Think Out of the Box



The phrase “Think out of the box” is used extensively especially when bosses want to sound wise. The phrase has the common meaning of thinking of new ideas and to innovate. Are we creative and innovative? Does it make sense to think out of the box?

Are we creative and innovative? Do you know why children are happy and adults are not?  If you give a child crayons and ask him or her to draw, the child will immediately make something out.  But if you ask an adult to draw, you will hear several excuses - “I don’t know how.” “I am not creative.” “I don’t have time.” “I am not in the mood”. Adults complain, children use what they have and are happy to do it.

No wonder even Jesus said that we should have faith like that of a child.  A child believes and expects.  An adult doubts and is always hesitant.

Unfortunately as kids grow up their creativeness and innovativeness dissipate. Their creativity is not given enough opportunity to grow and to show because of the rules that we impose on a child such as,  

“Do not speak when not spoken to....”

“Follow the line....”

“Do not color outside the box…”

“Write down the answers inside the box…”

“Make sure you stay within the box…..”

 

Now when they start working, they are commanded to think outside the box.  See the irony? But the truth of the matter is that we are creative because we are created by a brilliant maker. From an idea we can create something tangible.  Our world will not be as developed as it is now if we do not have bright minds. God’s other creations (animals and insects) do not have the mind to create stuff from an idea.  In fact, they don’t have ideas.  But the moment you think that you can’t and that you are not creative, then you will be right!

 

Now, let us proceed to the second question, “Does it make sense to think out of the box?’ This popular business phrase requires people to create new ideas that will develop and grow their business. But before you can create ideas, you first need to define your business box. You need understand the objectives of your business.  You need to define the goals you strive for. Though this criterion in defining goals is quite old, it is pertinent that you follow the fundamentals of setting goals. Goals  need to be SMART -  specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and of course time-bound.  Then you need to execute your plans and follow through with it.

 

Always ask the following questions as your guiding light in your business:

1. How’s my finance? Cash flow is extremely important; it is the lifeline of your business.
2. Customer pipeline? Am I creating new customers while retaining existing customers?
3. How is my company culture? Are the people in my organization having fun and creating new ideas? Are they ethical and honest and genuinely happy working for my organization?
4. Business Operations. Are we efficient and effective? Can we cut down bureaucracy and get things done a little bit faster but with a greater amount of accuracy and effectiveness? 

Thinking outside the box makes good business sense as long as you first consider what is inside your box (inside your present organization). If you neglect these, your business will be in trouble.

Difficult Situations

“Why can’t I be happy everyday?”  I remember this question asked by a cute little girl when her toy doll was snatched unexpectedly by a bully playmate. It made me smile as I remember asking the same question even as an adult. Why are there difficult situations we have to face on a constant basis?

 

We go to school; we work hard and do our best. We take exams, we get scolded by our teachers, and we may even get a spanking from parents when we flunk.  Then it is college years with feasibility studies, thesis, defense, and probably humiliation in front of our classmates. Then we get so nervous as we apply for a job; sometimes our nervousness keeps us from applying and end up jobless for months.

 

The hard situations do not end after landing a job. We may get bullied by old-time co-employees or end up with jerk boss. After an employment career you may have decided to build your own business. But business associates turned out to be goons and squeezed you of your hard-earned investment. You ask yourself, “When will these difficult situations end?”  

 

Do you see the pattern? Normally, people will keep trying to level up, to be successful. We want more success than we are experiencing, not because we are greedy but simply because we desire a better life. I don’t see any wrong in this type of goal. It is just natural and noble, I would say, to want to give your family a better standard of living than you’ve had when you were a kid. However, a problem occurs when under difficult situations we start thinking that our life is the way it is because of destiny or because of someone else’s fault.

 

You see, there is no shortcut to success. Most lottery winners end up with lives even more miserable than the days before they won. They got their so called success without building any skills and going through the difficult times. They then spurge their winnings and end up poor again.

