bioflu, and Gatorade. They even prepared food for me (well they always do this one).

4. Enough sleep for my body cells to regenerate and fight the flu virus.

God really gives us time out or interruptions if he thinks we’re overdoing things. When that happens, listen to him. For sure he has greater plan for us.

Until my next post.

eLviN


PS. The message from God on this post comes from Truly Rich Club's Godwhispers. For almost 200+ days I'm receiving God's words directly to my inbox everyday. You can receive these messages by joining Bo Sanchez' Truly Rich Club.

PS2. Do you want to know how to blog? Let my internet marketing mentor teach you how. Just visit his blog at www.jomarhilario.com or subscribe to his facebook or twitter to receive free lessons directly from Jomar Hilario.

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The Secret in Making a Dent in the Universe: Be Yourself

I read Bo Sanchez latest blog post and it inspired me to be me.

The first few paragraphs of Bo Sanchez’ latest blog post is an assurance that I’m on the right path. I have read that same line of thought from Seth Godin’s Linchpin. I believe that God created us with a special gift to share to the world. If we hide it from the world, the world will become a lesser place. The world will become just an average.

Each of us is uniquely created. We are different from everyone else. We have our own sets of skills. We have our own sets of talents. We have our own sets of personality. There is no one in the universe who shares the exact set of skills, talents, and personality just like you.

You are the only you. I’m the only me.

We need to know our purpose to make that difference. We need to know our purpose to make the world a better place. We need to know our purpose to make a dent in the universe.

How can we make a difference?

Simple. Be who you are. Create the best you.

Share the gift you have to the world.

How?

Create your own art based on your purpose.
Create your own art based on your talents.
Create your own art based on your personality.

I believe that this blog is one of my gifts to you. Feel free to subscribe here on my blog to receive more from me. :D

Let me end this post with the best lines I got from Bo Sanchez’ latest blog post.

• “The most stressful thing for you to do is to be someone else. The easiest thing to do in the world is to be yourself.”
• “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

Hope this article helped you. Until next post.

eLviN

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God surprised me through Kerygma Family and Amazon.com

Yesterday, I was blessed. In fact, I'm super blessed not just yesterday but everyday. It's true that the abundance of universe is everywhere. I'm blessed to have this kind of abundance. I can affirm that everything I need comes to me. Wow. I can’t imagine that my opening phrases for this post are my wealth beliefs. I just can’t contain the feeling.

Okay. What made me say that I’m super blessed?

I received something unexpected yesterday. I got my ordered books from Amazon.com. I was surprised that Amazon delivered one week ahead of schedule! With this, I give Amazon.com's service two thumbs up! By the way, here are the books I’ve ordered from Amazon.com.

1. Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath authors of the best-selling book Made to Stick. 
2. Linchpin by Seth Godin author of thousands of great articles (check out his blog at www.sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog) and books such as Tribes, Purple Cow, The Dip, and my ever favorite Permission Marketing
3. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. 

 

Soon I’ll be releasing my reviews for these awesome books. So stay tuned.

But wait there's more, I also received a copy of May and June issues of Kerygma Magazine. Hats off to Kerygma Family for constantly giving me my copy every month.

I’m blessed to have known these authors who have a lot of profound ideas they’re willing to share. I’m blessed to have mentors who introduced me to these authors. Cool right?

Until my next post.

eLviN

PS. If you haven't notice, I added my list of highly recommended books! I suggest you to take time to check them out. Believe me, it changed the way I think. It helped me to have that learn-it-all attitude. It urged me to find mentors that are constantly helping me in achieving my goals. In case you're looking for mentors, email me at ask@elvinperia.com I can provide you a list of mentors that can help you with your financial and spiritual life.

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Failure of May 2010 Philippines Election

May 10, 2010 is fast approaching. Rumors say that there will be a military takeover after the May 2010 Elections. Why? Because there’s a widespread doubt in the election results in part of its failed automation, the military will be forced to take over to prevent chaos in the streets. When this thing happened, the Generals will take over the Philippines and the whole archipelago will be under the military rule once again. Think Marcos regime (okay I was not born when that thing happened).

