Christmas Savings Tips
Whenever you open the News Channel and you listen to what’s going on with the world’s economy you have every reason to feel depressed. Now that is not a very healthy way to handle the situation. What we should do as we view the world’s economic situation is to be thankful and to be appreciative of our current situation.
I was talking to a huge company president a couple of days ago and he says the reason why we are not hit that hard is because our scale has always been small. It’s like somebody living on the second floor and now he fell down to the ground floor. May be painful but not hard enough to kill him. Developed countries where you find huge and famous businesses have been up there on the penthouse and now their fall is hard enough to kill them. (hmmm... that’s a perspective...)
One view here is that as a country and as a people, we have all been accustomed to hardships and trials. Our country is a supermarket of calamities both natural and man-made... as a matter of fact more man-made than natural and we have always been resilient in facing trials. But this does not mean that we can be negligent and reckless in the coming days especially now that the whole country is into “Christmas Fever...”
So allow me to offer a couple of ideas on how to save money this Christmas.
First Impressions Matter
There was a major reorganization taking place in a multinational company in America.
And so the CEO is retiring and the buzz in the work place is that the most senior staying executive might take over his place. A consultant was brought in. The senior exec talked to him and wanted to get his personal opinion about the matter. The consultant was a frank, brutal-to-the-truth kind of man who looked at him and said, “Frankly, I don’t think you will be chosen by the board to head this organization.” The senior exec was devastated. He said, “But I have the seniority, I have the skills, I have the qualifications and I have the experience and it’s a logical choice that I will be the next CEO of this company.”
The business consultant turned confidant with a serious look on his face said, “Yes, my friend there is no doubt about that but... you just don’t have the CEO walk!”
The moment I came across this story I knew what that means.
No Excuses!
I knew it was an 8:30 flight to Davao this is why I woke up 5:15 am took my time dressing up, dropped my car in Park and Fly, entered the Domestic airport at 6:05 AM. I looked at the board wanting to know what counter I should approach for the check in and to my horror saw that the flight to Davao was 6:30AM.
I blinked and I blinked again. Perhaps the early-morning-just-woke-up-still-lacking-in-my-sleep was playing tricks on me but there it was. It says: 6:30AM. And my watch says it’s now 6:06AM.
Quickly I rushed to the counter, hoping against all hopes that they would let me in.
Give Gratitude a Chance
Trouble. There’s always trouble.
That’s what the work place is all about. You deal with trouble all the time.
Difficult customers, backbiting office mates, unreasonable bosses, fighting fires all the time. Sucks your energy and makes you feel like you are being punished for something you did not do. But pause for a while. Take a deep breadth. And take time to look at it the way business consultant Robert Updegraff sees it. Updegraff says: “You ought to be glad for the troubles on your job because they provide about half your income. If it were not for the things that go wrong, the difficult people with whom you deal, and the problems of your working day, someone could be found to handle your job for half of what you are being paid. So start looking for more troubles. Learn to handle them cheerfully and with good judgment, as opportunities rather than irritations, and you will find yourself getting ahead at a surprising rate. For there are plenty of big jobs waiting for people who are not afraid of troubles.
How are you Francis?
I have friends. I have so many friends all over the country and some abroad too. This is the fringe benefit of what I do as I speak and train all over the place. People meet me everywhere. They greet me, too. Most of them would say, "Hi Francis, how are you?" "Good or Great!" is the usual non-thinking answer yet when I think a little bit more seriously, the right response should be, "Better than I deserve."
Let me explain. God has been so merciful and He has blessed me and my family with so much I do not deserve them yet His Grace has bountifully provided. I will not be able to respond to all the good things people have been posting on this site but allow me to mention a few:
Mommy’s Choice
Manny is almost 29 years old, his friends have already gotten married, and Manny just dates and dates.
Finally a friend asks him, "What's the matter, are you looking for the perfect woman? Are you that particular? Can't you find anyone who suits you?"
A Way With Words
As the crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a five-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.
Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in the uniform of an Air Force General is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy's ear.