 

The truth of the matter is that we will never be happy unless we are productive. A wealthy person does not mean that his or her life isn’t hard. It is just hard in ways that are different from those who are broke. Wealth does not make a person’s life problem-free; he could have sleepless nights as he thinks of his business investments. Like it or not, we all face difficult situations on a constant basis because we live in a fallen world.

 

Relationships fail, parents neglect, trusted friends cheat, kids disrespect, spouse betrays; and the list could go on and on. We face different challenges of a complicated society and many things happen that are beyond our control. Though some situations are beyond our control, I again submit to you that this should not be a reason to start the blaming game. It is just so; we face difficult situations on a constant basis. As surely as fire sparks fly upwards so do troubles come to every person.

Thus to keep afloat, we need to process the experience when we go through difficult situations. The difficult situations are merely challenges that will enable us to emerge stronger and wiser. And thus enable us to continue in our quest to achieve more and prepare ourselves to meet even bigger challenges.

 

True success may not come by getting more or doing more; true success comes by elimination and not addition. We need to remove the clutters of things, activities and sometimes even keeping away from people that hinder us from experiencing true success. True success boils down to loving God and loving the people who will cry in our funeral.

 

Let us not allow difficult situations to define us.  It is not whether we win or lose in these difficult situations but how we rise up to the challenges to continue to focus only on what is important and not on what is fancy.

The Realities of Having Your Own Business

Most of us dream of having our own business. We save money so someday we will have the needed funds to finance the business of our dream. We think that having our own business will catapult us from rags to riches. I do not mean to be a pessimist having your own business takes a lot of work and sometimes your dream of a better lifestyle may not become a reality.  

 

To ensure the success of your business you need to be aware of the realities of having your own business.   When people ask what kind of business they should invest in, this is a clear indication that that person is not ready to go into business.  You must be ready to face the world of an entrepreneur and must know the responsibilities and risks involved in owning a business.

 

As an entrepreneur you will have to work harder and longer hours. At the onset of your business, you may need to sacrifice time with your family to take care of your business. As an employee, you are in an organization or community of people who can assist you. Your work hours are limited to eight hours plus a few overtime hours if you want to.  Should you make wrong decisions, you don’t have to bear it alone.  The damage is absorbed by the whole group, though your boss may reprimand you.  When you become an entrepreneur, you are all alone. There is no one to blame when things go wrong. You will sleep less, work more and worry more. Anything that goes wrong is now blamed on no one else but on the image that you see as you stare at your bathroom mirror when you wake up in the morning.  You need to be prepared for this.

 

As an entrepreneur, you must not be just a leader; you must be a very good leader. A good leader hires good people and inspires these good people to be better. The quality of your people can make or break your business. You and your employees must work as a team and your employees must accept that sacrifices may have to be made to kick-start your business and make it successful.

 

Your expectations of being rich very soon may not happen. Today we hear stories of drop- out-of-college youths who strike it rich fast. Unfortunately, this does not happen to most entrepreneurs. Starting a business will require a lot of out of the pocket expenditures and a long time to build a customer base that would allow you to make a decent profit.  The income you generate may not be in large denominations. You need to come to terms with this because it will radically change your lifestyle.

 

Your day to day companion must be patience and persistence. As you may now know, generating a profit is not easy and it will take some time to see returns. Disappointments and frustrations will knock at your door as you continue to invest in your business - office rentals, fixed expenses, payroll, etc.  You may start to miss your good old days as an employee when you were receiving your steady payroll, the commissions, incentives and the Christmas bonuses. You are now in the shoes of your previous employer and start to hate the word “bonus” because you are now on the giving side.  At this phase you need to exert more patience and persistence because driving customers to your business will not happen overnight.

 

Now, you realize that becoming an entrepreneur is not as easy as you think.  Having your own business requires serious hard work. When you were an employee, you may have used office time to login to Facebook, now you hate seeing your employees do the same. From your normal 8 hours of work as an employee, you now trade off some of your personal and family time so you can spend 12 to 14 hours of work everyday to make your dreams a reality. Now, you are faced with your competitors that do not sleep, complaining customers, customers who fail to pay on time and mediocre or nonperforming employees.

