Guard Your PEACE

Stay away from people
Who make you angry with other people.

They're poison to the spirit,
And garbage to the soul.

They concoct troubles,
And attract death.

Their words maybe sweet,
But their smiles are of dogs.

So, keep calm and guard your peace.
Walk away and preserve you grace…

Don’t Do This

 

Manila, Dec. 22, 2013 ~  I love listening to great speakers, but I don’t have patience for CEO’s who think they have so much to say but don’t know how to say it.

Life listens

 

If you speak more about war, war will come.
If you speak more about hatred, hate will eat you.
If you speak more about troubles, troubles will trouble you.
If you speak more about death, it will hurry to meet you and the people you love.
If you speak more about sickness, diseases will follow and own you.

For our tongues have power to bless or curse.
And life only listens and realizes the content of your heart.

But what
If  you speak more about peace?
If you speak more about love?
If you speak more about harmony?
If you speak more about health?
If you speak more about prosperity?
If you speak more about life?

The world and the whole creation,
The people and every cell in your body
Will surge to fulfill what your tongue professes
For life only listens and realizes the content of your heart...

Your Virtual Wealth Container

Each of us has his own VIRTUAL WEALTH CONTAINER which was shaped, determined, conditioned by our DNA, physical locations, educations, religions, upbringing, friends and, even enemies.

This virtual wealth container determines how much wealth we can handle. Once this container reaches its capacity limit, it naturally overflows and spills the excess wealth or blessings.

This explains why those who instantly acquired vast amount of money either through unexpected inheritance or lotto, go back to being poor again in just after months. They went back to the exact or even worse financial state they used to have.

On the other hand, there were wealthy people who went bankrupt, lost everything, but in a matter of months, they re-acquired the same or even greater wealth they used to have. 

The good news is since these containers are only virtual, it means they are expandable, re-shapeable, stretchable, re-definable and changeable!

Next we’ll discuss on how to expand, reshape, stretch, re-define and change your virtual wealth container.

God Is Precise

God sends us people at the right time,
and makes things happen at the right moment.

God is never late, nor too early.
Nor does He allow things to happen without reason.
God is always on time and precise...

Believe that every person is a messenger,
and each moment is an opportunity to love...

Life’s Simple Axiom

Be a blessing to others.
Make people proud they met you.
Make people be thankful they heard you.
Make people feel good they're with you.
Make people copy you and
Be a blessing to others too...

Modern-Scribe Complex

Milan, Italy~ Early Saturday morning, I read the FB post below. I believe, this is worth reading and worth sharing with you…

"I am sorry that so many have interpreted this religious rejection by Christians as God’s rejection."
-- Alan Chambers

I think what Alan said is the biggest problem of many churches out there -- I think more people get hurt by churches who reject people because of differences in race, culture, economics, education, and yes, even sexuality... Instead of being a LIGHT to the world, today many churches are too busy playing God and judging people, rejecting people left and right solely because they are DIFERENT.

In a world where cultures, identities, and personalities are so colorfully diverse, the goal shouldn't be to become a part of an "exclusive club" once you become a "Christian"... that's selfish.. I don't think God wanted to create a club to make some people special because they "belong" whether by works/status/reputation and for the rest to feel left out because they fell short... so why are churches acting like that?

I think the church owes the human race a HUGE apology for misrepresenting what God is all about -- He's a loving Creator that wants ALL to know of His Love and, most importantly, be reconciled to Him. It's so simple.. yet I find that churches have done everything else EXCEPT the most basic thing they are called to do: LOVE PEOPLE.

Rochelle is a member of a Christian community in California. She graduated from UCLA and now working in National Genetic Institute in LA.

Why Dan Brown Is a Garbage

A few years ago, when a school instructor asked me if I read Dan Brown, I told him straight: “Do you want to put garbage in your head"?

They said his books are good to read: it’s entertaining. That Jesus was involved in illicit relationship in the story, it’s only fiction, as Dan Brown said. I answered, “So, somebody makes immoral fictional stories about your parents, and then sells them to you. So, how does if feel?”

