Carlo Borja: Thoughts

Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts

When life goes on full throttle and everything seems to be on full speed, it could be really hard to catch up.

Things could be scary, risky and even uncertain.

It is in these moments that you have to sit back and reflect on your current life.

Are you still on track?

Should you continue your momentum? Or, do you need to adjust?

So many decisions have to be made.

But, one of the most important yet the most difficult decision is sacrifice.

There are things you need to sacrifice and even let go of.

When life hits you hard, you would see how there are things you currently have that you might not need anymore.

There could be things you would want to give up just to achieve a certain goal.

It was never this way before. But, priorities change.

You are not the same person anymore.

You are on to the next chapter.

These sacrifices have to be made.

The good thing is they are temporary. And, soon all the sacrifices would turn out to be for your own good.

So, in these crossroads just hang on.

Things will get better.

Today, I witnessed probably one of the greatest upsets in professional basketball.

I'm talking about how Game 7 of the 2015-2016 NBA Finals turned out. The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit and became the NBA champions. They defeated the Golden State Warriors who had a historic season with the most wins (73) in NBA history.

I was never really a fan of basketball. But, when Stephen Curry and #DubNation started making headlines and history I took notice.

They were splashing threes, making impossible shots and dominating the league.

I joined the bandwagon and fell in love with the Warriors.

But, during the Finals things didn't turn out well for them. They faced the unstoppable Kyrie Irving and King James who were also determined to give the Cavs their first Championship.

The Warriors' historic season ended with an epic loss in a finals decision game.

It was heartbreaking to see them lose in their home court. It was devastating.

But, that was a good reminder that really even the best fall down sometimes.

You can't stay on top all the time. Things could change in an instant. Circumstances could change in a moment.

That's exactly what happened to Steph and his team.

At this point, what matters for them is how they will bounce back next season.

I'm sure it's time to move on and look forward to making another historic run next season.

I just hope NBA's next season would be as exciting as it was this year.

Image: (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Every week, I meet with a small group of young people.

As a youth leader, part of what I do is not only to mentor them but also to minister to their needs.

Not only do we study God's Word, we also talk about life, school and basically every single thing that is going on with each other's lives.

But, if there's one thing I learned from them it is that:

No man is an island.

As cliche as it may seem, I never really understood what that meant until I heard the experiences of other people.

Some people choose to keep their problems on their own. Some choose to hide their true self. Some just bury themselves with depression until eventually everything would bubble up and consume them.

We all need an outlet.

You are not meant to be alone. You are a social being.

You got to find people who are willing to listen and understand. But, most of all you got to at least open yourself up first.

This is why I spend time meeting them every week in spite of my busy schedule.

I may not be able to solve every problem they have. But, being an outlet for all their frustrations and disappointments may be enough to minister to them at the moment.

It keeps me alive too.

When you hear about investments, what usually comes to mind? Money? Stocks? Business?

Well, they all certainly are investments. But, there is one investment I recently made that is quite different from them. It's an investment for myself.

I just bought a new pair of eyeglasses.

In case you don't know, I have astigmatism. Only my doctor can explain what that really means and what that does to my eyes (LOL). All I know is I am nearsighted and I hate that slight blur with my vision.

I've been wearing glasses for around 5 years now. But, this is the first one to have a plastic frame. It's not your usual plastic frame though. It's really light at 6 grams and you can bend and stress it. Plus, it's quite fashionable compared to my old one. *wink*

This investment took quite a significant amount of my savings. But, I guess it's worth it.

My eyes are definitely important to me. I even got this one with multi-coated lenses to protect my eyes from the stress of looking at computer screens for 15 hours a day.

Bottom line, I am really happy with the investment I made for myself.

How about you? Do you invest in yourself?

Today, July 28, 2014, President Noynoy Aquino gave his fifth state of the nation address to the Republic of the Philippines.

He outlined major improvements for the past 5 years of his administration and emotionally encouraged all the Filipino people to continue to fight for change and to elect leaders who support the same cause as his.

I am not the type of person who comments on any political activity or event. Politics is certainly the last thing I would really want to talk to about. But, one thing that really annoys me is the fact that we do not run out of protesters and militant groups in this country.