 

The prospect of earning bigger than what you get as an employee is possible.  But you need to understand the sacrifice that you need to do to make your dream a reality. You must also be prepared to take risks. When your business starts to pick up, remember that it is God who has given you the ability to create wealth. As an entrepreneur you are able to create jobs and when jobs are created, needs are met and you start reaping the results of your hard work.  When these things happen, you will know that being an entrepreneur is all worth it.

The Process of Learning from Mistakes

Most of us know that there are gems to our mistakes.  All of us want to benefit from these gems, but unfortunately only a handful of us know how to learn from mistakes.  We know that an unwise decision doesn’t mean that life is over and that we can learn from the mistake and grow through the experience.  To get the most from our mistakes, I would like to suggest the following process of learning from mistakes.

 

The first and foremost step to take is to examine the situation. In this step, you need to be open minded, unbiased and prepared to accept the reason for the mistake.  Evaluate why you went for that bad decision.  This involves a deep personal examination of yourself to find the soft spot that needs maturing. You may have an emotional attitude that you need to deal with. Don’t try to overlook this because you don’t want to face it. Overlooking your problem will cause you to make another mistake, the consequence of which may be dreadful than the present one.

 

Ask for help. Sometimes the situation you are in would require more than a personal solution. When there is a need for help from other people, do not hesitate to let them know. Actually, even before you come into a situation that you feel that help is needed you must already know who to turn to. Now for the people in your life that will not add value to you, be prepared to loosen the ties you have with them.  Sometimes, it is because of these people that you will commit the same mistake again. This is something we call as “bad influence”. Never be afraid to cut off ties with people who will make a negative impact in your life.

Say “No” to procrastination.  As soon as you’ve chosen a better path than the one you were in before, don’t delay. Grab the opportunity to start anew. Procrastination only drags out the emotional process and postpones the healing time. Procrastination will keep you from new opportunities brought about by your new decision. Don’t let procrastination bring you to another mistake.

 

It really pays to say “No”. A lot of mistakes and poor decisions can be avoided if we exercise our right to say “no.” Pressure from people around us, trying to please people or not wanting to hurt other people cause us to say “Yes” which we will regret.  Be firm with your decision.  Say “No” if that is what you think is the best answer.

Be at peace by calling on to God for guidance. Always settle for the best. We don’t know the future; we only know the past and the present. Pray for your decision and receive God’s best. Call to mind what happened when you did not seek God’s opinion.

 The process of learning from mistakes will turn our darkest hour into our finest moment if only we learn and change from our experience.

Success Barriers

Most people would make New Year’s resolutions only to feel bad because they break them either immediately or sometime later. We all want to be better individuals and the only way to do that is to constantly remind ourselves of what we need to do to achieve our goal. We need these reminders everyday.  You take a bath daily because you need to rid yourself of the filth you encounter in your environment.  Same thing with our thoughts, we need to clean them daily because we may be affected by situations and thoughts of those around us. Resolutions should not be done yearly but daily.

Only when we get this habit of cleaning our thoughts daily will we be successful. The most quoted two words by successful people are “hard work”. But how come some people get to their goal fast while others are still struggling in the first base? To be successful is more than hard work. Hard work is energy which create activities that increase the value and equity of a person. But then there is also an energy that is wasted on activities that do not contribute to one's success. Hard work is not enough; you need to have the right thoughts

When you think negatively, this will transform into a negative life. As the Proverbs say, "As a man believes so is he." There are beliefs that can poison people and lull them into a state of wasteful living. These beliefs should be uncovered, erased and changed.  They should be replaced by productive thoughts that would lead to productive work and living. These negative thoughts must be taken out of our system so that we can build on our success.

Following are negative thoughts that you must erase from your mind.

1. I am not lucky.

Some people say that those who make it are the people who were at the right place at the right time. If you imbibe this kind of thought, you will not be motivated to work.  Remember that success is partly due to hard work. To be successful you must take the initiative to make things happen. Stop thinking about luck; it is beyond your control. Take action on what you can control; work to make things happen. 

