07 Oct
Be Younique Blog

An Idea is just an Idea

They say that

“Poor Minds talk about people,

Average Minds talk about events,

Great Minds talk about ideas.”

But today, talking about an idea is somewhat trite because in the information technology age, ideas are everywhere. In fact, I can come up with an extraordinary, mind blowing, out of this world (or galaxy) idea and yet go nowhere because it’s just that…an idea!

Have you ever had this experience — you come up with an idea, only to find out that someone else beat you to the punch by carrying it out? You heave a heavy sigh and say, I thought of that idea first. That person is really lucky.

Well, luck didn’t play any part. It’s just that he/she didn’t let the idea stay as an idea. In other words, “You thought of it, they did it!” 

An idea is just an idea! What’s important is how well you sell your idea that others will buy into and how well you execute the necessary steps to make that idea a reality.

Formula: Idea + Sell + Execute = Accomplishment

05 Oct
Be Younique Blog, Business, Debt-Free

Sell Stuff to pay your debts

Living a debt-free life is living a life with peace of mind. Not having peace of mind because of debt is something I’ve lived thru for years so I know what I’m talking about.

In my last business venture, my partners and I lost around 10 million pesos (including the interests we have to pay), and I incurred an additional 2.5 million personal debt. It took me some time to pay them. As I looked for solutions, one thing that was obvious but almost eluded my radar until I was already desperate was to: Sell Stuff.

If you are in debt, sell stuff. In more technical terms, it’s called liquidating. Simply put, liquidating is converting stuff or assets (even liabilities) into cash.

I became desperate when my wife was about to give birth to our first child Gabbie. We needed P80,000 for her hospital bill. With no money and millions in debt, what did I do? I sold a lot of unused stuff. I ended up accumulating 3 times the amount we need.

If you are deep in debt, look for things at home that you can sell. Chances are, you will find many that you don’t need but is still worth something. Sell and sell and sell until your children worries that they are next. You’ll be surprised how much you can make selling unused stuff.

03 Oct
Be Younique Blog, Blog, Business

Go Back to Basics

Here are some funny stories about kids and technology:

Story 1: I was visiting a friend who could not find her cordless phone. After several minutes of searching, her young daughter said, “You know what they should invent? A phone that stays connected to its base so it never gets lost.”

Story 2: Trying to explain to our five-year-old daughter how much computers had changed, my husband pointed to our brand-new personal computer and told her that when he was in college, a computer with the same amount of power would have been the size of a house.

Wide-eyed, our daughter asked, “How big was the mouse?”

Story 3: I realized the impact of computers on my young son one evening when there was a dramatic sunset. Pointing to the western sky, he said, “I wish we could click and save that.”

Of all people, kids know the basics. As we get older, the basics get confusing. Add technology, (which was meant to make our lives less complex) then things get sophisticatedly complicated. 

Here are some basic questions:

How do I earn money?  Work!

How do I earn a lot of money? Work very hard!

  • Yes working smart is good, but there are no shortcuts to success. You have to work hard!

How can I become successful? Serve people. 

What business should I start? Look for a business that will serve people. The more the “Money-yer!”

How can I get out of debt? Pay your debt.

How will I pay my debt if I don’t have money? Work, be frugal, prioritize, sell stuff, and don’t borrow money anymore.

You might say, life is not that simple. I say, if we open our eyes, yes, it’s that simple. We are the ones who make our life complicated. When you have difficult questions, “Go Back to Basics.” Asking how a child thinks would help.

29 Sep
Be Younique Blog

Belling the Cat

Once upon a time, all the mice living in a great house met to discuss how they could protect themselves against the attacks of a big, clever cat, which had come to live in the same house.

Many ideas were put forward. At last one mouse said, “I think I have the perfect solution. We must obtain possession of a bell, which I know how to do, and then we  must hang the bell round the neck of the cat. Whenever the cat moves, the bell will ring. Thus we shall always be warned when she is creeping close to attack us.”

“Wonderful! Marvelous!” cheered the other mice. “That is the solution. A bell must be hung around the neck of the cat. Why did no one think of that before? Our troubles are over.”

Everyone thanked the mouse who had made the brilliant suggestion and a gift of grain was granted to him.

Among all the cheers and murmurs of approval, a little voice belonging to a small, unimportant mouse was heard, asking, “But who will hang the bell around the neck of the cat?

There was silence, which grew longer and longer. Then there was a shuffling of feet as all the mice remembered important engagements to which they had to hurry away. No one ever mentioned the idea of belling the cat again.

-From Aesop’s Fables

What is the lesson of the story? Ideas are everywhere. They are a dime a dozen. However, do you have the COURAGE to transmute your ideas into reality? 

27 Sep
Be Younique Blog

Productive Paranoia

Is being negative always negative? Bill Gates seems to disagree. Did you know that Gates is a negative person?

Here are some excerpts from the book Great by Choice.

It depicts a concept called productive paranoia. Its being highly attuned to threats and changes especially when things are going well. Fear and worry is channeled into preparation, contingency plans, buffers and margins of safety. 

How negative is Bill Gates?

  • Bill Gates said in 1994. “Fear should guide you, but it should be latent, I consider failure on a regular basis.”
  •  He hung a photograph of Henry Ford in his office, to remind himself that event the greatest entrepreneurial successes can be passed by, as Ford had been passed by GM in the early history of the auto industry.
  • Gates showed his fearful side in what became known as the “nightmare memo.” In a four-day period, from June 17 to June 20, 1991, Bill Gate’s personal fortune dropped more than $300 million as Microsoft stock suddenly fell 11 % when a memo filled with “nightmare” scenarios leaked its way to the San Jose Mercury News. Written by Gates himself, the memo listed a series of worries and threats-about competitors, technology, intellectual property, legal cases, and Microsoft’s customer-support shortcomings—and proclaimed, “our nightmare…is a reality.”
  • Gates demonstrated productive paranoia all the time, no matter how successful Microsoft became. Gates didn’t just sit around writing up nightmare memos; he channeled fear into action by keeping workspace inexpensive; hiring better people; building cash reserves; and working on the next software release to stay a step ahead, then the next one, and the next one after that.
  • Paranoid behavior is enormously functional if fear is channeled into extensive preparation and calm, clearheaded action.

