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Here’s a better way to achieve your new year’s resolutions/goals

In 2011 while still working full-time on my job, I wrote down my goal to create 3 income streams earning at least $100/month. One of those is by selling an e-book I wrote, which earned $100 in a week on the side. My real-estate investment partnership gave me $300/month passive income. My other business, which included building a sales team and earning US dollar commissions from the sales of me and my team, earned for me $600 in a week that led me to finally quitting my job in that same year.

Before I continue, here is a disclaimer. I wish I could say it was easy peasy. You just set your goals, and everything’s going to come to you. Of course, nothing works unless you do. You have to be prepared to work hard, go through sleepless nights, emotional roller coaster of rejections after rejections followed by small triumphs. You ask yourself whether it is even worth it and whether you’re insane for going through all this. But you push through and finally have some semblance of success manifests for you. Only to go through the same roller coaster again the next day, and the next day, and the next day. And you wonder whether it is ever going to end. In the end, you console yourself by saying to yourself — “That’s what makes life so exciting! You never know what comes next! Haha! :)”

Over the past 11 years, I’ve been creating my financial goals for the year. Most of the time, I don’t hit it within the timeframe that I’ve said I would. But after a couple of months or years, the goal is eventually achieved.

For most of us, new year brings in a brand new chance to start over and make new year’s resolution. You want to lose weight, so you sign up to the gym, or promise yourself that it will be the last time you’re eating “that” cake during the New Year’s day celebrations. With much motivation, the first day of the year comes. You hit the ground running. But often after a week or two, that motivation fades away. And you are left waiting for another new year to make another new year’s resolution.

So while making new year’s resolution is great for motivation, it is hard to keep it up. It is hard to make a change. Whether it be in dieting or budgeting, wishing and making it happen are totally different things. You know all the right answers and you have all the “you shoulds” You should…stick to your plan; make sacrifices; have disciple. You blame yourself for not having all those things. You get depressed and don’t know what to do.

But what if I tell you, you can turn things around. And use your body’s natural ways to finally create something more lasting.

Have you read the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear? It’s a good book. My business mentor lent me the book a couple of years ago. The book tells about the power of having atomic (as in tiny or small) habits. In my years dealing with money, I realized one fundamental truth and that is our habits dictate the money that we have, whether we will keep it or not, and for how many generations it will grow. That’s the reason why I titled my blog, Rich Money Habits, because I know building those habits is the key to the lifelong financial wealth that we all desire.

One quote from the book says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” So while creating goals is an important step, the more important step you should ask yourself is whether you have systems in place that will help you achieve those goals.

In the case of personal goals like losing weight, paying off debts, saving for an emergency fund, or growing your business or side hustle, what’s important to ask is your own personal habits. Do you have systems in place so you will know right away what to do with your salary or profits when you receive them? Do you have a system for preparing your food, exercise and sleep? Do you have a system to pay off your debts? Do you have a system to grow your business?

When the systems are in place, the results are almost guaranteed. It is just a matter of time. So while a couple of weeks have already passed since the start of the year and Omicron has sabotaged all our best laid plans, perhaps you can use this time to revisit and create your own systems, so you can finally achieve your goals this year 2022.

What system can you start creating today?

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Podcast Ep 001: Paano Maka-Survive Sa Financial Crisis Na Dulot Ng Covid19

7.3 Million Filipinos out of a job due to Covid 19. That’s about 17% of the Philippine population.

Paano nga ba maka-survive sa financial crisis na dulot ng Covid19? Pakinggan ang unang episode ng aking podcast. Click mo lang ang play button sa taas. Dito ko ikukuwento ang experience ko dati sa Malaysia noong 2008 sa kalagitnaan ng financial crisis. Paano yun nakatulong para mas maging handa ako sa mga susunod pang crisis ng buhay. At kung ikaw naman ay dumadaan sa isang crisis ngayon, pakinggan mo ang tip ko para makabangon ka kaagad sa iyong sitwasyon.

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7 Credit Card Fees You Need to Manage

Note: In an effort to help you in the area of getting out of debt, this is a guest post from Ricky of Moneymax.ph. There is nothing more frustrating than receiving your credit card statement and seeing a fee that you are not aware of. You feel like being robbed in daylight. In the same way that ignorance of the law excuses no one, making yourself become aware of these fees is a significant step in protecting yourself. Awareness is the first step in taking control of your finances. Read on and enjoy.

7 Credit Card Fees You Need to Manage

By Ricky Publico

It’s a great feeling once you receive your first credit card. But before you go on a swiping spree, take the time to actually understand how a credit card works. For one, using a credit card means spending money you currently don’t have, which also means you will eventually pay for the items you bought.

More importantly, there are credit card fees you should watch out for. Aside from your monthly credit card bill, you have to take note of these fees and learn how to manage them. Taking note of these fees will also help you choose the right credit card for you.

Annual Fee

The annual fee is basically the membership fee you are required to pay for owning a credit card. It usually goes from an affordable PHP 300 to an extravagant PHP 12,000, depending on the type of credit card you have. Premium cards typically have higher annual fees while standard cards typically don’t reach PHP 500, so pick your card wisely.

There are also banks that offer credit cards with no annual fee, either for the first year or for life. Try applying for these banks so you can have one less credit card expense to worry about. If it can’t be helped, opt for a credit card with a lower annual fee or a bank that waives their annual fees for clients with good credit standing. Ask your current bank if they have such an offer.