So, why a lot of people want to read his novels. Well, actually, not all his novels, because his previous writings were a flop. But the thing is he needed to rock the boat. He needed find a bigger image to destroy in order to get noticed: he chose the obvious one: Jesus.

And so, rumors, myths and lies are the most popular entertainment. People need to break boredom, people need to prove that everybody is doing nasty things. This gives them the satisfaction of ‘everyone-is-doing-it’ feeling.

Yes, people love this genre of entertainment… but not until they became the subject of it.

Inspiring, beautiful, motivational, helpful and entertaining stories are overflowing. They are everywhere now in books, Facebook, blogs, YouTube and even right with the person next to us. Feed yourself with the things that will only help you and the people around you.

You don’t need to touch a dung to prove it’s a dung.

3 Free Powerful Stress Busters

That stress is the number one killer is not anymore new. It attacks our nervous and immune systems slowly but surely. Its victims are not only your superiors or competitors or you alone, but most especially the people most dear to us.

Unhealthy stress does not only cripple human physically; it strains the cords of our relationships,  thus, the immediate victims of stressed people are their loved ones. It’s more contagious than any diseases known to science, it’s more damaging than any bombs invented by men.

Since stress is psychosomatic, we have more control of our healing process. It helps if we think of stress as energy in the body which needs to be used or neutralized. If we understand this, then we know how to deal with it.
So, here’s 3 powerful ways to bust stress:

1. Exercise
2. Love making
3. and Hugging

Well, obviously you know too well the first two items. But I want to deal more on the last one: hugging. Hugs of friends or loved ones or even of strangers have instantaneous and powerful, neutralizing and healing  effects on our body.

Hugs melt stress and boost our immune system at the same time. Unlike exercise, you can de-stress other people by offering a hug. And unlike sex, you don’t need to be possessive, secretive and expensive. Hug is natural, free and reciprocal: you receive by giving and you can receive it from almost anybody.

Receive a hug today by giving one :)

Meditation and Inspiration

by Melissa Hathaway ~ Guest blogger

Meditation is a popular and well-known practice with great potential for increasing creativity and improving one's openness to inspiration. Generally, meditation works by making the individual aware of how their thoughts arise, then allowing them to master their consciousness to improve their overall mental function. Many forms of this practice do not require any specific spiritual beliefs, and offer people a release from the common state of being 'prisoner to one's thoughts'. Meditation can, therefore, be used to maximize time and attention to become more productive.

 

Benefits of Meditation

The benefits of this practice are numerous and diverse. One of those which is most relevant to a modern life – in which inspiration comes at a premium and where distraction is ubiquitous – is that meditation increases the attention span of people who practice it. A study by the University of California quantified the effects of meditation by sending their subjects on a meditation retreat, having them regularly undergo a computer test which measured the length of a their attention span. They found that the meditation techniques which the subjects learned improved their attention spans and that as they progressed into the retreat this improvement continued throughout its five month duration.

Meditation has also proved to help people to think in a more original ways and to avoid the 'ruts' which can develop in an individual's pattern of cognition. It is very easy to find oneself getting stuck in a narrow way of thinking, finding that the same problems present themselves – this trend can often present itself when couples argue repeatedly over the same issue. Meditation has been proven to allow people to think in more creative ways and to solve tasks more quickly. As such, meditation presents itself as a way of developing and diversifying one's thought patterns in a calming and risk-free manner.

Pitfalls and How Meditation Can Avoid Them

In a stressful world, many people turn to alcohol and other drugs to deal with their problems or simply to get away from the trials of their work or education. Recently, the Pennsylvania police reminded the state's young people of the risks which are associated with alcohol use, especially illegal underage-drinking. Despite having some of the most restrictive alcohol-laws in the union, numerous injuries and fatalities involving young people occur each year due to alcohol in Pennsylvania. Fortunately, meditation can provide very real relaxation and concentration for people, providing an alternative to alcohol, which is known to be associated with health problems and accident. Many people come home after a day's work and reach for an alcoholic drink, seeking relaxation – meditation requires more effort than this to begin with, but with practice comes skill, and in the long term it will be a healthier and far cheaper way to wind down.