The lesson: “Critical Thinking is crucial if you want to be successful.” But mind you, I said critical thinking, not to have a critical mindset or spirit — that means having a negative attitude. Critical thinking involves having a goal and being realistic in finding ways to achieve that goal, no matter the opposition.
So the next time someone tells you, you need to be positive all the time; give them these examples from Bill Gates…sometimes it pays to be negative!

25 Sep
Be Younique Blog

The missing link

I’m collecting figurines right now of my 4 characters in YOUnique. I have all except the tarsier. 

Dominant Eagle

Influential Rooster

Steady Carabao

Corrective Tarsier??? Anyone knows where I can get one?

24 Sep
Be Younique Blog, Business

Action Follows Purpose

Before you commit to anything, ask yourself what your goal is. Or better yet, identify first your purpose, before you set any goal.

Here’s an example: I went to Lucena last Saturday to conduct a personal finance seminar for the singles of our Victory Fort church. Here’s how I decided if I should go or not.

Concerns:

It’s a 4-hour drive, so 8-hours total back and forth.

I can’t go a day earlier because I have schedules already.

I should leave at 4:30am on Saturday. My session starts at 9am, so there is no time to rest.

I won’t be with my family.

I have a 2pm schedule on Sunday to speak. 

Lets go back to one of my purposes in life —- why am I a Public Speaker? To make a difference in people’s lives and to instill a sense of God in the workplace.

Is it worth to go thru all the trouble of traveling if I can achieve this goal? Yes.

Can I bring my family and spend the rest of the day with them after my session? Yes.

Can I make it for my 2pm schedule the next day? Yes.

Would this activity make me fulfill my purpose in life? Yes.

My questions of whether I should go or not were answered by my Purpose.

Let’s use the same process with you:

Should I take this particular course in college? —- Ask yourself why. What is my life purpose?

Should I start writing a book? —- Same process. 

Should I start this business? —- Again, what is your goal and purpose?

Are you starting a business so that you’ll be rich and famous, or are you doing it because you can add value to others? Check yourself and check your heart. You may seem altruistic upon declaring your purpose to others; but deep down, you may find out that your purpose is incongruent with your actions. “It’s called doing things for the wrong reasons.”

When your life purpose is clear, then your goals will be clear; and when your goals are clear, making decisions will be easier.

20 Sep
Be Younique Blog

Be on Time

Always be early in your meetings.

I had a talk yesterday for the International Contact Center Conference and Expo at the SMX. My talk was suppose to be at 2:45pm. I arrived at 1:50pm. Upon arrival in the parking lot, I received a phone call that my talk was moved to 2pm due to unexpected events. It’s better to have contingency plans all the time and one good contingency plan is coming to your meetings early.

I had to intentionally cultivate this attitude as being late was a chink in my armor. When I was younger, I’m often late going to meetings, and I didn’t realize that it’s hurting my credibility with people. I had a change of heart when I heard this quote from our pastor: “If people can’t trust you with time, how can they trust you with money?” That changed everything.

Being on time is the first step to establish trust with people. Without trust, there is no relationship; even if you think there is.

19 Sep
Be Younique Blog, Business, Leadership

What do you have in mind about network marketing or MLM?

I am a supporter of MLM companies. In fact, I do motivational talks and trainings for some of them. Networking is a legitimate business and I’ve seen many successful and inspiring stories in the industry.

Yet like all companies, there are good networking companies and there are bad networking companies. Whenever you make a decision in joining one, use the metaphor of a 4-Legged Horse. A horse with three legs can’t walk; much more if it has only one. It needs four legs to walk on and run with. Here it is:

1) Company. Is the company reputable? Does the leadership’s values align with your personal values?

2) Product. Will you buy the products even without the business opportunity?

3) Marketing Plan. How much does the company pay out in percentage of the sales? Is it too big that there might be danger of overpaying or is it too small that they are not giving enough to their distributors?

4) System. What benefits will you get even if you don’t earn? (Trainings, Relationships, etc) How do they market the company and their products?

Choose wisely =)

15 Sep
Be Younique Blog

YOUnique for Parents

It was a joy and a delight to speak about YOUnique at the Jubilee Christian Academy Parent’s Auxiliary or JCAPA. It’s always good to be back home to my alma mater.

I remember there were many times I would have been retained because of failed grades (including 4th year high school). After 19 years, it’s silly to have thought it was the end of my life. Grades are important, but it doesn’t always translate to success after school.

I taught the parents the 4 personalities in the context of parenthood. I shared the value of focusing on character instead of just looking at performance. If we leave our children with money without building their character, the money will destroy them. I also mentioned that we should love our kids equally but treat them differently, because obviously, they are different. They have different needs, different interests, different motivations, and different goals. Yet the most crucial of all is how we set expectations for our children.

The power of Expectation states that our mindset helps predetermine the results. Research shows that whatever you believe to be the response will help predetermine the outcome.

Unfortunately, people hung invisible numbers on our foreheads. What numbers were hung on you?

As a parent, hanging numbers on our children’s head — based on performance — is a surefire way of sabotaging our kid’s future. It’s time for us to erase any figure and start treating them as our life’s milestones.

I heard once that “Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded.” How true =)