Cash Advance Fee

Did you know that you can also withdraw money using a credit card? It’s helpful when it comes to emergencies, but it also comes with a price. Cash advance fees usually go from PHP 300 to PHP 600, or 2 percent to 5 percent of the amount borrowed, whichever is higher.

As much as possible, minimize your cash advances. Since this fee doesn’t have a grace period, your bill will continue to accumulate if you don’t manage it properly. If you took out a cash advance, make sure to pay it back in full to avoid snowballing the interest.

Late Payment Fee

As an incentive for cardholders to pay their credit card bills on time, banks began charging a fee for late payments. It usually ranges from PHP 300 to PHP 850, depending on the bank. The late payment fee will then be added to your next bill.

Avoid paying a late payment fee by paying your bills on time. It’s also better if you pay your monthly balance in full, not just the minimum amount due. That’s also another thing about credit cards: you can pay the minimum amount instead of the entire monthly balance. Do the former to avoid further debt.

Balance Transfer Fee

If you’re having trouble paying off your credit card debt, you can choose to apply for a credit card balance transfer. This involves transferring the balance of your old credit card to a new one with a lower interest rate. This makes it easier to pay off your credit card debt. The transfer itself comes with its own fee, ranging from PHP 100 to PHP 250 per approved transfer.

Overlimit Fee

Credit cards come with credit limits, or the amount of money you’re allowed to borrow from your credit card provider during a billing period. Once you go over the limit, they will charge you with an additional fee, usually ranging from PHP 300 to PHP 750 for every overlimit.

Foreign Currency Transaction Fee

You can use your credit card when traveling abroad, but there will be a foreign currency transaction fee worth 0.85 percent to 3.525 percent of the amount spent converted to PHP. Fortunately, there are credit cards with no foreign currency fees. It is advisable to get this type of credit card if you travel a lot.

Pre-Termination Fee

If you can pay back your credit card debt before your loan term ends, that’s great! Just take note of the installment pre-termination fee ranging from PHP 300 to PHP 500 or 2-5% of the remaining balance, whichever is higher. The fee might be a bit steep, but paying for it and freeing yourself from debt is way better than finishing the installment plan.

Hopefully, this list of credit card fees can help you manage your credit card habits. A good rule of thumb is to not swipe on something you can’t afford with cash, so always give every swipe some thought.

Author’s Bio: Ricky Publico is a content writer at Moneymax. Save money on car insurance, credit cards, and loans when you compare and apply at www.moneymax.ph! Visit Moneymax to know more.

 

 

 

 

 

CREDITS: Photo by Ryan Born on Unsplash

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Survey says…I was surprised to find this out

Last month, I sent out an email to all my subscribers asking for help in a little survey for this blog. I wanted to get to know more of you, my dear readers and how I can help you better.

First of all, THANK YOU to all those who answered the short survey. I appreciate all of you taking some time to give me your inputs inspite of your busy schedule. That’s why I made sure to spend even greater effort in reading each one of your responses individually.

Today, I’d like to share a bit of what I learned from the survey. Obviously, I won’t go into each and every response but will speak in general terms instead.

One thing that surprised me most was that majority of you reading this blog are currently employed full-time (83%.) Only a few are running their own business/es full-time. This came quite a surprise for me because I have been out of the corporate world for more than 8 years. I thought I would attract people who are in a similar situtation as mine. I was mistaken.

With this information, I realized that I will need to focus on topics that are more relevant to your situation. Perhaps, give tips on how to manage your time (and family) while building a business on the side, or what businesses you can start while being employed at the same time, and more.

With that in mind, I’m sharing you here a few of my youtube videos on these same topics. Each one is about 10-minutes long in Taglish (Tagalog-English). My hope is that it gives you a glimpse on how it is to shift your way from being an employee to that of an entrepreneur, or be able to do both at the same time. By the way, if you are not yet subscribed to my youtube channel. You can click the subscribe button and the notification bell while you’re at it so you’ll be first to be notified of future videos.

Vlog #19 Employee vs Entrepreneur Mindset
Vlog #20 Employee vs Entrepreneur Time (Task) Management
Vlog #21 Employee vs Entrepreneur Papaano Magnegosyo Kahit Empleyado Ka
Vlog #22 Employee vs Entrepreneur How to Upgrade Your Psychological Wallet
Vlog #23 Employee vs Entrepreneur Usapang Time Freedom
Vlog #24 Employee vs Entrepreneur Usapang Passive Income

As for financial goals, most of you would like to start a side hustle (38%) and get out of debt (38%.)
This information helps me re-direct my focus in talking about topics related to getting out of debt and starting a side hustle, or feature stories of people who were able to manage to do the same. I already have a few ideas in mind on how to go about this, but if you have some suggestions for specific questions or topics you want me to start with, feel free to contact me.

There are many more things that I learned from your stories and inputs. I wish we had more time and space to talk more about it. But there will be a time for that. We are just beggining.

Again, I would like to say my deepest thanks for helping me with the survey. Thank YOU very much for helping me give a direction to this blog.

Cheers to your financial success!

Your friend,
Allan

P.S. If you’re looking to start a side hustle, you can visit Bo Sanchez’ 4-part video series at www.hustleseries.com As an attendee of The Feast Bay Area AM Session under Bro Audee Villaranza, I was able to attend a couple of sessions from the series. The link contains BONUS videos on top of the main talks. You will be asked to enter your First Name and Email to watch the videos. May the videos bless your financial life.

