Free Printable Inspirational Book: The Science of Getting Things Done By Villamor S. Quebral, Ph.D.

February 20, 2021

Free Printable Inspirational Book: The Science of Getting Things Done By Villamor S. Quebral, Ph.D.

The Science of Getting Things Done

Villamor S. Quebral, Ph.D.

D E D I C A T I O N

To the young adults who are full of dreams and aspirations, to those who are willing to explore and push themselves to the limit, and to all those who dare to be unique and make a difference, this Book is sincerely dedicated…

Foreword

(I am going to ask Senator Manny Paquiao a great favor to write the Foreword of this book. For me, he is an epitome of FOCUS which catapulted him into fame and greatness.)

___________________

Senator

Introduction

A lecture from a religious preacher stuck to my mind, particularly when he asked a very common and seem-to-be-so-simple question but no one from his audience was able to give the correct answer. The question was:

“What is the richest place in the world?”

Everyone was startled when the lecturer gave his answer: “The CEMETERYis the richest place in the world.” The Convention Center roared with murmur, echoing the word “CEMETERY?” as an expression of disbelief. Then the lecturing pastor expounded why.

He said, “I know you won’t accept that as a valid answer until I’ll tell you the reason why. Then he asked them -- Who are those in the cemetery? -- those inside the tombs, whom you visit once in a while? They are your dear departed ones, our dear departed ones. Who are these dear departed ones? Among them are illustrious people with different professions, though poor and ordinary people are more.

Some of them are scientists, doctors, engineers, military men, teachers, lawyers, inventors and many more. Do you know what went with them six feet below the ground? Their unfulfilled dreams, plans, aspirations and bright ideas.

If we were to give value to these unfulfilled dreams, plans, aspirations, and bright ideas, you can approximate how rich the cemetery is.”

The said lecture left a good problem or what I call “Super Idea” -- an inquiry leading to the discovery of how to convert an idea into being, a dream into fulfillment, and plans into reality.

Personally, I translated this concept into a simpler working statement:

“HOW TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN” Or, simply, “HOW TO GET THINGS DONE”

I believe that all of us have dreams of our own. Everyone wants to accomplish something worthwhile. Each of us wants to live a meaningful life and leave an indelible mark in this life. However, like

those who lived ahead of us, we are also prone to committing the same mistakes they have committed and falling in the same pitfalls wherein they fell, and these, just like them, may also prevent us from realizing our dreams. Assuredly, those “golden dreams” will come to pass if we didn’t learn how to get things done. When we, just like others, just wait for things to happen instead of making these things happen. In that case, when our time comes, and that will surely come, we will be making the cemetery richer even more.

Chapter 1

Creativity: The Power of Making Things Happen

I subscribe to the belief that for every being or event, physical or non-physical, there is a cause. As what the Holy Scriptures says, “For every house there is a builder, and the builder of all things is God.” This biblical statement teaches us that God is the Cause of everything.This is the Divine Law of Cause and Effect. That is why God is the one and only Originator or Original Creator.

However, let us bear in mind that we, human beings, are “created in the image of God.” Hence, we are endowed with a certain amount of power of “creation.” I just want to make myself clear, because this statement might invite misconceptions. We can never replicate God’s creation. Never! His, were what I call Original Creations. Why? Because God created all these things out of nothing. This is termed in science as abiogenesis. By mere words (the Power of His words) there was light; there were sun, moon and stars; there was huge and verdant vegetation; there were animals, great and small, on land and sea; and finally, there was man.

Nevertheless, man being empowered to rule over all God’s creation, was also endowed with a special power - the Power of Creativity. Take note of the word “creativity” – the root word of which is “create” + “activity.” Therefore, though we could not create things out of nothing, but we can “create” things from other things that are readily available, and this is by doing or taking action. This gave birth to numerous inventions, and the Mother of which is Necessity. Necessity is an opportunity for a man to innovate, and then “create” things that would satisfy his needs.

From iron and manganese ore, man “created” steel and from steel came railroads, trains, automobiles, ships, airplanes, skyscrapers, etc.

From trapped fossils man extracted petroleum and from petroleum came oil, diesel, gasoline, octane, and so many kinds of plastic products and plastic wares, and now that Petroleum Age is coming to an end, man is now cramming to discover and develop an alternative source of fuel and energy, among which is Deuterium – a special kind of a naturally-processed fuel – the hydrogen fuel of the future. (The Philippines is so blessed to have the largest natural deposit of Deuterium found in the Philippine Trench, 4th among the deepest and

longest underwater Trench in the world, and this will make this country the richest in the world in the near future.)

Additionally, from trees man produced lumber, and from this lumber man was able to build houses and different kinds of furniture, from simple to intricate.

The list goes on and on…

To illustrate man’s innate power of creativity, I would like to introduce the following concept:

MIND + ENERGY = BEING ®

Both Mind and Energy are innate to man. Hence, it is natural for man to have the ability to “create” or make things happen. Going back to “creativity”, man can “create” something out of something if he would act or take action.

Definition of Terms:

 Mind is the abstract realm that contains the Super Idea or Concept translated into Goal and visualized in Plan;

 Energy is the force resulting from the combination of Attitude, Resources, and Skills, that were put into Action; and

 Being is the Super Idea that came into Physical or Non-Physical reality.

To further explain the above concept, I provided below a Conceptual Framework. This is to visualize the ideation process of the knowledge I would like to impart. Remember that in solving any problem the basic knowledge is knowing the FORMULA. Once you have known the formula, you are half-way thru.The remaining 50% is for you to operationalize the formula. This is the moment for you to take action.

The Conceptual Framework of Creativity ®

MIND

SUPER IDEA

CONCEPT

GOAL

PLAN

ENERGY

ATTITUDE

RESOURCES

SKILLS

ACTION

BEING

PHYSICAL OR NON-PHYSICAL REALITY

Chapter 2

Super Idea® and Idea Mining®

The Super Idea is the great thought, mental conception or mental image of what a person wants to accomplish or create. It is a mental plasma from where everything that man wants to do spawns. Great works of men recorded in history in any field, be it in Religion, Science, Engineering and Technology, have all spawned from a Super Idea.

For our subject matter, it is important for us to learn first how to come up with a Super Idea.To come up with a Super Idea we need to do what I call “Idea Mining”. It should be known that it is not only gold that is mined. Ideas also are mined and when you’re able to get the so-called Super Idea its worth is even greater than gold.

Idea Mining

Idea Mining is simply defined as the process of getting or capturing an idea. There are so many ways to capture an idea, and we are actually doing these things every day. The only problem is we just don’t know how to collect ideas from these very common and day-to-day activities.

 Reading: When we read books, magazines or dailies, we are actually encountering numerous ideas.

 Watching: When we watch films or even TV programs there are so many ideas we come across with.

 Listening: When we listen to good lectures, presentations or even to songs, there are lots of ideas popping out.

 Observing: Also, by mere observing the happenings around us we can capture some ideas that could turn out for good.

 Interacting: We can also get some ideas in verbal interactions, especially with men of wisdom and those seasoned by experience.

