The CUSTOMER

For those who are in business, the most critical factor in making a profit is THE CUSTOMER.

WHY?

• Because THE CUSTOMER is the most important person to the business and to its employees.
• Because it is THE CUSTOMER who provides roof on your heads, clothes on your bodies and food for your stomach.
• Because it is THE CUSTOMER who provides disposable diapers and milk for your babies.
• Because it is THE CUSTOMER who pays for the tuition fees of your children in school.
• In fact, it is THE CUSTOMER who pays for everything material that you have.

So, if you do not satisfy YOUR CUSTOMER there are many others who will. You need THE CUSTOMER more than he needs you. THE CUSTOMER is not dependent on you. You are dependent on him.

THE CUSTOMER is never obliged to buy products or services from you. He will do so only if he wants you. THEY ARE YOUR REVENUES.

THE CUSTOMER has the power and the freedom to choose: WHETHER TO BUY FROM YOU OR NOT.

THE CUSTOMER is the final judge whether you become the number one company in the Philippines or in the World in terms of sale and preference.

It is THE CUSTOMER who determines whether you make a profit or loss. Whether you grow or stagnate, whether you survive or disappear.

It is at this time of crisis where bankers are in no mood to help businesses, only THE CUSTOMER can ensure your survival.

Without THE CUSTOMER you would have no outlets and offices, no business, no jobs.

It is THE CUSTOMER who is the source your existence and the reason for your existence.

In THE CUSTOMER'S continued satisfaction lies your prosperity.

So, for all those who have businesses, THE CUSTOMER IS YOUR LIFE.

The TEN MYTHS

When I started my own Training and Consultancy business way back in 2003, I was so full of enthusiasm and excitement. I really wanted to make it work. I read every book that could help me. One of the book that gave me lots of very good ideas is the book written by a famous author which I forgot now (sorry). It is where I encountered these TEN MYTHS, and I would like to share these with you, just in case you also wanted to put up your own business.

MYTH #1 I'm free! I no longer have a boss!

MYTH #2 There are more advantages to working for myself than working for somebody else.

MYTH #3 At last! I can work only when I feel like it.

MYTH #4 I'll have more time for myself, my spouse, my kids, whatever.

MYTH #5 I don't need other people. I can do it myself.

MYTH #6 I've built a better mousetrap! Now the world is going to beat a path to my door.

MYTH #7 I can undercut my competitor's price and lure away their customers.

MYTH #8 I can call my own shots from now on.

MYTH #9 I need a written plan only if I'm trying to raise money.

MYTH #10 Life will be simpler if I work for myself.


As I went along with my day to day business activities, I found out that the above are not really true, the reason why they are called MYTHS.

On Failure

Everytime I encounter failures, I always look at them as "my stepping stones to success".

I am an avid follower of John C. Maxwell's works. Have you ever read his book titled "FAILING FORWARD"? If you had, your view about failures will definitely change. Whenever failures do come in your life, you will embrace them wholeheartedly and will treasure the learnings that you will get from them.

"Failure does not mean you are a failure. It just means you have not succeeded yet. Failure does not mean you have accomplished nothing.

It does mean you have learned something. Failure does not mean you have been a fool to try. It means, you were brave, you had nerve, you had courage; be proud of yourself. Failure does not mean you will never make it. It does mean it will take longer. Failure does not mean you are finished. It does mean you have a chance to start all over again, try something new. Failure does not mean GOD has abandoned you. It does mean HE HAS A BETTER IDEA. Failure is NEVER FINAL."

My Personal Analysis of the Book I Love so Much

RECOMMENDATION: Please read this book too if you have the chance. You might have your
own analysis in relation to the life you have lived and living for the
moment.

TITLE of the BOOK: Ethics of the New Millenium
AUTHOR: His Holiness, The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)

ANALYSIS

My Insights Gained:

a) All human beings doesn't like suffering and every person wants to ba happy.
b) Negative thoughts bring negative deeds.
c) Each person is responsible for his fellow being.
d)Happiness could best be attained through spirituality.
e) for everything that happened- there are really causes.
f) Every human being exist in relation to others.
g) I am my brother's keeper.
h) Not one event is independently occurring, instead it is dependently originated.
i) Discernment and commitment is necessary in order for a person to attain happiness.
j) Overall state of heart and mind constitute the behavioral manifestation of every human being.
k) the advances of science and technology has contributed much to the suffering of people.

