Day 17 Quote 8: Every individual...intends only his own gain...

Quote 8: Every individual...intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it.

- Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

There are things that are out of your control. Death, for instance. No one's going to know when he or she'll die. You can fight death but in the end, you're going to succumb to it. We're all going to die. That's life. It's just a matter of time.

I guess, what it's trying to say is we have to accept the fact that there's a stronger force out there.

Quite ironic isn't it? Although we know that there's that "greater power" out there, we can never really prove it. I guess, that's why the terms fate and destiny emerged.

Setting religion aside, it's the closest explanation we have to the "greater power." If it's meant to be, it will be. You just have to learn how to let go and let things take on its natural course.

Easy to say. Hard to execute.

When will you know if you should stick to something or let go of it?

For that matter, when will you know if you should still hold on to someone or let go of that someone?

If letting go means that you're allowing things to unravel for themselves, you should also be prepared for the possibility that it wouldn't go in your favor. If letting go means that you're opening yourself to the possibility of being hurt, you just have to learn to live with it. Move on! If it's meant to be, it will be.

Sometimes, people tend to hold on for the sake of having security and an assurance. Sometimes even to the point where it's no longer right to keep on going. You just have to be courageous and say no. Let go!!! Think of it in this way, it is not the end of the world.

Really? Yes. I’ve done that before and I turned out okay. You just have to keep yourself busy with something else. Right now, that’s work.

Day 17 Quote 7: For Unto Every One That Hath Shall Be Given, And He...

Quote 7: For Unto Every One That Hath Shall Be Given, And He Shall Have Abundance: But From Him That Hath Not Shall Be Taken Away Even That Which He Hath.

- Matthew 25:29

Ancient Language J This actually put me off a bit. Thanks to our best friend, Mr. Google, I got the modern translation:

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

It’s pretty straightforward. Again, this gave me a flashback of what I blogged before particularly the one where I talked about the Parable of the Talents.

http://niksmyown.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-5-quote-4-engine-which-drives.html

In our society, everyone favors the poor and impoverished. Gov’t agencies and NGOs launch numerous projects such as food outreach programs and the like to help these people.

But, are we actually helping them? For me, it’s a BIG NO!

Yes, we’re helping them by giving them food, clothes and shelter. But, we’re definitely not "helping" them in the sense that we want them to stand on their own two legs. What we actually end up doing is spoon-feeding them. We're helping them dig their own grave.

If this keeps on happening, it's gonna turn into a vicious cycle. The rich will become richer while the poor will become poorer. Because they [poor] rely on others to provide for them, they wouldn't do anything at all to change that. They already found their comfort zone by relying on others. Why would they move away from their comfort zone?

There's this 40 year old woman at Ortigas (near the J. Vargas and San Miguel Ave. Stoplight near El Pueblo) who begs for money. I've seen her several times already. She asks for some change (piso to be exact) from passers-by by telling them that she needs money to pay for her ride home.

Sometimes, I just want to tell her: Come on! Are you serious? You're wearing decent clothes, you have a big purse, jewelries and yet you're asking us for money?

I have no problem with lending people some cash especially since it's only one peso; the problem is that there are those who just keep on asking for money instead of earning their own.

Instead of giving them what they need, we should, in fact, give them the tools that will allow them to (on their own) get what they need. No wonder the rich are already getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

Day 17 Quote 6: If You Can Run One Business Well, You Can Run Any Business Well.

Quote 6: If You Can Run One Business Well, You Can Run Any Business Well.

- Richard Branson

Everything is created unique. Even biologically identical twins have differences. The main idea here, I think, is that once you’ve already proven yourself to be successful in a given project, don’t stop there. Push yourself to take on other projects. Don’t just settle for one success, no matter how huge it is. Always keep on growing and find successes in other places.

Musicians, like Madonna, for example. She got a huge hit that skyrocketed her to the top. But, she didn't stop there. She continuously reinvents herself (through new and exciting songs) to stay on top. No wonder she has been a household name for several years now. Or in the cases of best-selling authors like Paulo Coelho who wrote the widely famous book “The Alchemist.” It was such a huge success that he wrote more books such as the “The Fifth Mountain” and the “Eleven Minutes.” Although the succeeding books weren’t as successful as the “The Alchemist,” they still had a relevant impact among avid readers. It just goes to show that he didn’t stop with just one success.

That’s what we should all do. Don’t be a plateau. Be a growing and well-connected graph.

           

Day 17 Quote 5: There are Three Secrets to Real Estate: Location, Location, Location.

Quote 5: There are Three Secrets to Real Estate: Location, Location, Location.

- William Dillard

Setting real estate aside, location is not the only thing that’s important. It’s also about timing as well. Much similar to the saying that “you have to be at the right time and at the right place.”

Finding the right time and place is actually pretty tricky. You wouldn’t know if it’s the right time and place unless it has already expired. For instance, if you’re planning to go to the South (from Manila), there are two routes that you can take (Edsa or C5).

Choosing which route to take to reach your destination faster is often difficult. Though you’re pretty sure that there is traffic in Edsa, you can still opt to take that route considering that it connects to the Skyway. For C5 however, it can go either way. Sometimes there’s a huge build up of cars upon exiting C5. Other times, it’s smooth cruising all the way.

You wouldn’t really know if you’ve chosen the right route to take unless you get to the “no turning back point” and get a glimpse of the traffic in the other route.

Sometimes, you wouldn’t know if an opportunity has passed you unless you’ve already reached the point where there’s no way for you to get that opportunity back. It’s true when they say, “an opportunity only knocks once”.  If you close your door to it, you’ve lost it forever.

There’s also another view to this… *tracing back my blog from the “Only A Fool Holds Out For Top Dollar” http://niksmyown.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-2-new-realization.html

Sometimes, it’s also good to say no to an opportunity because you’re leaving your doors open to the possibility of something better. The sad truth is, you’ll actually never know if there’s something better that will pass your way. You can only HOPE for it.