 Contemplating: By mere sitting down in a corner or contemplating silently while communing with nature, sometimes great ideas suddenly come bumping our mind.

Actually, even in doing common chores, like washing your car or while taking a shower, sometimes bring us bright ideas. In my own personal experience, I was able to produce a long list of ideas that came out while I was taking my morning shower. One of which is the Super Idea to write this book. I found it amazing and I know you have your personal experiences too. Start to list them down, and who knows they might be used as valued ideas to be featured in my next book, and the title would be: “WHILE I WAS TAKING THE SHOWER.”

The Idea Mining Process

Believe it or not, the above terminology popped up while I was talking with a businessman indulged in mining business. He was then discussing the basic requirements for a mining project. What interested me most was his detailed explanation on how an ounce of gold is gathered out of tons of rocks. The process was so laborious and costly. But I bet, all of us dream to own and wear a piece of jewelry made of gold. You can now start dreaming for it, because this book would teach you now, how to mine a “gold”. Here is the process:

1. Mind Sparks® – to capture an idea be aware of what I call “mind sparks.” This is a micro event wherein your mind would react on a certain thing (word, phrase, quotation, discourse, definition or even to minute signs). This mind reaction is a signal that your attention was caught. Mind this and don’t let it pass. Who knows, this might lead you to your own “treasure trove”.

2. Recording – the most important activity in idea mining process is recording. Mind sparks come sometimes at the most unexpected times and places. Ideas might stream in while you are driving your car, riding on a bus or train, or like what I said, even while you’re taking a shower. So, keep your note pad, notebook or even a post-it pad always ready and of course your pen. Record the idea you got immediately. Don’t let it pass.

Remember that our brain can just remember as much. Develop writing as your immediate and automatic response.

Recording includes taking photographs and video-recording. We should remember that photos paint a thousand words, and videos tell more stories. So, make your Ipads, tablets and even your high-end smart phones more productive by using them as tech-recorders.

3. Filtering – in real gold mining one of the most delicate parts is the segregation process – they are using a specially-designed screen to separate the gold nuggets or dust from the other aggregates. In idea mining we must do filtering also. From the list of ideas you gathered, separate the significant ideas from the non-significant and the urgent from the non-urgent ones. You can do this by listing them down in a quadrant which I call Filtering Quadrant® as the one below:

SIGNIFICANT AND URGENT SIGNIFICANT BUT NOT URGENT NOT SIGNIFICANT BUT URGENT NOT SIGNFICANT AND NOT URGENT

The Filtering Quadrant®

The Filtering Quadrant should guide you in coming up with a list of significant and urgent ideas. They are listed down in the upper left box of the quadrant. This will become your Priority List of Ideas that would lead you in filtering out your Super Idea.

Chapter 3

Mental Creation:The First Level of “Creation”

I would like to state it again that everything is created twice: mentally and physically. We must be guided by this fundamental principle in order for us to follow the process of “creating” or doing anything we want to do or accomplish.

Now let’s go back to our conceptual framework. Let us discuss one by one the different Mind Elements.

1. The Super Idea – this is your “golden idea”- This idea “floats” from among your list of most significant and urgent ideas. However, be careful with your judgment in choosing such idea. The clue here is your basis of judgment. In the real gold mining process, it is the application of mercury – the element that separates the gold from the rest of the aggregates. Your basis of judgment should be – congruence with your goal or with something you want to accomplish and the urgency of need. This is to be discussed further below. Once you got the Super Idea, the next step is to develop it into a Concept.

2. Concept is a generalized idea of a class of objects or a general notion. Normally, a concept is the general understanding or the knowing of what we want to do or accomplish. Concept is designed by transforming your Super Idea into a Working Statement. This will lay down the framework of what you want to create or accomplish.

3. Goal – From your concept you can now formulate your Goal. Goal is the end or final purpose to which a design (project) tends or which a person aims to reach or accomplish. In other words, your goal is your target wherein all your “ammunitions” are aimed at. A Personal Life Goal is normally expressed by writing down your PMS – Personal Mission Statement. Make draft first. Revise it several times until you come up with a final and concrete goal.

4. Plan is the outline or framework for making, doing, arranging something. In short, the Plan is your program of activities on how to accomplish your goal. Always remember, that if you fail

to plan, you are planning to fail. Many failed not because they don’t have their goals but they were not able to plan for their goals. Another thing is, failure to plan brings the message that you don’t know how to do what you want to do. Hence, it won’t get things happen or done.

“Begin with the End in Mind”

Mental Creation begins with this principle. I borrowed it from Stephen Covey, the famous author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I must say in consonance with this, that the ultimate measure of EFFECTIVENESS is making things happen or getting things done.

According to Stephen Covey, “Begin with the end in mind” is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.”

Simply put, begin with the end in mind means knowing what to do, how to do it, and the desired outcome from the very beginning. As mentioned above, your defined Goal must be clearly expressed through your Personal Mission Statement (PMS).

Challenge Yourself:

>Workshop – Preparation of a Personal Mission Statement

1. Write it down. First the draft, revise, then the final one

2. State clearly what you want to do. It could be a one sentence or one paragraph as long as it describes vividly your 4 W’s and 1 H:

> what you want to do or accomplish;

> when will you do it;

> for whom will you be doing it;

> why will you be doing it; and

> how will you do it?

 Read an example of a PMS below:

MY PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT To have my own 3BR house at the Lakeshore, Mexico Pampanga, within three years, wherein my family and I will be living together happily and peacefully the rest of our life. I will be having this “dream house” by working diligently as Operations Manager of Right Circle Trading, Inc., and as Project Proponent of ‘Desert Bloom’ Project aimed at establishing agricultural-based Communal Settlements for the marginalized farmers and indigenous people. Date: _______________ Signature: ___________________

Take note of the structure and elements of a well-thought-off PMS. It answers all the five questions stated above, though it consists only of two sentences. The goal was stated clearly, which includes a definite time frame, together with the purpose, and more importantly, the means as to how to accomplish it.

Note: Once you have a PMS like this one, print it out and put it on a frame. Hang it on your personal closet to serve as a constant reminder that “you have committed your present self to do something that your future self could be proud of”.

To further affirm your PMS, take an extra time to explore it.

Challenge Yourself:

In exploring your Goal accomplish the following Four-Way Test:

>Workshop - The Four-Way Test

1. Is it doable?

2. Do you have the resources needed?

3. Do you have the right skills and right attitude to do it?

4. Is it beneficial for whom?

Now, after having a clear and positive answers to the above four questions, you may now proceed to the Second Level of “Creation”.

Chapter 4

Physical Creation: The Second Level of “Creation”

The Second Level which is the Physical Creation is what I call “transformational level” of creation. Going back to our diagram above, it is the application of Force or Energy in order to transform a Super Idea into Being, which is the desired result. It is the Critical Level of “Creation” that we need to master if we wanted to reach our goals and realize our dreams.

First, we should have and develop the following basic requirements or pre-requisites which we stipulated as the Energy Resources:

1. Right Attitude

It is the correct posture or position of a person showing or meant to show a mental state, emotion or mood. In other words, it is the positive manner of acting, feeling or thinking that shows one’s disposition.

