Meet and Watch

Yesterday, I had meetings at both Megamall and BGC. To save time and energy, I opted to take the MRT and BGC bus. It saved me heaps of time, and I still felt relaxed by the time I arrived at BGC. 

Both meetings were productive, but I was especially proud of myself during the BGC meeting because I was able to share more insights about this blog and how it influences me to curate my lifestyle on-the-go. Usually, it’s the other way around, but my previous experiences give me the creativity to explore more and make the most out of life. Sharing my life here on my humble home on the interwebs pushes me to live more with less. 

I had sizzling burger steak with egg at the food court for dinner. This was my favorite lunch during my Miriam grade school days, so I eat this whenever I can for nostalgia.  

Lastly, I watched Pansamantagal at Cinema Centenario. It was a funny movie on living life as if it were your last and not minding other people’s opinions. I highly recommend it!

Life is too short. Make the most out of your time here on earth. Share what motivates you to inspire others. And watch movies with a heart. We are only here pansamantagal (for the meantime).

Simple Design

Yesterday, I started my day by dropping off some snail mail. As an avid philatelist and analog fan, I still send letters to loved ones here and abroad to let them know that they’re in my thoughts. Snail mail can never be replaced by email or instant messaging. There’s a joy in waiting for a letter to arrive, and writing one’s good wishes on paper. It’s a practice that I will continue observing even in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

After my morning meeting, I had a simple lunch at Megamall. I had Kipp’s chicken burger steak and Quickly coffee 2 (it’s iced coffee with choco pudding). So good!

Then, I went to CITEM for a quick meeting.  

I am inspired by design thinking, so being in this office drives me to be a better problem solver in my day-to-day activities. I have attended CITEM’s design thinking conferences in the past, and my favorite was the IDC in 2017. I hope to attend more design thinking workshops and conferences in the future, and I am proud to see the Philippines excelling by design. 

I have a thing for doors, so I had to take a photograph before I left the building.  

My next stop was St. Clare Monastery. I prayed for work, more projects and partnerships, as well as for my terminally-ill father’s health. 

I capped my day by watching Samantha Lee’s Billie and Emma for the second time. I love this movie even if I am straight. It’s a simple love story that resonates with everyone. 

There is no better time for me to claim opportunities that are aligned with my values and ideals. At the same time, there will always be ways for me to squeeze in a film, some food trips, and prayer. Life is getting better, and I’m so in.  

Day 6: Magnetized

I have been through a lot of changes in the past year. I launched my blog in a low-key manner, became a freelance researcher while looking for career options, continued exercising, and attended some awesome seminars and conferences as a form of continuing education. I realized that it was way too easy to get lost in all of these transitions, but I chose to remain centered through my wellness through mindfulness battlecry. 

I have made a commitment to living deliberately. It is a process which I am undertaking because I want to make better choices from now on. I would like to have more blessings in my life, so I read Bo Sanchez’s book How to Be a Blessing Magnet. Do you also want to design your life with the intention of attracting more blessings? 

Let me teach you how! 

This book reinforced my belief in *magic*. You see, I have always seen wishing as more than just a fairytale storyline. I believe that wishes can come true, especially since miracles have been present in my life. Of course, we have to have a healthy dose of reality in the wishes we make (ex. I cannot wish to become invisible!). So I was glad that Bo wrote in this book that “wishing has power”, because the impact created through wishing releases energy which attracts blessings. 

To begin attracting blessings, you have to live with a thankful heart.

Wealth is a feeling. It does not matter how much you have in your bank account or how successful you are in your career. If you feel like a winner, you internalize the perception that you are rich. And when you live like a winner, you will be grateful. You will thank God more! And you will aspire for incredible things and opportunities because you know by now that you deserve more. 

Do extraordinary things.  

Take initiative. If there is nothing happening in your life right now, create opportunities! For instance, my blog has become my full-time job when I resigned from work. And guess what- having my own website has become a dress rehearsal for being my own boss! By learning how to manage my website, plan content and write my blog entries every single day, I learned how to be my own boss and by doing so, I am also becoming a better worker. 

By the time I will be employed again, I will be a better follower because I learned first-hand how it is to direct myself and to be responsible for something that is entirely my own. I look forward to applying this sense of responsibility to my next job.  

So I urge you to begin something extraordinary today for yourself and you will be surprised on how it will give you clarity on what you truly want in life. Let that clarity help you attract the right blessings.  

