Random Thoughts

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From today, I will start publishing my blog at this site:

http://ninariccicruz.blogspot.com/

I renewed my car insurance yesterday and I paid around $$$.  The premium was lower than what I expected but that is because my car depreciated by 20%, which made me disappointed.   I was expecting that depreciation will be around 10-15% only.  These are the times I wish I bought a smaller car so I could save on the payments, insurance, etc. =(

On the brighter side, Honda called me the other day to remind me of my next service.  I just love Honda - the customer service is superb.  I am glad I chose Honda!

http://www.pinoymoneytalk.com/2007/02/13/principles-of-success-of-young-millionaire

The 3 Principles of Success, according to a young millionaire

by Cameron Johnson, from the book You Call the Shots

I started my first business at age nine with $50 and a home computer, and ran it from my room at home as a one-kid operation. By the time I was 19 I had started nearly a dozen profitable businesses, and for my latest venture I had received a very attractive offer of $10 million in venture capital. I turned that offer down and walked away because I didn’t feel good about the conditions that would have been imposed on me if I’d taken the money. The venture capital firm would have called the shots, told me how to run my company, and paid me a salary that would’ve been less than I’d made on my own since I was 12.

It was a lucrative offer, and who knows? Maybe with their backing and expertise I would have come out way ahead. But I didn’t think it was the right deal for me. I made that decision without regret, and I’ve never looked back.

I knew this was not a now-or-never choice. There would be plenty of other opportunities to create even more successful businesses — because I’d learned the skills it takes to do so. Once you learn these skills, you never have to be tied to any one particular enterprise. I realized that while I could have taken someone else’s $10 million investment, I’d rather invest in myself.

I’ve been fortunate enough to make my first million before graduating from high school and buy my own house at 20. At 21, I’ve now put away enough in savings and other investments that I could practically retire today . . . if I wanted to. But of course, that’s the last thing on earth I’d want to do. I just enjoy it all too much. Not to say the money isn’t important, but frankly, it’s not why I do what I do. I do it because I love it.

I’ve always loved starting new businesses. I take pleasure in every aspect of it, from coming up with a new concept, or a unique twist on an existing concept, to finding a name that perfectly captures the nature of the business, to building the team, launching the enterprise, and watching it take off and grow. Of the more than dozen successful businesses I’ve launched over the past 12 years, every one of them has been a unique experience, and I’ve loved the process every time.

Starting out so young gave me a certain courage that comes with blissful ignorance. I had the confidence that comes with not knowing any better. As I’ve grown older and seen more of the business world, there have been times when I’ve had to overcome doubts and work to maintain my confidence, just like anybody else. But the thrill of trying out new ideas and seeing them take root and grow has always made it worth the effort.

Principle #1: Believe in yourself

I was fortunate to learn very early on the key principle that all successful entrepreneurs need to know: First, you have to believe in yourself.

It’s actually not that difficult to succeed. It’s much more common sense than rocket science. But it starts with finding the courage to put yourself out there.

Believing in yourself is what gives you the confidence and resilience to deal with the rejections and doubts. It drives you to do the best job you can, no matter what you’re doing.

Over time, I’ve learned to trust my instincts — and that’s crucial. You can learn all kinds of things from other people, but ultimately it’s your own instincts that you’ll need to rely on. The bottom line of your business is you.

Whether you are selling door-to-door, on the phone, through an infomercial, or on a website, ultimately the venue doesn’t matter. All of these methods work. First and foremost, you must be able to sell yourself. People don’t buy your product or service only because they like it or want it; they also buy it because they like you. If they don’t like you, then in many cases it doesn’t matter how much they like the product you’re selling, they won’t buy it.

If you put yourself out there with confidence, you’ll find that most people respect you and respond well to you, whether or not they want what you’re selling.

Principle #2: Believe in what you are selling

Believing in yourself leads naturally to a second principle: You have to believe in what you’re selling.