How To

There is an almost innumerable variety of meditation types from which someone who is seeking to condition their mind can choose, such as those from the Hindu tradition through to the practices of the Zen worldview in China. One of the simplest forms of meditation – and one which does not require any specific religious beliefs – is the Vipassana tradition of Buddhism. This simple tradition, as Shambhala Sun explains, involves finding a comfortable and relaxed location and posture, then focusing on the breath; thoughts will naturally arise in consciousness, with the Vipassana tradition stating that the meditator should recognize this as 'thinking', then return to the breath. This, just like exercising a muscle, allows the individual to develop their ability to direct their own thoughts.

The ability of meditation to focus the mind and to improve concentration makes it a prime tool for anyone to increase the extent to which they can find inspiration in their lives. Meditation offers anyone the possibility of organizing the progress of their thoughts and refining their consciousness to make themselves more creative and responsive. People who feel that they don't have the time for hours of meditation needn't despair, also, in that just ten minutes is useful, and every session contributes to a more developed consciousness. As such, meditation is a hugely advantageous practice for anyone who is looking to harness creativity and to find inspiration, both for its ability to develop the mind and for its simplicity and affordability.

Scarred but Whole, Real and Beautiful

Brussels, Belgium  - Lately, working with the migrant workers, I figured out three kinds of people: the hardened, the forever broken, and the mended.

The Hardened. These are the people who failed to integrate, accept changes and recognize other realities. They refused to be broken, and so these people soaked themselves in anger and bitterness.

The Forever Broken. These are the people who were broken with life’s challenges and did not stand up anymore. They become comfortable to play victims and refused to take responsibilities of their lives.  Their words are filled with contempt and negativities. Life for them is bleak and the future is gloom .

The Mended. These are well- adjusted and productive for they allowed themselves to be wounded and broken, but stood up once again. And so, out of their self broken pieces they created a new ‘them’.  They became an instant pianist who could hit different notes at the same time and still creating beautiful music.

People want to be around them for they feel more alive. Mended people maybe straight, but honest, stingy but helpful, fierce but lovable, scarred but more whole, real and…beautiful…

EQ Dumb People

Ever wonder why some people are just not 'nice'?

Most probably it's because they have low EQ - emotional intelligence.

Take Shara: she's beautiful and sexy, but most people around her hate her. Or take Dan, he's a car, money and good looking, but people don't want to be around him.

So, what do they have in common? They lack 'social awareness'. They're numb to the feelings of others. For them, what is the most important thing in their whole universe is their opinion. They want to say things in a 'don't-care-about-how-you-feel' attitude. They simply lack empathy. People like these are pregnant with distrust with others and self-doubt.

Dalai Lama once said, “It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.”

Compassion, empathy and trust with others are, therefore, rooted in our self acceptance.  Sarcasm towards others is an obvious sign of hidden self-hate.

On the other hand, a person with high level of EQ gives out ambience of comfort, trust and are generous with their words. “Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal.” ~Proverbs 12:18

Love Lost in the Sea

Everyone had a crush on her. And everyone in the group was vocal and showy about their interest in her, except me. I liked her and I liked her very much, but i was timid to even glance at her.

One day, she commissioned a friend to summon me in secret place. When I got there, she asked me if I had a special feeling for her. Suddenly, I felt my face flooded with blood, my voice quivered as I strongly denied it. "No! and who told you that? I'll punch him on the nose!"

When I came home, I told my brothers and my cousins about it. To my surprise, they all blamed and scolded me, telling me I was so stupid. They said that was it! I should have revealed my feelings even without asking. It's only then that I realized how stupid I really was, and I lost my chance.

After that event, she and her family went for a vacation to another island. They stayed there for the whole summer. And everyone in the group,specially I, was eager for her return. But, she did not come home anymore... Their ship sank. She was among the hundreds of missing passengers.