"Every human being exists in relation to others"

No man is an island. I need my brother/sister in order to survive in this world. Inspite of the advances in science and technology, I still need the warmth of my fellow individual. Besides, I could not consider myself as a SELF if there are no OTHERS. Thus, the SELF is relative.

Now, it is a universal truth that all human beings doesn't like suffering and every person wants to be happy. Hence, if my-SELF wants to seek happiness, it is also the same with OTHERS. But happiness can only be attained if we have genuine peace of mind. And, peace of mind can only be possible if we have fruitfully enhanced and developed the qualities of the human spirit. Spirituality is the best means to attain happiness.

If SELF and OTHERS are relative, thus- I could safely say that I am my brother's keeper. I am responsible for his happiness much as I am responsible for mine. Responsibility towards SELF and OTHERS makes us careful in every act we do in order not to cause suffering for others because all of us desire happiness. And, it would be unethical to disregard OTHER's desire for happiness in relation to mine.

Relating this insight to the organizations where we work - we would then say that the employees as well as the management are dependently originated. The organization is not dependent from the management and employees. Every person in the organization is responsible for keeping their vision. The principle of mutual dependence is ever existent.The success of the organization is the responsibility of every employee. And, the organization is responsible for the success of the employees.

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, when satisfied by the organization will result to the happiness of the employee. then a satisfied employee will perform his best, thus, making the entire organization happy of their performance as a whole.

Frederick Herzberg's Hygiene theory caters mostly to the satisfaction of the inner self which can be equated with the development of the qualities of the human spirit. The responsibility that the work has - motivates a person to develop the qualities of compassion for the work, patience and humility for the people the person works with.

CONCLUSION:

The ethics of the new millenium originates from the bible. Compassion, humility, patience, love, forgiveness and frugality. Aren't these the virtues of Jesus Christ? Hence, inspite of the technical advances in science, let us always go back to the basics.

Let us treat our neighbors the way they wanted to be treated. And that is, with respect. Let us always remember that every person is made into the image and likeness of God. Hence, let us not corrupt one another. But let us not be naive in the realities of life. Let us always consistently remember not to let material things rule our lives. This is difficult - but let us commit ourselves to shun away excessive want of things in this world. Let us gradually shift our focus to one that is eternal.

PLANT A GARDEN DAILY

If coming to work has become an ordeal, making you sluggish and
cynical, try to cultivate a fresh perspective. Here's how;

You have to plant

Five rows of "peas" (prepare, praise,
be prompt, be polite and persevere)

Three rows of "squash" (squash gossip,
criticism and indifference)

Three rows of "lettuce" (let us be
loyal, truthful and unselfish)

Three rows of "turnips" (turn up
with ideas, determination and
improvement)

Filipino Accounting Terms

ENGLISH- FILIPINO TRANSLATION
of Accounting Terms

1. Asset - Ari
2. Fixed Asset - Aring Nakatirik
3. Liquid Asset - Aring Tumutulo
4. Written-off Asset - Aring Pinutol
5. Cut-off period - Oras ng pagputol
6. Depreciation - Pagkalaspag ng Ari
7. Fully Depreciated Asset - Aring Laspag na Laspag na
8. Earning Asset - Aring Ganado pa
9. Non-earning Asset - Aring Baldado na
10. Owned Asset - Sariling Ari
11. Other Asset - Ari ng Iba
12. Miscellaneous Asset - Mga Aring Pinagsamasama
13. Erroneous Entry - Mali ang Pagkapasok
14. Double Entry - Dalawa ang Pinasukan
15. Multiple Entry - Labas-pasok
16. Correcting Entry - Itinama ang Pagpasok
17. Reversing Entry - Baligtad ang pasok
18. Tangible Asset - Aring Nasasalat
19. Dispensed - Nilabasan
20. Undispensed - Hindi Nilabasan

A Very Enriching Experience

Given a chance to work in a developing country is a very enriching experience. Working in development poses a lot of challenge which will make ones eyes open to the realities of life.

Firstly, one will work in an environment which is totally different from what one is used to. Sometimes, one has to cope up with the varying intense heat and intense cold temperatures.
The scarcity of food, the unavailability of electricity, the unavailability of transport and
foremost, the unavailability of efficient medical personnel.

