Category: 2018 Update

Ramon's Greatest Hits of 2018Current 9-5 Job - that provides more room for career growth, filled with a lot of experts I can learn from and a supportive boss.Meditation - has been added to my daily routine. More clarity on my daily activity.Improved Writing - less time required to write. Better positioned to send a clearer message to my readers.Improved Productivity - 10% better at dealing with indecision. No more waiting for the "starts to align" before taking action. No, not acting on impulse, but more on the removal of petty excuses that causes me to be complacent.Generally Happy-er - 30% happier from all the blessings, challenges and stories I acquired this year. I'll keep that vague because it's too personal. However, if you really wanna know then I suggest we…

...That's A WrapThe year will end soon.It's that week you wanna leverage to tie as many loose ends as you can (so they don't carry over next year).But tying the loose ends is not that easy when your focus is just...off.On Thursday, at work, I found myself checking the clock more frequently than the usual, waiting for the day to be over already.Watching the time is an alarming sign that it's time to QUIT - to stop doing whatever the hell it is you're doing because from that moment forward you're doing a half-assed job.And when you are doing a half-assed job, you miss those small details that could get you in trouble.But I suppose this week is an exception.I'm like everyone else - already on "Holiday Mode".But that lack…

2-in-1 Training w/ RJTwo of the side projects I worked on has come to their "final stages" this week. "Final stages" means that these projects were put to test to gauge as to whether or not it's effective or not or perhaps it needs more improvement.Update Training Doc...for one of the software we use at work.I volunteered to do the task to keep myself busy during those days when things are slow at work.The update was required because it's outdated and it's a little hard to follow.Application of the ideas I learned from studying sales copy helped me tweak the document so it's easier to read and follow: more pictures + shorter sentences.The feedback I got from everyone in our department says it's so much better than what it was. Task completed, or…

It's Christmas Time in the City...Which means it's time for giving, for showing love to the less fortunate.You'll notice that from the increased number of donation letters in your mailbox.It's the season when every organization finds a way to give back to the community (while promoting itself to the public). *a win-win approach  Now, I don't mind giving a little bit of something. I've already done that through other (donation) commitments but one thing that I haven't done before was to be a part of a "donation hamper" to a less-fortunate family.This "act of sharing" (I became part of) was initiated by other employees at work.We were split into different teams. Each team is assigned a family they will give gifts to. And each team member is responsible for buying a gift for one…

Ethics and Professional Practice I decided to challenge the practice quiz on ethics (for my insurance broker license exam prep) without studying. When I see or hear the word "ethics" the thought that comes to mind is: this is easy, use your common sense and pick the answers that do not cause harm to others. So I didn't study. And just as you guessed it, I failed...miserably. This could mean two things, either I... have poor/bad ethics OR totally misunderstood the word "ethics" in the insurance industry. Much of the questions in the quiz have more to do with understanding the laws on insurance ("technical side" of things) than on operating at your clients best interest (common sense side of things). This is where it becomes tricky - obeying the law…

Word to Avoid: Understand Because it's offensive (if used incorrectly or without empathy...) "Do you understand?", I asked one of my co-workers. His response: "What do you mean? Of course, I understand! Why would I write it down if I don't understand?!" The response was delivered in a defensive tone as if I was questioning his intelligence. I had no intention to make him feel offended but his reaction to my question is way beyond my control. Sensing his irritation, I cooled him down, not by apologizing but by using a different set of words that don't come off as offensive. I then asked: "If you were to describe it in your own words, how would you go about it?" It is very difficult to provide full context about the…

Learning About Insurance I didn't realize until later this week that I have three more textbooks I need to read *sigh*. But instead of saying "F*ck it I'm done!", I kept going anyway. Why? Resisting isn't going to make things easier anyway so I might as well give in and give it my full focus. We feel resistance towards things we need to do but we don't enjoy doing. Since you NEED to do it, why make it harder for yourself by resisting to it? I tell other people I'm "studying" when in reality I'm just reading. My goal is not to master or fully internalize what I'm reading but to (at least) gain familiarity with the subject. This was the idea that popped up in my head when I left…

MinimalismA friend recommended I watch the Netflix Documentary "Minimalism".So I did lol (while folding the clothes I just took out from the dryer). Did I agree with everything that's been said in the documentary? Not on everything. I somewhat felt conflicted, like there was a misalignment between the goal of the documentary and its contents.30-minutes into the documentary, I noticed there was this focus on being 'enough' that we should learn to feel content.While I agree to some degree, misinterpretation of the idea of 'enough' can cause us to be complacent. Complacency kills personal growth. Lack of growth could lead us to stop "living", NOT dying, but stop living to our potential.Here are some of my other thoughts:Two guys who used to work in the financial industry realized that life…

Prioritize There's a crapload of things I wanted to do in a week. However, I always feel like I don't have enough time to do all of them. Perhaps creating a "system" or some sort of strategy would allow me to do more in my schedule? One solution I have in mind is to: get up 30-mins earlier in the morning. With the extra 30-minutes, I can spend more time reading books or sneak in a quick breakfast before going to work. But I already get up early. Now I wanna wake up even earlier. Most people I talked to about it find it confusing as to why I wake up at 4:30 AM. Because really, what the hell do I do in the morning that I had to wake up that…

Daydream That's what happens when you're bored as f*ck. I was in training all day on Tuesday to learn more about one of our supplier's product. Learned a thing or two - not as much as I thought I'd be learning. While some of the attendees are struggling to stay up - I was actively thinking about product promotion for my artwork. Because in my head, that was the intent of the training: to re-emphasize how good the supplier's product is while strengthening the supplier's relationship with the customer. A win-win for both parties. And a big win for myself - as it gave me the whole day to come up with ideas on how to promote my work. Leaving the office with fresh ideas, I wrote them all down as…