2. I have messed up. 

We all make mistakes; no one is perfect. Everybody experiences setbacks. If you don’t erase this mindset, you will become discouraged and dispirited. You will be prone to play it safe, fit in and merely comply.  You will start to avoid challenges and therefore miss on opportunities.  

3. People don’t believe in me.

Pardon me, even if this is true, so what? It doesn’t matter what others think.  What matters is what you think. Your self-worth is not based on the approval of others. Stop thinking poorly of yourself because if you do, you will lose the confidence to take the initiative to be successful.

4. I need to set extremely high goals in order to surpass others so I can be successful.

First of all, stop competing with other people.  Compete against yourself.  This will be the best measure of your success.  Secondly, do not set unrealistic goals which will push you to greater levels of disappointment. Great successes are accomplished by small steps, one at a time. 

5. I always feel that I am not achieving any level of success.

Do not be driven by your feelings; check on reality.  This is the reason why it is best to have measureable goals.  A person's feelings are the most unreliable basis for decision making. A person's feelings are not accurate indication of current realities. Rational thinking and an honest assessment of facts and figures should be the basis for right decision making.

Analyze these thoughts and evaluate if you suffer from them. We are just halfway through the first month of the year 2015.  I hope you are keeping your New Year’s resolutions by keeping the right thoughts. Channel your energy to productive activities that will bring you success. Stop thinking lowly of yourself for this will hinder your success.

Success or Failure

What you do daily defines your success.  There is no secret formula to success.  And it is no secret that your daily agenda determines your success.  Making key decisions or setting your goal then managing them well in your daily agenda will lead to your success.  You need to constantly, regularly, daily do tasks that will bring you closer to your goal.  You will never change your life for the better until you change something you do daily.

Success does not happen by overnight.  It does not happen by chance, by magic nor does it happen in an instant. Success does not suddenly occur one day in someone's life.  The same can be said for failure.  No one sleeps overnight and wakes up looking like a big fat pig (unless he slept that way).  Months and probably years of consuming junk food, soda and being a couch potato can turn a slim and healthy person into a Humpty Dumpty. Achieving success or ending in failure is a process.

Every day of your life and your routine is preparation for the next. What you do today will determine what you will become.  Today is your preparation for your future. The question is, “What are you preparing for?”  Are you doing today or preparing today for your success or your failure?

I remember someone say, "You can pay now, and play later, or you can play now and pay later. But either way, you are going to pay." Which one will you choose?  You can play, relax, take it easy and do whatever you please today.  But trust me, if you choose to take it easy today, you will have a difficult time later.  For one, you are younger today than you will be tomorrow.  If we take the odds, you are healthier, more agile, more creative today than you will be tomorrow.  Thus, you will better be able to do (and at a faster rate) what you should be doing to reach your goal today than if you procrastinate.  Competition is increasing and becoming fierce everyday - new technologies, consumers becoming more demanding and commanding. If you work hard today, you are better able to predict the market situation tomorrow than if you decide to play today and work hard tomorrow.  Things will be a lot different from today to years or even months in the future. It is easier to achieve success if you start preparing for it today. If you work hard now, on the front end, then you will reap rewards in the future.

What are you preparing for today? Have you chosen to work now and play tomorrow? Are you preparing for success or failure? Does your daily agenda indicate that you make a habit of paying before you play?

Choose wisely so you will end up successful.

Tweets and Thoughts

I enjoy reading tweets.  Tweets express one’s feelings and thoughts.  With just a few tweet words you can unearth tons of knowledge and ideas that can inspire people to do better and face life’s challenges.  Here are some I’ve enjoyed and learned from.

 

Keep busy improving yourself that you have no time to entertain the insults and negative criticisms of others. We can’t help it; sometimes we are distracted by what other people say.  To be affected constantly by what others say is an obstruction to progress. To avoid distraction, keep busy improving yourself.

Age sixty-five is the age at which one acquires sufficient experience to lose his job.  I guess this is to put it mildly that you normally retire at age 65. But age should not make one bitter but better in character and disposition. Most people consider age 50s and 60s as middle age and senior. Today, more and more senior people are still sharp, productive and are excited with life. We must be intentional in living life to the full.