Secondly, the culture of the people that one will be working with is the hardest challenge that a volunteer will have to face. They have their own way of doing things in the office which one will just find very ineffective. They have their own culture as a people which is equally difficult to penetrate. And, introducing changes is totally difficult because of their fear of the unknown.

Thirdly, working with fellow volunteers who come from different countries poses also a very great challenge. Each volunteer has their own culture which is totally different from one another. Each volunteer carry with them their individual work experience which may sometimes clash with the experience of the others. They have different ways of doing things.

HOWEVER, with the above, my experience as a VSO volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa was very enriching, which has added to my already enhanced awareness of the nature of man and will definitely help me in my dealings with different people in my work.

In other words, I SURVIVED because I believed that I can do the job with just being ADAPTABLE and FLEXIBLE.

The Misunderstood World of ADHD

I always admire people who can do multi-tasking skilfully. And, I have also heard that people having ADHD are good multi-taskers. I have already heard of ADHD but don't really know what these letters mean until I came across an article about ADHD kids. ADHD - Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder. Does it mean that ADHD is both a negative and a positive thing? Negative in a sense that it is a disorder, and positive because they are skilfull at multi-tasking. How can it be, was the question I asked myself.

To answer this question, I searched every psychology book and every article about ADHD. This is where I encountered the term "Da Vinci trait". And, as far as I know, Da Vinci is a great artist because of the "Mona Lisa" painting. Now, let me share with you the salient points I picked up from the article I stumbled into.

The article says,

"Da Vinci trait is a great thing, but our society has not traditionally honoured those with this gift. Da Vinci's constantly challenge the norm, question authority, and work outside of the rules.

Even at a young age Da Vinci children sense the lack of genuine intimacy in their communities, feel the void of spontaneous expression from others and begin to see the lack of true honesty and integrity from the authority figures in their lives. It does not mean that if you have a Da Vinci trait, you must develop a disorder. But chances are, if in your formative years, you were xposed in environments hostile to your Da Vinci temperament you probably have developed at least some traces of what we call "neurotic tendencies" or what today is cmmonly called ADHD.

So ADHD is the negative expression of Da Vinci temperament. ADHD is generally the symptom of a frustrated and out of balance Da Vinci. If you are a Da Vinci and you have not cultivated yourself in a way that is compatible with your natural Da Vinci temperament, you will most likely have developed ADHD.

ADHD is the result of not working to your strengths when you have the Da Vinci trait. It is the other edge of teh Da Vinci gene's double edge sword. With the Da Vinci gene you will either be "in the flow" with your God given brilliance or you will be struggling to fit in- trying to be like the other 90% of the population called "normal".

ADHD comes from forcing yourself to behave in artificial ways, (often fueled by your desire to "fit in") instead of just letting go of "shoulds" and just being you.

You can ignore your genius, if you can fight your truest nature, you can try to fit in behaviourally, but in the end, if you have the activated Da Vinci gene, all this will do is frustrate you and make you disordered."

NOW, TRY TAKING THIS TEST to see if you are the Da Vinci type;

__Do you often try new things just for fun or thrills?
__Do you often do things based on how you feel in the moment without worrying about how it was done in the past?
__Are you a jack of all trades? Do you feel more capable than most in adapting yourself to new situations, solving unexpected problesm, and learning new tasks?
__Do you have trouble wrapping up final details of a project, once the interesting and challenging problems have been solved?
__When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, do you avoid or delay getting started?
__Do you feel compelled to overdo things just to feel more awake or alive or safe?
__Do you have difficulty staying organized?
__Do you often feel half-asleep while going about your routine tasks?
__Do you crave adventure, new experiences and/or new ideas?
__Do you have a short attention span - that is, unless a particular subject has captured your imagination?
__Do you act impulsively or dangerously more often than the average citizen?
__Do you have a tendency to allow your mind to drift away from boring conversation?
__Do you have a tendency toward compulsive behavior?
__Do you have difficulty feeling fully awake?
__Do you have broad mood swings from very high to very low?
__Do you frequently daydream or "space out" when you are not at the center of the action?

___TOTAL

Note: If you have checked 5 or more of the above situations, you are a Da Vince Type and
you are no different from these popular people listed below;

Steven Spielberg
Elvis Presley
Bill Clinton
Napoleon Bonaparte
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Fanklin
Thomas Edison
Winston Churchill
Oprah Winfrey
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Jordan and etc.