P.P.S. CREDITS: Photo by Garrhet Sampson on Unsplash

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Exclusive Invitation: Francis Kong’s Business Roadmap Series: Maximizing Productivity, Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset and Presentation Skills

I first attended a Francis Kong seminar way back when I was still in the corporate world. He is a prolific speaker who captures the hearts and minds of attendees. I remembered laughing at his jokes non-stop. More than that, I was impressed by his intellect about different topics. I bought his books and devoured them.

Mr. Francis Kong is a sought-after speaker in the topic of LEADERSHIP. His many best-selling books on this topic is unmatched by any other Filipino author or speaker. Last year, I was also able to attend his signature LEVEL UP LEADERSHIP SERIES Workshop. The last part of this 3-part series is priced at around P25,000. It covers all the materials and food for the 2-day workshop. It’s a more intimate kind of setup where you get to ask your questions directly to Mr Francis Kong and have a more personalized leadership learning experience with him.

Being part of this exclusive group of mentors in XTRM One Eleven Inc, has also allowed me to get a special dinner priviledge with Mr Francis Kong himself and his wife. It was an amazing experience to say the least.

Over the last 8 years of being part of the group, we have had a lot of exclusive trainings and workshops with different local and international speakers like Anthony Pangilinan, Bo Sanchez, Dr. Denis Waitley, and many more. Unfortunately, most of our events are exclusive to our group and we could not invite others to attend….UNTIL NOW.

For the first time ever, you will get a chance to attend an event of Mr. Francis Kong this coming July 23, August 6 and August 12. This rare 3-part series titled BUSINESS ROADMAP SERIES will include topics such as Maximizing Productivity, Entrepreneurial Mindset and Developing Presentation Skills. The event is from 7pm to 9pm so that most of the professionals who have a 9-to-5pm daytime job will be able to attend.

This event is especially tailored for professionals who are seeking to build additional income or upgrade their skills for promotion. If you want to LEVEL UP YOUR INCOME POTENTIAL by developing additional business skills, this is your oppportunity. The good news is that you will not need to invest P25,000 for this event, not even P2,500…the event is only P1,500 for the whole 3 days (July 23, August 6 and August 12). Should you choose to attend only 1 or 2 of the 3 days, we can also accomodate you. You only need to invest on the days/topics you are going to attend. Ticket price is only P500/day or topic.

If you are interested to attend this event, you can email me at allan@allaninocente.com or contact me at +63-917-8034015 so I can send you the payment instructions. SPECIAL DISCOUNT is available for groups of 10 and above. So bring your friends along! Limited slots only. Hurry, get your tickets now!

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Life Updates Uncategorized

My goals for 2019

As I am writing this, the 1st half of January is already over. Today, I am in Roxas city for a 3-day business trip. As part of our financial literacy workshop, we played Cashflow 101 board game and it was a blast! It’s amazing how much you can learn by playing. You learn so much more when you are having fun.

My business partners and I had lunch together by the sea side. It was so refreshing. The wind is soothing. The sound of the waves is like a relaxing music to my ears. Being the seafood capital of the Philippines, the array of seafood is a delight to the eyes (and to my hungry stomach.) The food is so delicious I wanted to just stay there and chill the whole day. I also learned “Talaba” (Oyster) is so abundant here, you can buy 1 sack for only P180! Yummy! 🙂

How about you? How’s your first weeks of January so far?

Every year, I spend some time going over my business and personal goals. I have shared a bit of my 2018 in my posts on “How to get unstuck,” “How I lost 7.8 pounds in 10 days,” and “How to Break Free.” You may notice all of them are about overcoming challenges. These are actually messages I wanted to tell myself as a form of encouragement as I was going through some finacial, emotional and mental challenges. Somehow, it gave me hope that the situation can get better. And it did.

If you are going through some challenges right now, know that everything in the universe go through cycles. Pain. Regret. Breakthrough. Success. Boredom. There’s a famous saying which says, “this too shall pass.” Take hold of that message and embrace God’s plan for your life.

Over the holidays I got a chance to think a lot and reflect. There are definitely lessons to learn from my experience last year that I hope to improve on this year. Today I’d like to share them with you.

These are my goals for this year 2019.

Business Goals

1. My goal is to grow my business income by at least 100%.

It’s going to be a challenge I know. But it’s possible. I also don’t want to put a limit to what can happen. I only know that based on the lessons I learned from last year, my business is due for a major upgrade.

You see, for the past 4 years, I have been coasting along. There’s a certain comfort zone you develop when you reach a certain level of success. In my case, I realized I have not been growing personally in the last 4 years, that’s why my business is also not growing as much as I would like to. Yes, it remains profitable and creating good income. But I want to challenge myself to grow my business even more. I want to try breaking the barrier that I have set mentally for myself the past few years. So this year, I decided to make a major expansion by growing at least 100% from last year’s business income.

There are multiple ways I am planning to do this. Obviously, these can change as I adjust them along the way. But here are some of the top in mind ideas on how I am plan to do it.

Over the past few years, I have always been concentrated in building my business offline 80% of the time. My days are consumed by lots of meetings, meeting people face to face. Add to that the horrendous traffic you have to go through when you are living in Metro Manila and you will have a heavily-packed day with lots of time spent driving to and from meetings. Only a small part of my business is done online which is around 20%.

Over time, I started to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. In the end, I got exhausted and burned out multiple times. I would have a few days that my week is full of meetings, talks and coaching sessions. The following week I would catch a cold, and would spend a few days just getting back on track again. I had to find a way to recharge myself to get back. My body is complaining and can’t keep up.