Most, if not all, of non-achievers and non-performers have attitudinal problems. They don’t have the correct manner or disposition required to accomplish what they have conceived and planned to do. They are not enthusiastic to get what they want and they lack self-discipline to do what is supposed to be done. They are bound to fail, again and again until their attitudes are changed to correct and positive ones.

2. Resources

Resources are those things that lie ready for use or can be drawn upon for aid; a supply of things to take care of a need. In short, resources are the means and tools of accomplishing something we want to do.

Having the end in mind is not enough. We should have the means to make it happen. No matter how ardent our desire to do certain things is, but without the means needed we can do nothing. Resources

include not only material things or tools but also human resource who will aid or support us in reaching our goal. These resources must be and should be put on ready first before embarking to a task we want to do.

3. Skill

To have the skill is to know what to do and how to do it. It is the great ability or proficiency required of accomplishing a certain task or endeavor.

Skill is one of the most important resources to make things happen. Without it, we might be accomplishing something different from what we want to do or accomplish. This is tantamount to accomplishing nothing. Skill is the “know-how” in doing a certain job for a specific desired result. The problem why most people fail is not the lack of will to do it but the lack of skill to do it.

4. Action

Action is the exertion of energy or force in doing something. It is the application of skill aided by available resources and dictated by one’s positive attitude or disposition.

Action is the causal force or catalyst to make things happen. You may have all the resources and the skills requirement, but without taking the right action at the right time, there can never be any good result. Action is the synergy of Mind and Energy that will convert a Super Idea into Being, a dream into a reality. In short, making things happen means, you should take action on it right on time.

The synergistic use of Mind and Energy is governed by the fundamental principle of Cause-and-Effect, and it follows a certain process – an interactive process of the different Mind Elements and Energy Resources, and thus, it qualifies to be a special kind of Science. This is the Science of Getting Things Done or Getting What You Want which this book aims to discuss and impart.

The succeeding Chapters will fully discuss the fundamental principles and processes underlying the application of this New Science.

Chapter 5

FOCUS: The Science of Getting Things Done®

Science is the largest of all disciplines. Name it and we have it. I even read some peculiar ones and here I am indebted to mention: The Science of Getting Rich; The Science of Being Great and The Science of Being Well. These three books authored by Wattles in the early 20th century, taught me a profound knowledge worth sharing. However, I prefer to choose sharing the “Super Idea” I got from reading these books, and this is about what has been left out – teaching people, especially the young adults who are full of dreams and aspirations, and those who are willing to explore and push to the limits their capabilities –the new Science of Getting Things Done.

The central idea of this book is: If we really want to make things happen or get things that you want, we need to master and apply the Science of Getting Things Done. This Science is embedded in an acronym-- F.O.C.U.S. which represents five distinct but interrelated sub-sciences:

F FAITH O ORDER C CONSISTENCY U UNDOING S SYSTEM

Now, let us discuss them one-by-one. I am hoping that you are joining me in this fruitful mental exercise from the very start and up to the last page of this book.

Faith – The Divine Science®

Faith is the science behind believing and it is the most powerful form of science. Remember what the Great Teacher Jesus Christ had said, “If you have FAITH as big as the mustard seed you can move mountains from one place to another.” This demonstrates how powerful having faith is.

Faith is seeing things not yet seen. It is seeing things not with the eyes but thru the heart. Faith involves trust in God, who is the Cause of everything. Therefore, faith can be considered as the “Divine Science”.

It also includes trust in ourselves, in our own abilities and in our own dispositions. As mentioned at the outset, man, as a being created in the image of God, is endowed with a certain amount of power – the Power of Creativity. It should be in his nature therefore, to have faith or trust in himself.

Once you got the Super Idea and converted it into a goal, the next step is “believing”. Belief that it is really what you want and not just what you need. Belief that it is beneficial to you, to your fellowmen and to the world as well. Belief that it is doable and therefore, it can be done. Belief that in God, everything is possible. Belief that without God we can do nothing.

Therefore, in establishing your goal, do not forget to involve the Creator of all things. In every step you make be sure that God is always consulted. Your plan must bear the “signature of God” which is His approval, and to get His approval it should be in conformity with His will.

The Four-Way Test of Faith

1. When you pray for it, don’t doubt even a bit. The main element of Faith is Trust, and the main antidote to Trust is Doubt. They contradict each other. The Scripture teaches us that after you pray you must believe that you already received what you’ve asked for. If you doubt even a bit, do not expect that you’ll be receive anything.

At this juncture I would like to share with you one of my favorite stories. It is entitled, The Three Trees.

Get Inspired (An Application of Bibliotherapy)

Three Trees

-- Author unknown

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally, the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter"... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true.

One of the Woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll

take this one," and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that

he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always the best.

Sometimes the heart sees what the eyes can't.

2. Visualize what you want to get, attain or accomplish and stick to it. You can do this by drawing what you want. If you’re not good at drawing you can simply look for pictures of what you want (say for example a house or a car). Cut it out and put it on a frame and hang it on a strategic place where you can see it often. Always look at it from time to time. Do not allow anyone to remove it from where it is hanged. Stick your mind and heart to it.

Processing: Below is a design of a “Dream House” at The Lakeshore, Mexico, Pampanga. I put it here in order to explain how visualization of a dream is done. After making your PMS you must start taking action towards the realization of this dream. First and foremost, start performing the principal means as to

how you could acquire your “dream house.” Of course, it must be purchased though there will be flexible payment schemes to avail.

To prove the strength of the Faith you have in fulfilling this dream, label the picture this way:

“The Dream House that I Want to Have”

What’s in the picture is not the actual dream house, but the exact image or representation of it. The picture provides a complete and detailed description of the dream house including the design, floor plan, area specifications and location.

This is the Super Idea you translated into a specific Life Goal and was stated as your PMS. And the picture is an actual visualization of a “dream” which you wanted to become a reality. I hope you are following because this is an application of the first level of creation which is Mental Creation.

Get Inspired (An Application of Bibliotherapy)

Take your lesson from the following story:

A teacher asked her class to draw their dream of what they wanted to be or have when they grow up. One of her students was a young boy, aged five, who was so excited with this class exercise. He drew a picture of a big ranch with horses, cattle, flocks of sheep, herds of pig, chickens and other poultry and livestock.

When he submitted the drawing to the teacher, she complimented the young boy on how well he drew his picture, but quickly reminded him saying, “You drew a very nice picture but I want you to make a more realistic drawing. Remember, your grandfather is poor, so I don’t your family can afford such a ranch. Change the drawing or I will have to give you an F.

The young boy went home sad. He wanted to please his teacher but he really wanted to have a ranch when he grows up. He approached his father and asked, “Father, what am I supposed to do? His father replied, “it’s up to you son, you can either keep your dreams or allow them to be stolen.

The following day, the young boy excitedly submitted his picture. It was the same picture. The teacher looked at him frustrated and said, “Are you testing my patience? I asked you to change this drawing or else I will give you an F! But the young boy just smiled and replied, “It’s okay Ma’am, you can give me an F but I chose to keep my dreams.”