Create your own miracles.  

Take a look back and reflect on your challenges. List down what you have learned from your struggles and use them to propel you forward.  And use your suffering to have compassion for others so that you will not just attract blessings, you will also share your blessings!

Failure is a redirection.  

Change your strategy if your life needs to be fixed at the moment. Again, reflect on your setbacks and strategize on how you can rise from your challenges. Remember, you can only redirect your path if you act on your plans. So go ahead and keep moving forward!

Be hopeful.  

Remember this formula to sum up Bo’s powerful promise that your future can be beautiful: 

+ Hope = + Happiness

Increase your hope, and it will lead to an increase in happiness. Once you are hopeful, you begin to have a sense of gratitude which enables you to live with intention. When you are able to fulfill your dreams, you become happier. And when you give hope, you make other people happy too!  

So act on your dreams and say this powerful declaration at the start of each day:

I’m God’s beloved and it’s His great pleasure to bless me. God’s river of blessings is flowing to me at every single moment of my life. Everything I need comes to me. I’m a blessing magnet.  

-Bo Sanchez  

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“How to Be a Blessing Magnet” by Bo Sanchez is available at National Bookstore. I bought my copy from the Shepherd’s Voice booth at the 2017 Manila International Book Fair. It is also available online at www.KerygmaBooks.com. 

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***Comments are welcome at speakoutsam@gmail.com*** 

Day 5: Online Skills

Yesterday, I shared with you how I design my life with intention. One of the cornerstones of living deliberately is practicing discernment in EVERY choice I make. As I am now building my career trajectory in the corporate world, I have to be mindful of the skills which I already have. That way, I get to apply them more effectively and make excellence a habit. 

It is remarkable though that even in a corporate setting, my personal growth is made possible through skills which are valuable in online businesses. Corporations have an online presence, and knowing which online skills I innately have is going to make me a more valuable asset to my employer.  

Are you curious to know which online skills will enable you to thrive beyond the interwebs? Let me teach you how! 

I am on the third day of The Bucketlist Bombshells mini-course which I have shared with you a few days ago. I found out through the video class that I am proficient in tech skills more than graphic design, and it is an area where I can develop my potential to have an online tech business. This does not necessarily mean that I will be setting up my own tech business. It could simply mean that I could diversify my role in the company I will belong to by applying my innate skills in project management, web content strategy, writing, and blogging should there be opportunities in their online campaigns. I have also learned that I can grow and expand my tech skills by learning more about social media management and coding in the future.

To determine if you are more of a graphic designer or a tech professional, take the Day 3 video class in the mini course. You should also reflect on what excites you. Do you like browsing through typography, colour schemes, and mood boards online? Then you are most likely to be a graphic designer at heart. If you are more excited about managing online content, writing blog posts, and thinking of practical solutions to everyday tech problems, then you are more of a tech whiz. You do not have to be a coder or developer to work in tech. In fact, you can simply write content and have a potentially fruitful career online if you continuously research and study on ways to amp up your skills.

There are plenty of online courses to teach you how to acquire graphic design or tech skills, and there are also affordable classes in schools, univeristies, and even co-working spaces. Choose what works best for you and focus on the skills you want to develop, learn, and apply!

As always, I am being real and sharing with you my actual answers to the worksheet provided in the video course. I hope that this will inspire you to uncover which online skills could help you setup your own online side-hustle or diversify your current role in your company. Who knows, you might even have a more meaningful life in the process. Let me know how it goes, and tomorrow, I will teach you another lesson on self-improvement which you should not miss!

 ***Comments are welcome at speakoutsam@gmail.com***

Give Yourself a Chance

Blogging at a fast food restaurant with no makeup and post-workout high! 

My blog, speakoutsam.com, is now six months old. I am overjoyed with the doors which have been opened through this blog. I have been to conferences, events, seminars, and most of all, connected with kindred spirits who understood my battlecry of achieving wellness through mindfulness. Translating this mantra into real life is a journey which involves my whole being. I am not just here to build hype and a writing portfolio. I am blogging mainly to become my own audience, so I can motivate myself to live my battlecry, one day at a time.  