For my sanity’s sake, I think I really need to re-assess how I am spending my time and make sure I am delivering value to a lot more people without sacrificing my health, my time and my energy.

So this year, I decided to revamp the way I do things. I plan to take advantage of online systems even more to scale the value that I am offering. Doing most of the things I do offline is hindering me from scaling my value to the world. That’s why my plan is to create a more scalable system to share what I know and bring value to more people.

I am also looking for ways to maximize the assets in my business. Perhaps, even introducing other streams of income in the process. These are still at their early stages so you will learn more about them in the coming weeks.

This year I am planning to write more in this blog and share some of the lessons and stories I come accross. This is one thing that I feel I need to do more of. Expect to see more posts this year. Maybe publish an article at least once a week. This is a way for me to scale my value and reach out to more people, to serve those who I won’t be able to meet in person or face to face.

Do you have particular topic you want me to talk about in future posts? Do you want me to feature your story in my blog? Let’s connect and exlore future collaborations together. If you’re up for it, then you can message me here.

This year, I also want to ensure my time is spent in tasks that help me bring better results and not stuck in mindless surfing on the internet or social media. When you are operating your business through social media, it can be a double-edge sword. You can leverage it to scale your business, or it can consume too much of your time you are no longer being productive. You are stuck in scrolling and browsing at Facebook or Instagram posts instead of delivering value to your clients.

I am intentionally being vague about my plans for two reasons. First reason is that I have not figured everything out yet. Another reason is more practical. If there’s one thing I learned in business, it’s that ideas are a dime a dozen but the really important part is being able to execute it. Part of execution means being open to all ideas. Sometimes an idea that sounds good on paper performs horribly. Other times, a ridiculous or crazy idea works out perfectly. So I’m always experimenting and adjusting along the way. Besides, it’s a lot more fun that way as well.

Personal Goals

Write my 2nd book. Right now, I am in the middle of writing my second book. It is still in the early stages, so you will hear more about it in the coming weeks or months. I am planning to launch it this year. By me writing that book, I hope to reach more people who I might not be able to meet in person. I’ll be going to share some of the stories and lessons I learned over the past 7 years doing business.

The first book I wrote titled Rich Money Habits – 8 Ways to Shift Your Money Habits and Be Rich was written in 2011 back when I was still exploring the world of finance and entrepreneurship. It has blessed and inspired hundreds of people around the world. Good news for you, you can get your FREE copy of my ebook Rich Money Habits today. Simply click here to get instant access and download the ebook.

Travel somewhere I’ve never been to every quarter.

One of the things I love doing is spending some time with nature and just reflect on life. I am introvert by heart. Yes, I do get invitations to speak in public and conduct trainings and workshops in different provinces all over the Philippines. I love doing that and being able to deliver a message that can change people’ lives. However, I also need a way for me to recharge and nourish my spirit and soul. I get that from my miracle mornings (a routine I do every morning.) as well as from travelling and spending time with nature every now and then.

When I got busy with my business the past 4 years, these has remained in the back burner. Travels were always jampacked with activities for growing my business. It has led to burnout. This year I want to create more balance in this area of my life.

I think I have a great headstart. Today, I am writing this in Roxas City. Yes, I am also on a 3-day business trip but I feel this has been a more relaxed trip. It has allowed me the chance to just enjoy nature eating seafood over the seashore. It’s an amazing feeling just staring at the sea, enjoying the wind soothing my face as I listen to the sound of the waves, while eating “talaba” (Oyster.) Life is beautiful.

Build Habits Around My Daily Morning Routine

Late last year, I discovered this book called Miracle Morning, which allowed me to develop my own morning routine. This has given me extra energy. I feel more energized. I feel more productive. In fact, for the first time ever in the last 7 years, I have finally setup my own workstation complete with my own mini-library at home. I’ll give you a glimpse of my workstation setup in my future posts.

One of the things I discovered is that you have to build habits into your life if you want to create a longer-lasting impact or result. If you try to force it, you may hit your goal for some time but soon it will come crashing back down.

I have experimented with this late last year and it has given me great results. I plan on enhancing it even further. This year, I included 2 items in my morning routine. One is to do a 20-minute walk. Another is to create a gratitude list. That is, to list down 5 things I am grateful for every day.

This may come out like a new year’s resolution for some. But one difference is that my morning routine is so simple and easy to do. Creating a new routine is hard enough. So I’m taking it one day at a time. Making it simple enough so that I won’t force myself too much.

By following through on my morning routine, I get a head start in centering myself first before I get started with work or reply to communications (in social media.) I feel this will allow me to balance the benefit of having social media but not overwhelm me too much that I am no longer productive.

There are a lot more that I want to do this year, of course, but I know that having a good plan doesn’t always guarantee success. It’s always a combination of a great plan, superb execution and having the right mindset to adjust along the way if it doesn’t work.

How about you? What are your goals this year?
What are you planning to do differently?

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How To Break Free

As I am writing this, the song playing on the radio is “Jingle Bell Rocks”
I know, we just celebrated All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
Time flies so fast.

Not too long ago, you were writing your New Year’s Resolution.
Once the “BER” months kick starts, it seems time enters warp speed.

Do you realize we only have 6 weeks left before 2018 ends?
Everyone is busy getting all their work done.
Everyone wants to get on with their 2-week holiday vacation.
Maybe go home to the province and spend some time with friends and relatives.

