Jayson Lo

manage your time, Manage your Life (part 3)

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:30:00 +0800

Peter Drucker, the father of Management Theory, mentioned in his book, Management challenges in the 21^st century the word “Purposefully Opportunistic.”

It means that all our actions should be intentional to help our future. Those Intentional actions should be aligned to our purpose and goals in life.

Example: Public Speaking. One of the things I do is Public Speaking. I do inspirational talks, training, and preaching. One thing that people ask me to do that I don’t like doing is hosting. I did some hosting gigs in the past but I don’t think it’s aligned to my purpose. Do I want to be one of the best speakers in the country? YES! Do I want to be one of the best hosts in the country? NO! I don’t think its for me.

Another Example: Starting a business. If I start a loaning business that looks profitable on paper, I have to ask myself if it’s aligned to my purpose of helping people. My answer? I don’t think so. It will only dig a deeper hole for those who will borrow. So even though it can make me buckets of money, it will also drag me away from helping people. So be careful when you look for opportunities. It should always be aligned to your purpose. (Personal Vision and Mission)

Remember these words whenever an opportunity comes along: Purposefully Opportunistic!

P.S. Be careful of opportunities. The worst distractions are opportunities.

Manage your time, Manage your Life (part 2)

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:54:56 +0800

Some say you can’t manage your time, you can only manage your activities. While the semantics between managing time and managing activities may be similar, the result often indicates what we value the most.

If you say you don’t have time to do something, that is a false statement because we will always have time. It’s just not our first concern. If you say I don’t read books because I’m so busy and I don’t have time, what that actually means is that reading is not your priority. Quadrant II activities should be a priority.

Here are my Quadrant II activities

Daily:

Read the Bible

Pray and have my quiet time

Spend alone time with my wife and kids

Weekly:

Date day with my wife

Planning Schedule

Read one book a week

Write blogs

Listen to podcasts

Study and practice speaking

Exercise

Bible Study (I am leading three every week)

Monthly:

Attend a seminar related to my work or interest

Writing a book

Developing training materials

Network with new people

Mentoring staff and people

Seek mentors I can learn from

Speaking Engagements to influence the workplace

Quarterly:

Travel

Family Reunions

Manage your time, Manage your Life (part 1)

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:23:00 +0800

First, you have to know the difference between

Important and Urgent

Important and Not Urgent

Not Important and Urgent

Not Important and Not Urgent

In his ground breaking book “The seven Habit of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey introduces the Time Management Matrix:

Quadrant 1: The important and urgent items that need to be dealt with immediately. The best example of this is when nature calls. You need to go to the restroom ASAP. Another example is when you need to put out fires at the office due to problems that got bigger because it wasn’t addressed at the onset.

Quadrant 2: The important but not urgent items that don’t require your immediate attention. This is where you deal with things that are important to your values and goals. This is the quadrant that you need to plan for. The urgent things are usually what keep us away from doing the important things. THIS IS THE QUADRANT WE SHOULD FOCUS ON.

Quadrant 3: The unimportant and urgent items that should be minimized or if possible, eliminated from our list. A good way to avoid this is through planning and delegation.

Quadrant 4: The unimportant and not urgent items, the time wasters.

As you focus your time on Quadrant II, it keeps you aware that picking tasks on a day-to-day basis should be aligned to help your future.

Remember that putting the most important things first every day is the purpose of time management. For me, reading the Bible and praying to God is my best Quadrant II activity daily. It keeps me aware that God is in control of everything including time.

This is a relaunch of my blog. I stopped blogging for over a year now. The reason? I wrote a book....

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:34:00 +0800

This is a relaunch of my blog. I stopped blogging for over a year now. The reason? I wrote a book. I said to myself, I must focus on writing and try to minimize distractions, so I dropped blogging temporarily to concentrate on it. My deadline was June 2010. I finished writing the book January 2012. I was busy prioritizing urgent things that I miss the important ones. Better late than never (nuff said). My book’s release date is this February 2012. In the next few blogs, I will talk about how to effectively do:

Time Management

To Do lists

Setting goals

It took me almost two years to write this book but it was eleven years in the making from the time of its conception. If I had applied these principles, it would have taken me shorter to accomplish my goal. Instead of eleven years in the grid, it would have been half the time. And instead of two years to write, it would’ve taken six months or less. Here goes…

Sam Milby Despedida

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:06:07 +0800

We went to Sam’s house where his despedida party took place, attended by a few friends and colleagues. Sam is off to uncharted territory, in U.S. soil, where he is going to try his hand on TV soap opera in the states. He will be gone for a few months, hopefully longer, because his stay there would determine his success in getting roles.

