Random Thoughts

They say the hardest part is starting something new, but lately I realize that coming to an end is just as difficult. Many things happened without us knowing that something is actually beginning, we enjoy it, we cherish it, and we think it would last. But not all happy beginnings last. Most need to end, and often we see the ending coming. This is not just true for relationships, but for almost everything we do in life. We start a journey and we look forward to the encounters we’ll make. But soon after that, we have to finish the journey, and although we do not want it to end, we have to. The biggest struggle perhaps is starting something new with so much enthusiasm, only to lose that level of excitement towards the end. With the challenges presented, we tend to retreat, asking ourselves why we are there in the first place. I guess the enemy of doing something and having the strength to finish what we have started is forgetting our purpose. Why we’re there in the first place. W...

Today is the second day of COMMEP’S (Council of Management Educators and Practitioners in the Philippines) 25 th National Convention. I am thankful that I have been given the privilege to join it.  There were two technical sessions. The First one was given by Dr. Susan Labutap of CHED. She discussed about ASEAN Integration and the preparations made by the agency to address some of the concerns about it. The second speaker was Mr. Pocholo Gonzales, a voice actor and a motivational speaker at the same time. Instantly I became a fan. Although Dr. Labutap’s talk was insightful and very relevant, I was mostly drawn to the talk of Mr. Gonzales. His talent is remarkable. However, it is not his ability to change his voice that captured my interest as a listener. My reflection on his talk may not be the focus of his presentation as it deals with generations and how they have evolved. These are the changes he discussed. But his insights made me question why many of us fear change. I, f...

“Live your life to the fullest.” We have heard this countless times and we have told ourselves that this is what we are going to do. But how are we with this quest so far? Can we say with all honesty that we are actually living life to the fullest?  Before we answer the question above, we have to define what living to the fullest means for us. For most, it is about having fun and partying with friends. But this is not the kind of life I am referring to.  I want to talk about a life of fulfillment, continuous learning and being in awe with about everything we discover everyday. Isn’t it nice to be surprised by life and to realize that there are so many things that we do not know about? Living life to the fullest for me means learning new things and continuously becoming the best version of ourselves. Why we’re not getting anywhere: Although many of us know what we want out of life, very few of us really have the guts to go after them. We want to explore and do ...

She’s touring Europe and you go gosh about how lucky she is. She has the most romantic wedding proposal ever and it’s caught on cam; such a lucky girl. He gets to fly first class and able to date just about any woman he desires. They go on to the most extravagant family vacations, they have the Instagram posts to prove it, they’re so lucky. And then there is us, with our platonic daily routines that just bore us to death. How often have we wished for a different life? Perhaps we will be happier if we were famous. Maybe if we were as talented and as beautiful as the celebrities on the cover of the magazines, we will be happier, we will be contented; we will be able to enjoy our lives more. And if fame may not be your thing; perhaps money would do the trick. If we have more in our bank accounts, we can be happier. We will be able to treat people better. How often have we compared our lives with others and feel sorry for ourselves? How come they have more while we only ...

So you’ve been dumped, left for another, was rejected for a job, failed an exam, met an accident, been fooled, and cheated. At least once in our lives, we have experienced one of these things and we don’t understand why. We have been nice, we have offered what we can, and we do not deserve to be treated as such. Well, life has an unexpected way of teaching us a lesson. It breaks us down, tears us apart and molds us into something stronger without us knowing it. It is a cliché, and it is of no help when we are going through something. But we have to keep the faith and believe that things happen for a reason. I have contemplated on this for a while and we only get to appreciate this phrase once we look back at what happened in our lives. There are a lot of times when my plans did not go my way. A life changing decision did not push through as life directed me into a more challenging and hopefully a more fruitful road. Of course such U-turns does not stop happening in you...

The story about how the three kings found baby Jesus is among the most memorable Christmas stories shared across generations. Imagine the difficulty of finding a new born at that time when technology as we know it today was unheard of. But they were guided by a star. They followed it, and we all know what happened next.      The story above gives us a lesson about a few things in life. First, we must have a goal; something that we want to pursue no matter what. Next is to have faith, nothing will happen with your dreams if you do not believe that you will be able to achieve them. And most importantly, it teaches us to act on our goals with a sense of urgency. The kings would have not found Jesus if they procrastinated. Dreams are our goals. They are our north star. It is the direction which we should be heading. Without it, our efforts would be meaningless. Have you tried leaving home without knowing where you will go? Didn’t you feel lost? This is how it fe...

Is there a rational being? The answer of course to this is YES. Human beings are rational beings. This is what makes us distinct from other living things. We are rational, we think and we make decisions based on our rational thinking. However, during the course of the discussion, we mentioned that human beings are not always rational. Often, human decisions are superficial and materialistic. Human beings tend to lose their rationality because of the views of beauty and materials. Often, we see physical beauty as what defines us. Many people are like this, most are blinded by what is seen by the eyes. Further, the level of people’s rationality varies. But one thing we all agree on, everything seems to be geared towards an end. All of us are geared towards a purpose. Some of us are more aware of it than the others. But the truth remains, and that is all our actions have purposes. This purpose guides us. This is very true because only in having a purpose or goal do we achieve som...