If there will be a failure of election a lot of foreign investors will withdraw from their Philippines investment. Philippines Peso will hit its lowest point. A lot of businesses will be closed. The whole Philippines industry will collapse. The Philippines stock market will crash. It will experience the greatest dip after the 2008 financial crisis.

Okay, this is just a rumor. We’re not sure if there will be a failure of election or the election will go smoothly and a new President is elected. That’s uncertainty. We’re not sure what will happen next. But one thing is for sure, our country will overcome whatever challenges Philippines may face.

Our country already went through a lot of dips. There are a lot of rebellions, a lot of political rallies, EDSA 1, EDSA 2 etc. But what happened, we’re still here. We survived those demonstrations. We survived those famines. Our country is still alive and still kicking. So I’m sure that whatever challenges our country may face we can overcome it.

Just like in our lives. How many challenges have you encountered over your lifetime? One? Two? Three? For sure you’ve lost your count already. What did you do to resolve those challenges? What have you learned from those challenges? I know for sure you already overcame the challenges five years ago. I know for sure you already have recovered from those dips.

Before I conclude this post, let me share you a line shared by Jon Escoto last week on Laguna Feast. He said that Life is not what happen to you but rather what you do to the things that happened to you.

If we can change ourselves and choose to work for the improvement our country I believe we can have a great country. A great country deserves a great leader.

eLviN 

PS. Hope you've done your researches about the candidates (both local and national) already. In case you haven't, I suggest you to watch Votebook (you may search Votebook 2010 in Google) a special program of GMA 7 about the 2010 Presidentiables. Vote wisely.  

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May 2010 Election : The Story of the Corrupt Philippine Senator

We're just days away from the May 2010 Election here in the Philippines. Sharing you a story I got from Edel's Blog about how we should choose our future leaders.

Enjoy reading.

While walking down the street one day a Corrupt Philippine Senator was tragically hit by a car and died.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the Filipino people.

They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says,

"Yesterday we were campaigning ...Today, you voted."

PS. For the profile of May 2010 Election candidates for Presidency, check out the Votebook compilation.

PS1. Historically every after Election here in the Philippines the stock prices are going up. I would suggest that you can start investing NOW in stock market to have that strong headstart for your investments in the future. But before you do that be sure to equip yourself with enough financial intelligence. I suggest you meet my financial mentors who taught me a lot about my finances especially how money works. Email me at ask@elvinperia.com for more details.

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My first Virtual Assistant (VA) Experience

My first official VA job requires me to answer emails for various events. At first it was strolling in the park. Then after the promotion that they did, I started receiving more than 70 emails per day. Take note, this requires me to answer them all at once. This could be done easily but since I have so many things to do (day job, gimmick, attend financial seminars etc) this is damn hard.

Also, having this number of emails in one day requires me to stay up late. And based on my experience it is not right for us to sacrifice our sleep just to get things done. I learned that human beings have our own sets of limitations. One of those limitations is time (I created a post related to this please feel free to check it out : Duplication).We can only work at the maximum of 16 hours a day to have good enough sleep. We need those 8 hours of sleep to have a healthy body and a refreshed mind. (Additional note : Drinking of energy drinks or overdosing of caffeine is not a permanent solution for this. Take note, NOT THE PERMANENT SOLUTION because I know that there are very hardworking people out there who drinks a lot of energy drinks or coffee just to stay awake. This is very, very unhealthy).

By being a virtual assistant and an employee at the same time allows me to learn an important trait. This trait is called discipline. Balancing my time is really, really a challenge for me. But by becoming a VA, I learned how to balance my time at the same time I learned how to discipline myself. Again, it’s hard but it’s worth it.

***BONUS***

Five things I have to change to be a VA 

1. Less time with television, social media sites and computer games (Btw, I still have time to blog www.elvinperia.com)
2. Reduce OT hours from the office
3. Proper time management
4. I open my VA's gmail account instead of my own account (i used different internet browsers to have two accounts at the same time)
5. Instead of reading I listened to books.