That was more than 25 years ago but the image of her sweet little face would still float in my memory…

The Truth and the Moon

“The Moon is like the truth.
It may appear in half, quarter or full,
but it's still the moon...”

 

Two Powerful Traits

Almost every day I met people with different colors, nationalities, life status, and beliefs. And the most difficult people I encountered are racists, who think others are either animals or prostitutes; and fundamentalists who think they own the gate of Heaven because they memorize the verses from their sacred books.

They may not kill you with guns, bombs or samurais, but in their holy minds you're already judged and doomed to Hell. And dare not speak about morals, spirituality, truth and the universe; for they are the only minority who got all the answers. They call us the unbelievers, infidels, ungodly.

A few months back in Italy,  I extended my hand to an old lady on the other table. Two things she asked me, if I were a business competitor and if I were not a member of their church. I answered ‘yes’ to both questions indirectly, but finding for some common grounds.

After a week, she invited me to their common apartment to fix her computer and meet others including their Nigerian pastor. They wanted to talk about our differences, but I managed to talk about kindness and good in other people.

A few months have past, my friends in Rome told me, they’re still looking for me. They did not want to convert me anymore; they just wanted my company. I never gave any material things to these people, in fact, it’s the other way around.

I believe if there’s a belief more superior than anything else, it’s the belief in the power of kindness and openness… Such are two powerful traits…

Moon’s Power

 

The moon has the unique power to illuminate even the darkest parts in our hearts…

A Special Day for Fools

So, we have Mother's Day, Father's Day, Women's Day, Labor Day, Holy Innocents'' Day etc., and today is a special day for fools: April Fools’ Day.

Well, it doesn't matter now where it started or what it was intended for originally; the important thing is we have this day to fool around, and... it's all right... No, I'm wrong. I mean it's really all right!

I think, the greatest sin is the world is being boring. Boring people hate jokes and fails. They want perfection and consistency in everything. Why? Simply because they are scared to commit mistakes and being labeled as 'fools.' They are the products of perfectionist parents and husbands and wives.

Remember what the Bible said about boring people? It says, "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth!" ~ Rev. 3:16. Such is a very strong word to describe disgust and abhorrence.

Today, therefore, is a special day for great people! Yes, great people! Remember, great people were once labeled as fools: Mahatma Gandhi, Martín Luther King Jr., St. Paul, Van Gogh, Galileo and even Jesus to name a few.

April Fools’ Day is the day when a loving parent tells a kid with a smile, “Child, it’s okay to commit mistakes, for I’m not perfect either. You’re more important to me than your mistakes…I love you. ”

Happy April Fools’ Day!  :)

The One Most Powerful Message

The one most powerful message of the resurrection of Jesus
Is the message of HOPE. And how beautiful it is to celebrate Easter
in this part of the year: it’s Spring!

The sun shines brightly outside now, flowers are blooming everywhere
and people have started wearing their colorful spring clothes… and…
everyone seems smiling!

Happy Easter, everyone!

 

A Gift to Yourself

Smile as much as you can.
Laugh as loud as you can.
Hug as many as you can.
Love and forgive as much as you can.

The universe is a huge matrix of mirrors
Accurate, consistent, just and generous.
If you give a single smile, it will reflect a thousand,
If you laugh, it will reverberate and echo back exponentially.

If you give a sincere hug,
Your whole nervous system will fire up;
Each of your cells cheers up to celebrate:
Endorphins are produced and stress melts.

If you forgive, you're instructing
Your brain to relax, and therefore
You heart regulates pumping over-supply
Of blood and oxygen to your brain and muscles.

If you love, you open your whole being
Your heart becomes courageous
And your brain becomes more sensitive
To more love, blessings and happiness.

Smile as much as you can.
Laugh as loud as you can.
Hug as many as you can.
Love and forgive as much as you can...