People sometimes think of selling as the art of being pushy, crafty or even manipulative. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. The best salespeople focus on asking questions and listening, not pushing.

I don’t believe in high-pressure selling. High pressure is what people use when they’re selling something nobody wants, or charging far more than their product is worth. There’s a difference between being persuasive and applying pressure. I’m persuasive when I’m selling, but that’s because I truly believe in what I’m selling and the value it will create for my customer. My feeling is, I’d be doing my customers a disservice if I let them not buy my product.

The best salespeople are so dedicated to giving customers what they want that they are willing to be as rigorous, patient, and dedicated as it takes to make the sale. They don’t give up easily because they believe in what they’re doing.

I’m always genuinely fascinated to know why people wouldn’t want what I’m selling. If you’re not passionate about the product or service you’re offering, how could you possibly approach people with genuine confidence? Make sure you’re proud of what you sell and the value it creates in people’s lives, and you’ll instantly become a better entrepreneur.

Principle #3: Treat other people with respect

Believing in yourself also leads to a third success principle: When you respect yourself, treating other people with respect comes naturally. Treating other people with great respect is one of the most powerful secrets of business success. Keep doing that over time with everyone you encounter, and you’ll find that people are consistently receptive to you and to your products, services, and ideas. Any fears and doubts you have will start to melt away.

And then you won’t hesitate to go ahead and ask for the sale.

- Excerpts from You Call the Shots by Cameron Johnson, a young entrepreneur who started his first business when he was nine with $50 and a home computer. Before he turned twenty-one he had started twelve successful businesses and was offered $10 million in venture capital to grow his hot Web company CertificateSwap.com. He has never taken out a loan or racked up any debt, and every one of his businesses has been highly profitable — so profitable that he made his first million before graduating from high school, and he’s put away enough cash so that he could retire today.

I just wanted to clarify what I wrote in my blog entitled "Something Good."

My husband actually paid for my facial creams.  He also bought the treadmill for me…That’s how spoiled I am =)

I’ve been spending time researching about financial literacy, personal finance, saving, investing, etc.  These topics are really interesting especially when they talk about growing your money.  I read some really good articles and I want to share some of them to you so from time to time I’d be posting it here.

Just last week, Salve Duplito, business editor of inquirer.net launched a blog entited Money Smarts. 

"Money Smarts, where people can talk freely about personal finance, business, financial independence, the economy and my personal favorite, giving the rat race a kick on the butt."

Here’s the link:

http://www.inquirerbloggers.net/moneysmarts/2007/03/07/the-millionaires-around-us/#more-3

Inquirer.net also have sections called "Personal Finance", "Advice" and the newly launched "Ask Dr. Noet" in their business section.  All of these sections tackle investing and personal finance.  The links to these sites are found in http://www.inquirer.net.

Just wanna share them to you.  Happy reading!

I know I’ve posted several negative blogs during the past weeks.  My husband counted them and apparently, I’ve made six negative entries.  I realized how stressed I am in those days.  Now, I wanted to write something good that’s been happening lately.

Today, we just sent out the first draft of the report that I and another colleague were working on.  We burned 15 CDs for distribution to different concerned individuals.  It feels good that we’ll be closing out another project very soon.  We’ve spent a great amount of effort for the endless revisions we’ve made to the documents.  But it’s been a very good day! yehey!!!

Also today, I’ve finalized the equipment requirement for another client.  This is really such a productive day!!!

And finally, my husband was able to get tickets for the musical Mamma Mia.  Only very few tickets are still available and the weekend shows were already sold out.  We were lucky to get tickets even if it’s weekday show.  I hope that there will be more shows like this in Doha.

This one is really good…Now, I do a 30-minute excercise everyday.  I am not sure how soon I can see the results but I think, if I continue to work out atleast 30 minutes everyday, eventually,  all my efforts will pay off.  For the record, I’m still not eating rice and I really don’t miss it!

I switched back to my old bank because of its better customer service.  Still not the best bank as the adjective "best" is not applicable to any bank here but atleast it’s the better one among the rest so hopefully, no more headaches.

