MAKE A LIFE

Never in modern history have moral standards and non-negotiables been more important than today. Our new lifestyle distracts us from the essence of life as most of us focus on making economic gain and comfort our objective in making decisions.

In these days when people’s moral values are rapidly falling apart, we desperately need to learn again how to live the right way by knowing life’s real meaning. Thus, there is a need to re-evaluate our moral and ethical foundations of life. People especially the young ones need what is called straight lines that will serve as their guide to avoid the danger of falling down.

To have a life of authentic success and true significance, first, we have to define success the right way, Not in terms of power, prestige, position, prosperity, or pleasure, which are neither good nor bad, but their improper handling could bring disaster in a person’s life.

How would you want people to remember you when you die, by your money in the bank, business empire, mansion, collection of flashy cars and girlfriends?

Or

Would you rather be remembered as someone who treated his/her spouse well, produced sensible and caring children, and helped other people change their lives for the better?

Do we focus on material things?

Or

Do we focus on improving our character by always doing the right thing and just letting the rest follow as a result?

All of the above make up the essence of the book Make a Life Not Just a Living by america’ s life coach DR. ron jenson.

The book is composed of 10 chapters; the first letters of the chapters’ title spell M-A-X-I-M-I-Z-E-R-S since each chapter contains essential information for becoming a successful, fulfilled, maximized individual. I have summarized each chapter’s message as follows:

1. It is not the stars that hold our destiny; we do.
Gain control of your thoughts and attitudes. Practice DISCIPLINE, work hard and
develop right habits. Plant and cultivate the root of success and the fruit will follow.

2. Think of yourself as special, with unique gifts and abilities, and that you have the power to DO SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT. Fulfill your destiny.

Life is difficult but as long as you face your issues bravely, do your best to fix it, and learn from it, life would become more meaningful and you would eventually grow mentally and spiritually. Develop the ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE for everything – good or bad.

When there are no values, the society fails apart. Identify and promote the VALUES that will characterize your personal and professional life. Use great books, study groups, and life’s lessons as your references.

Have a sense of PURPOSE that will give meaning and significance to your life. This will give you the passion and excitement to get out of bed in the morning and go beyond what you normally would do.

You cannot call yourself successful when your business is growing but your family is failing. Have a balanced lifestyle by looking at success in all areas of your life. Carefully assess your priorities in life and prepare your schedule based on these priorities.

Cultivate the only things that endure -- relationships with other people. Uplift people, Need people, Intimately relate to people, Trust people, and Yield to people whenever necessary, if you want to make them change.

COncentrate on BEING instead of having. You can acquire all you want and still feel empty because who you are at its core – your inner person, your depth of faith, your spiritual virility – is the real source of ultimate power.

Determine and be guided by your overall perspective and sense of PARAMETERS about any issues in life. What do you see as the ultimate outcome of your entire life, personal, your marriage, your business, or your spiritual life?

Compete. Life is a battlefield! You are at war – and you need to act like it. But your REAL COMPETITOR is yourSELF.

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What I wrote here are just crumbs of the book’s substance. I highly recommend the book to everyone. It will even guide you in making a list of daily activities based on the M-A-X-I-M-I-Z-E-R-S principles to ensure that you live each day with the objective of becoming a successful, fulfilled, maximized individual.

(By the way, I am endorsing this book because I strongly believe this is going to help improve people’s lives, and NOT for any other reasons.)

In defense of PGMA

Filipinos used to like Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, also known as GMA, daughter of a former Philippine President. She was a topnotch Philippine Legislator, was awarded Most Outstanding Senator. Not only that, in the history of the Philippine election, GMA received the most number of votes as Vice Presidential candidate.

