The Chase

Road going to Mexico from San Diego.

American mythology has us believe that the goal of life is to retire, or that financial freedom means you can now just travel around going from hotel to hotel, lie on beaches and play golf five days a week…

…But that is NOT how achievers are wired.

( Still looking for the author of this article.. credit goes to him )

Let me share with you my own struggle and discovery with this reality:

When I was 28 years old, I sold a company for a very significant sum. I thought I wanted to “retire” or at least take a couple years off. I moved to South Beach, Miami, bought a Harley, and drove up and down the beach every day and spent two or three hours in the gym. It wasn’t three months before I was going stark raving mad. In fact I was in sheer spiritual, emotional and psychological pain. If I were the depressed kind, I would have been in a state of depression, no doubt.

You see we need The Chase…

The Chase is what gives us life, gives us juice. The Chase is our creative spirit getting a chance to be expressed, stretched and realized. The Chase is the means and the end. You can give it different semantics—like pursuit, purpose, mission or vision.

Proverbs warns us about this, “Without vision people perish.”

“Without vision people perish.”
-Proverbs 29:18

It didn’t say, without golf people perish… or without relaxing people perish. NO, it said without vision… without purpose… without the pursuit… or without The Chase, people perish.

We need The Chase
We love The Chase
The Chase is the very verve of life.

Another discovery I made about The Chase through my own evolution is no matter what I am involved with, I am going to be chasing at full throttle. No matter whether I am running a business with hundreds of employees doing tens of millions in revenue or building a simple pet ecommerce business or an online video and photo-sharing business (a couple of companies I invested in and ended up getting involved with at the C-level), I am going to be all consumed by it… no matter the size or seeming importance of the project.

That is just how I am wired. I am always going to be all in on The Chase, no matter what The Chase.

Here are three pieces of advice I want you to take away when understanding The Chase in your own life:

1) Don’t want what you don’t want.

Don’t even make the goal of your life to not be chasing. You will always be chasing, until you’re not, and that is when they pronounce you dead.

In fact if you want to speed that process up, just retire. It is well known that purpose-driven people, whom eventually retire, die shortly thereafter. Why? They lost their life force, their verve for life… and thus found themselves retired permanently.

2) Pick the right Chase.

Because no matter what it is, you will go head deep into it—make sure it something you really want to be chasing day in and day out.

3) Chase for the right reasons.

Are your motivations intrinsic or extrinsic?

This, too, is another mistake I have made in the past. A while back I sat down with a mentor I had at the time and showed him all my big goals and plans for the coming year. I laid it all out and was proud of my thoughtful and detailed strategic plan. He said, “Sure, but where’s your life in that?”

“Huh?” I said. He said, “Yeah, look at it. With all those goals and plans and the schedule this will demand how are you going to fit a life around that?” He said, “Instead why don’t you flip that model. Instead of trying to fit a life around your business goals, first decide what kind of life you want to live, THEN fit your business around that.”

That was HUGE for me. Now when I say a life, I’m not talking about lying on the beach or starting a bridge club. Eighty percent of your life might still be your business, purpose and passion pursuits, but you can still design those to fit the kind of life you want to live.

Meaning, what kind of people do you want to work with? What do you want to be researching, studying and having to talk about all day? Do you want a long commute or a short one? How do you want to have to dress? Do you want it to involve working nights and weekends? Do you want it to involve travel?

You are going to spend 80–90% of your life working… or chasing. You can choose what you work on and chase. Make sure you choose it to FIT the life you want to lead because it will be your life.

So to summarize:
You are going to be chasing. That is how you are wired and what gives you zeal and purpose in life. So sink in and enjoy it. Don’t want what you don’t want. The alternative is death. Death of spirit and eventually death of body.

And since you are going to be chasing, be very conscious about what you are chasing. Choose what you chase carefully because no matter what you end up doing you will become fully consumed by it. Be sure it amplifies your core internal values and has you leading the kind of life that gives you energy, joy and the style of life you want.

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The Most Important Meeting..

...You’ll Ever Attend Are the Meetings You Have With Yourself by Denis Waitley

What matters most is how you see and think about of yourself!
Remember You are Awesome! 

( The key is awareness. I am still guilty of this from time to time. Before I know it, I found myself being too critical of myself. Taking too much time wallowing from my mistakes and shortcomings. I am sure this happens to you a lot too. Follow below advise by one of my virtual mentor Denis Waitley , and you will certainly be on your way to higher achievement and personal excellence. To a Happier YOU! Enjoy =) )

You are your most important critic. There is no opinion as vitally important to your well-being as the opinion you have of yourself. As you read this, you’re talking to yourself right now. “Let’s see if I understand what he means by that…. How does that compare with my experiences? I’ll make note of that—try that tomorrow…. I already knew that…. I already do that.” I believe this self-talk, this psycholinguistics, or language of the mind, can be controlled to work for us, especially in the building of self-confidence and creativity. We’re all talking to ourselves every moment of our lives, except during certain portions of our sleeping cycle. We’re seldom even aware that we’re doing it. We all have a running commentary in our heads on events and our reactions to them.

