Stop thinking Can I? and Start thinking How Can I?

If you ask a 10 year old boy, “Alfred, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

And he replies, “Oh I wanted to be like Tony Stark. I will make a robotic suite that will help me catch the villains in the world!”

Or ask a 7 year old girl, “Dora, what do you want to do when you grow up?”

“Uhm, I want to explore the world and meet new friends. I also want to have a companion in my journey. I will call him Boots!”

At the back of our minds we say, “Oh yeah, just wait 5 to 10 years from now. You’ll see.”

We belittle their dreams. We laugh at their dreams. We think they have unrealistic, impossible, out-of-reach dreams.

Why? Because in our hearts, we have accepted what the society think of our capacity. We allowed them to tell us who we are and what we’re capable of.

Sharing My Dream

Can I tell you one of my dreams?

I wanted to write a book. I wanted to share my thoughts, ideas, goals and experiences. I asked myself, “Can I write?”

Let me give you my background. When I was in grade school, every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we had a spelling exam. On Monday the teacher will utter 15 new words and we will write each word, correctly spelled, on a piece of paper. We then check the words afterwards. I usually get (this is embarrassing but I will share anyway) 3 or 5 correctly spelled words. Now, some of you might say that it is all right because it is my first time to hear and spell those words. But on Wednesday and Friday we again spell the same 15 words and I get almost the same score: 7. (at least it improved). But I should now get a perfect score right? It’s the same 15 words!

In high school, our professor in English frequently gave us essay type exams. I remember when my paper was returned back to me, my gosh! It’s like world war 3 took place in that paper. There were a lot of red-ink scribbles and corrections. Corrections with the tense, grammar and coherence. Some of my classmates received an essay paper with a little bit of corrections. Me? I received a paper full of corrections with a little bit of essay.

That was me.

When I discovered my dream of writing a book, I asked myself right away, “Can I write?”

How Can I?

The problem with “Can I?” question is that it is a question filled with doubt and hesitation. It is a question that imposes limitations. If that is the question you regularly ask yourself, you’re undermining your efforts before you begin.

This is my question until I read one of John Maxwell’s books. He asserted, “Stop Thinking Can I? And Start Thinking How Can I?” He said, “When you ask yourself ‘How can I?’ you give yourself a fighting chance to achieve something. The most common reason people don’t overcome the odds is that they don’t challenge them enough. They don’t test their limits. They don’t push their capacity. ‘How Can I?’ assumes there is a way. You just need to find it.”

Blogging: A Step

And that is why I created this blog. I personally believe that in my level now, I still don’t have the capacity to write a book. But I also believe that I have the potential to write one. Blogging is my first step to harness my writing skills. It helps me to be committed in reading books, talking to people to get their ideas for me to write an article every week.

I may still have tense, grammar, coherence for corrections but I write anyway. I realized that I cannot improve my writing ability if I don’t write, correct along the way and then write and write and write.

Friends what are your dreams?

Stop thinking CAN I? and Start Thinking HOW CAN I?

Have a blessed weekend!

Keep Growing

I have a niece, she’s two years old. Her name is Brianne. And her mom, my sister, usually have a difficult time making her sleep.

After lunch time, my sister would say, “Brianne, matulog ka na (go to sleep). It’s already 2 in the afternoon. Please, please go to sleep.”

And Brianne usually replies, “’di pa po ako inaantok (I’m not yet sleepy).” And my sister knows she’s very sleepy.

In the evening, same thing.

Why?

Because of what they calls it “Sense of Wonder.”

Bo Sanchez said, “A child makes the universe so huge, there are so many things to do, so many things to play with and so many books to read.”

But have you noticed? We, adults, like to sleep a lot? Because our world has become small and we are used to go from point A to point B and back.

We don’t explore anymore. We’ve lost our Sense of Wonder. We stopped growing.

I’d like to invite you to come and join me in a journey to keep on growing every area of our life: intellectually, financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. There are so many things to do.

I tell myself, I can’t stay where I am, I’ve got to expand. I’ve got to grow. I’ve got to learn new stuff.

Friends, make a decision to keep on growing.

Have a blessed weekend!

Brianne

Who Do You Spend Most of the Your Time With?

“You are the same today as you’ll be five years except for the people you meet and the books you read.” – Charles Tremendous Jones

What do you want to DO two years from now? What do you want to HAVE three years from now? What do you want to BE five years from now?

Today, I’d like to talk about Environment.

Microbiology Lesson

I remember when I was in college during my microbiology class, we did not just study the different types of environment and conditions for bacteria to thrive and grow but had an experiment on them as well. Some bacteria need the presence of free oxygen to live and multiply. It is called aerobic environment. Others thrive in an environment that lacks free oxygen. It is called anaerobic environment.

Now take note, there are conditions to consider for a bacteria to grow; the presence or absence of oxygen is one. We need to consider the warmth, food, moisture, etc.

My point is for you to grow, for you to become what you are capable of being; you need to be in the right environment.

Do you want to grow?

Then prepare to change. You’ve probably seen the phrase GROWTH=CHANGE. Author John Maxwell asserted “It’s possible to change without growing, but it’s impossible to grow without changing.

Change Who You Spend Your Time With

One of the challenging points to change in order for growth to take place is the people you associate the most with.