Year 1998, GMA ran for Vice President and won landslide alongside Presidential aspirant Joseph (Erap) Estrada, a former local movie hero idolized by millions of Filipino moviegoers. Prior to becoming President, Erap was a Mayor, a Senator, and a Vice President. But inspite of his fame and fortune both as an actor and politician, President Erap allegedly accepted jueteng (illegal gambling) money as revealed by his erstwhile good friend, Ilocos Governor Chavit Singson. As a result of the governor’s allegation, Senate investigation began, eventually leading to a trial for the impeachment of the President. The Philippine Senate failed to impeach the President but the process ended on an emotional note that triggered People Power Revolution known as EDSA II which forced President Erap out of office a little less than three years after he was inaugurated.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as new President. But her new position came at a great cost. It gave her a new image, from a very popular vice president to that of a villain among deposed President’s loyal supporters who accused her of stealing the Presidency from their idol. Erap diehards were later joined by a new group of President GMA’s disgruntled former supporters whose expectations she failed to meet. They joined forces and became the new opposition.

Year 2004, GMA ran for reelection. This time she was pitted against Fernando Poe Jr, also known as FPJ, Erap’s more popular bossom buddy, and considered the King of Philippine movies. FPJ has millions of admirers. With him as Presidential candidate it was easy to make people believe that the incumbent was defeated.

GMA was proclaimed President. Shortly thereafter, FPJ passed away.

Fernando Poe Jr. was a good man - a model in humility and generosity. Honestly, I was one of his fans having watched almost all of his movies with my parents during my formative years, which is why I believe that FPJ’s heart rubbed off on me, somewhat. However, I strongly believe FPJ was not prepared for the Presidency, and if he wins, I was thinking, it would be like pushing the man off a cliff. And because I love FPJ, I did not vote for him. I wished he did not give in to his politician friends’ prodding. I know the man had the best of intentions and that is one good quality of a president, but the position requires much, much more than that. Political advisers have their ideas, but they also have their agenda. As President of the land, one has to be smarter than his advisers to succeed, not the other way around.

The idea FPJ for President brought hope.

Time Magazine of May 10, 2004 wrote:

"Technically, Poe's Coalition of United Filipinos party has a platform, but the planks are all motherhood and mango pie: schools should be improved, farmers aided. According to Juan Ponce Enrile, who is running for re-election as Senator with Poe's support, Poe doesn't need one. "The people who will vote for him don't care about a platform," explains Enrile, the former Defense Minister who sparked the 1986 People Power rebellion by splitting with Marcos. "The only people that care about a platform are the enemies that will use it against him. It is an undefinable thing that makes up what we now call FPJ. He brings hope.""

The idea FPJ for President brought hope … false hope.

It takes a great deal of preparation to produce a presidential timber. Hence, plunging into the challenge of claiming the position may spell devastation for an unprepared aspirant, and catastrophe for the country. Even Joseph “Erap” Estrada who was Mayor, Senator, and Vice President failed as President. The position exposed his weaknesses.

FPJ is gone. I am missing his movies and his person. People close to him must be missing his love, friendship and good deeds. FPJ’s politician friends must be thanking him a great deal. After all, they are the real winners in the FPJ for President strategy that, once again, tagged GMA as the villain, this time, of the king of Philippine movies.

FPJ is gone, and FPJ’s politician friends inherited the support of his sympathizers. They are now using this support to pursue their ambitions… for the good of the country?

Now that followers of Erap and FPJ bought the idea that GMA stole the Presidency from their idols, it’s time to go for the clincher. Realizing that attacking a diminutive woman President may not be most effective, focus shifted. The First Gentleman suddenly became favorite target of mudslinging with charges of money laundering and keeping excess campaign funds.

The First Gentleman was ultimately cleared of the allegations.

I do not know anybody in the Arroyo administration, apart from what I observe from various communications media. Her critics may say I do not know the Arroyos well enough to patronize them and neither was I privy to Erap administration to have my opinion of them. Some intellectuals may retort “READ THE INTERNATIONAL PAPERS!” But I’d like to believe that I am also all ears, all faculties when it comes to current events.

Majority of the Americans couldn’t believe George Bush was proclaimed winner over Al Gore. America thought they voted for Al Gore .Yet the world did not hear much noise whatsoever from the freedom-loving Americans; they simply let President Bush do his job after his inauguration without much distraction… well, at least until next Presidential election.

Why can’t we do the same for our President?