Share this and create a smile in someone’s face,
Share this and create a ripple of love in the world,
Share this and melt someone’s stress and boredom,
Share this for love is free…

Wine,Vinegar and Birthdays

My father used to harvest palm wine, and I can tell, it’s sweetest when it’s fresh. Then, some of the harvest we put in containers to ferment to be made into sharp-sour vinegar. Some would process it further: the end product is a fine and mature spirit with a taste usually described as "somewhere between whisky and rum"

I met an Italian who has a passion for vintage cars. In his huge garage, he had also some vintage wine his family made more than six decades ago. Age brings value.

As I go around, I met some great people. They laughed, they celebrated, they cried, they aged; but were saturated with wisdom and pure love. They’re like wine which years have made fine.

I met some old people as well, bitter, sour, full of complaints in life, angry and saturated with laments. They’re like vinegar with sharp sour taste.

I love celebrating birthdays. It reminds us of our blessings, of the people around us and the good things we did. When I’m asked how old I am, I don’t hesitate to pronounce my age; for it’s in age that the world can judge us whether we became wine or vinegar.

The Bridge of Love

One of the famous old bridges in Italy is Ponte Vecchio in Florence, built during the Roman times. Aside from its historical fame, it's also a subject of a local legend about two persons who promised to love each other eternally.

Because of this legend, thousands of padlocks had to be removed from its railings every year. Lovers would go to that bridge, secure the padlock on the rail while pronouncing their vow to love each other till the end of time, and then throw the key into the river.

A legend such as this can actually be witnessed in other parts of the world. In my birthplace, for example,  we had this bridge we crossed several times a day. It  has become a reminder of our good old days and a symbol of our dreams. I used to paint it with lovers sitting at its edges, and a full moon above it.

Bridge is the most useful and romantic human structure. It connects places and people. It reminds us that life is about coming and going. Like love, a bridge brings us to different places and allows us to go back to the ones we love.

Winter Eviction Turned Blessings

Perhaps, one of the greatest blessings in my life happened last December 8 last year, when my brother-in-law evicted me out from their apartment in the middle of the cold winter night.

Yeah, evicted!  And so, in the morning, I was officially homeless and broke. My friend, whose name is also John helped me find real people and a room. 

And then, with a spark of a miracle, a friend, Theresa called me to meet Mike, the vice president of her company. We discussed things for more than an hour, and then I started my new career: a homeless person going around asking people to invest in homes :)

So, from Rome, I went to Holland and Belgium. There, God showed me people, like the families of Lerry, Meng, Maycel and Joscelle, who treated me like family. Doors were opened,  rooms were made available, investments were made.

And so..., it is true, that if a man closes his door for you, God opens several doors and gates for you. God indeed is wonderful God. And so, a person receives miracles when he asks and believes!

"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
~ Matthew 21:22

Valentine Sweets

It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s falling down snow the whole morning. Someone told me that one way to keep myself warm is to eat chocolates. Hmmm… So, here they’re, some sweet videos for you. The last one, may be too fantastic to some, but I tell you, they happen in real life, metaphorically or realistically speaking.

Most Potent Power

“He who has overcome hatred possesses one of the most potent powers on Earth.”

Youth, Love and Laziness

Young men love to feel their power. They flexed their muscles and oftentimes are sadistic. They love to shake the world around them and brag about their exploits.

I talked to a young man the other day. He shared and justified his behavior against other people. He said he was provoked and therefore lashed them out with his powerful, bone-deep maledictions.

I asked him if he was happy because he hurt other people. The answer was delayed, long and confused. I asked him again, ‘what is the harder thing to do, to hurt people or to make them feel good about themselves?”

Hurting others is easy: anyone can do that; dogs, bullies, terrorists, psychopaths, losers can do that. But to inspire people to feel good about themselves, the people around them, the world and life, you need more than muscles and a lashing tongue.

M. Scott Peck says, “the enemy of love is not hatred, it' is laziness.”  To hurt others is easy.  So, lazy people tend to hurt other people because they are lazy to process situations. Bad parents are actually lazy parents, they want easy solutions and therefore don’t want to impose discipline.