Twenty years later, the teacher was still a teacher. One day, she and her class went on a field trip to a vast and successful ranch. Upon arriving there, the teacher was the last one to alight the bus. Suddenly, she heard a voice calling out from a distance. “Teacher! Teacher! Do you recognize me?” A good looking man started to approach her. “Teacher, it is me, the boy who drew the picture of a ranch. Look,” he made a gesture with his hands presenting the ranch, “these are the horses, cattle, flocks of sheep, herds of pig, and chickens I drew. And over that way are…”

But while the young man was excitedly talking about how his dreams come true,

tears began to flow down from the teacher’s cheeks. She turned to the young man and said, “Now I have realized that ever since I started teaching, I have been stealing the dreams of my students, just like you. It is a great thing that despite everything, you chose to pursue your dreams and see them come true.”

Moral of the story:

There are lots of dream stealers around us. Sad thing is, some of them are those close to us: our parents, friends and relatives, and sometimes, like in the story, our teachers. They were supposed to act as our life coaches, our guideposts, but sometimes we hear from them words of discouragement, instead of encouragement. We should not allow anybody to steal our dreams away from us. We should fight for our dreams and persevere to make them come true.

3. When they’re saying, “no, you can’t do it”, you’ll say to yourself, “yes, I can do it!” A believer is a positive thinker. He or she is optimistic. More often than not, those who are telling you that you can’t do it are those who already failed doing it or those who didn’t even try doing it. Do not associate yourself with such kind of people. Negativism is like a virus, it easily contaminates others. Associate yourself with the positive thinkers. These are the determined people and they are overflowing with zest and enthusiasm. They are determined to pursue their dreams no matter what it takes. They never give up.

The essence of this piece of advice was highlighted in Winston Churchill’s famous Graduation Speech. Churchill is one of the greatest Prime Ministers Great Britain has ever had. He was invited one time to be the Guest Speaker in a graduation ceremony in one of the most prestigious Universities in Great Britain. Being the Prime Minister, a world-renowned leader and a great speaker, the graduating class was expecting for a quite lengthy but full of wisdom speech.

The moment he was introduced, he was welcomed by his audience with a thunderous applause and standing ovation. When he waded his hands to signal that everybody should sit down the crowd was automatically silenced. And the famous Prime Minister started his speech…

“Ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant day to everyone. All I can say is: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP! Thank you and congratulations to the graduating class.”

Churchill started and ended up his speech abruptly with that very brief but concise piece of advice, and you know what? It was recorded in history as one of the most famous speeches ever said in a graduation ceremony.

4. Increase daily your desire to accomplish what you want to do and have. Don’t let your desire fade or wane. This is something we should always be aware of. Increasing your desire means daily affirmation that you can do it. Obstacles may come your way, but they should not dampen your enthusiasm. Establish the belief that every single day passing is one step closer to your goal. Quitting is not an option, never. When you quit, you lose. You will be losing the great opportunity to realize your dream and get what you want.

Get Inspired(An Application of Bibliotherapy)

For you to digest what I am trying to say, I provided here in full the poem entitled, “Don’t Quit”. The author is unknown but this very short poem became well known for those who read and got inspired by it. I have to admit that this poem served as a therapeutic “pill” to me for so many times when I felt so down and was about to quit. You can print this out in a nice paper, put it on frame and be reminded by its message, everytime you also think of quitting because of your strings of failures. Don’t Quit Anonymous When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, 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. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learn,

And many a failure turns about, When he might have won, had he stuck it out; Don’t give up though the pace seems so low. You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor’s cup. And he learned too late When the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out. The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit. It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

“So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit. It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.” Take note, it’s the last two lines of the poem and it is where the important lesson is embedded -- the lesson which you might have missed if you quit reading without getting up to the last line.

“It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.” In reality, this is not the case. Most people quit when things get worst. They give up when they are hardest hit. In real fight, like in boxing, when a boxer is hit so hard, he tries to counter punch, to get even in points. Sometimes he even acts as if he was not hurt, though the truth was he was almost down. And there are real instances that a boxer goes down, but as the referee flashes his counting fingers, driven by a fighter’s instinct, he strives to rise up and face again his opponent. A boxer knows very well that at that moment, when he quit, he’ll surely lose the fight.

Life is like a boxing ring and we are boxers. If we want to succeed in life, though sometimes trials are so hard, quitting is not an option. When we’re down, rise again, don’t stay on the floor up to the count of 10. Let us get thru the rounds, though it’s 8, 10 or 12. Because you’ll never know in which round you can throw the lucky punch and win the fight.

Chapter 6

Order – The Science of Being Organized®

To get started, establish ORDER first and that is by being ORGANIZED. Organizing is what you must do first before you embark to any kind of project, especially if it greatly matters in your life, career or vocation. Prepare your needed tools and resources. Have a Check List of the things you need and be sure that everything is in place and ready for use. ORDER also includes the step-by-step approach of doing the job. Eventually, these steps will evolve into Process or Methodology. This is the reason why SKILL is strictly required to get things done and get things you want. Skill must conform with the Process or Methodology on how to do a certain thing no matter how simple or complex it is.

Skill is acquired but not built overnight. You need to educate yourself. Read good books. Surf the internet, the reading materials are unlimited. Attend to seminars and fora, but, be sure to look for the best speakers. Enroll to crash courses teaching the skills you need. Then, apply what you learned. Knowledge not applied remains a theory. Knowledge put into constant practice becomes your skill. Remember, Skill is Power.

How to Get Organized

One very important skill that we should develop is how to Get Organized. A productive person is an organized person. We must spend a considerable amount of time in planning our action and organizing the things we need. To get organized there are four dimensions to be managed carefully: Space, Time, Resources and Self.

A. Space Management

1. “A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place”.

This is the brief summary of space management -- to place everything in order and ready for use. It’s really hard to work

efficiently if the workplace is cluttered or chaotic. After organizing your thoughts, you should organize the place where you’re going to work. There are lots of tools and kits to do this. For document filing, there is an Organizer. There is almost everything for any tool and gadgets that you are going to use. Invest on these to get organized.

2. Clean Workplace for a Clean Mind

Your workplace must always be clean. Cleanliness compliments Order. Your workplace is a reflection of your thoughts and character. A clean mind deserves a clean workplace. Hence, part of your activity to get organized is having time to clean the place where you work. Be it a small nook or room, or better if you have a study area, it should be clean always.

3. Discard things not needed.

One way to effectively manage your space is by de-cluttering from time-to-time. You should know how and when to discard things that are no longer needed. If not, these things would certainly pile up and gradually eat up some space, until you see that your workplace is no longer conducive for mental activity, because you let it turn into a “stock room” filled with unnecessary materials.

4. Beware of “intruders”.

Secure your workplace and work resources. An organized person is a meticulous person to a certain degree. Don’t just let anybody come in and can freely put their hands on what you’re doing. Have some amount of “secrecy” that will leave them thinking of what you’ve been working for. As you leave your room or study area, lock it up. When you’re inside working, you can put a short notice on the door, saying – “A BUSY BUDDY DESERVES NOT TO BE DISTURBED”.