-           Be aware of the silent conversation you have with yourself. Are you a nurturing coach or a critic? Do you reinforce your own success or negate it? Are you comfortable saying to yourself, “That’s more like it”. “Now we’re in the groove.” “Things are working out well.” “I am reaching my financial goals.” “I’ll do it better next time.”

-           When winners fail, they view it as a temporary inconvenience, a learning experience, an isolated event, and a steppingstone instead of a stumbling block.

-           When winners succeed, they reinforce that success, by feeling rewarded rather than guilty about the achievement and the applause.

-           When winners are paid a compliment, they simply respond: “Thank you.” They accept value graciously when it is paid. They pay value in their conversations with themselves and with other people.

A mark of an individual with healthy self-esteem is the ability to spend time alone, without constantly needing other people around. Being comfortable and enjoying solitary time reveals inner peace and centering. People who constantly need stimulation or conversation with others are often a bit insecure and thus need to be propped up by the company of others.

Always greet the people you meet with a smile. When introducing yourself in any new association, take the initiative to volunteer your own name first, clearly; and always extend your hand first, looking the person in the eyes when you speak.

In your telephone communications at work or at home, answer the telephone pleasantly, immediately giving your own name to the caller, before you ask who is calling. Whenever you initiate a call, always give your own name up front, before you ask for the party you want and before you state your business. Leading with your own name underscores that a person of value is making the call.

Don’t brag. People who trumpet their exploits and shout for service are actually calling for help. The showoffs, braggarts and blowhards are desperate for attention.

Don’t tell your problems to people, unless they’re directly involved with the solutions. And don’t make excuses. Successful people seek those who look and sound like success. Always talk affirmatively about the progress you are trying to make.

As we said earlier, find successful role models after whom you can pattern yourself. When you meet a mastermind, become a master mime, and learn all you can about how he or she succeeded. This is especially true with things you fear. Find someone who has conquered what you fear and learn from him or her.

When you make a mistake in life, or get ridiculed or rejected, look at mistakes as detours on the road to success, and view ridicule as ignorance. After a rejection, take a look at your BAG. B is for Blessings. Things you are endowed with that you often take for granted, like life itself, health, living in an abundant country, family, friends, career. A is for Accomplishments. Think of the many things you are proud of that you have done so far. And G is for Goals. Think of your big dreams and plans for the future that motivate you. If you took your BAG—blessings, accomplishments and goals—to a party, and spread them on the floor, in comparison to all your friends and the people you admire, you’d take your own bag home, realizing that you have as much going for yourself as anyone else. Always view rejection as part of one performance, not as a turndown of the performer.

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Sixtyish and Going On Strong...

Grand Father and His Grand Son...Imparting Words of Wisdom

(translated from original Chinese) excerpt from Joey Concepcion of GO Negosyo 

There are many 1000-year old trees in the mountain, but not many 100-year-old people.

At the most, only 1 in 100,000 people will live to be 100 years old.

So, if you are now 60 years old, if you live until you are: 

90, you only have 30 years more;

80, you only have 20 years more;

70, you have only 10 years more.

Because you don’t have many years to live, and you can’t bring anything with you when you die, you don’t have to be too thrifty. Spend wisely the money that should be spent, enjoy what should be enjoyed, donate what you are able to donate, and don’t leave everything to your children or grandchildren, for you don’t want them to become parasites.

Don’t worry about what will happen after you are gone because when you return to dust, you will feel nothing about criticisms or praises. Don’t worry too much about your children for children will have their own destiny and find their own way.  Don’t be your children’s slave.

Don’t expect too much from your children.  Caring children would be too busy with their jobs and commitments to render any help.  Uncaring children will fight over your assets even when you are still alive, and wish for your early demise so they can inherit your possessions. Your children may take for granted that they are rightful heirs to your wealth, but they really have no claims to your money, neither do you have any claim to theirs.

Don’t trade in your health for wealth because no amount of money can buy good health.

When should you stop making money, and how much is enough -- hundreds, thousands, one million, ten million?  Remember that out of 1000 hectares of good farmland, you can only consume three quarts (of rice) daily; and if you have a mansion of several thousand square meters, depending upon your size, height and weight, you can actually occupy only eight square meters of space to rest at night.

So as long as you have enough food and enough money to spend, that is good enough.

You should live happily. Every person and every family has its own problems.   Do not compare yourself or your family with others.  To compare yourself, your children, your family with others is foolish.  Fame, fortune, and social status do not really bring true happiness, good health, or longevity. It does not help to worry about things that you can’t change; worrying about them will only spoil your health.

Create your own level of well-being and happiness.  Try your best to always be in a good mood and to have happy thoughts.  Do things daily, which you give you fun and happiness, then you will pass your time happily every day. There is no certainty that everyday will be a happy one but every day of happiness is one day gained; sometimes you gain and win, sometimes you lose. Having a "good spirit" cures sickness, cures sickness fast, and even prevents sickness from coming to you. 

To have good health and happy life, get a suitable amount of daily exercise, exposure to the sun, variety of healthy food, reasonable amount of vitamins and minerals. Hopefully, you have 20, 30, or even more happy and healthy years ahead of you! 

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