Is also the education received from experiences. Here are some of lessons I learned (and still learning) that you might find in handy.

1. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Security is for the dead. Nothing good comes out if your in your comfort zone.

2. Never Expect Life To Be Fair

There are rich people and poor people, intelligent, dumb and different types of people in the world out to take what’s theirs. Never expect life to be fair just because your poor doesn’t mean you are being taken advantage. We are animals that are product of a long line of evolution in which we do everything to survive. It is still the same after millions of years. If you expect the world to be fair, you don’t deserve anything. If you’re poor, get up and stop whining. Every man is for himself.

3. Solve Your Own Problems

I honestly believe that if an intelligent person asked for help. Let him be, he’ll know the solution soon. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge.  Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others.” There’s also an old Chinese proverb saying that I remind myself of frequently.  It goes like this:

“A wise man keeps his own counsel.”

4. Never Give Up

There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.  It goes like this:

“The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”

5. There’s Always A Reason To Smile

Find it.  After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive.  Life is short. “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!”. Warning: Most people will make this an excuse to just party everyday. A good entrepreneur knows when to play and when to work.

6. Always be Improving

Never stop investing.  Never stop improving.  Never stop doing something new.  The moment you stop improving  you die.  Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way.  Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen.  Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

“In times of change, learners inherit the Earth. But the learned, find themselves beautifully equipped with the world that no longer exists.”

Why Post?

It’s been a while since I made a new post and I watched an episode on tv featuring a motivational speaker that will let you walk through fire and will say that you’ll be successful. There are lots of seminars and motivational seminars here in the Philippines now. I have been to many of them and I don’t find anything bad with them. It’s just that, they are all the same and it all comes down to the items I wrote above. If you’re really into it, you can read the classic book “Think and Grow Rich” to have more in depth detail about it.

Remember, you don’t need some random guy to tell you that you’ll be successful nor to convince you that you’ll be successful and much more, to even pay this guy to tell you that you’ll be successful. You already know what your dreams are, take a deep breath and work for it.

Many people grew up with the idea that having a full time job will make you stable. I did. The truth behind this is that, its a lot more risky to have a job than to have a business. Take the economic crisis for example, many people was surprised (and terrified) when they got laid off from their jobs and in financial trouble, you won’t know when it will hit you. Having a business gives you a lot of options to enjoy life. Even though businesses were affected by the economic crisis, you can bet that these businessmen already have other businesses that can keep them afloat. Its all about risk management. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”. If you have a job, you only have 1 egg.

Of course not all people are gifted with entrepreneurial spirit and will still choose a job than having a business of their own. Not all people are knowledgeable to start and run their own businesses. And it is easier to just get job and get money monthly though your salary.

I always remember the talk of David Heinemeier Hansson about having a business online. You don’t need to kill yourself working to have a billion dollar business online or offline. You just need to get that first 1 Million annual income. After that, you will realize that you have a lot of free time and will be able to do whatever you want in your life.

When I was in college, I tried to work 24hrs a day just to pay the rent, bills and college tuition. It was tough and I always remember the things that I want to do but can’t because of that. I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Just this month the feeling came back and bought my 2nd electric guitar and start learning. I can now play some music. It wasn’t possible before. But right now its different because of freedom I have.

This is what we call a lifestyle business. A lifestyle business in my own opinion is establishing a business for the sole purpose of supporting a lifestyle. Need a car? Create a business that will pay the car loan. Need a house? Create a business that will pay the mortgage. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to beat Bill Gates to get your dream house or dream car or travel the world.

When a person is young, has financial freedom, has a lot of free time, he is not motivated by money anymore. This is the time where he tries to look for the meaning of life and tries to reach and do things that will make him leave a mark in this world. I guess its a man’s instinct to always on the hunt and if he reached his long term goal early, he tries to go for the big shot.

What I’m trying to say is that, if you’re still struggling financially after working for years and years and still haven’t accomplish anything you might want to take a break and reflect on things. You don’t have to rush finishing your work… If you’re done you wont have anything left to do. Take a time to appreciate nature, get a vacation perhaps… If you’re still searching for the perfect job from a far away nation because of its generous salary, and still no hope… Maybe its time for you to start making the perfect job instead of searching. Because there’s no such thing as a perfect job.

Your skill is directly proportional to the money you’ll earn plus your ability to communicate with people multiplied by the amount of confidence, trust and perseverance you have.

I don’t know if its just a fad or just a politically correct way to answer why you want to work abroad… “To help my family” is a little bit cliche now. You can not help others if you can not help yourself. Just like a drowning person. If you don’t know how to swim, saving a drowning person may risk your life and be dragged to death even if you know how.

You can only achieve happiness if you’re being selfish. Happiness can only be real if you share it.

Not too long ago, I made a post about 10 Ways to Fail at Life. That post has been like a sarcastic point of view on how some people view at life without knowing that they are destroying the possibilities for them to be successful. Now to explain a bit better. Here is a perfect clip from the film Rocky where he teaches his son a thing or too about life.

You might not believe this. But you… used to fit right here. I’ll hold you up and says to your mother… This kid will gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid will gonna be better than anybody knew. And you grew up good and wonderful.. And it was great watching everyday it was like a priviledge.

Then when time comes for you to be your own man, and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you’re no good. And when things got hard, you started to look for something to blame. Like a big shadow.

Let me tell you something you already know. The world aint no sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place. And I don’t care how tough you are. It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit us hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. THAT’S HOW WINNING IS DONE.

Now, if you know what’s your worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But you’ve got to be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers and say, you aint what you want to be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that aint you. You are better than that.

Unless you start to believe in yourself… You will aint got a life.