I have learned that putting out quality content is the most important component of this blog. It does not matter if I have only a handful of readers, as long as my content’s message remains consistent to my battlecry. While it is true that I am building a writing portfolio along the way, I am writing here on my online home because I want to inspire myself to rise above hypothyroidism everyday. After all, it is through inspiring myself that I continue to pursue this journey and make it truly my own. 

The process it took for me to build this blog began three years ago, when I attended a romance novel writing class. I remember that it was a insightful, but I realized that I was born to write essays more than a full-length novel. The best takeaway from that class was that having an outline is the ultimate guide to writing. I still write an outline for most of my blog entries, as this structure helps me lay out my thoughts and bring out my core message with ease.  

I have then realized that years of dreaming about having my own blog has got to stop. I needed the take action on it already. Earlier this year, I was employed in an IT-related job. I took the opportunity to use my free time to research and I realized that it was doable to build my own website. In no time, I was already blogging on my own domain, with a black and white theme.  

I gave myself a chance, even if it was expensive. I realized that a dream is a chance to feel joy, which is permanent (unlike happiness). This became more palpable when I left my job. I was suddenly left with a lot of personal time to pursue my passions. I worked out, read books, listened to music, attended events, and prayed. I blogged daily to prove to myself that my blog is worth keeping. I have shared that my blog became my job, and while I am looking for a new role to further my career, my blog became the thing I show up to everyday. And we all know that the most important part of any task is showing up. 

If you have a dream, turn it into a goal. Plan your life around it. Give yourself a chance. I encourage you to turn this plan into a process, because it can also give you joy. It is never to late to invest in yourself. 

Sustaining Inspiration

Start your day with positivity ➕ 

Breakfast at the caf

Networking coffee

How do you sustain inspiration? For me, it simply means that I have to continue acquiring knowledge. I continuously read books and magazines, attend seminars, and participate in conferences such as the 2nd Asia Finance Forum, which ended yesterday. I shared how the talks have inspired me to seek opportunities that far outweigh the risks. I felt inspired because I was a Risk Management practitioner. The challenge lies in finding these opportunities and to ensure that they develop in a sustainable manner. 

 My Rags 2 Riches bag at the ADB Library

I think the answer lies in innovation. 

It is my goal to continuously innovate. I write about achieving wellness through mindfulness, and doing so entails a healthy lifestyle. I enjoy working out and eating a balanced diet, but I also incorporate mindfulness so that living with meaning becomes a conscious process. Yes, I thrive in routine, but I amp things up by including my passions for reading, writing, music, art, film, and food in my life. By making my blog an extension of my life, I am inspiring myself to carry on. And it is in this inspiration that I am constantly practicing innovation.

I can always settle for being a lifestyle blogger, but I want to be more than that. By attending this conference, I have learned that taking risks is the beginning of infinite possibilities.

Coffee break snacks

Technology can thrive along with Finance. The world is more connected now more than ever. And by taking a risk with blogging, I am embracing opportunities in communication, meaningful pursuits, and a balanced life. 

Happy to have A with me today! 

I am thankful that I was able to join this conference. It warms my heart that institutions like the ADB organize events for the public, and I look forward to joining more conferences to enrich my life. I am excited for new beginnings, and I am definitely giving myself the chance to innovate both online and offline.

Inside the ADB Archives Gallery

Inside the ADB Archives Gallery 

Lessons on FinTech

I always have a photo taken by the auditorium  

Legit pass! 

Simple breakfast at the cafeteria 🍳 

But first, coffee ☕️  

I have shared yesterday about the novelty of joining a conference online for the first time. I had quite an information overload on the first day of the 2nd Asia Finance Forum, yet I was eager to livestream the second day of the conference. So imagine my surprise when I received an email that my registration has been confirmed for days two and three. I was floored because while I did appeal for a chance to join the conference in person, I was not expecting any outcome because I was aware of the large delegation for this year’s forum. I was happy to be given this rare chance to be a visitor of the Asian Development Bank, and if there is anything that I have learned even before signing up at the reception area, it would be the value of asking. I asked for a chance to attend the conference even if I was told that I could only livestream it, and I was granted a seat for the rest of the conference. There is value in asking for another chance, because it is where possibilities and opportunities are realized. 

Being here is a dream come true

Let the light in 💡  

I have learned from yesterday’s sessions that the opportunities far outweigh the risks.  

Hanging out at the ADB Library

FinTech is highly vulnerable to security risks, but the transformative power it has enables companies to take a leap of faith. Balancing risk and innovation is essential to ensure that development is sustainable.