Charles Tremendous Jones said, “You are the same today as you’ll be five years except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McCleland of Harvard, the people with whom you habitually associate are called your “reference group,” and these people determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life.

Jim Rohn would say we could tell the quality of our health, attitude, and income by looking at the people around us. We become the combined average of the five people we hang around the most.

What do you want to Do, Have or Be?

What do you want to do, have or be? List down five people you know who are on the same journey or are already living the answers to this question.

I’m not saying that we dump and shoo away some of our friends. No. They need you. Brother Bo Sanchez said that Hi-Hello is enough but hangout with the people you enumerated.

I have decided to spend most of my time with people who are positive. People with integrity. People who lift me up instead of knocking me down. And above all, people who are growing.

John Maxwell said, “So think long and hard about who you’re spending the most time with, for wherever they are headed, so are you.”

Have a blessed weekend!

Do You Forget Your Dreams?

I wrote this blog last may 2013 before I created this blogsite. And I want to share it to you.

Do You Forget Your Dreams?

A few days ago I enrolled in a gym. I even hired an instructor/coach to guide me in my journey towards Taylor Lautner's body (ssshh... This is a secret between you and me).

Anyway while I'm in a bench-press pumping iron, something came into my mind that I want to share with you. This idea will enlighten those who are like me working out with an instructor's assistance.

I said to myself "Hey! I'm paying this instructor just to make my 2-3hours miserable, telling me to push and pull, lift up and down a weighted iron, twist and turn my body and perspire sweat that can fill up a tank used by water refilling stations!"

"I'm paying someone to make me feel pain?" Isn't this insanity?"

And then a few minutes after, I was reminded by the reason why I enrolled and hired a gym coach.

Yes! To shape my body like Taylor Lautner’s (sshh...).

Sometimes we get caught up by the difficulties we face in the present.
We have a dream and we're enthusiastic. A day past and our excitement fade.

My point? Two things:

1. We may have wonderful dreams but we may be forgetful. My goal to have a body like Lautner's body is wonderful but the moment I felt pain, I forgot why I enrolled in a gym in the first place. Like I said, we may have wonderful dreams but we may be forgetful.

Solution? Write your dreams on paper and read them everyday.

2. The good news is that we have the Coach, God, whose patient in guiding us towards our dreams. When I feel tired, when I feel like giving up, my gym coach is always there to encourage me, to fire me up and help me stay on track.

And God is also our Coach. We may give up on ourselves but God will not give up on us.

I pray that your dreams be fulfilled,

Kevin Hugo

Share Your Gifts

Years ago, I don't have the guts to talk to people, specially strangers.

Even classmates would asked me and then I would give a black and white answer.

I seldom initiate an act or start a conversation. I was a shy person. I want to be identified as a humble man. And I defined humility in the wrong way.

I remember when one of our professors asked if somebody in the class could give an intermission to sing just to pass time because our topic was finished earlier, he specifically wanted a guy to sing. Now take note of this, in our class we were less than 10 guys. Mostly women. And I know I can sing (at least in the shower).

My other guy classmates do sing. Some of them think they sing and some of them declaim. I'm just kidding.
And I know myself, I'm not a good singer but at least I can sing.

So by default I should have volunteered and performed in front of the class. But I didn't. Somebody did. And I was at the back seated in a chair, murmuring "I'm better that him. They just need to persuade me more. I'm better than him!"

And that is not humility. I'm not humble. I was hum-bog.

Now, I'm learning. I looked back and I realized one reason for that negative attitude: low self worth. (But that is another blog).
I'm not saying I'm now a humble person. No. But I'm learning. I'm changing ways.

I serve more with my God-given talents.

And I love to talk to people. I love to talk to elders, sharing their wisdom. I love to bond with younger ones, they give me a fresher perspective of life.

I even discovered new dreams.

Friends, what are your gifts? What are your talents?
Share it and make the world a better place.

Have a blessed weekend!
 

4th year college. I am the guy in front.

My bubbly niece: Brianne.

Find your Why

Confession, it’s been a month since I started working out in a gym. I’ve gone through a lot of pain. Physical and emotional. I wake up every day with aching muscles.

Every time I take a bath, I don’t know if my arms became smaller or my neck was stretched long because I can barely touch my back. I’m not kidding.

My instructor told me that the muscles were reacting. But I can’t see a result. My weight gained only 1.5kg. My body? Almost the same when I started.

Sometimes I feel like giving up. The only thing it gives me is PAIN. The enthusiasm I have before was gone. And I wanted to stop.

I know the WHAT and the HOW. WHAT to do and HOW to have a body like Taylor Lautner’s (ssshhh, don’t tell anyone). And sometimes it’s not enough. You’ll feel that you’ve sacrificed a lot but nothing’s happening.

But I don’t focus on the pain, I focus on the PRIZE. The WHY. I’m committed. Because I wanted to have a FIT and HEALTHY body.

Right now, you have a problem and you already know WHAT to do and HOW to deal with it. But it’s not enough. Soon, it’ll dry you up. It will not last for long. But if you found your WHY; why do you do what you do then you’ll have better chance to succeed.

Friends, don’t focus on the pain. Focus on the Prize.
Find your WHY.

Have a blessed weekend.