In many cases, the reasons for marital breakdowns are insensitivity and selfishness; and in any relationship, the major problem is self-centeredness. We, human beings, are so engrossed with “I”, “me”, and “myself” that we forget about the interest of those around us. If we want to have meaningful relationships, we must stop and think of the needs of the people we care about.

Some things you do today will work; some will not. You may close a deal today or you may have a difficult time with a client. Do not get exasperated. There are lessons to be learned even from misfortunes. Learn how to better respond (not react) to a difficult client. Learn the lessons and move forward. Never blame others for your mistakes or misfortune. If you do this you are throwing away the lessons and that is when it becomes expensive. Always look for the gold nuggets and learn from everything you do and from everything that happens to you.

Achieving your goal does not end your task. Neither should failure be considered fatal. If you achieve your goal, go up the next step to achieving more success.  If you fail, keep on improving and keep on learning. Find ways to reach your goal. Do no quit easily; in fact, never quit till you are breathing. Enjoy the learning in the process of living.

Your stuff do not define you.  Are you dreaming to own a huge house in an exclusive subdivision or to drive the latest BMW?  These are not dreams but are merely things you want to own; they are acquisitions. If you are dreaming of these possessions, then you have a wrong focus.  Your dream should be focused on what you can become and what you can accomplish. This is your identity. Your possessions do not define you. If for the past years, you have been dreaming of the wrong dreams, it is not too late to refocus your dreams and become what matters most.

Each day of our life brings with it a fair dosage of challenges and difficulties.  Sometimes a single thought, one or two sentences, a prayer or a kind word can give a person undergoing the challenge to go through the difficulty and emerge on the winning side. 

The Future is Here

How time flies… it is now the 1^st week of the 1^st month of the New Year, 2015.  I would like to start the New Year by saying, “The Future is here!”  The future is indeed here.  I am reminded of some of my favorite bestselling book authors, Alvin Toffler, John Naisbitt, Faith Popcorn.  These are not just bestselling book authors; they are “futurists.” These authors predicted what it would be like to live in the 21^st century.

 

We are now living in what they have predicted… mobile computing, cloud… everything seems to be accelerating.  Technological developments, market growth and the popularity of social network platforms remind me of Moore’s Law. Moore’s Law, a rule of thumb for technological progress, was coined in 1965 by Gordon E. Moore.  Mr. Moore is the cofounder of Intel.  According to Mr. Moore, our computer-processing speeds would double about every two years.  After half a century, our computer processing speed has definitely accelerated and continuous to accelerate at a speed demanded by consumers.

 

The future is here. The question is no longer, “Are you online?” but rather, “How fast is your connection?” We want more powerful computing power and faster transactions.

 

The future is here. Technology has changed the landscape of business. If you can’t adapt to the change, your business will not survive in this face-paced technology. In advanced countries, more and more robots are replacing human labor.  Manufacturing processes are shifting to automation. New start-ups are doing very well. A lot of start-ups are technology driven or utilize the internet as their marketing platform. Entrepreneurs are becoming younger and younger, making money even before they receive their college diplomas. Most of these young entrepreneurs are utilizing the power of the technology/internet. They take advantage of how young people are expressing (and in most cases over-expressing their feelings and sentiments) over Facebook, Twitter and blogs. They may use the traditional survey but they add to that the social network opinions of today’s consumers.  Today’s consumers are extremely powerful in that they dictate what they want and need.  Manufacturers/sellers need to do as these consumers dictate or lose their business.

 

To survive, we need to be a continuous learner. We need to reinvent ourselves, adapt and always think in terms of innovation. As entrepreneurs, we need to come up with new ideas that will catch the attention of today’s consumers who have become not just powerful but illusive and picky. 

 

The future is here. We should be better in terms of attitude and character. We sometimes need to borrow the “young ones” business concept of being aggressive and playful.  Keep determination and perseverance as your character.  Keep learning and keep reinventing. Embrace the future and its infinite possibilities.