I remember I started watching Glee when it was announced that Charice will be a guest. She only appeared twice but it was a proud moment for us pinoys. (I stopped watching Glee because I can’t take how salacious and filthy the series is.)

I would love to see Sam successful there. He is already so comfortable here but he wants to set his bar higher. I’m amazed at how he’s willing to take risks and go out of his comfort zone to pursue his new goal.

During his party, he recalls a time in his childhood where he competed as a five year old ice skater. He said that in three separate competitions, he didn’t go out to the skating rink when his name was called. He was too shy. On the fourth occasion, he still opted not to compete. His coach then convinced him to go out by promising Sam that he would quit smoking (the coach) if he does. That’s the first time he competed. It’s a funny story but look at where he is today.

Even with all the success, he is still a shy guy; nevertheless, he knows that going out of the country is something he’s called to do.

I’ve known Sam even before his Big Brother days and I can tell you this one thing about him, despite all the success, HE HAS NEVER CHANGED. He is still the same humble guy we’ve known and love. All the best for you Sam! Go and make pinoys everywhere proud.

Thank You to St. Jude and PAG (Parents Auxiliary Group) for...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:38:00 +0800

Thank You to St. Jude and PAG (Parents Auxiliary Group) for inviting me to speak on my upcoming book…YOUnique! I enjoyed the time with all the parents who came for the event.

St Jude Photos

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:56:00 +0800

St Jude Photos

Feedback from sessions at the St. Jude Catholic School: January 21, 2012

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:56:00 +0800

Hi! To everyone who participated in today’s sessions at St. Jude Catholic School, I’d love to read your feedback and questions.

Please leave me a comment by clicking the little “comments and responses button” to the right.

Or send me a tweet to @jaysonlo

Or email me: jayson@jaysonlo.com

Thanks so much!!! I appreciate it. : )

Here are some photos from our weekly Victory Greenhills...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:24:00 +0800

Here are some photos from our weekly Victory Greenhills services. Always a privilege to speak and share the word of God.

Join us every week either on Wednesdays or Sundays at our new center inside VMall in Greenhills.

Common Sense Business

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:23:05 +0800

Common sense nowadays is uncommon. It’s common sense to eat healthy food but we pick chocolates over vegetables without blinking. It’s common sense for parents to ask their daughter if the guy who proposed to her is trustworthy and hardworking but the first thing parents ask is what’s his business…It’s the vernacular for Is he wealthy? (Ano bang apelyido nya? Kasi kung ang apelyido may Dating, may Datung!) It’s common sense to put God first in our list of priorities but often he is at the bottom end.

We can tackle a lot about what’s ‘senseful’ and what’s senseless but our topic is about what’s common sense in business. I will be discussing how to’s for a start-up small business.

Let’s start with the most important part of the business. You! Do you have what it takes? Do you have the courage to pursue your dreams in life? Are you ready to be ridiculed by many and criticized by the majority? I’ll be honest with you; it’s not a walk in the park. Between 75% and 90% of all new businesses fail within the first 10 years. Starting a small business seems to be right up there with shark-diving and Race car driving as a dangerous activity that’s best avoided.

The good news is that anyone can build a successful business. Anyone can be successful but not everyone will! Contrary to my prior belief, now I don’t believe that businesses is for everyone. Although I do believe that everyone should try to start and build a business. And the only way for you to find out if a business is for you is to start one. A business is a vehicle to reach your dreams and make it a reality. It’s one of the most exciting things you will ever do in your life.

Here’s a roadmap to our journey: First chapter is about “Building on your best assets.”

1) You

2) Your Employees

3) Your Suppliers

4) Your Capital

5) Your community.

I know it’s odd but I feel like starting first with this before the dreaming stage, which is the conceptualization of your business. I’ll cover it in chapter 2, “The Small Business Cycle.” The third chapter is about “The Small Business Traps.” Last chapter is “What if you failed.” (note: I didn’t include the parts for the succeeding chapters.)

If you plan to be a successful entrepreneur read on. Ready set…

Toothless

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:20:19 +0800

I know I said my latest post was the conclusion on my blog about adversity. The events that transpired yesterday made me add one more.