It's an old and dirty tradition that involves innocent children and people who would do anything for money.

I do not know how it goes with other countries. (I'm not into politics as I mentioned earlier). But, in the Philippines this seems to be a regular and exaggerated activity.

People go out there and express their opposition in the streets. They go loud, bold and get into some fighting.

I don't really get it.

While it's true and I understand that any leader cannot please everybody, why do we have to show our opposition this way?

Can we not do something that makes a positive difference? Why can they not volunteer for a good cause instead of focusing on all the faults and shortcomings of our government?

Based on what I hear on interviews, some of these people just felt that the government was not able to address their needs. Well, hello? There are officially 100 million Filipinos as of this writing. It's selfish to think that the government would immediately address each and every single one of your needs.

I guess I made my point already. It's just that as a leader myself, I know that it is quite hard to move forward when you have all these fault finders and unnecessary opposition.

Our current administration may not be perfect. But, for once maybe we could just give our all out support for every good cause they have out there.

If we can't do that, stop all the unnecessary protests. Create your own change. You are more likely to make a difference that way than shouting and fighting in the streets.

Image via thepinoyweekly.com

During the anniversary event of the Google Business Group Cagayan de Oro, I had the chance to meet one of the most famous personalities here in our city.

Locally known as "Kulas," Kyle Jennermann is a Canadian who fell in love with the Philippines, its culture and the people. He took it to the extreme by deciding to become a Filipino.

He is currently staying here in Cagayan de Oro and based on what he shares on social media, he is really having the time of his life. He loves it here. You can really feel his passion to be like one of us, a people and a culture he did not grow up in. What a nice guy.

His journey in becoming Filipino involves him having to try a number of things that Filipinos do. Eating balut (or duck embryo), ploughing the field and memorizing the alimango (crab) song are just some of them. Mind you. He has already ticked off a lot of them in his checklist.

You can check out all of his adventures on his YouTube channel. Here is one where he did a food trip here in CDO:

His enthusiasm in his journey brings a smile to our faces. But, at the same time he makes me evaluate myself as a Filipino. He made me realize a lot of things.

I am a naturally born Filipino. I have been living in this city since I was born. Yet, this foreign guy is enjoying this place more than I do. Don't get me wrong. I love our city. He is just having more fun than I am.

He is also patronizing everything we have here more than I do. In fact, he has tried out more local things than I've ever had in my lifetime. He has only been here for months.

Bottom line is Kyle made me realize that there are a lot of things to enjoy in this city where I am in, in this country which I belong and in this culture which I grew up in.

He is not only promoting our country and the people. He reminds us that some of the best things in life are just right in front of us.

Thanks Kyle!

Now, over to you. Whether you are a Filipino or not, are you proud of where you are from?

Pressure.

What comes to your mind when you hear that word?

Is it negative or positive?

I hear a lot of different opinions on this one. But, in my case I actually see it as a positive thing.

Pressure is something I enjoy. Yes. I like it.

It could be stressful, nerve-wracking, intense and sometimes a hassle. But, I like it.

If I have to reflect on the most valuable things I've learned in my life, they were out of pressure. "Pressure makes diamonds," as the saying goes. That is indeed true.

The reason I enjoy being under pressure is because it allows me to go out of my comfort zone. Once I do, I go through a process of facing my fears and learning a lot of new things.

This is how I grow as a person and become better with just about anything.

I hope you view it the same way. It's just a matter of perspective.

Without pressure, you won't have diamonds. You will only end up having a worthless coal.

If you try to delight the undelightable, you've made yourself miserable for no reason. - Seth Godin.

Seth Godin said it right. If you want to make yourself more miserable, try to delight the undelightable. Try to please the people who are hard to please.

This might seem like a silly advice. But, it is a great reminder. We all do that. We love to please those who are not always happy about what we do.

The result is we end up getting frustrated, disappointed and yes - miserable.

However, on the flip side if you continue to just do your best work and focus on those people who support and believe in you, that is where the opportunity for tremendous growth happens.

You cannot avoid the negative people. But, you can stop wasting your time pleasing them. Just carefully consider their criticism and move on.