B. Time Management

1. Give time for every task.

In time management, scheduling is the norm of Order. After having your plan of action, don’t forget to allot time for every

task. Be time-specific. Every task should be time-bound. This is to ensure the continuity of the work flow. Without proper scheduling, activities will tend to mix up and it would certainly affect you mentally and emotionally. Scheduling is the antidote to cramming.

2. Make your Priority List.

To avoid cramming, learn how to prioritize. The best way to prioritize is by applying the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 Rule.

Think box: This Pareto Principle was introduced and popularized by the Italian business economist by the name of Vilfredo Pareto. This principle was originally based on an observation about the distribution of income and economy. He observed that in Italy, 80% of the whole land was owned by 20 % of the population. Astonishing isn’t it! But wait, to confirm his findings, he carried out surveys on a variety of other countries, and found to his surprise that similar distribution applies, both in developed and developing countries at that time.

Your plan of action must be reflected in your Priority List or Ordered List. This List reflects your order of priorities and program of actions. In our subject, this rule means getting 80% done by using only 20% effort or resource. In other words, in your list of priorities make sure that your first 20% will do the 80% of the total project you want to accomplish. The remaining (20%) will be accomplished by the remaining 80% of your task and resources. The good practice of Prioritizing is doing more by using less effort and less resources. This is the fundamental principle of Efficiency.

3. Do not procrastinate.

An Organized person does not procrastinate. This is a BIG NO in effective time management. Procrastination is a symptom of not being Organized. It would certainly create a negative domino effect on the work flow. It will break your pre-determined schedule and thus making things mixed up. The

Golden Rule to follow is: “Don’t put for tomorrow, what you can do today” or the better version would be “don’t put for later, what you can do right now”.

4. Delegate.

Be reminded that as “non-super humans” we can do just as much. Once your hands are full, learn how to delegate tasks. Some tasks are to be assigned to your techno-allies (your computer, laptop or even your mobile phone). However, the most trusted resource you can delegate tasks with is your friend, partner, wife, husband or anybody who is willing to help you. By delegation, you are leveraging yourself, time and effort and thus also making the work fast and light.

C. Resource Management

1. Be sure to be in “full battle gear”.

Embarking to a Project is like going to a war. You should be in “full battle gear”. Equip yourself, first with the skills needed to do the project, then prepare the resources (material and human) that you will be using. Know where to get these resources and be willing to invest. Allotment of investment must be a crucial part of your project plan. Part of your “ammunition” is the budget required for the project,

2. Organize your resources to ensure automatic accessibility.

Having the resources needed is necessary to get things done, but, organizing them is an imperative. Again, there should be “a proper place for everything and everything in its proper place.” Arrange your resources in such a way that everything is within your reach. It would save time if you make your resources readily available when needed. You may opt to use Organizing Tools/Kits to do this.

3. Know how to use your resources.

Part of your preparation is knowing how to use your resources. You may have all the resources needed but without the proper know-how on how to use them, such resources will be useless. In research projects, the Internet is very useful in culling information needed. However, without the knowledge on computing and net surfing it wouldn’t contribute any in your task at hand.

4. Call-a-friend – don’t hesitate to ask questions.

No one has the monopoly of all knowledge. That is why among your resources, human resource remains to be the most important. They are those whom you brainstormed with your “Super Idea” and first to agree with your goal. They may be your closest friends and are willing and able to help you. Have an open line of communication with them. They should be pre-conditioned to respond once their help is asked for.

D. Self-Management

“It’s really hard to be a boss, when the boss is you”. This statement conveys the importance and challenge of Self-Management. You can only manage your Space, Time and Resources if you can effectively manage yourself. For effective Self-Management, obey the following 10 Commandments of Effective Self-Management:

10 COMMANDMENTS OF EFFECTIVE SELF-MANAGEMENT® 1. Know thyself. 2. Be organized, physically, mentally and emotionally. 3. Learn when to say “yes” and when to say “no”. 4. Avoid timewasters. Do not exert any amount of effort to useless endeavors. 5. Make every minute of your life count and productive. 6. Be ready and willing to work overtime when the zest is still there. 7. Conserve your mental and physical efforts for greater task ahead. 8. Don’t be afraid to explore and be unique to make a difference. 9. Know when to stop to “sharpen the saw”’. 10.Do not forget to reward yourself once a goal is achieved.

Common Sense

Another important element of getting organized is using Common Sense, which nowadays is no longer common but a rare commodity. Common sense is the guts to discover or finding ways, mostly unorthodox or without pattern, on how to do a thing, particularly in problem-solving. It doesn’t qualify as knowledge, inasmuch as it is not learned, nor be classified as skill because it is not practiced overtime. It is an instantaneous wit formed through the combination of guts and experience.

So, next time you feel locked-up in solving a certain problem, or find it hard to establish Order, in spite of applying the little knowledge shared in this book, try to use your COMMON SENSE. It might work to your own advantage.

Chapter 6

Consistency – The Science of Determination®

To get things done and get what you want, the next sub-science you must apply is Consistency. It is the unity of purpose or solidified intent to get the job done. It is the firmness of decision of not to be swayed by either intrinsic or extrinsic factors. A Consistent person do things one at a time. He/she never gets into another job without accomplishing first what is on hand. He/she avoids “moonlighting” because it blurs focus.

Above all, a Consistent person is a person with a very strong Determination. Determination to make things happen or get things done whatever it takes. Consistency is introduced here as the Science of Determination.

The Science of Determination is best exemplified by the Science of Water. Water is a formless substance but it has a formidable force. Its continuous flow of current which seems to be restless and untiring, when confined and tunneled, it creates power and energy. Even small droplets of water can break the hardest rock because the drop is consistent. It falls repeatedly only to one point or direction and it never miss the target.

Another good thing about water is that, it adapts to the shape of its container and to the condition of its environment. At heat it boils and vaporizes. At freezing point, it solidifies into ice. A person who is truly consistent to his goal knows how to adapt to ever changing conditions and situations. Be Consistent and Determined as Water.

Determinants of Determination

1. Right Attitude

Consistency requires the right attitude – the Big A in getting things done. Right Attitude is the correct manner or patterns of behavior on how you take action to meet your desired goal. It must be in congruence with what you want to accomplish or what you want to get.

Take a lesson from this.:

A businessman was asked three questions in an open forum and his answer was only one and the same. The first question: What do you think is the greatest problem in the world of business? Second question: What do you think is the ultimate solution for this? Final question: What can you share us about the success of your own business?

 The answer: ATTITUDE

 For the first question: Attitude Problem

 For the second question: Have the right attitude for the business.

 For the final question: We have the right attitude for the business.

2. Commitment

The key to Determination is Commitment. Having Commitment is to establish a strong connection between your desire and your will to accomplish your goal. Desire and will are different in the sense that desire is just on the emotional level, while will is on the metaphysical level. To be committed to a purpose, therefore, is to develop a strong will to accomplish the task no matter what it takes. Will is the power of the Mind and Heart combined. It is a formidable power necessary in getting things done.