Yes, we are all about ready to wrap up 2018.
But wait, there’s still ONE QUESTION that needs to be asked.

So, how are you with your 2018 goals?

Have you accomplished all you set out to do?
Have you visited the places you want to go to?
Have you achieved the level of success you wanted?
Career? Lovelife? Fitness? Money? etc

The good news is, there’s still some time.
Time to make a LAST PUSH for your goals.
Last 6 weeks to be exact.

This year, my goal was to focus on fitness.
Admittedly, I am nowhere near where I want to be.

My weight has really gone crazy.
There were some good months where I managed to bring down my weight a little bit (around March).
But most of the time, it’s growing in all the wrong places.

One thing I realized is that everthing you do is connected.
If your fitness is not good, you won’t have the energy to accomplish the goals for your career.
You are sluggish. Your mood swings make you a bore to be around.
You undergo roller coaster of emotions as you battle stress from you business, finances, love life, and more.

It also happens the other way around.
A stressful problem in your business triggers your cortisol levels.
It makes you eat more. You dump all your stress into eating out.
In the end, your health suffers. You get sick.
And the cycle continues.

It’s like the proverbial question of which one came first, the chicken or the egg.

The good news is, if you’re like me who went through a similar situation, there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s what worked for me.
Do something. Do anything. DISRUPT your pattern.

What you need is to BREAK FREE.

Break free from your mental patterns.
Break free from the self-deprecating beliefs that is causing you pain and lose of confidence.
Break free from the cycle of financial struggles.
Break free from the emotional roller coaster.
Break free from the situation you are currently in.

How do you break free from your current situation?
Here are some things that might help you get started in this direction.

1. Setup a morning routine.

After reading the book The Miracle Morning, it inspired me to create my own.
There’s an acronym from the book that summarizes how to do it.
S – silence
A – affirmation
V – visualization
E – exercise
R – reading
S – scribbling or writing

I’ve created my own morning routine using this as a guide.
– Read the PSALMS after waking up.
– Listen to a 4-minute affirmation audio I recorded.
– Drink Nutrimeal.
– Lace up my rubber shoes.
– Put on the headphones.
– Go to the gym and run.
– Listen to audiobook while running.

I am still not as consistent as I want to be but sometimes the process is more important than being impatient with yourself or your results.

There are also some areas where I want to improve on.
For example, I want to make my wake up time a bit more consistent as well as my exercise routines. I am enrolled in the gym but I am hardly using it. It bores me to walk on a treadmill.
I try to put on headphones and listen to an audio book to motivate me.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

I am looking to add sports into my routine.
Maybe play basketball, or tennis or badminton.
We’ll see.

2. Lose weight.

I finally got around doing the USANA’s 5-day RESET program.
It’s been 10 days and so far, I’ve lost 8.2 pounds.
It’s a good start towards a healthier lifestyle.

I’ll tell you more about what worked for me in one of my next articles.
I am still a long way to go from my weight loss goal so I am still not that confident to show some pictures. But if you are so curious and want to join me and get fit too, feel free to message me so I can share with you what worked for me.

3. Take a vacation.

There’s something about going someplace near nature, to the beach or closer to the trees that sooths your soul. When your life is in an imbalance, there’s so many things going on.
You are in chaos mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc.

If you can’t go anywhere far, maybe staying at home and doing nothing is something that you need to do. Taking a moment to STOP what you are doing is sometimes enough to disrupt the pattern.

As for me, I go into hibernation mode.
I go back to what I enjoy doing.
Watch that endless videos.
Eat that unhealthy meal you always wanted to eat.

Do something you love doing.
Don’t worry, that is not indulgence, as long as you are not hurting anyone.
That’s reminding yourself that you are LOVED.
And you can ENJOY LIFE’s so many blessings.
Even if your finances are not ok.
Even if you feel you don’t deserve it.
Even if there’s so much work that needs to be done.
Even if there’s a lot of things going on.

Because what’s more important than any of those, is YOU taking care of YOU.

Sometimes, you need to prioritize YOU.
Why? Because when you are not ok, the people who depends on you will suffer as well.

So they need you to be OK. And that’s the best thing you can do at that moment to serve them.
Forgive youself. Let go of your pains and frustrations. You deserve to break free.

No one said you have to suffer endlessly. Enjoying the journey is part of the package.
You have a right to living your life the way you want it.

The same applies to your goals this year.
Yes, you may be nowhere near accomplishing them. But who cares?
Life is a journey.
One moment you are so far away from your goal you can’t imagine how you can achieve it.
Another moment, unexpected circumstances happen ALL AT THE SAME TIME and give you the desires of your heart.
It is as if the heavens opened up to POUR you an AVALANCHE of BLESSINGS that you have been waiting for all this time.

So, enjoy the next 6 weeks.
The path with a heart will always give you the best results.
Sometimes that lesson is not to struggle, but to accept that there are deeper lessons to be learned such as enjoying the joys of the journey while you are in the middle of chaos.

Cheers to your 2018 goals and to the journey that this year has been! 🙂

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How To Tutorials Uncategorized

How To Get Unstuck

In a couple of days, June is finally over. The first half of the year is done.

This year has been a roller coaster ride for me so far. How about you? Perhaps we are both going through some challenges right now.

I have some encouragement for you. This too shall pass. The best is yet to come.

No, the storm is not yer over for me. But, thankfully, there are people who believe in me that makes me hopeful. They give me the strength to push through and focus on the future.

