Life Begins at 25

(Re-post of a blog I created when I was 26, with revisions)
 
Life begins at 40, they say. But I say, life begins at 25.

Would you agree with this- the choices we made 5 years ago is who we are right now?

If this is true, then, awareness must start at 25 or earlier so that by 30, we can already start living the life that we want.

It begins with awareness because we cannot go to where we want to be without knowing where we are now and where we want to be.

Does this mean that we should not be contented with what we have? Of course not. What I'm saying is, we should always yearn for more.

This is the advice that I encounter a lot and do my best to live by: dream big, believe, and achieve it;  never stop learning; love and laugh with all your heart so you can truly live; never, never ever miss anything (this I got from Jim Rohn); give.



Dream big, believe it, achieve it.

There was once a self-made millionaire, entrepreneur, author, and speaker who went to the Philippines and shared one of his success secrets. His name is Ty Bennett. According to Kevin Hall, Ty at age 29 already achieved what most would achieve by age 80. He dreamt, believed, and achieved. You know how he got started? He made a bucket list. I'd like you to hear from him first hand:

  
Done? I'm sure you learned a lot and I hope you take his advice to heart. If you want to learn more from him, visit him at www.leadershipinc.com.

What gets written gets done.  I made a dream book last July 2009. It's just a filler type of notebook where I allot 1 page per dream. I cut pictures from magazines or print from the net. I leave some space in the page where I can paste my pictures. It's fun making the dream book and I look at it almost everyday. Funny thing, some dreams I get even if I don't spend for it. Below are some of the pages marked "done".

Never stop learning.

We are the same person 5 years ago, except for the books we read and the people we meet. One is never too old to learn. So grab a book of your interest or talk to somebody interesting. You'll never know what treasures you can discover.

If you can't think of any book, just try to open the book that is readily available in our homes- the Bible. The Bible has a whole spectrum of knowledge, from relationship to entrepreneurship. For beginners, you can start with Psalms, Proverbs, or the New Testament.

If you don't know any interesting people, go around, meet new friends, do something outside of work, and outside of your home. Who knows, you might meet that person you need so you can accomplish the next item:

Love and laugh with all your heart. 

"Only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men" -Og Mandino.

Love what you do.
Love unconditionally.
Laugh... 

Love - click here
Laugh - click here.

Never miss anything.   

Set priorities and commit not to miss anything.  A moment only takes a second to capture and only a second to lose. 

Have a journal so you can capture your thoughts.

Have a camera so you can capture moments.

Travel. See the world. Be present at special events. I'm not saying that you should say "yes" to every invitation you get. Again, set priorities. But when I get invited to a wedding, I do my best to attend even if it means traveling more than 8 hours just to get there. It's one of the special moments in my friend's life so I want to be there. 

Give.  

Share every knowledge, every talent that you have. Bo Sanchez, a successful entrepreneur and an advocate and proof of God's abundance shares that we have these resources that we can share: Time, Talent, Treasure. 

When we give, we realize that we get so much in return. Think of one the happiest moments of your life. Wasn't it the time that you were able to give? To share your talent, time, or treasure? The happiest people are the givers. One cannot sincerely help another without helping oneself in the process. Make every moment an opportunity to give. Give a smile to a stranger.

If you choose to be happy; cause another to be happy;
If you choose to be prosperous, cause another person to prosper;

If you choose more love in your life,
cause another to have more love in theirs.

By giving, you will then no longer be "wanting" it.
You will immediately experience "having" it.

-Barbel Mohr        

Life begins at 25. 
 
So if you are not yet 25, it's never too early to start. But, if you are past 25, it's never too late to begin.

We only have one life to live, make the most out of it. 

- Verna

Rain-dom Thoughts

Death is such an easy way out;
It takes more courage for life's bout.

Some lose the fight even before they start;
Some people start just so they don't depart.

Then some fight for that thing they can't live without;
And then some live for that one thing they cry about.

And then life would be one reason they sing aloud;
And death would be one thing they laugh about.

Then some look death straight in the eye;
Having truly lived, they can finally die.

Like a Child

This morning. when I got to my friend's home, their year-old baby is eating iced gem cookies. When I was younger, I eat iced gem cookies this way: bite off the cookie first, then the icing.

E yung mallows? Eat the chocolate coating first. When it's bare, eat the marshmallow, then the cookies. Nips? Crack it open like butong pakwan. Eat the coating, then the chocolate. See, hindi lang Oreo ang may tamang way ng pag-kain. Give me some, one of these days and I'll give you actual demo.

I also liked the now-rare Sunshine green peas, Sultana cookies, and pacensia.

Remember Magic Pops? 

I recently gave a friend one pack, which he opened and shared with his office mates. 

They had a good time. Try it!

    Later, I discovered that if you pop galletas in your mouth together with Hershey's Kisses, chew it slowly, your palate's going to have quite an experience.

These days, the most accessible simple joy I have is eating Ministop Sundae Cone with Mr. Chips.

Sabi nila, basta bata, mababaw lang ang kaligayahan. Para sa kin, ok lang maging mababaw. Basta maligaya.

Abbey told me via SMS one day, "I think bottom line and ultimate currency ay happiness." I agree. Abbey's dream about eating chocolates with youngest brother Paeng reminds me to be a child again. (Read more)

Deepak Chopra said, "The return of the magical comes with the return of innocence."

