Small Goals for an Awesome Week

Less is more. This is an ongoing philosophy by Zen Habits and I totally agree to it. However, there are just times that I can't help but be overwhelmed with everything that I think I need to do that I tend to lose focus. I get too worried about so many things causing me to sleep late and then get up late. In the process, it leads to lesser productivity in the day. So now, I want to list down small goals and I am going to stick to them bit by bit. By taking small steps at a time, we avoid feeling overwhelmed and instead, finish tasks on time. Here goes my first weekly list:

1. Create an Odesk.com profile - start tomorrow, finish by Friday

2. Declutter my room - tackle my cabinet first - finish within this week

3. Do 3 sets of 10 sit-ups a day - start tonight

4. Declutter my 3 active emails - start with the first tonight and finish 2 more tomorrow

5. Be more serious about meditation - start with 5 minutes every night of this week

I'll start with this 5 goals first and see if I can stick to accomplishing all of them this week. Then, I'll post 5 more next week based on my projects. 

Here's hoping for the best! Cheers!

Another 7-Eleven Store to Open in Capitol Site, Cebu

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss141/jvcabacus/P1060596.jpg

As I usually pass the Capitol area, I noticed that a former beauty parlor in the corner of the street going to the NBI office and Capitol Site has been moved and replacing it now is a new 7-Eleven Store. I felt another excitement as this second one is more accessible to me, compared to the one located in Escario.

I've learned from Manila Times that this is just a small part of the pie as the management is planning to aggressively expand in Cebu this year. 

To quote:

Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), the licensee of global convenience store chain 7-Eleven, will open more than 30 stores in Cebu by the end of the year, the first time it will aggressively expand outside Luzon.

“This is the first time that PSC will go out of Luzon. Given that half of the Philippines live outside of Luzon, however, we believe that now is the right time, given the maturity of the industry, the growth of the economy and the evolution of the company’s capabilities,” said Jose Victor Paterno, PSC president and chief executive officer.
“The reason why we don’t just roll out branches outside Luzon is because we are just learning,” he added.

He also stressed that the PSC is expanding despite economic challenges because they believe in the long-term and that this is also a way to drive their organization forward.

As for me, I'd like to think that developments such as these is brought about by a better trust of the business sector to our government that it is doing its work properly. 

Congratulations in advance, 7-Eleven. Cheers on gracing the Cebu shores!

The 8 Thank You Series

As I wake up each day alive and kicking, I always appreciate the little things that make life worth living. So today will mark the series of posts that will show how grateful I am for the simplest to the weirdest things in being human.

I am thankful for:

1. my Adidas shoes that inspires me to jog

2. not having full time work because I can lie down any time of the day

3. my freelance gig which lets me overcome writer's block

4. the fact that I have no stable income which is making me strive to be a better writer

5. the Chicken Soup book that *they gave me because it encourages me to make healthier choices

6. the credit card bill that I receive with dread each month that forces me to re-align my finances

7. the fluctuating mutual fund market which keeps me excited to check the FAMI site everyday

8. the blurry shots that I get from my 7MP digicam which reminds me to be very still when shooting pics

***more 8TYs next time. winks!

Poetry: Empty, Nothing

As quick as the spread of fire, the temper rises

Hot, reckless, frantic - burning all in its wake

It envelops every bit of my reason, my being, my soul

Til it consumes respect, contentment, happiness and Love

Then all of me is wiped out

Reduced to ashes, 
to emptiness, 
to nothingness.

Work Harder by Melanie T. Lim (SunStar Cebu)

As I reflected on my past career at ST and how I miss them doing hectic tasks, I became even more grateful for the opportunities handed to me there. So I'm sharing another eye-opener article from Melanie T. Lim, which I can highly relate to. Like her, I do believe that when you plant good seeds even if you're not bearing the fruit today, there will certainly be a better harvest tomorrow. 

Here's the complete post as it appeared on SunStar Cebu.

Lim: Work harder

By Melanie Lim

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Melanie T. Lim

Wide Awake

It’s Labor Day and instead of thinking about higher wages, why not think about working har-der? Sure.

The capitalist system is not perfect.

I’m not saying that there are no abusive employers.

But where there are none, there are also abusive employees.

I have had the unique opportunity to live in a socialist state and have experienced first-hand the lackadaisical attitudes of employees guaranteed tenure.

No system is perfect. But at the end of the day, I have to say that the capitalist set-up wins despite its imperfections because under the capitalist state, there is greater motivation to work, as greater rewards are possible for those who work more.

I am familiar with the old ways of doing things.

Former generations tended to look upon laborers as cogs in machines. My generation of employers, however, is bending backwards to look upon employees as partners in progress.

I have both been an employer and employee. My greatest fault as an employee has always been insubordination. But I’ve never been accused of not working hard enough. In fact, I have always done more than what I was paid to do—-including speaking my mind when I was probably not supposed to.

As an employer, I find that most employees do not do more than what is required of their jobs. They don’t go the extra mile.

It’s not about how much you are paid. It’s about how much you care about the job.
While I have always appreciated just compensation, that’s never been a factor in my performance. Even with poor pay or no pay at all, I put in 1,000 percent of myself.

That’s how I spot the gem upon the stones—-the employee who takes the initiative to suggest how to make things better, how to do things faster, how to simplify procedures and achieve greater productivity and efficiency. This employee cares about the company.

The employee, on the other hand, who chooses to keep quiet so as not to rock the boat with ideas and suggestions, which may not sit well with her employers, cares only about her job. As an employer, I appreciate the employee who goes out on a limb for the company.

The employee who is willing to learn new things and tasks, the employee who is open to accepting greater responsibility, the employee who understands that her job is not simply to get the task at hand done but to make things easier and better for everyone—-the customers, the boss, the team, the company.

But what do we find in our labor force? Laborers who are constantly late and absent due to a multitude of reasons so flimsy they should be fired on the spot. Dishonesty in forms you would never dream of.
A lack of responsibility on the job. And an appalling sense of indifference as to whether or not the company they work for actually survives or prospers.

You want a raise? For a change, try improving your performance on the job.

Try caring a little bit more for the long-term survival and success of the company you work for. Try factoring in competition, pilferage, obsolescence, economic slowdown, non-performing assets.

At any rate, if you don’t feel justly rewarded for your efforts, you will find your rewards in the after-life.

That’s certainly what I’m hoping for.

-END-