WHERE TO PUT YOUR PRECIOUS TIME

This is going to be a short post.

You have 24 hours a day. You need at least 8 hours to sleep. You'll probably spend a couple of hours on the road commuting. If your priorities are well-defined, I'm sure you've set ample time for family and friends.

Now because you don't want a boring week, you'll probably spend some time for recreation or leisure.

Life is without meaning without spending time with your Maker. That's non-negotiable.

Now, where should you spend the remaining of your time?  

Answer – On what you do best. Operate in your area of strength instead of just spending most of your time compensating for your weaknesses.

Your assignment: Know your core-competency. What do you do best? What's so unique about you and your work? What can you bring to the table that the others can't?

This is where you should invest your precious time – on work where you make a unique difference.

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From Cagayan Valley to Silicon Valley : A Story of a Pinoy Billionaire

 "A member of the technical staff" – a humble job title Mr. Banatao owned the first time he worked as a young man. Not as glamorous as he is known today – a technology tycoon.

Diosdado "Dado" Banatao is a Pinoy billionaire who made a mark in the US tech industry.

He developed computer-related technologies that the typical person (like you and me – not engineers) won't probably comprehend. You can find the technicalities of his work in here.

He is so good in what he does, that in the past, Intel wanted to compete with his start-up company but couldn't. Intel had no other choice but to buy Dado's company. That was just one of his first ventures.

Today, his company, Tallwood Venture Capital, exclusively invests in entrepreneurs who are pursuing distinctive ideas that further develop semi-conductor related technologies.

Mr. Banatao also believes in giving back. He funds Filipino-American scholars in schools all over the US. On top of that, he also has a program where he sends UP professors to University of California Berkeley for a year to work with some of their brightest professors. It's his way of helping them generate new ideas or technologies that they can use back home.

Mr. Dado flies his own private jet once in a while. But that's only a perk that he enjoys today, out of his tenacity and passion for his work.

It takes years to build a company; it’s not an overnight success; there are no shortcuts. - Dado Banatao

What's admirable about this Pinoy is not the billions that his bank enjoys to hold for him. It's his vision and passion to pursue 'what could be' rather than just settling for 'what is'.

Dado Banatao is truly a PRODUCTIVE PINOY.


*If you find this post helpful, the 'Productive Pinoy' book might be able to help you further. See the book reviews here. To get a copy, visit National Bookstore, Powerbooks or Fullybooked. Or buy it online and have it delivered for FREE – click here.

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"STEADY KA LANG"

  

 

  

We live in an accelerated world. Everything is moving fast.

Today, even the pizza gets to your home faster than the police. To get an answer, it only takes a second for Google to answer. With a few clicks, you can plan your travel anywhere around the world, no need to fall-in line to consult a travel agency.

What we used to do for hours or days, we do it now almost instantly.

That's why we are not used to waiting anymore. To the point that we think waiting is hard, even if it's just sitting it through.

It's also the reason why sometimes, when we don't get what we want instantly, we move-on. We move on, not to better alternatives, but to wrong choices. 

Waiting is good for us. Many times it's God's way of strengthening us. It's His way of preparing us for greater work. 

Pretty much like a how a butterfly waits before it can fly. A small caterpillar comes out from an egg. (first instar) His one and only job – to eat continuously.

Even if he is in a hurry, the caterpillar needs to crawl, slowly.  He knows he'll be a butterfly someday, yet no amount of positive thinking can make him fly. Not yet.

Because his skin can't grow with him, he then grows a new skin underneath, and then he lets go of his old skin. (molting) Like a boring routine, he repeats this molting over and over again – five times.

He matures slowly. Stage by stage. Little by little. Can you imagine him being impatient?

For the last time, he molts again, but this time differently. The new skin underneath forms the outer shell of the chrysalis. (Pupa - Similar to a Cocoon)

At this time, his mission is clear –  to wait.

He can't go anywhere. He can't move forward. But nonetheless, even if no activity is seen on the outside, transformation is happening inside. His body transforms. His wings are fully formed. 

After 10 to 14 days of waiting, the butterfly is ready to see the world, differently.

It may sound ironic, but sometimes, the 'best move' for us is to WAIT. You may feel that nothing is happening, but there is a great possibility that transformation is happening inside you.

No matter what happens, never, ever, make the wrong choice – only because you can't wait.

The next time a friend tells you, "Steady ka lang", consider his advice. It might be good for you.

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