Pledge Birthday Marathon on December 4

Hello guys! Last year I celebrated my 27th birthday by having my friends run a 5K with me at the 2nd Quezon City International Marathon. 27 of them registered for the event and the proceeds gathered were used for our business community's Christmas Feeding Program (in cooperation with Lifeline Foundation). The birthday run was a success because most of my friends who signed up were first time fun runners (helped them start having a healthy lifestyle), most of them got loot bags courtesy of yours truly, and one of my buddies met his girlfriend on that day (matchmaker fee when you get married!). But most importantly, I was able to fulfill a commitment to be able to give back to the less fortunate members of our community every year. Now, it's almost time to add another year to my age, and I would like to invite everyone to help out fulfill a bigger goal of mine - to finish my third full marathon (42K) on December 4, 2011 at QCIM 3 and to help more in the eradication of malnutrition in the Philippines.

Bib No. 143 - LOVE!

 For this year, I would need a little help from you guys to make the event successful. I will be collecting pledges for every kilometer that I will run at QCIM 3. If you can spare a few pesos per kilometer, that would be great! For example, 10 pesos per km would be 420 pesos (10 multiplied by 42 kilometers). All pledges collected will go to our next Nourish the Children Feeding Program this December. Also, part of the proceeds will go to the Southeast Asia Children's Heart Fund.

How to make a pledge:

1. Bank deposit to BPI Savings, Alwyn Sy, 1749-0944-23.
2. For international donations, via Paypal to alwyn_sy@yahoo.com

Kindly inform me via text message, FB, Twitter or email if you need assistance in registering for the run.

Questions, suggestions or comments? Feel free to contact me at alwyn_sy@yahoo.com, 0917-5396965 or 0922-8396965. Hope you can help make this year's event successful!

For more info on Nourish the Children Foundation and SEA Children's Heart Fund, click the links below:

http://www.nuskin.com/en_US/culture/nourish_the_children.html
http://www.forceforgood.org/content/ffg/global/projects/southeast_asia_childrensheartfund.html

UPDATE: We have been making arrangements with this year's beneficiary. It's not yet final, but all collected donations will be for the benefit of the children of Gawad Kalinga. Will keep you guys posted for any updates.

Highlights from last year's run and Feeding Program with Lifeline Foundation.

Last year's event was a memorable one for Mr. Tayco. :)

Last year's celebrity guest: Puss In Boots!

Some of the priority kids whose families received VitaMeal bags.

In cooperation with Lifeline Foundation.

Road Maps

"A good plan is like a road map; it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there." - H. Stanley Judd

 

In the race of life, we are all running towards the finish line. Whether it be to reach the summit of the corporate ladder, to successfully flourish in business, to be a successful professional or happily get married and blessed with children, we all have an ultimate destination to go to and that is to attain happiness. To get there faster, we can’t rely on gut feel alone. This is similar to a trip going to Baguio for the first time. It will definitely take a huge chunk of time just by driving around without knowing the easiest way to get there. That’s what road maps are made for.

Road maps are created because there are already people who’ve been there and to be able to show you the ways to arrive at your destination. But there are lots of bad maps and good maps out there. The bad maps are very confusing, disorganized and would take a lot of time for you to get to success. Good maps, on the other hand, are very clear, organized and, if followed, would be able to bring you to success faster.  

That's why in life, always be on the lookout for the good maps: those that will not always give you the shortest route, or might be loaded with speed bumps or obstacles, but will definitely give you lots of wisdom and experience as you arrive at the destination. 

The Evolution of One's Goals

"Why do you want to become financially succesful?" is the question I always ask my guests attending our Wealth Course or Cashflow Workshop. The most common answers I get are:

• to be able to provide for my family's basic needs
• to have more time for my family
• to get out of employment
• to make a difference to other people

There are no right or wrong answers. What I observe, however, is that our goals change over time. They become more deeper and more meaningful.

The best psychological explanation would be the famous Hierarchy of Needs as explained by Abraham Maslow.

In one of our Wealth Course modules, we ask participants to list down 10 Purposes of Money, and rank them according to priority. From there I can pinpoint his/her current needs and where it falls under the pyramid.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur whose primary "end goals" are for the betterment of community and country, I encourage you to attend our community events! Our country needs more business leaders. 

My Favorite Poem: Ithaca

Here's my favorite poem, introduced by our English professor way back during freshmen year in college.

Ithaca by Constantine Cavafy

When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians
and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon.
You will never meet such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet the Lestrygonians,
the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.

Then pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many,
that you will enter ports seen for the first time
with such pleasure, with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
buy as many pleasurable perfumes as you can;
visit hosts of Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.

Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all that you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the road.
But she has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not defrauded you.
With the great wisdom you have gained, with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithacas mean.

Rich Dad's Words of Wisdom

One of my favorite words of wisdom from Robert Kiyosaki's rich dad, as this resonates with my philosophies in business and running:

"The difference between a winner and a loser is defined by the finish line. Winners do not care if they come across the finish line in first or last place. All they care about is crossing the line. Losers quit before winning. Losers run 95 yards of a 100-yard race every day of their lives."

The Value Of A Network

Robert Metcalf is one of the people credited for creating the ether-net. He also more recently founded the 3 Com Corp., which produces the popular Palm Pilot. He is also credited for defining Metcalf's Law, which is:

A Network's Economic Value = No. of Users (squared)




Stating in simpler terms, if there exists one telephone, it really has no economic value. The moment there are two telephones, according to Metcalf's Law, the economic value of the phone network is now squared. The economic value of the network would go from 0 to 4.

Applying the principle in network marketing, just joining one does not entitle you to harness the power. In order for you to do so, your job is to clone and duplicate someone just like you. The moment there are two of you, your economic value is squared. The value of your network has just gone from 0 to 4.

And this is how to harness the power of Metcalf's Law. Happy Metcalf-ing! :)

Success In Network Marketing Is Not Measured In Money

On why a lot of people do not make it to the top of a network marketing business:

"Most people only join to make money. If they do not make money in the first few months or years, they get discouraged, quit, and then often bad-mouth the network marketing industry. Others quit and go looking for a company with a better compensation plan. Joining to make a few quick cash is not the reason to get into the business."

What then are the reasons?

"Reason number one is TO HELP YOURSELF and reason number two is TO HELP OTHERS. If you join for only one of the two reasons, the system will not work for you."

Deep inside I know that in a few years' time, I'll get to see the bigger picture and understand why this statement rings true. :)

"One piece of log creates a small fire, adequate to warm you up, add just a few more pieces to blast an immense bonfire, large enough to warm up your entire circle of friends; needless to say that individuality counts but team work dynamites."  - Jin Kwon