Five benefits to me of being a VA

1. I learned how to balance my time (or should I say maximize)
2. I learned how to discipline myself
3. More sources of income (though active)
4. Enables me to learn new skills
5. Enables me to expand my network

Five bad things about being a VA

1. I’m still an employee
2. VA work is an active not passive source of income
3. Improper time management equals lack of sleep
4. Unscheduled brownouts, unscheduled activities and lack of internet connection can ruin the day especially if you have tons of emails to answer
5. Waking up early in the morning to maximize time is hard (really, really hard)

eLviN

PS. The purpose of finding another source of income for me is to achieve my financial freedom. I want to make sure that I invest the right amount so that in 18 years time I can have my money working for me. I learned this by attending Intenational Marketing Group's Wealth Academy Series which provides me ways on how to get out of the rat race. Wealth Academy offers (1) Financial Education, (2) Discipline and (3) Entrepreneurship. In case you're interested email me at ask@elvinperia.com for more details.

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Duplication : A practical way to multiply your time

God has given us the same opportunity. He has provided the same number of hours, minutes and seconds each day for us to maximize. We can’t buy extra hours to do the things we love (even the rich can't do that).

That’s it. All we have is 60 seconds in a minute. 60 minutes in an hour. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks per year. Nothing more, nothing less.

We can’t bring back the wasted time of our yesterdays just to have more time today. It does not work that way.

But the good news is there’s a powerful law of nature that can work for us. This law is called the Law of Duplication.

Duplication is all around us. We will not be able to live on this planet without our Mom and Dad. Everything will be extinct (or should I say nothing will exist today) if duplication does not exist.
That’s how nature works.

In order for us to have more time doing things we want to do, we need to maximize the Law of Duplication to its full potential. We need to duplicate ourselves. Duplication can be done by creating a team and/or using technology.

Creating a Team. I work in a manufacturing industry. We produce million units per year. I can’t imagine how many units can be produced if there’s only one person in the shop floor doing all the things from material warehousing to finished ingredient processing to packaging and shipping. If you’re that person, that would be very tiring right? That would be very, very toxic. That would require you to work more than 24 hours per day.

Use of Technology. Can you imagine if there’s no CDs, MP3s, etc? Your favorite singers will hate that PLAY button. Why? Because every time you hit that play button, these singers will come to you and sing your favorite songs. Hmmm… that would be fun if you’re the person to be entertained! But what if you are the singer? You’ll hate it right? Lastly, I could not imagine if two households hit the play button at the same time. If that happens, you’ll lose one fan right away.

That’s why we need to have a team and technology to duplicate ourselves to complete a certain task at a certain time. This would enable us to do other things that matters to us. This way, our time is duplicated as well.

If you find this article useful please share it with your friends or leave your comments below. :D


eLviN

PS. This topic is one part of Bo Sanchez’ Prosper Series. We’ve been learning a lot from his wisdom and right now we’re duplicating him to spread the word of wisdom to everybody else. In case you want to read his articles online please visit www.bosanchez.ph or be a member of Truly Rich Club to gain spiritual abundance and financial wealth at the same time. Sign up now to receive 11 incredible blessings absolutely free ($251.50 value).

PS1. For those who are near Metro Manila, you might want to keep your Wednesday nights booked with the International Marketing Group's WEALTH ACADEMY Series where you can learn how to get yourself out of the rat race. WEALTH ACADEMY offers these (1) Financial Education, (2) Discipline and (3) Entrepreneurship. Limited seats only! Email me at ask@elvinperia.com for more details. 

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Wealth Beliefs

I watched Bo Sanchez' Seminar on Video entitled Create your Wealth Beliefs. I got this CD from Truly Rich Club. I really admire Bo Sanchez' generosity. He's giving away a lot of free stuffs to his Truly Rich Club members.


Anyway, here's what I got from this talk. These are the wealth beliefs that changed Bo's life. He suggested that we use this wealth beliefs as a guide to create our own.

