Be a Follower First

I have been a follower for most of my life.  Still am and I'm proud to be one.

As a son, I tried to be as dutiful as I could be---pitching in on my housechores.  As a service crew, it was basically the same except that you have a manager telling you what to do plus---you get paid. 

Being a follower is not a bad thing.  To be a good leader, you need to be a good follower.  So I guess, being a follower is a preparation for good things to come.

In the next couple of years after my first paying job I pride myself at doing my job well.  I was always told to put QUALITY in everything that I  do and I did.  I guess it kinda rubbed on all those years; plus, I was fortunate enough to be under leaders who were able to put out the best in me.  Leaders who were uncompromising when it comes to quality.  For this I thank God.

But it was never just a job for me.  It did put food on the table but more than anything else it gave me an opportunity to be a part of an ever growing business.  Oh, did I say that I have worked for the same brand all these years?  I still do.

My Baby is Now a Lady

I don't like surprises. I was under the impression that my role during Chesca's bday was only that of the photographer and all the speaking chores given to my wife, I was caught flat footed when called on to speak. I found it difficult to arrange my thoughts that time. For me, the event was a mixture of happiness and sadness. Happy because it was Chesca's birthday; sad, because she's baby no more. Naturally, what came out of my mouth was so incomprehensible I didn't understand me myself! Anyway, here's really what I wanted to say:

1. Keep your priorities straight. Life is all about achieving your goals. Know what you want and focus on accomplishing it.

2. Don't rush things. Everything will come in God's own time. Rushing into situations usually end up a disaster.

3. Always keep a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Look at your life as HALF FULL and not HALF EMPTY. An old Persian proverb would say, "I cried a lot when I had no shoes and then I saw a man WITH NO FEET." The kind of attitude that you have will determine your future. There is littel difference in men; but that little difference can be a BIG difference. That little difference is ATTITUDE. The big difference is whether it's POSITIVE or NEGATIVE.

4. There is no SMALL TASK. Whether you are cleaning the sala, washing the dishes, or nagtutupi ka ng damit---everything should be done with INITIATIVE and accomplished with QUALITY. Making this a habit will give you the proper foundation for the corporate life.

5. Remember Newton's 1st Law of Motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. In the quest of your goals failures will be there to derail your journey every once in a while. Learn from them. Each failure will tell you what NOT to do in the future.

6. Remember Newton's 3rd Law of Motion: For each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, all our actions have CONSEQUENCES. Choose your actions well. When in doubt---PRAY and God will show you the way. Make sure that when you decide on something you are ready to face the consequences. WALANG NAG SISISI SA UNA---LAGING SA HULI. In relation to this, ALWAYS DO GOOD TO OTHERS AND GOOD THINGS WILL COME BACK TO YOU. Sa mga wawalang hiya sa iyo and sasabihin mo lang e, "KARMA-KARMA lang yan!"

7. Always remember God. Thank Him for all the blessings He has given you---BIG and SMALL. God is everywhere so take each opportunity to pray.

You may be a lady now but YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY BABY GIRL! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHESCA! WE LOVE YOU! .