my sense and sensibility

Why quit?

"People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to." ~George Herbert Allen*

I stopped reading the news lately because good news seems to be rare these days. Wars and political upheavals, calamities and hungers, robberies and murders, scandals and deaths –are the daily dose we get each day. And with these kind of news, you need not be surprised if these things continue to perpetuate on and on. Pardon, my cynicism here.

When your mind is fed with negative things daily, it will eventually encroach into your system. You will not immediately recognize this. In fact, the impatience you display while driving through heavy traffic, the sudden outburst of anger over your kids slight misdemeanors, little tolerance for mistakes at work, worries over your finances are but symptoms of negativity taking roots within you. Worst of all, negativity is the main culprit why people lose hope and quit.

It is so easy to quit now. Easy. But to go on takes courage, perseverance and hope.

Too many people quit easily. Thus sometimes I wonder if there is benefit in quitting early? Maybe there is. An immediate relief from the struggle perhaps? Nah. There are no benefits in quitting except regrets in the end.

Why quit?

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! If you must; but don't you quit! ~ Anonymous

*George Herbert Allen (April 29, 1918 – December 31, 1990) was an American football coach in the National Football League and the United States Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. (Wikipedia)

Complete Property Management

In my previous stint as head of the company’s administration department, maintenance of the offices and the entire factory was among my major responsibility. It was not easy because I do not have an engineering background vis not technically competent. The role was even made harder because it includes managing other company properties outside the main factory, such as the employees’ dormitories and managerial staff apartments. I rely more on my section supervisors to manage these properties. Hence, I proposed to outsource a complete property management for these properties. Would I have known the likes of Maxim Enterprises, the job would have been easier. Nevertheless, the management approved the proposal, and I was relieved of that extra work.

Change to Something Better?

Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure. But unfortunately, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept it. Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer. ~Shunryu Suzuki

Everything is changing. And sometimes, at a rate that we rarely notice until we realized that we are left behind. The only thing that never changes is change itself.

I am year older.

As I look back (which by the way is something that I am not fond of doing) over the last two decades that passed, I have changed considerably in many ways. Some of these changes were conscious efforts, but some were something that somehow crept-in overnight. I also noticed that I somehow lost my consistency.

Many things that took place in those years change me in ways that I am still trying to figure out if I have to accept them and let life, let it be.

No.

We should strive to change into something better as a daily positive experience, as a habit, as a lifestyle. Things change –that is inevitable. However, when changes do occur in us, let those be to something that will make us into better person, good role-model, and eventually, a better neighbor.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

How to start blogging for a living

how_to_start_blogging_for_a_living It's more than a year and a half now since I ventured into professional blog writing. I blog for other people and small businesses. And I have also monetized my personal blogs through various means which includes affiliate marketing, both private and third-party ad selling, and paid posting. It was not easy, as many bloggers pitch. It takes time and hard work to develop a single blog into a moneymaking machine.

If you are considering of turning your blogging hobby into a blogging-for-living, you might want to check if you possess the following:

Basic writing skills, which includes a good command of the English language and its grammar;
An in depth working knowledge of a particular topic/them or niche;
Basic technical knowledge on blogging platforms and web hosting. Aside, when you choose a web host plan, consider WebHostingGeeks.com. They regularly provide reviews and web hosting awards. Check out their blog for other useful info.
Basic SEO (search engine optimization) knowledge and skills;
Social networking skills;
Willingness to learn;
Lastly, a high tolerance for frustrations.

1 and 2 are core skills that are essential to professional blogging. 3,4, and 5 are soft skills that you can and must learn along the way. The last two are important traits that a successful professional blogger have. The blogosphere is already flooded with ‘wannabees’ who are competing for a shrinking pie. If you are not willing to learn and do not have the patience to compete, you will end up earning nothing at all.

By the way, did I tell you that you would be shelling-out money on the process? You will be investing on domain names and monthly hosting fees. Also, if you still have a day job –keep it. Although professional blogging is financially rewarding, it takes more than what I have enumerated above to equal or double what you currently earn right now. The good news though, many before us succeeded so why can’t we.