I was suppose to watch the NBA Finals before going through my itinerary. A business dedication at 4pm, a meeting with 2 of our youth leaders at 6pm, and a 1 Life to Live big group at 8pm. I have to ask someone to fill in for me because of a toothache. This is what happened instead…

I went to the dentist from 10: 30am-12: 30pm. My swollen gums prohibited her from extracting my tooth. Doctor’s instructions were to take antibiotics and painkillers. When I got home, I was still in so much pain. We called up the dentist and she asked me to go back again. She said we’d have to remove the tooth even if my gums are swollen. From 4pm-7pm, we tried to no avail. It was more painful now even with anesthesia. We ended up taking apart just a portion of the tooth.

When I got home my toothache was intensely throbbing. The pain is like being injected in the affected area over and over again. Ouch! We called the doctor at 10:30pm. She said I should go back to the clinic. She will extract the tooth even if it hurts so that the pain will be alleviated.

I rode a Taxicab following doctor’s advice not to drive. We had another procedure at 11pm that ended at 1am. The dentist said this was her first time to accept a patient at 11pm. All in all I was in the dentists’ chair for 7 hours. This experience is traumatic! I wanted to cry because of the pain but I have to remain tough. Aside from the fact that my dentist is a woman, she is also a member of our church. I would just wipe a tear every now and then. haha

As I write today, with antibiotics on hand and gums still aching, I woke up thanking God that the pain is gone. I appreciated my day just because it’s back to normal once again. We often take for granted the normal events of life. After yesterday, my normal days won’t be so normal again. Having a thankful heart towards our creator makes everyday special.

Adversity builds your Future

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:19:06 +0800

The year I lost my business was the hardest and most painful year of my life. But I can sincerely say that it was also my best year as well. There’s just so much to share from that experience. One of the most important lesson I learned was to make my stumbling blocks into stepping-stones.

“The Future looks so bright I got to wear shades” is indeed a cliché that hasn’t lost its luster. It’s candid how I relate in my mind that catch phrase to the Bible in the book of Hebrews where it says ”Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Adversity will reveal what kind of faith you have in yourself, in your endeavor, and most importantly in God. Faith gives you a better view of life.

Even though you’re in a quagmire, always remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel. In other words, your future is how you see it!

I am now part of this club who pride themselves in saying that you are not truly a businessman until you lost money in a business. I just wish I didn’t have to lose that much to join this club. If you are having difficulty in your business and you ask anyone whose part of this club to give you advice, it’s amazing how all of them will say this one liner…”Lalagpas din yan!” This too shall pass. It’s not the end of the world for you but the start of something great =)

This concludes my blog on adversity. My next blog entry will be a series on How to start a business with Common Sense.

"There is one major difference between average people and successful people…it’s their reaction to..."

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:16:39 +0800

““There is one major difference between average people and successful people…it’s their reaction to failure.””

- John Maxwell sums up the importance of our emotions in his book “Failing Forward.”

Adversity builds your EQ

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:15:46 +0800

EQ is your Emotional Quotient; it’s how well you handle your emotions in times of distress. Research says that EQ is 24 times more powerful than IQ. Wow! No wonder people are so illogical. How many times have you heard the line…I Love You…only to see the relationship end. Statistics say that this happens to 50% of married couples. Sad.

Going back to our failed business adventure, with all the problems brewing, the worst is when I have to talk to seven investors who lost all their money. Around P300, 000 to P800, 000 each. This is probably the most difficult thing I have ever done in my professional life. I can still recall the agony of it all. The sleepless nights! The fear of receiving a text message from them…or worse a call. My experience made me so much tougher mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Good thing I didn’t need to be tougher physically as there were no glasses or fists thrown at me.

(I’ll share some tips about this in a future blog entitled How to talk with angry people. Can you think of a better title in a situation like this? Guess not.)

John Maxwell sums up the importance of our emotions in his book Failing Forward. He mentions that “There is one major difference between average people and successful people … it’s their reaction to failure.”

Adversity builds Self-Belief

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:14:32 +0800

Kat was due in three weeks. I found out that the remaining balance we owe for our leased space in a certain mall was around P350, 000. Our bankrupt company has P100, 000 left, so it took me another 2 weeks to raise the remaining P250, 000 deficit. Lo and behold when I returned with the full balance, accounting told me that there is an interest of P70, 000 for the 2 weeks delay. For those of you less cunning readers, that’s an interest of P5, 000 per day. Our store is already close at this time with no operation.