3. Sense of Responsibility

To establish the connection of desire and will, you should develop Sense of Responsibility in realizing your purpose or goal. Taking responsibility is what separates men from the boys, especially in business. Taking responsibility is the gap between achievers and non-achievers. It is the missing link between success and failure.

Take a lesson from this:

To elaborate further on Responsibility, I would like to ask you: Did you watch the SPIDER MAN film series? There was a famous line there that keep on resounding until now among those who watched the movie. What is that line? It was a piece of advice given by Spider Man’s uncle. “GREAT POWER COMES WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.”

In the whole film series, we saw that this piece of advice became the catalyst for action of Spider Man. We saw him risked his life fighting all

odds and evil adversaries just to carry on his task, his responsibility to protect his neighborhood needing his help.

“Well, he’s a Superhero and we are not,” you might say. “He has super power, we don’t have any.” “Any?” “Really?” Come to think again. Yes, I agree that we don’t have super power like what Spider Man have, like Superman have, like Thor have, like the Avengers have… and so on and so forth, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t have RESPONSIBILITY, and this

RESPONSIBILITY comes within the limit of our POWER.

What is this responsibility? To answer this clearly, ask first yourself: WHO ARE YOU? No matter who you are (a child, a parent, a student, a laborer, a professional, a public servant, a CEO, or even a President of this country) you got RESPONSIBILITY. Some might say but we’re just simple being, because we are poor we don’t have wealth so we don’t have any amount of power. Come to think over it again. Is Power all about money?

I would say to you my friends, even the poor or the penniless have great responsibility – that is to stop being POOR, and gain FINANCIAL FREEDOM.

Does this make sense to you? If yes then this book is for you to read. Remember that to be born poor is not a sin but do die poor is a great FAULT – a SIN of OMMISSION indeed! All men are created equal. God gave us all life, strength, complete faculty, and rational mind. Not only that, He created us in His own image. Therefore, as I stated at the outset, we are endowed with a great power – the power of creativity. This we should use to improve our condition and maintain a decent living. And this is our great responsibility

No more excuses! Take responsibility, first for yourself and for the people around you, especially for your family which would redound to the betterment of your country.

4. Undivided Attention

For you to maintain Consistency you need Undivided Attention. Do not scatter your power. Engage in just one kind of business or task at a time and stick to it faithfully until you succeed or until you conclude to abandon it and take another course of action.

“When a man’s undivided attention is centered on one object, his mind will constantly be suggesting improvements of value, which would

escape him if his brain is occupied by a dozen different subjects at once. Many a fortune has slipped through men’s fingers by engaging in too many occupations at a time”. (P. T. Barnum)

5. The Joshua Principle®

This is the final determinant of Determination. What you started to do, don’t leave it until it’s done. This character made Joshua, a Bible character, one of the greatest characters in Bible history. He is the Protégé of Moses and eventually became his successor. Moses, with all his unquestionable greatness and being so dear to God who sent him, was not able to enter the Promise Land – Canaan. This is the main purpose set by God for Moses to accomplish – to lead His people out of Egypt and bring them to the Promise Land.

Guess who completed that divine task. It was Joshua. He is an epitome of a great leader. He obeyed every single commandment of God. He followed every single instruction of God in full detail. He left no single task assigned to him UNDONE. His character is a classic example of CONSISTENCY, the Science of Determination.

Chapter 7

Undoing – The Science of Change®

The reason why many of us can’t move on and succeed is we don’t want to Undo the things that did not work good for us. These include the courses of action, mindset, patterns of behavior and resources that did not contribute to the realization of our life goal. Remember that Undoing is the first step towards learning. And learning was proven to be a sure way towards improvement of our life and reaching our “reachable stars.” Undoing is the Science of Change that this book aims to teach you.

In consonance with this, I am reminded of a unique definition of STUPIDITY. It goes like this: “STUPIDITY is doing the same thing all over again and expecting different result.” Pardon the blatancy of the word but many of us have fallen into the pit of STUPIDITY.

You are dreaming of a good and prosperous life but look at what you keep on doing. What you’ve been doing five, 10 years, 20 years ago, are the same things you’ve been doing until this very moment. You’re not changing, your attitude is the same, how could you expect to solve your problem and change your present undesirable condition?

You are wondering why until now you are poor still. Why until now paying your bills is still your problem? Why until now you can’t afford to buy your own house? Why until now you’re still falling in long lines of MRT commuters instead of driving your own car? You are still in a maze of poverty not able to get out from the so-called rat race. Why? The simple reason is, you don’t want to Change.

The “Disparity Mindset”

“If you really want something that you never had, then you have to do something that you never did”.This statement is my way of introducing what I call a “disparity mindset.”

Do you know the reason why there are more Chinese businessmen than Filipinos? Because the Chinese and Filipinos have different mindset when it comes to education.

Chinese parents advice there kids this way: “Go to school, get a diploma and learn how to manage your own business.”

Filipino parents admonish their children this way: “Go to school, get a diploma and get a good job.”

Now, do you still wonder why most of the business tycoons in the Philippines are Chinese, while most of their laborers are Filipinos? Yes, many of our youths are educated, but they end up working for others rather than managing or “minding their own businesses” (as what Robert Kiyosaki suggested). This stark reality is sending us a strong signal that there is something wrong somewhere in our educational orientation, and something has to be done to correct it.

The Same Mindset, Different Applications

The common observation why so many Filipino farmers remain poor is that they don’t want to adapt to new farming technologies and use new farm inputs. They choose to do farming the traditional way, or shall I say the crude and antiquated way. They don’t want to unlearn themselves from farming methods that were proven effective before but now no more.

Same thing applies to so many non-achievers, to losers, to the “ambivalent conformists”, and many others. This is the same reason why so many, though they have the will to become top performers but end up being under performers.

And worst, this “disparity mindset” is the main culprit why so many Filipinos belong to the poverty line. Economic data reveals that 60% are considered poor and only 20% are considered rich, and 20% of this 20% are really filthy rich.

Moreover, it is reported that 80% of the Philippine wealth is either controlled or owned by 20% of the Philippine population. Can you just imagine how great the disparity is? Again, this is because many among us don’t want to change or very slow to adapt to changes. We don’t want to unlearn ourselves from wrong beliefs, wrong practices, wrong doings and wrong attitudes.

Before sharing to you my ideas on how to effect change in your life, I would like first to call your attention on how important change is. Here is a short story entitled It’s How You See It:

Get Inspired (An Application of Bibliotherapy)

It's How You See It

Author Unknown

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He had a sign which read: "I am blind. Please Help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

When a man came walking by, he took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. Then he took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words on the back. He put the sign where it was, so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were going. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. I wrote: 'Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.'"

Both signs told people the same thing... that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were extremely fortunate that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a reason to cry, show life that you have 100 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. And the best way to prepare for the future is to adapt to the ever-changing world.