What does the future hold?

planning_for_the_future In difficult times, especially in a bad economy such as this, that question is prevalent to many. And in my mind, if there is any redeeming value in this global financial crisis, it is the realization among us that good times never last and preparing for the future pays.

Lambert Jeffries in his pessimistic outlook about life, remarked:

Foresight is the spending of fifty years of adult life in comparative drudgery in order to be able to spend the remaining ten in a nursing home.

I do not like to share the sentiment of Jeffries there, although I must admit, what he pointed out is inevitable.

I'd like to prepare for my future, and those that depended on me. However, when thinking of the future, there is good and bad news.

The good news is we can plan for it. If we do our best to anticipate the future, we are better prepared for it. We do not know what the future holds, and no one can predict it. However, we can reduce the number of surprises it brings upon us by attempting to have a positive vision of the future, and prepare for it the best way we can. For those who are prepared, nothing can come as a surprise.

The bad news is that focusing on the future can easily make us forget the lessons of the past. It is popularly opined that anything that is new is good. Or, we tend to believe that is.

Think of the future but think with a plan in mind. Take the time and effort to prepare for it. Build upon your past by taking the lessons it gave you. Start in the present and look forward.

Planning for the future is easy, but executing those plans takes a lot of will, discipline, and efforts. What the future holds is not ours to predict, but we can always create a better and brighter future today.

What’s your take? How do you plan and prepare for your future?

A Confident Talk on Self-Confidence

Zouave_by_Vincent_Van_Gogh

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

‘Over confidence’ is believing on who you are not. This is not healthy, because it leads to pride, prejudices, and pretensions. It also undermines the confidence of others. On the other hand, a healthy self-confidence is mirroring who you are, your real worth, and what you are capable of. It harnesses your potential from within, and when utilized and exuded, it boosts others confidence as well.

Where does it begin?

Believing in yourself is the cornerstone of a healthy self confidence. Hear it from the head of The Blixseth Group –Tim Blixseth, who failed as a Hollywood songwriter and rose-up as one of the richest people in the United States and proud owner of exclusive Yellowstone Club resorts and golf courses:

“The turning point, I think, was when I really realized that you can do it yourself. That you have to believe in you because sometimes that's the only person that does believe in your success but you.”

Well said. Should I add more? Nah. Here’s your take:

Believe in yourself regardless how and what the world believes otherwise, this is the key to a healthy self-confidence and success.

And here’s another:

"If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." ~Vincent Van Gogh (Famous Dutch artist - Post Impressionist painter)

Are you having trouble with your self-worth and/or self-confidence? How did you overcome it? Your story will surely inspire others. We'd love to hear it. Would you care to share it?

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Note: The image used here was actually one of more than 2,000 paintings by Van Gogh entitled: The Zouave 1888. Vincent van Gogh painted several portraits of Zouaves, including his friend Paul-Eugene Milliet (not the sitter for this portrait). A zouave was a regiment of the French army dressed in an arabesque influenced manner because of its Algerian background.

Van Gogh wrote about the Zouave painting in a letter to his brother Theo van Gogh, saying "I have a model at last.. a Zouave.. a boy with a small face, a bull neck, and the eye of a tiger, and I began with one portrait, and began again with another; the half-length I did of him was horribly harsh, in a blue uniform, the blue of enamel saucepans, with braids of a faded reddish-orange, and two yellow stars on his breast, an ordinary blue, and very hard to do. That bronzed, feline head of his with a red cap, I placed it against a green door and the orange bricks of a wall. So it's a savage combination of incongruous tones, not easy to manage. The study I made of it seems to me very harsh, but all the same I'd like always to be working on vulgar, even loud portraits like this. It teaches me something, and above all that is what I want of my work. The second portrait will be full length, sitting against a white wall." (from ArtQuotes.net)