During the first quarter, our business went through a major overhaul.
Due to a leadership challenge, key people in my business made
the decision to take their business into a different direction.

In short, some people left. Some people stayed.
It was a tough time for me emotionally and mentally.
As a leader, I needed to be strong for the whole organization.

At first, I questioned myself.

Did I fail as a leader?
What can I learn from the situation?

What could I have done differently?

How can I make sure that it will not happen again?
Or if it happens, how would I be able to bounce back faster?

There were times, I no longer feel excited going to the office.
Every day I asked myself whether I should still continue building the business.
It’s hard when people close to you, people you thought you knew, catch you by surprise.

There were days I stayed late at night thinking endlessly.
Am I still fit to lead? I honestly think, my confidence suffered the most.
It hit me deeply. I started to doubt myself.

But slowly and surely, I am starting to get back on my feet.
It helped a lot that I have good people around.

Close friends encouraged me. They provided a listening ear when I needed it the most.
I am fortunate to have people like them that I get to share in my journey.

Having people like that in your life, makes everything bearable.

When you are down, it’s hard to get back to being joyful.
It’s easier to stay in bed. Sleep all day. Do nothing.

But the more you do nothing, the more you become depressed.

Then a friend suggested that I do things that I used to enjoy.
Perhaps to rekindle the excitement in your life.

Doing things you are happy, helps a lot.
Sing with my guitar at home. Check!
Watch movies! Check!
Play with my kids. Check!

Yes there are challenges outside and within. But life is like that.
There are also silver linings, as well as big blessings that come with it.

Business problems come and go. That’s why you are getting paid. You are supposed to solve problems. The bigger problems you can solve, the bigger your income will be.

As Jim Rohn said, “don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills.”

Money problems are just that. You just need to create and handle money better.

No matter how many financial problems you have, there are still things you can be grateful for.

As for me, I was reminded of these things.
1) I have a loving family.
2) I have time to spend with them.
3) Watch them grow.
4) Learn and bond with them whenever I want to.
I am blessed beyond measure. Lots of families can’t say they have all four.

I have people who still believe in me. They trust me that I can help them.
They look up to me, and my confidence grows as I see them grow.

Business is recovering and slowly getting back on track.
The team is growing. New leaders are emerging. Business is once again looking up.

I am thankful I started getting into business.
It’s been 7 years. It’s been a wonderful journey, of ups and downs, learnings and fun times.

What makes life so colorful are the people you meet along the way.
It’s true, some stay with you for a little while, some stay with you longer.
Each for a different purpose, but both are there to help you in your journey.

Life happens for you, not to you.

We are emotional beings. We are meant to connect with each other.
Sometimes, that connection fizzles out. Sometimes, it becomes stronger as the years go by.

We are changing. We are always changing.
As we change, the people you need in the next chapter of your life may change as well.
Embrace the change anyway.

Yes, you are going to be hurt. Definitely, you are going to learn.
But don’t let the fear of being hurt, rob you of the joy of connecting with a fellow human being.
To connect, to enjoy, to feel alive is in itself a gift that you can only experience by giving it to somene else.

We are only passers by here on earth. Our journey is bigger than the hurts, emotional traumas, business challenges, money problems or emotional roller coasters. It’s bigger than what we think it is or what we believe we were supposed to do here.

There’s a reason why you are here. You are destined for greatness.
You may think you have nothing to offer. But you are not here by accident.

You are made for a purpose. You were meant to do something only you can do.

Don’t hold on to past hurts. We need you to get unstuck.
Get up, stand up. People look up to you.
They need you to lead them.

So, take charge and be the leader you were meant to be.

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Why The People Closest To You Can Make You Rich or Poor

They say, you are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with.

At the top of your head, who are these 5 people in your life? Your colleagues? Friends? Family? Make a guess as to how much they are earning. Compute the average. More often than not, the number will be roughly the same amount as your monthly income.

Still can’t believe it? Observe the groups of people in your office. Who do they eat lunch with? In most cases, the managers eat lunch together with their fellow managers. The team leaders, with other team leaders. The entry level staff with their peers as well.

You spend your time with the people you are most comfortable with. The people who earn the same amount flock to each other like magnets aligned on the same sides. People who have a BIG disparity in income more often than not, repel like magnets on opposite sides.

Still not convinced? Are you familiar with the saying, tell me who your fiends are and I’ll tell you who you are?

I rest my case.

This is biologically wired within us.

Have you ever seen a baby smile whenever someone smiles at him? Or is it the other way around? Perhaps the baby smiled first? 🙂

The baby doesn’t speak any language, but both baby and the adult mimic each other. It’s like magic.

The answer lies in the mirror neurons embedded on our skin cells. It’s subconscious.
We are made to subconsciously copy or mimic what we see.

Have you seen couples, over the long term start to seem look-alike?
Behaviours in money tend to be similar as well.

Why is this important?

If you want to upgrade your income, realizing this can put you on the fast track. You will invest more time learning how to develop yourself so your mindset, thoughts, behaviour and skills align with those of the people who are earning more than you.

I am not saying let go of your friends. I am not even saying you make friends only with people who are richer than you. Or even imply to judge people based on how much money they make and use that to determine whether to be friends with them or not. Far from it.

My only suggestion is for you to be conscious of who you spend your most time with. We all have 24 hours in a day. It is up to us to make use of those hours to improve our situation in life. This is the greatest equalizer of all. Rich or poor both have the same number of hours. It’s a matter of utilizing our resources to the fullest within those 24 hours.