In FinTech and in life, it is important to assess the risks involved and to keep on going, as long as the possibilities outweigh the hurdles along the way. 

It is important to innovate, but it should be partnered with empathy every step of the way. Design thinking should be applied to solve problems, especially when it comes to including the unbanked in FinTech progress. To be people-centric involves research and in-depth community immersion. Without knowing the needs of the people it aims to serve, FinTech companies cannot say that they innovate in a sustainable and inclusive manner.  

Another surprising turn was a lunchtime talk at the library which featured news anchor and public speaking coach Steve Dawson. He spoke on Storytelling for Presenters. I have learned the following from his insightful talk:  

1. Nerves are good! Being nervous is an indication of focus. Just do not let your nerves distract or rattle you.  
2. Storytelling is about digression. Explore your topic by including related details that could add humor and spice to your subject. For example, Steve spoke about his daughter’s triumph over dyslexia, and the astounding fact that she is now on her way to Australia for university. While speaking about his daughter, he became emotional and his feelings as a father became evident. It added interest to his story though, and it hooked his audience on his daughter’s journey from struggle to graduation. 
3. Know your audience. Never underestimate the power of research when it comes to understanding who your listeners are.  
4. Storytelling is about sharing. It is the art of connecting with your audience that makes you an effective speaker. Simplify complex information to make it easier for you to share. Make it entertaining too so your story could resonate with your listeners. 

I had a productive day and I was able to appreciate how innovation could personally motivate me to assess risks and seek opportunities. I also got inspired to communicate better by adopting a storytelling approach. I look forward to tomorrow’s talks with an open mind that is ready to innovate. 

The auditorium  

Matcha muffin and quiche for morning coffee snacks

Sketching helps me absorb information

Lunch

Lunchtime learning at the library! 

Chocolate bread pudding with vanilla sauce

Cocktail food

Cocktail food

Cocktail food 

Cocktail food 

Cocktail food

How to Turn Unemployment Into an Opportunity

Strive to be positive even when you don’t feel like it.  

I’m sure most of us have gone through unemployment. The worst part about being in between jobs is not knowing what’s next. It is agonizing to wake up each morning without a fixed schedule. However, there is another way to view this period in our lives.  

What if you could turn unemployment into a time of opportunity and positive change?

There was a time not so long ago when I had no purpose and zero direction. I was worried about having insufficient resources. I was pessimistic about what’s next. 

Until I realized that unemployment could be an important time of self-development!  

I then made an inventory of what’s readily available to me. I started with this blog, and I vowed to myself to write more positive content. I motivated myself to apply to seminars and conferences, using my blog as my brand and company to represent.  

I prayed, but I also took action. I went online to apply for jobs.  

I worked out each day. I never missed the chance to experience my daily endorphins.  

I downloaded podcasts that focused on mindfulness and creating opportunities for yourself. They helped keep me on the right track, especially when I felt like giving up. 

I shared my website whenever I was in seminars. I learned that it was the perfect icebreaker! It also helped me overcome my shyness whenever I was in a room of professionals. 

Before long, I have noticed that I no longer dreaded waking up each day. I learned how to bullet journal, so that gave me a tangible connection to the rolling of days and errands to accomplish. I listened to music and I realized that I am a creature of habit. So I cultivated new habits such as blogging each day and sharing them online. Producing output on a daily basis reinforced my belief in myself. My blog became my work, while I am still looking for the right job for me. 

I do recommend blogging if you are unemployed. Research on topics that interest you and write about your expertise. Stick to a writing schedule and commit to it! And while I advocate using paid blogging platforms, you may begin with a free one  while you are still starting. Get the feel of writing for yourself, and before you know it, you already have enough confidence to purchase a domain name, website package, and set up your own little space on the interwebs. 

I also recommend working out! There are plenty of free workout videos on YouTube. Utilize them. Learn which types of exercise work for you and commit to working out thirty minutes a day. It will do wonders to your health and well-being.  

Most of all, believe in yourself. You should never give up on your ability to turn emptiness to something great. Use your free time in between jobs for self-improvement! By the time you get employed, your boss and colleagues will be lucky to have you, because you have built your own brand and surpassed the negative vibes that tend to cloud your mind when you don’t know what’s next. 

***Comments are welcome at speakoutsam@gmail.com***