What else?…the facial cream I bought a few weeks ago is really good.  It’s worth every penny I paid.

It’s been a good week!

My husband bought me a treadmill!!! Now, I can excercise anytime at the convinience of our home.  Let’s see how many pounds I can shed off…

This is a post from one the forums in which I am a member.  Just wanted to share it. . .

ACCELERATE YOUR ABILITIES
by Chris Widener

In today’s fast-paced life, the wins usually go to those with exceptional skills and abilities. The old quote is true, "The race is not always won by the swift and the strong, but that is the way to bet."

With this in mind, and with your desire to become increasingly successful, here are some ways to accelerate your abilities, thus enabling you to achieve greater and greater things.

Become dissatisfied with your current state. Growth for growth’s sake is good. Those who will achieve much are those who say to themselves, "I want to grow. I want to be better. And I am willing to do what it takes to get there. This current state is not enough!" This dissatisfaction will create for you an insatiable drive to do what it takes to get your abilities to the next level.

Visualize the benefits of increased abilities. Put them at the forefront of your mind. This will saturate your mind with the motivation that it will take for you to do what it takes to increase your abilities. What good will come out of my increased ability? How will I be better off as well as the others around me? The answers to these questions act as the carrot before the horse, moving you forward.

Understand your weaknesses. If you want to improve, one of the best ways is to start with some area that you aren’t particularly good at. This is the "shoring up method." Sometimes it is easier to improve something you aren’t good at that something you are. And the gains will still look great for your overall situation! Take some time to consider what areas you are weakest in and focus in on them for a while. The results will obviously be much more pronounced than getting better at something you have already somewhat
mastered.

Attempt greater levels of what you are already good at. Another tact to take would be to stretch yourself in an area that you already have some skill and ability in. What areas do you excel in? Now understand that when you leave the weaker areas weak and make extraordinary gains in one area, then you will be moving more toward "specialist" rather than "generalist. " That is okay, but needs to fit in with your overall goals.

Commit time each day to improvement. Steady improvement is the way to go. In fact, you may not see improvement for days or weeks. You may feel like you are failing each time. But alas, eventually you will get it and your skill will increase to the next level. The key is day in, day out, spending time working on improving. Even five minutes a day equals a half hour a week, 2 hours a month. That adds up! Remember, Practice, practice, practice.

Seek out and spend time with someone who has greater ability than you. One of the best things to do to increase your ability is hang out with people who are already more skilled than you. Watching, them, studying them, interacting with them, even competing with them will make you better. As in sports, to improve, you play with people better than you, not worse. They will raise you to a new level. Who around you can you get involved with who will help you with your ability?

Take a class or hire a coach. Go to school my friend. Take a course at a local college or vocational institute. Take a class online. Hire one of the many coaches available today. Pick a specific skill you would like to improve upon and find someone who is a specialist in that area. At the very least, pick up some audio or videotapes to help you grow.

Be the tortoise, not the hare. Slow but sure. Take your time, do it right. Keep going in the right direction. Learn your craft correctly. Don’t give up quality for speed. The whole idea of acceleration is this way: Slow start, work up to high speeds, go the distance. Luckily life isn’t a sprint but a marathon!

Hope these ideas help you as you commit to accelerating your abilities!

19 weeks to go before my scheduled one month vacation.  The date is still tentative because my husband is not sure yet if he could get his vacation approved - but I’m doing my countdown anyway and I really hope we can go home together in July. 

Gosh, I miss home so much - there’s no place like home!  Two years is such a long time to be away! If not for the limited vacation we’re getting, (one month/year), we’ll be home longer!

I am too excited that I am already listing the activities I’d like to do during my vacation.  My schedule is filling up quickly - too bad, I need to squeeze everything in four weeks!  I’m so excited to see my family, relatives, friends and old familiar faces and places =)  I’m sure we’ll gonna have lots of fun and excitement!