Why is GMA turning out to be our most maligned President when I have witnessed at least 4 Philippine presidents before her and I can objectively say that she is one of the most intelligent, hardworking and flexible? I feel confident, proud every time the President represents us globally because she earns the respect of her counterparts. If she is being respected internationally, then her countrymen must respect her all the more.

Pag may nagsalita ng masama tungkol sa Presidente, parang lorong gumagaya agad ang karamihan sa atin na parang galing sa Banal na Aklat ang mga sinasabi. Halos gawin nating bayani ang mga nagpaparatang kahit madalas hindi naman napapatunayan ang kanilang sinasabi. Ang mga nagbibintang, karamihan nanungkulan din o nanunungkulan pa, ay halos wala namang nagawang kabutihan para sa bayan; karamihan nga ay panggulo lamang.

Halos lahat ng problema, pampamilya o pansarili, kay GMA isinisisi. Mahirap kami, ang gobyerno kasi. Nagugutom kami, si GMA kasi.

ANO BA ‘YAN, BAYAN? MAGISIP-ISIP NAMAN TAYO.

Kapag nagugutom ang isang pamilya, magulang ang dapat managot. At huwag nating sasabihin na walang trabaho kaya tayo nagugutom. Noong bata ako walang permanenteng trabaho ang tatay ko pero hindi kami nagugutom. Tumutulong sa palayan ang magulang ko kapalit ng bigas na kakanin naming 6 na magkakapatid. Nagtatanim ang tatay ko kahit sa hindi namin lupa para may gulay kami. Nag-aalaga ng baboy ang magulang ko para maibenta pambili ng gamit namin sa pagaaral. Noon ‘yon. Iba’t ibang panahon, may iba’t-ibang paraan para mabuhay ng marangal!

Noong bata pa ako ikinahihiya ng mga magulang na masabing nagugutom ang mga anak nila. Dapat lang namang ikahiya dahil palatandaan ‘yan ng kakulangan ng pagsisikap. Pag nag-asawa tayo, umaako tayo ng responsibilidad ng pagpapamilya. Kaya dapat pangatawanan natin. Planuhin. Huwag magparami ng anak kung hindi kayang isabay ang kita. Dahil gutom talaga ang resulta nyan! Paano pa ang pag-aaral?

HUWAG IPAUBAYA SA GOBYERNO ANG BUHAY.

HUWAG DING IPAUBAYA NA LANG SA DIYOS. Milyon milyon tayo, dito pa lang sa Pilipinas. KAWAWA NAMAN SI GOD!

Ngunit lalo namang huwag ipabahala sa mga pulitiko ang buhay natin. Maraming oras, kukuya-kuyakoy lang tayo sa bahay, iinom-inom. Mabalitaang may rally, walang tanung-tanong makikisali. Bakit hindi e madali lang naman. May magbibigay ng plakard, hawakan mo lang. May sisigaw, basta makisigaw ka lang. Kung ano’ng sinabi ng espiker, yon ang gayahin. Dahil pagkatapos, may pangkain o kaya packed lunch.

Totoo, marami talagang dapat gawin ang gobyerno. Unang-una, kung mahina ang kalidad ng edukasyon, dapat ayusin ng gobyerno sa madaling panahon. Pag nakapag-aral tayo ng maayos at husto. matututo tayong gumawa ng matalinong desisyon.

Quality education is one of the most immediate concerns that the government needs to address. People have different levels of capabilities. Some people may be lucky enough to be able to provide for everything for his family. But there are also those whose capabilities are very, very limited. This is where the government must come in to help bridge the gap.

But let us not forget that each one of us can help move our country forward, if only we do our own little share. Let us start by taking good care of our youth, mentoring them, encouraging them not only to produce, but also to cultivate character. Showing our young ones that we are following rules even when no one is looking is a good start and would go a long way.

TAYONG MGA TAO ANG BUMUBUO NG ATING GOBYERNO. TAYO ANG GOBYERNO.

"Isipin kung ano ang magagawa natin para sa bansa. Hindi kung ano ang magagawa ng bansa para sa atin." Ang mensaheng ‘yan ni Amerikanong Presidente Kennedy ay akmang akma kung hangad nating sumulong bilang isang bansa.