• I’m God’s beloved and it is His great happiness to bless me.
• God’s river of blessings is flowing to me every single moment of my life.
• Everything I need comes to me.
• I am blessed with great relationships and friendships.
• I’m always meeting wonderful people that bless me and make me grow.
• I’m anointed by God to serve and bless the world.
• I inspire millions of people.
• I’m a brilliant entrepreneur.
• I’m a fantastic communicator.
• Money is flowing to me in great abundance.
• I can earn any amount of money I choose.
• I’m a blessing magnet.
• I’m guided by God every moment.

By the way, it would be helpful if we say our wealth beliefs three times a day until it becomes automatic


Hope this help you achieve your dreams.

eLviN

PS. Learn the details of how you can become financially free in 10 to 20 years at the Wealth Academy. "Money Management Strategies" is open on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7pm and on Saturdays at 2pm. Meet financial mentors that will help you to increase your financial literacy as well as how you could become a better person in all ways possible. For more details simply email me at ask@elvinperia.com.

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Managing Spare Time : Virtual Assistant + Serving GOD + Financial Education

I had a tremendous week.

My spare time is well spent. I can’t believe that I actually did those stuffs.

Anyway, let me share what happened to me this week.

I started my week with a bang. Just came from a blessed Easter Sunday. Edel and I celebrated the Easter Sunday attending the Grand Feast at SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia. I’m so blessed to have almost all of my mentors in one place. I talked to our financial mentor Dr. Dada Rosanes of International Marketing Group with her kids. I discussed virtual assistant stuffs with my Internet Marketing mentor Jomar Hilario while waiting patiently for the food queuing area. I listened to Bo Sanchez’ awesome preach, the first part of the Overcome Series. There are various published articles online that discusses the things that happened during the Grand Easter Feast. 

Feel free to check them out.

Edel’s Choose to be Wealthy Article

Bo Sanchez’ blog post : Be a Sponge and Absorb God's Blessings

Later that afternoon, Edel and I had a great full body massage at Rafraf together with Marvin located in Halang Calamba Laguna. After that Marvin, Edel and I discussed our future plans regarding our business. We’re on the path in making this a reality. Soon you’ll find out. In case you’re interested to join feel free to email me at projects@elvinperia.com.

This fuels me to start my week right. I’m so fired up!

I went to the office. I had mountains of things to do to start my week. I need to prepare the Post Campaign Analysis for Malaysia, prepare the March Month End Excess Inventory Report, submit the daily inventory report and the weekly service reports, give an orientation about the service and inventory reporting plus other stuff and attend a lot of meetings.

Anyway, these tasks are the things I need to accomplish within the week. Sounds like an easy task but most of these reports require half to one day to finish.  Imagine that. 

This is the exciting part. Every after I finished my day job, I look forward to finishing my assignments as a virtual assistant. Having two jobs at the same time requires proper time management (which I'm currently learning). My tasks as a virtual assistant are just simple. It only requires me to answer emails, to save the inquiries in a template in Microsoft Excel and provide a daily update regarding the status of the project to my client. In fact, this week, as far as I know, I answered on an average, 50 emails in less than 1 hour. Cool right?

Also, this week, I re-started my passion. I joined Laguna Feast’s Music Ministry. In fact, I just got home from the band practice. Of course, I played the guitar. I learned 4 new songs. I met new people (people who are very passionate in serving God’s people thru their talents). Just in case you want to be part of Laguna Feast you may email them at LagunaFeast@gmail.com.

One more thing, of course, I attended Wealth Academy’s Series 10 entitled Distinctions in the mind of Poor, Middle class and Rich discussed by Wealth Academy’s proponent and CEO Noel Arandilla. On my next post I will be sharing the things I learned from this series.

Until my next post.

Ooops. Before I forgot. I'm posting this article using my email. I'm using a Blogger feature called Mail2Blogger. Mail2Blogger allows you to create blog posts using your email.

eLviN

PS. Rex Mendoza will be discussing the Entrepreneur’s Mindset this April 14 at the IMG Makati office. This talk is exclusively for IMG members. In case you want to attend seminars like this, please contact me at ask@elvinperia.com.

PS1. Do you want to serve? Laguna Feast will be conducting a Basic Communication Skills Training on April 11 and April 18. This will be for those who wants to be part of the Feast’s Servants.

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