Don’t waste your time spending it with cynics. Don’t associate yourself with negative people, people who drown your energy, people who always complain and make excuses but do nothing to improve their situation. If you spend your time with them, sooner or later, you will become just like them.

Instead, invest your time developing yourself. Do yourself a favor and find someone who has achieved the results that you like. If you can, take that person to lunch. Ask him questions. Observe not only his answers, but how he answers them.

The power of a mastermind group

Want something better? Find a group of people who has the results you like. Spend time with them. If it’s not possible yet, start by reading their books. Attend their seminars. Observe them. How they act. How they think. How they behave. Be with them.

It’s going to be awkward at first. You may feel out of place. You may start to think you are way over your head. Just stay. Take a deep breath. Know that you are ok. It will come, sooner than you realize.

Always remember, you are who you are because of the books you’ve read, the places you went to and the people you met. Of the three, what carries the most influence are the people you spend the most time with.

If you want to accelerate your path to financial success, as what Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich, you need to form a mastermind group. He devotes a whole chapter just talking about it. This tells you how important having a mastermind group to a person’s success is.

No one is an island they say. In the same way that nobody can claim to be a self-made man. There is no such thing. Our success is a result of our own efforts plus the help provided to us by the people we encountered along the way.

Once you realize that the universe is ready to serve what you want most in life, you will undrestand that everything you ever wanted is possible. It is reachable. You just have to decide to make it happen.

As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said,

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

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The Secret To Growth: Attending Events That Stretches Your Mind

This week, I’ve had the great opportunity to participate and attend events after events, everyday for the last 4 days. It’s been overwhelming to say the least. There are so many things to be thankful for. I can hardly wait to share them all with you.

The first event was with my business team at XTRM 1-11. My business mentor, a recognized international leader in the industry shared the highlights of last year’s performance as well as his vision for the team this year 2016. It was like attending the State of the Nation Address, because I was wearing barong tagalog, together with 100+ strong leaders of the team. Being one of the mentors of the team, I had the rare priviledge to walk the red carpet and be recognized. One of the things I got from the event was seeing my mentor share his vision. I got a glimpse on how he thinks, and how he sees the big picture. As successful as he is being the #1 top income earner in our company for 3 years in a row, he remains very humble and down to earth. From him I learned the term, "Fully-Paid Dreams". In 7 years, he has accomplished so much, what most people would only dream of in their lifetime. He has fully-paid cars and house and lot worth 8-digits combined. In life, a lot of people will have opinions, but one thing my mentor has always told me is to listen to people whose lifestyle you want to  emulate and achieve.  As for me, I think becoming a person who has fully-paid dreams is a worthwhile goal to achieve for my family. Here I am with my co-mentors taking a picture before the event. A diverse group of individuals from all walks of life and professions: doctors, nurses, IT consultants, engineers, call center agents, businessmen, and more, all very excited to help more people achieve their dreams. 🙂

The next day, my wife and I were off to Solaire Resort for our company’s 2016 recognition dinner. It was an enjoyable experience having a sit-down dinner and being with top leaders and executives in the company. We were recognized as *-Million Peso Achievers for 2nd year in a row along with 100+ other business leaders.  One of the greatest feelings I’ve experienced is in seeing those I’ve mentored get up the stage to receive their own *-Million Peso Achiever trophies as well. I’m so proud of them. Here’s a picture of us together enjoying at the ballroom lobby after the event.

After that, my wife along with hundreds of the top leaders in our company had the chance to get up close and personal with Dr. Denis Waitley, a famour motivational speaker to world class athletes and astronauts from NASA. He’s a hall of famer in the world of publick speaking and personal achievement. He stood on the same stage with other motivational speakers like Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and other top speakers in the world. He’s 83 years old but he’s full of vitality just like a 38 year old. He is bestfriends with the founder of our company, Dr Myron Wentz, an Albert Einstein awardee for Life Sciences. They’ve been friends for 20+ years. It’s refreshing to hear personal stories and get a glimpse on the life of accomplished leaders int their fields just like them. It gave me an opportunity to discern what’s really important in life. It’s not so much about the financial blessings or material things, but on how you used those to help other people and make their lives better. It also made me realize to be grateful for the everyday blessings. 

Yesterday was the grandest event I’ve attended all week. It was our company’s Grand Celebration at Araneta Coliseum. It was an amazing experience to see so many DREAMERS from different provinces of the Philippines coming alive! There was so much ENERGY from start to finish. It was exhilirating to CHEER for my teamates as they receive their awards on stage, especially those people who I’ve got a chance to mentor directly or indirectly.

One of those people is Lois Garcia, a former colleague in my previous company, currently working full-time as a business analyst while doing the business on the side part-time. She’s a very talented lady, but a little bit reserved just like me. She achieved the milestone of earning $600 in 1 week in her business and was recognized as New Director in front of 10,000+ people in Araneta! 🙂 I’m so proud of her because she’s eager to learn. She’s open minded to legitimate income opportunities. She takes immediate action.  Most of all, she has the tenacity to see through her goals to completion inspite of the many obstacles she has gone through. Out of her part-time income in the business, she’s been able to create results like becoming a proud owner of an XTRM 1-11 Limited Edition Technomarine watch and getting a brand new i-Pad she uses to track her own business online. I’m very excited for her next accomplishments. The great news is she’s just getting started! In April, when we attend the Asia and the Pacific Convention this year, I’m sure she’ll breakthrough once again and go up the stage to receive another award! 🙂 Here we are with the awardee, Lois Garcia (center) along with new apprentices. 🙂

Another close friend and co-mentor in our team was given the opportunity to share his inspiring story. He’s once of the very first people who trusted me in business. We met 5 years ago through our real-estate investing circle. One of the most humble and down-to-earth person I know. He’s grown so much in character, leadership and business skills. He has achieved financial success, time freedom to choose his own working hours, and the opportunity to create a loving family. He’s a father with 2 kids and another one coming soon.