To love needs energy, thinking and action. To truly love needs a higher amount of maturity, for love is a decision and only mature people can make loving decisions….

The Enemy Within

I met Jams several months ago. Her skin was dry and was occasionally looking at blank spaces far and endless. When she opened her mouth to speak, all I heard was complaints about how life and everyone was unfair to her.

Jams claimed to be religious. So, I asked her straight: "for the last the last 3 days, can you recall all those things your shared with people? Were they glad that they talked to you? Did they become inspired or better persons? You claimed to be a prayerful person, but I don't feel the goodness of your God the way you talked about life." At that, tears fell down from her eyes.

Self-pity is the poison in disguise: some people love to cultivate the feeling of the illusion of pleasure of being cheated by anyone and of the world. Playing the victim is a sweet consolation of the losers.

Self-pity does not have a place in the heart of a mature person. It's an illusion lazy people want to keep in themselves to give them the power to justify why they don't forgive, why they don't love, why they don't succeed. It’s the enemy within.

Before we parted ways, I told her, “maybe you want to make a list of the blessings you have received…” With a smile and a hug, she said, “yes, and thank you.” I answered, ‘prego’ :)

Money for Love

In my rounds giving talks about investment, one of the things I fix is the audience’ mind set about money.

As we always hear, money is not evil. It only magnifies the person’s value. Money does not make a person greedy nor generous. It simply amplifies what’s really in the heart of the person. If the person is greedy, having more money makes him more greedy; on the other hand, if a person is generous, money makes him more generous and kind.

Money is essential for living, but it’s not everything. Money could not buy love, but it can get us closer to the one we love, it can make our unity more possible and enjoyable. So, if a person is genuinely generous the more he should have money to amplify his generosity.

Relationships don’t crumble down because of the lack of, or overabundance of money; relationships crumble down because the money issue amplifies a deeper reality, the true status that relationship.

Take what Khalil Gibran said about money: “Money is like love; it kills slowly and painfully the one who withholds it, and enlivens the other who turns it on his fellow man…”

Een mooie dag verder!  :)

Dutch Love Treat

One thing I love here in The Nederlands is that, most people speak English. We joined Theo and Ads at the table and had really interesting conversation. Afterwards I took charge of a business conference with their wives. The ladies appeared respected and loved by their husbands. At the end of the night, I knew I like better the way people live and relate here than in Italy.

I remember Eugene, a country manager from Malaysia said: “Do you know what is the secret of our happy marriage? My wife and I had an agreement: inside the house she is the queen and there’s no king. Whatever she says and does I accept and respect. But when we’re outside, I am the king and there’s no queen: no insults, no high pitch voice no frustrated gestures.”

Taking from this two scenarios, one thing is clear: deep respect for each other. Life may not be sunny all the time, but when two people decide to love each other, there’s no excuses for bad attitudes.

The Magic Called ‘Silence’

Men who learned to live peaceably with nagging wives understand well the power of silence. “I’m not worried if my wife started firing laments and complaints from the beginning of the day, I’m worried when she’s silent: it means she’s deeply hurt or in trouble.” Says, Andrew.

People use words to express their thoughts and feelings, but words are limited and ambiguous. We say something, and meaning another. They say something but we understood something else. Silence forces us to listen to things which could not be contained in words. It breaks eardrums and pierces even the stone-cold and confused hearts.

If a picture speaks a thousand words, silence speaks a million words.  Silence is the language of the wise only the wise can understand. It is the song only the courageous can sing. It’s the breeding place of forgiveness and the womb of profound love.

So, when all else fails, keep silence. It brings us to the presence of God. It  brings us to the heart of our existence. Silence brings us to the magic of life…

iVerse: Choose your world

Each of us has his own universe.
Your universe is your world created by you.
Meaning, you’re the director, you’re the creator,
you’re the boss of your experience.
So, however you experience today about anything
and everyone around you, you brought them into creation.
It’s you who decide the shape and the ambiance of your universe,
no one else…
It’s your iVerse…
Choose your world…