I talked to the lease managers several times almost begging them not to add interest. All to No Avail! (I won’t mention which mall did this. Lets just say that they were this greedy even though, “They have it All!”)

I had to drain all our savings to lend it to the company so that we can start dismantling the facility w/ no further interest & sell the dismantled items. Money I was reserving for Kat’s delivery.

First rule in adversity: Never Panic! I forced my mind to think of ways to raise money without incurring any more debt. After three days, our hospital bill came out at P85, 000. When all was said and done, we ended up having almost three times the amount we needed. In three Days!

When your facing incredible odds toward success, think of your love ones so that you can get strength from the adversity. And do not stop believing in yourself because if you do, then no one will. By the way, after two years, the mall hasn’t found anyone to rent our space until now.

"The most important things in life are not things. The most important things in life are..."

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:12:49 +0800

““The most important things in life are not things. The most important things in life are relationships.””

- I learned this lesson the hard way.

Adversity builds Relationships

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:12:06 +0800

When Kat, my wife, was a few days due with our first baby, I have zero money in the bank. (I’ll tell you what happened in the next point.) Every night I would pray and cry in our bed without showing it to her.

Before I do this, I would kiss her tummy and talk to our baby. While kissing her tummy, a tear fell from my eye. Kat felt it and immediately asked me…”Jayce are you crying?” I wasn’t able to contain myself and I burst into tears.

It was the first time she saw me crying because of a business problem. She started crying and hugged me tightly pleading for me to stop. We we’re both crying hard now. I kissed her lips even though both our faces were drenched with tears.

Then all of a sudden, what the bible calls “THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING” filled our hearts.

A supernatural confidence came to both of us. We were truly filled with so much unexplainable joy and peace. I know right there and then that I can lose my business, I can lose all the money I have in the bank, but if God is there for me and my family is with me, then Life is Complete. Everything will be ok.

I learned this lesson the hard way “The most important things in life are not things, the most important things in life are relationships.”

Adversity builds Character

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:09:17 +0800

I love this quote by Charles Spurgeon “It is doubtful that God can use a man greatly until he has wounded him deeply.”

A successful businessman who has grown his business from an SME to a Large Corporation told me that in business or life just like in war, you should be proud when you have battle scars, “Lalo kang gumagwapo!” I told him if that was the case…I should look like Brad Pitt by now.

Your character gets stronger through adversity as it reveals to you who you really are as a person. As you squeeze an orange to get its juice; adversity can squeeze life out of you for better or for worse. Because of the trials you are facing, you will discover a part of you that you’ve never known existed…from a child you become a man, from a mouse you become a lion, from being hopeless you become hopeful, and from being fearful you become someone whose fearless!

Nowadays whenever I have big problems, I would just recall my failed business experience and without exception it will bring a smile to my face making me optimistic to deal with the challenges I have today.

"It is doubtful that God can use a man greatly until he has wounded him deeply."

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:06:37 +0800

““It is doubtful that God can use a man greatly until he has wounded him deeply.””

- I love this quote by Charles Spurgeon

Adversity! Friend or Foe?

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:05:45 +0800

A question that I’m sure all of us have asked God one way or another is “Why do people have to go through adversity?” More specifically for me, why did our restaurant business fail miserably leaving a trail of despair in it’s midst? Why does God allow such things?

We lost almost P10 million. Blood sweat and tears were all part of the ingredients. It happened at a time when my wife is pregnant with our first baby, at a time when I’ve focused all my efforts in the business while leaving other business opportunities aside. At a time when my mother is in need financially because she was diagnosed with cancer.

I had to talk to investors who lost millions. I had to fend off angry employees. I have to shamelessly negotiate with our leases. I have to beg our suppliers and creditors for extension. I have to borrow money from friends and relatives. Almost everyday I was funding checks that are due. I used up all our savings. I lost almost everything I’ve worked for just to make the business work. It still didn’t. But rather than focus on what the eye can see, I shifted to the things that only the mind and heart can see.

In my search for answers, God has been gracious. I’ve learned more from that single year than all the years of my life combined. One thing that stands out from my recent experience is in making adversity my ally instead of my foe. What did I learn? I’ll be sharing 5 things in the next 5 days about Adversity.