The Process of Undoing or Change

Undoing or Change occurs as a process, not as an event. Organizational change does not happen instantaneously because there was an announcement from top management. Individuals do not change simply because they are told to do so after attending a retreat program or enrichment workshop. When we experience change, we

move from what we had known and done, through a period of transition to arrive at a desired new way of behaving and doing our job.

Understanding Undoing or Change as a Process

The easiest and most basic approach to understanding change as a process is to break change down into distinct, understandable elements. The three states of change provide a powerful framework: the Current State, the Transition State and the Future State.

The three states of change provide a way to articulate how change actually occurs. there is always a Current State (how things are done today), a Future State (how things will be done) and a Transition State (how we will move from point A to point B).

The Undoing or Change Process

Awareness is the key to Change. You must be aware that there is a need for you to change. As much as possible, I am simplifying concepts and knowledge I would like to share, since my purpose is to get things done and help you get what you want – this is the general theme of this book. The Undoing Process on the individual level is simplified through the accomplishment of The Life Awareness Table I provided below. However, this same Table can also be used to effect change in the organizational level with slight modification.

The Table is composed of five columns you need to fill in. The first column is about your current situation or condition, the second column is about what have been done, the third one, answers the question whether or not you’re satisfied with your current situation or condition, the fourth column will state what has to be done, and the last column will show what is your future expectation.

The Life Awareness Table®

“My Current Situation or Condition”

“What Have I Done?”

“Am I SatisfiedWith My Current Situation or Condition?”

“What Has to Be Done?”

“What Do I Expect in the Future?”

Your next move now is to set a schedule and find a place where you could relax and contemplate. If you were a coffee lover, I would suggest that the coffee shop is the perfect place for you. Bring with you a printed copy of the Life Awareness Table and a ball pen. Once the mood is set, you can start filling in the columns one by one in between sips of your favorite coffee flavor. If you really wanted to effect change in your life, do this.

“My Current Situation or Condition” Column

Be honest with yourself. Do not pretend. Avoid sugar-coating. Describe as clear and vivid as you can your real condition or situation based on what you really see and feel. Nobody knows best about your condition but you. And nobody can fix it for you but you alone.

Your description need not to be lengthy. It could be a short statement, a brief sentence, or the most is one concise paragraph. Read and analyze the given example below:

Example:

“My present situation/condition now is: “I got a low-paying job and I find it hard to make both ends meet. Paying my monthly bills is a recurring problem. I feel that I have no financial freedom and this makes my life very stressful.”

Does it sound familiar? I’m sure it is, because this has been the common “issue” I am getting from participants every time I conduct seminars on financial literacy. “If it persists, it really exists”, they say. Poverty is not just an issue among Filipinos - it is a HUGE PROBLEM that is needed to be solved.

“What Have I Done?” Column

After describing clearly what your current situation/condition is, the next thing to do is to list down what you have already done. You can start from attending school until you finish a certain course. Next would be the job hunts you’ve done until you got your present job. Include all the courses of action you have undertaken, together with the “enrichment programs” you attended. Your list will tell you whether you have done enough for the realization of your life goal or not. So, be prepared to accept the truth, because this truth “will set you free”.

“Am I Satisfied With My Current Situation or Condition?” Column

Again, honesty is the best policy in answering this question. It could be as simple as “YES” or “NO” as long as it is the truth. You must know it best because you are the one feeling or experiencing your real situation. If your answer were a bold “YES” then you have the privilege to choose whether you go for further change or remain static. However, I would like to underscore that a good condition can change into better, and better can still become best. So, why choose to be static?

On the other hand, if your honest answer to the question were a bold “NO” then you really need to Undo and Change. There will be no more further explanation. You may now proceed to the next column of the Table.

“What Has To be Done?” Column

To answer this question, use as your guide what you’ve written on the “What Have I Done?” column. These are the courses of action that did not make your dream come true and did not contribute in fulfilling your life goal. Therefore, there is a need for Undoing which means that you should chart new courses of action, have a new mindset, develop new patterns of behavior, and use additional or different resources. List them down one-by-one. This is where Undoing or Change must take effect. A change in the Inputs and Processes will certainly affect Outcomes and Results.

Again, I would like to remind you this: “If you really want something that you never had, then you should do something that you never did”.

“What Do I Expect In the Future?” Column

This column will reveal your expectation or what you aspire for in the future. It gives you a fresh start to renew your life, to reboot it or even re-engineer it. After Awareness of the need for change, you must have the ff:

 Desire to participate and support the change;

 Knowledge on how to change;

 Ability to implement the required skills and behaviors; and

 Interval Reinforcements to sustain change. (Prosci’s ADKAR Model was modified into ADKAIR®)

Your “What Do I Expect In the Future?” should be an improved version” of your “My Current Situation or Condition?” Better if it would be the exact opposite, because it means that you really get something done to have better or changed condition or situation. Hence, your “What Do I Expect In the Future?” will now appear this way:

“I got a high-paying job and have some passive income. I can easily make both ends meet and paying my monthly bills is no longer my problem. I am happy and contended because I already gained financial freedom”

What we have just discussed is the Undoing Process on the personal level. It is a Process of Change aimed at changing your current condition or situation. Simply put, it is changing the Input and Process elements in order to arrive at a changed outcome or result. In order to effectively accomplish this, you need to apply the last and final Science of Getting Things Done or Getting What You Want.

Chapter 8

Good System – The Science of Efficiency®

I hope you are still with me up to this page. Because now I am going to wrap up everything we discussed and explain the last and final Sub-Science of Getting Things Done.

I have the strong FAITH, that the knowledge I am sharing can get things done for you. I know you have your own dreams and aspirations you wanted to come true. Pursue your dreams. Take action. Don’t stop until your life goal is fulfilled. And this book can certainly guide you.

For ease of understanding, I put everything in Order. I Organized the thoughts and ideas I want to convey in simplest way possible to provide a smooth flow of knowledge and information. I do expect that you will be doing the same before you embark to any kind of project you want to do or accomplish for the betterment of your life.

Throughout our discussion, I strived hard to be Consistent with the central idea of this book. This is because of my commitment and determination to contribute for the advancement of your life. I take full responsibility for every single knowledge I am sharing, because I am pretty much certain that all are products of human creativity molded by my own experience.

Another objective of this knowledge I am sharing is to help you Undo the things that deprive you the opportunity of fulfilling your “golden dreams”. These include the courses of actions, patterns of behavior, mindset and resources that did not work well for the realization of your life goals. I am confident that this book will drive you to take the course of Change to improve your present condition.

Now, to crystalize the central idea of this book, I am now going to discuss the last and final Sub-Science of Getting Things Done. This is about Good System – The Science of Efficiency.

Effectiveness and Efficiency

There is a dividing line between Effectiveness and Efficiency and that spells the distinctiveness of one from the other. The difference between Effectiveness and Efficiency can be summed up very shortly and succinctly this way: “Effectiveness is about doing the right things, while Efficiency is about doing things right”. The powerful combination of Effectiveness and Efficiency creates a special kind of Science – the New Science of Getting Things Done.

The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn’t is not all about talent, nor about industriousness, it is all about GOOD SYSTEM and Self-discipline. Good System plus Self-Discipline equals Science of Efficiency in getting things done.