Do yourself a favor and stop making it miserable all the time.

If you have ever been recruited by people who are so aggressive about network marketing, you may have noticed how they use money as a bait for you to sign up and join their group.

I would say that money is probably the worst motivator.

It does not help build the solid foundation for marketing, sales and business in general.

It only breeds selfishness, deceit and evil.

Be careful.

I really do not like people who create tension.

By that, I mean people who easily go into arguments, people who always raise their voices and get into trouble and verbal fights with others.

I call these things "stress talks."

That is because these kind of talks create unnecessary stress for the other people around.

When you raise your voice and get into an argument with another person, you are definitely going to annoy everyone else around you.

The next time you are tempted to start your own stress talk, please be considerate. All the other people in your surrounding have their own problems too. The last thing they need is the unnecessary stress you are creating.

Appreciating someone of a good thing they have done could go a long way.

Yet we are not so generous in doing this.

Think of the last time someone appreciated you. There is a good chance that made you do things better. You probably even liked that person more.

Why don't we do it more often?

In this cruel world, all we need is a little appreciation here and there. Not only will it make you a better person, it also creates a positive environment for the people around you.

As a bonus, here's how "appreciation" creates a huge impact at work:

We, Filipinos have a habit of procrastinating and delaying everything.

Events start late. Appointments get delayed. People arrive late.

It has been a widely 'accepted' phenomenon that we just call 'Filipino time.'

It is just a huge excuse. In fact, it is a shame we are even bringing the name of our country to our very own laziness.

We should learn to respect everyone's time. 8AM is 8AM. The event will start at 5PM does not mean 7PM.

Start changing the negative connotation of "Filipino Time." Start with yourself.

Time is valuable. Time is money. Do not waste it.

I am typing this blog post on a Tuesday midnight.

I still need to finish 60 hours of work before the end of the week. I am obviously running out of time.

Rather than complaining that I have "so many things to do and so little time," I chose to write a blog post instead.

I love pressure. They say pressure makes diamonds. I strongly believe in that.

And, the only way I could handle the pressure is to stay calm and not get drowned by it.

So, here I am keeping my cool, taking a break and just letting my thoughts breathe.

As soon as I hit publish, I am getting back to work.

I was asked to be one of the 18 treasures at a good friend's debut party.

As you may already know, the challenge here is finding a gift (or a treasure) that would symbolize something about the debutante.

I chose a jewelry box. A fancy jewelry box that kind of looks like a closet. (Technically, my girlfriend bought this. I just had to make something up about a certain jewelry box. lol)

This was my speech:

---
They say that at 18, it is still okay to think about yourself - your wants, your aspirations, your goals.

But, when you start to think of others first, you are already ready to become an adult.

I had the privilege of seeing Shekainah (the name of the debutante) grow up from this little girl to this fine young woman we have here.

More importantly, I have witnessed how she has matured over the years because she is now thinking of others first before herself.

Shen, as you continue to grow up and mature may this gift be always with you to explore, have fun, stay creative and continue to be beautiful inside out.

We will always be here to support you and guide you.

I thank God for your life.

Happy 18th birthday. Enjoy the rest of the night and the rest of your adult years.
---

I do not know if that was enough or if it did any justice to the jewelry box.

At least I got to say a heartfelt message.

What do you think of that speech? Symbolism is quite a challenging task, right?

As a telecommuter who is working from home, I have the privilege of working on a flexible schedule.

That means I can work on any time of the day as long as I get stuff done and fulfill the necessary requirements.

For instance, right now we are experiencing 7 hours of power interruption daily. No problem. I could strategically schedule my work at times when power is available.

That advantage comes with a great responsibility by the way.

That is the responsibility of figuring out the best time to work.This is essential because having a flexible work schedule also means knowing when to schedule your 'work time' which is ideally when you are at your peak.

From my experience, there is no definite and uniform time for everyone. This is why the more I work from home the more I realize how inefficient the 9 to 5 work setup is where people are forced to be fully immersed at work at the regular 'office hours.'

The best time to work is actually when you are most productive. It is as simple as that.

However, figuring out that time is not as easy as it seems. It requires a lot of self-assessment and observation of your work habits and the results that come with it.