In the Bible Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

Vincent Peale says, "People of an artless nature seem to find happiness. By artless I mean people who are childlike in their mental attitudes, who are great enough to think childlike thoughts. A child has a sense of wonder and perceptiveness that brings happiness."

Most would search for happiness like it's a goal to be pursued. When you are young, you say, I'll be happy when I grow up." When you're grown up, you say, "I'll be happy when I am wed." When you're wed, you say, "I'll be happy when I retire." Retirement comes and for you, happiness still does not come.

Happiness is in the present. Happiness is in small things. A favorite snack, a good read, a hug, sunset, shared laughter, quiet moments, etc. It's different for every person. Have a dose of these small things a few times each day, then you'll find yourself looking forward to the next day.

I'd like to believe that if you want to be happy, make somebody else happy first. Then, the happiness flows back to you. 

Smile!

- verna

Pag-ibig?

One night at a barbershop. Me was reading a book and He was waiting for his head to be shaved:

Me: Do you think it's possible for somebody to love everybody?

He: I think, it's possible. But I don't know anyone... Even Jesus got angry when He saw the church turned into  a marketplace... I guess, Buddha loved everybody. But that's because he tried to understand everybody. But, what is love? Is it not just a concept invented by humans? What is love?

Me: (confused and caught off-guard) Love... is... giving?       

That time, He is Me's mirror image. He's questions are Me's questions verbalized by He. No, I'm not schizophrenic. He is a real person. Ask the barbershop.

Below are the quotations I got from the books (and others) that life threw at me so I can get answers to He's question. Agree or disagree with them, feel free to share your thoughts.

Define LOVE. 

Love is a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. (Dictionary.com)

Love is blind. (Autograph Pad)

Love is like a rosary, full of mysteries. (Autograph Pad)

God is love. (Jeepney sticker)

 LOVE is spelled as T-I-M-E. (TV commercial)

The POWER of LOVE.

Muscle can split a shield and even destroy life, but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men. (Og Mandino)

O, pag-ibig na makapangyarihan, pag nasok sa puso ninuman, hahamakin ang lahat, masunod ka lamang! (Balagtas, Florante at Laura)

Hatred ceases by love. This is an eternal law. (Buddha) 

Love conquers all. (Virgil) 

Finding/ Not Finding LOVE.

To get love, you must first give it. To make sure that another person loves you unconditionally, you must place no conditions upon him or her.  To learn to love another, you must first love yourself. (Deepak Chopra)

How easy it is to miss love when it comes. Either something so distracts us, or we have so completely lost touch of who we are and what we care about that we cannot recognize our heart's desire. (Francis J. Kong)

Love cannot be achieved by effort. (Deepak Chopra)

Usually we are searching for someone either to reflect our own self-images or to repair them... There is an underlying sense of need. Feeling incomplete in yourself, you try to bolster your lack through someone else. (Deepak Chopra)

Falling In-LOVE.

One day after you have gotten over this restless fever, you will see a small light in your heart. At first it will be the size of a spark, then a candle flame, finally a raging bonfire. Then you will wake up, and the flame will devour the sun, moon, and stars. At that moment there will be nothing but love in the cosmos, yet all of it will still be inside your own heart. (Deepak Chopra)

What LOVE is/should BE.

Intense love does not measure, it just gives. (Mother Teresa)

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; for love is sufficient unto love. (Kahlil Gibran)

How do we love? Not in big things, but in small things with great love. (Mother Teresa)

We know that if we really want to love we must learn to forgive. (Mother Teresa) 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (The Bible,1 Corinthians 13: 4-7)

What LOVING should NOT be.

The kind of love that is attached to another person is really about yourself, because what keeps it going isn't what is real in the beloved but something far more binding-- your own need to possess. (Deepak Chopra)

The Challenge of LOVE.

When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you to yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him. Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth, so is he for your pruning. (Kahlil Gibran) 

If you love those who love you, what is the reward in that? (The Bible, Matthew 5:46) 

The mechanics.

To receive love it must be given with no thought of its return. To love for fulfillment, satisfaction, or pride is no love. Love is a gift on which no return is demanded. Now you know that to love unselfishly is its own reward. And even should love not be returned it is not lost, for love not reciprocated will flow back to you and soften and purify your heart. (Og Mandino)

Final words.

Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.            (Gary Zukav)

Then.

It takes a thousand minds to explain what love is... but only a single heart to know.                  (B. via SMS 06.04.2011) 

I rest my case.

My Resources

-verna

I'm Home

I just moved in.

My boxes of what-not's are still unpacked. Procrastination hits.

It was really thoughtful of Abbey to have made the rooms "roomy". I like the big windows, too. Lots of air and lots of light. My room will have the least consumption of electricity, aircon seldom "on". I always prefer it warm and toasty (and dusty).

I can set up at Italian desk where I can do my writing and make my calls.

I'll hang one of Mayie's (mayiephotography.com) work. The burst of colors can trigger happy thoughts that will allow me squeeze out some creativity. (Yes, Abbey, I'll make sure the holes will not allow me to peek on Lynn-and-future's intimate moments.) The willow tree will keep me company in my "alone" moments.

Except for Abbey, who is a friend since the "past lifetime",

the bunch has only been with me twice (Coron and Banchetto). Thone kasama ka din dito sa picture, in spirit. Asan ka kasi ng time na to?

I'm a total newbie compared to their decade plus friendship. I feel honored to be a resident of 9 Peregrine Street and be under one roof with smart, talented, witty, and good-looking people.

I'm home.

-Verns