A Focused Person is a Disciplined Person

A person who will be able to learn and willing to apply the Science of Getting Things Done is a FOCUSED person. You can’t establish Order without discipline. You can never be Consistent without discipline. An undisciplined person has a cluttered mind. Without discipline you can never install nor follow a System no matter how good it is. Finally, you can never be active, energetic, and enthusiastic in doing anything without discipline.

Bob Richards shared his experience by saying, “One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that you’ve got to discipline your life. No matter how good you may be, you’ve got to be willing to cut out of your life those things that keep you from going to the top”.

To further highlight the importance of having self-discipline, I would like to share with you a very enlightening essay entitled, The Power of Discipline.

The Power of Discipline

Introduction from The Power of Discipline -- By Brian Tracy

Why are some people more successful than others? Why do some people make more money, live happier lives and accomplish much more in the same number of years than the great majority?

I started out in life with few advantages. I did not graduate from high school. I worked at menial jobs. I had limited education, limited skills and a limited future.And then I began asking, "Why are some people more successful than others?" This question changed my life.

Over the years, I have read thousands of books and articles on the subjects of success and achievement. It seems that the reasons for these accomplishments have been discussed and written about for more than two thousand years, in every conceivable way. One quality that most philosophers, teachers and experts agree on is the importance of self-discipline. As Al Tomsik summarized it years ago, "Success is tons of discipline."

Some years ago, I attended a conference in Washington. It was the lunch break and I was eating at a nearby food fair. The area was crowded and I sat down at the last open table by myself, even though it was a table for four.

A few minutes later, an older gentleman and a younger woman who was his assistant came along carrying trays of food, obviously looking for a place to sit.With plenty of room at my table, I immediately arose and invited the older gentleman to join me. He was hesitant, but I insisted. Finally, thanking me as he sat down, we began to chat over lunch.

It turned out that his name was Kop Kopmeyer. As it happened, I immediately knew who he was. He was a legend in the field of success and achievement. Kop Kopmeyer had written four large books, each of which contained 250 success principles that he had derived from more than fifty years of research and study. I had read all four books from cover to cover, more than once.

After we had chatted for a while, I asked him the question that many people in this situation would ask, "Of all the one thousand success principles that you have discovered, which do you think is the most important?"

He smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye, as if he had been asked this question many times, and replied, without hesitating, "The most important success principle of all was stated by Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said, 'Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.'"

He went on to say, "There are 999 other success principles that I have found in my reading and experience, but without self-discipline, none of them work."

Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you, and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity.

"No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is FOCUSED, DEDICATED and DISCIPLINED." -- Harry E. Fosdick

Self-discipline and self-motivation are joined at the hip. When you practice self-discipline, you feel like you are in control of your life. You feel content and motivated because you're moving toward your goals.

The Good System that Can Make a Difference In Your Life

I don’t claim that the System I devised is the best but I am very sure that it deserves to be given a good try. I know there are several volumes of books written under this topic, and you might have read some already. However, you can only prove the worth of what I shared by applying it. So, if you got a“Super Idea” right now I enjoin you to try it out. The Good System I am referring to is the application of FOCUS – the Science of Getting Things Done.

The Ideation Process of the Science of FOCUS®:

The basis of technological innovation is scientific understanding of some phenomenon. In the process of innovation, scientific ideas become the basis of technological developments through a Process of Ideation. It means that, someone must have an idea (a Super Idea) of how to develop the science into application.

What we are discussing in this book is not about technological innovation but intrapersonal innovation, and we are dealing with phenomenon that affects a person as a human being. Our principal goal is to develop a person’s ability to be creative and productive in everything he does. By being creative and productive we mean that a person knows how to convert an idea into being, a dream into reality and an ambition into an achievement. In short, and this the central

idea of this book, a creative and productive person knows how to make things happen or how to get things done in a scientific way.

Below is the Ideation Process of the Science of FOCUS:

1. Begin with the end in Mind.

To start with, set your goal first. It could be a dream or aspiration you want to fulfill. It could also be a Personal Project spawned from a Super Idea. Your goal will define clearly what you want to have or accomplish. It will serve as the lighthouse that will give you the direction of where you want to go. To accomplish this, formulate your well-thought-off Personal Mission Statement (PMS). For your guidance refer to the example given and discussed at the outset.

2. Have Faith in your God and believe in yourself.

As a human being created in the image of God, you are endowed with the special “power of creativity”. Use this power to fulfill your goals and make your “golden dreams” come true. This “power of creativity” combined with the “Supreme Power”

FAITH

ORDER

CONSISITENCY

UNDOING

GOOD SYSTEM

GOAL/

DREAM

guiding you, will make everything possible for you. Establish a strong connection with this “Supreme Power” and you will see “magical events” unfolding before your eyes.

3. Install Order by getting Organized.

Manage carefully your space, time, resources and most specially yourself. This means that all your needed resources should be well-organized for automatic accessibility. Making things happen starts with KNOWING what to do,and to get things done you must possess the right ATTITUDE. You must also have the needed RESOURCES in doing the job, aside from developing the required SKILLS. Ultimately, you must take ACTION and never stop until the job is done.

4. Be Consistent like Water.

Be Consistent with your goal and purpose. Like Water, be adaptable to “forms” and “conditions” and be flexible. Develop a strong Will and Determination to fulfill your dream. Commit yourself to doing one thing at a time. Avoid moonlighting, it blurs FOCUS. Take Responsibility in anything you do and be prepared to take risks. Finally, be like Joshua. Once you get started doing something you decided to do, do not leave anything undone.

5. Be willing to Undo or Change.

“If you really want to have something that you never had, then you should do something you never did”. (This is the third time I mentioned this). You can only move from point A to point B if you are willing to Undo or effect Change in your life. You can only change your current condition by changing your present mindset, courses of action, patterns of behavior and attitude. Have the courage to face reality and be bold enough to act for a change.

6. Lastly, Apply this Good System.

Education is the main catalyst of Change, and Change is the main propeller of improvement and development. The ultimate parameter of education is the ability to apply what you learned to real-life situations, specifically, in solving real-world problems.

This is what I call Transfer of Learning discussed in my book entitled “Transfer of Learning: The True Essence of Education for Life”.

Apply the System you have learned from this book. It might be the System that will make all the difference in your life.

The System I am referring to is F.O.C.U.S: THE SCIENCE OF GETTING THINGS DONE.

Note: This blank space is allotted for the actual picture of your Dream House. You can only fill this blank in if you were able to fulfill that dream.

END NOTE:

Dream works, yes…

But only if we are willing to work them out…

Let us make our Life a Success…

And this depends on how resolute we are in getting what we want to get and be able to do what we want to do while we are still alive.

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION (You Can If You Think You Can) Author: Unknown If you think you are beaten, you are, If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you like to win but think you can’t, It’s almost certain you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost, For out in the world we find, Success begins with a person’s will – It’s all in your state of mind. Life’s battles are not always won, By those who are stronger and faster. But sooner or later, the person who wins Is the person who THINKS HE CAN.

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