He was a former IT consultant just like me, having worked for 11 years in his former company. He has already accomplished so much earning for himself a 6-figure income every month from his IT career. But because he dreams of a better life for his family in terms of MONEY, TIME and HEALTH, he still seeked better opportunities.

His entrepreneurial journey started when he was opened to the idea of financial literacy through the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. He was already investing in the stock market as well as mutual funds, and in some businesses but a tragedy happend more than 5 years ago. He lost a great deal of money (in the 7-figure range), after investing in a friend’s business, who unfortunately took the money and ran away with it. It was a painful lesson that saw his dreams came crashing down.

I didn’t know what he was going through at that time, but because he was one person I looked up to, I approached him to do business with me. He grabbed the opportunity right away and the rest, as they say, is history. He was able to finally pay off his debts and live financially free. More than that, his business took off and he was able to resign from his IT career after 2 years doing the business part-time. He became a 3x- recipient of all-expense-paid Asian Cruise travels, and *-Million Peso Achievers for 3 years in a row. I’m proud of his accomplishments, but I am more proud of what kind of a leader and person he is becoming, more humble and down-to-earth as he becomes more successful. He has influenced so many people in different countries like Singapore, Japan, Canada and the Philippines. The good news is, he keeps growing as a person, that’s why his business continues to grow as well.

Here’s a picture of him sharing his story in Araneta with my picture on the big screen. It humbles me to be given credit to his life turning around, but I understand that I was merely an instrument to show the way. Ultimately, he is responsible for the success he is enjoying right now.

Today, I had the time to sit down and make sense of all the things that have happened the past few days. There are so many lessons to be learned, things to enjoy and a bright future to look forward to.

Let me share you a few things I realized.

From all the stories I’ve heard, one thing I learned is to appreciate every moment with your loved ones. Enjoy. Have fun. Live in the moment. Often times, I see people taking a video of the event, instead of BEING in the event. Sometimes, having gadgets with you takes the joy away of being fully in the moment. Absorb the energy and be fully immersed into the experience.

Attending events gives you the opportunity to expand your world. We all have different experiences in life. The magic of attending events is in having a single moment pass by, but with different perspectives we experience different moments as well in our lives.  It’s a different feeling cheering for your teammates compared to being the one going to the stage and people cheering you on. It’s also different from seeing those you mentored go up the stage themselves.

As I look back in my life, the moments of GROWTH happened when I opened myself to new ideas and experiences. When I was growing up in Ilocos, I used to think that majority of Filipinos are Ilocanos. That changed when I went to Manila and attended university. There I met other fellow students from different provinces in Visayas and Mindanao. I realized life is bigger than what I previously thought. When I started working, my world began to expand again as I got exposed to the corporate world. After my 6-month stint in the US for my former company, I was exposed to cultures from different countries. When I came back, something changed and the yearning to create a better life has been sparked inside of me. I knew then that if other people can do it, we Filipinos can also do it. I went abroad again and gained valuable experiences working with different cultures. When I came back, a new world again opened up for me — the world of business. That was more than 5 years ago. It’s true what most people say, that the life you have right now is the result of the decisions you made 5 years ago. If you want to CHANGE YOUR LIFE, the best time to make better choices is NOW, so that 5 years in the future, you will reap the harvest you have planted today.

Today I leave with you with this quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. He said, "a mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." My hope is that as you expand your horizons to achieve bigger and better things in life, you don’t lose sight of the most important things: remaining humble, being grateful, and enjoying the blessings and using them to help other people to glorify the source of those blessings, the one who delights in all things that is good, our God almighty. Cheers to your success!

P.S. I’m currently expanding my business and just opened my newest business center. I’m looking for people to train and develop as new directors for my new project team. This is not a job offer, so if you are looking for a job please DO NOT apply. This is an offer to build a business together. You will be mentored personally by me, a Ruby Director of our 23-year old NYSE-listed company, along with other leaders of our team. This is a serious opportunity for those people who have been working for so long only to have their DREAMS get crushed by too much stress or boredom from a stagnant career. If you are earning in your career but would like to start something on the side to LEARN first hand how to build a business, then I can work with you. If you are tired of reading books or blogs about money, or attending seminars with nothing to show for it, and now want to take your FINANCIAL JOURNEY to the NEXT LEVEL, then I can work with you. If you have already saved for emergency fund, invested in stocks or mutual funds, but you would like earn more by learning how to build a business, then I can work with you. Most of the people I work with are couples who dreamt of working abroad, or who have worked abroad before. They are AMBITIOUS and know how to WORK HARD. They have worked long enough in their career to understand that they can NEVER get their dreams working for someone else. If you are HUNGRY FOR CHANGE, let’s connect. Send me a message through my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/allaninocente111 or click here to ontact me. I can only work with 10 people this month of March. This message gets sent out to thousands of subscribers of this blog and my Facebook page, as well as my 5,000 friends in my personal facebook account. If you don’t receive a reply from me in 24 to 48 hours, please re-send your message. Thank you.

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