In my case, it took me years to figure out that I work best at 6-8PM and at 10PM to 1AM.

Obviously, I am a night owl. But, I can also squeeze out my brain to do great work at around 10AM-11AM.

I usually reserve my most critical tasks for those times. That is because these are the times when my brain performs best.

External factors also come into play. For instance, the current environment I am in, the temperature, the background noise and in most cases the coffee I drink (it has to be extra strong).

I continue to listen to my body though. As I grow older, I believe this will change. There might also be some brain hacks to change that. But, that is a subject for another research.

How about you?

When is your best time to work? When are you most productive? I would be interested to hear your stories.

Photo Credit: a.k.a. Pedestrian Photographer via Compfight cc

Today, we celebrate Mother's Day around the world.

People express their gratitude and love for their mothers in different ways they could imagine.

I love my mom too. I may not be as warm and expressive as all the other people out there. But, in my own little ways I make sure she understands how much I love her and how much she is appreciated.

I personally do not think that I could only do that every 2nd Sunday of May.

I need to do that every single day of my life, while she is still here and while I still can.

Each of us has a mother (or an acting mother) that raised us and has provided us with everything we need to be where we are right now.

Let us not wait for Mother's Day every year to tell them how much we love them and how we are grateful to have them in our lives.

Make every day Mother's Day.

That's my cool mom right there.

How do most people react when they encounter a problem?

They complain.

Is it really necessary to do so?

No.

We have all been there. Before we find a solution to our problem, we usually spend countless hours complaining about it first.

That is absolutely a waste of time.

Why don't we do it the other way around?

When there is a problem, we should immediately spend all of our energy finding a solution for it. By doing that, we save ourselves a lot of the unnecessary stress and frustration of complaining and even blaming.

Not only is that a productive use of time, that is also how successful people think.

Out of all the emotions people go through, getting angry is probably the most expensive.

Releasing your anger comes with an expensive cost. No matter how you deal with it, you will always end up losing something.

First, there are those people who lose themselves in the process. They turn into temporary monsters that people don't expect them to be.

Then, there are those people who spend money when they are angry. They could either make hasty and costly expenses just to satisfy themselves. That is money wasted.

Lastly, there are those people who sacrifice and lose valuable relationships because of carelessly releasing their negative emotions at the wrong time.

Relationships and trust are too precious to waste. If you lose them this way, good luck on getting them back. It's really difficult.

I've read before that releasing your anger at someone is like throwing a hot kettle. Not only are you hurting the other person, you are hurting yourself too.

That is why the next time you are angry, think first before you say or do anything. You will never know what that will cost you.

You might regret it later on.

I have my own fair share of leadership hats to wear.

And, in all my experiences as a leader, there is one dilemma that I always come across.

That is the conflict of relationships versus results.

A good team always starts off with the foundation of good working relationships. But, to move forward things have to get real serious and rough to achieve results.

This is usually the part where you sometimes need to risk abandoning relationships so you could effectively move forward and achieve the results you desire as a team.

You really cannot please everybody after all.

An effective and focused leader is someone who knows how to balance and handle this dilemma well.

In my case, there still is a lot to learn.

Do you have your own dilemmas as a leader? Do you have any leadership lessons that you live out?

As I was browsing through my social media timeline, I noticed this guy who always rants about almost everything there is in life.

It looked like 90% of his posts seemed to go against something. He doesn't conform to the standards and always has an opinion about why we should not.

He may have such strong points and opinions. But, I was reminded by this valuable piece of wisdom:

"Nonconformity for the sake of nonconformity is still conformity."

Sometimes, we try so hard to be different that we forget we are just like everyone else who are also trying to be different.

In my case, I'd rather compliment people with their selfies rather than ranting and blurting out negativity every 30 minutes.

(Image source: cheezburger.com)

I'm Carlo Borja

Education

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

Experience

Head of Online Marketing

Marketing Staff

Youth Pastor

SEO and Online Marketing Consultant

Community Manager

My Skills

SEO

Content Marketing

Leadership

Organization and Management

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Outreach and Link Building

Content Marketing

General Virtual Assistance

Pastoral Work

Leadership and Management

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