My Review on the Franklin Covey "The 5 Choices" Seminar Overview

As promised on my last post.. here is my review of the Seminar Overview of "The 5 Choices" by FranklinCovey Philippines.


7 Habits and 5 Choices

The whole idea of the 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity is all about thinking long term and following through with your goals. It successfully integrates the 7 Habits of Hghly Effective People (the higly-acclaimed book) but focuses more on productivity - and doing it extraordinarily!

Thus, the main focus is on how you are going to be able to realistically & effectively achieve goals – not just getting mediocare results – by doing Q2 activities (focus on the important but not urgent) & scheduling the Big Rocks (things of higher value) first. This, for me, is the essence of FranklinCovey's 5 choices. By knowing and clarifying your roles and goals, you are able to practice Habit 2 (beginning with the end in mind), and Habit 3 (First Things First).

To know more about the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", you can check on Amazon.com:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

This paradigm by FranklinCovey offers a panacea for a realistic & effective Time Management and ensures high Productivity for ordinary people, employees, managers, and business owners – and maybe even investors.

In everyday living, they say we have 5 Choices for us to achieve Extraordinary Productivity. Checking on their website and doing screenshots of their website, we will see that in everyday living we have 5 Choices:

Here is Step 1:

From the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, we can identify our daily activities into 4 Quadrants or what we call the Time Management Matrix:

As a rule in effective Time Management, we have 4 Quadrants - we separate them by Importance and Urgency. When you are feeling like your life as an employee is running you over, or that your business is owning you instead of you owning it – that only means one thing: you are focusing most of your life and your time in Quadrant 1.

From being able to clarify what’s important to us, may it be business, family life, spouse or love one, son / daughter, your role as president of your company, the project manager, a salesperson, an investor or entrepreneur – and knowing what activities are in Quadrant 2, relative to these various roles that you have in life, you can then set realistic goals.

Here is Step 2:

Step 2 says: Decide now. What are your roles? List them down.

What do you want to be the outcome (the “end in mind”) for your role, say as a business owner or investor? Okay, I want financial freedom. Check.

But don’t be contented with just getting ordinary results. Get Extraordinary results! Okay, I want to be rich but be spiritual / religious at the same time, and be able to give willingly to my fellow Filipinos especially my family, my katribus, and then the impoverished, once I am financially free. Check. 

Now set your goals and activities to reach that outcome. Okay, I wanna learn how to acquire foreclosed properties and have it rented out so my tenants will be paying for the mortgage, while at the same time the property is slowly gaining equity. Check. I want to know how to do technical analysis in stocks investing. Check! I want to know more about investing in MLM and opening my mind to the possibilities, accumulating wealth while at the same time helping out my business partners. Check!

To know more about the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", you can check on Amazon.com:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Here is Step 3:

From knowing your goals for every role in your life, you can then proceed into renewing yourself every week, resolving to schedule and do high-value activities first, you will be able to accomplish more in life. This requires serious amount of discipline. I mean SERIOUS discipline. So expect that. Don’t fool yourself believing you can go far even without hard work and discipline.

But knowing that you have already set goals and listed your activities, you will find that you are finally getting some direction in your life! You will see & feel this when you are slowly transforming your life week after week after week by constantly revisiting your roles & goals (the goals you’ve set & written in the first place). You will see that by scheduling the big rocks (which is similar to what renowned business author / guru Brian Tracy refers to as “Eating the Frog”) first, you are able to accomplish more things in less and less time.

Because if you really understand the importance of Q2 (important/not urgent) activities, of "eating the frog" or scheduling the big rocks and finishing what’s important first (w/c is usually the hardest thing to do), you will end up having MORE TIME in the END! Hey, this week, I’ve finished doing that presentation slide and made sure it effectively and clearly shows the benefits of going Solar. Check. Hey, this week, I got a very satisfied customer! Check!

Now I can really enjoy life and enjoy some real recreation!

It only gets better. Because the faster you finish those Q2 activites, the faster you will have more time so you can enjoy & relax, or do the things you realy love doing while not being pushed on by any urgencies or pressing activities.

Here is Step 4:

This only means 1 thing. Use that iPad to show the Business Plan, or that Meeting Agenda, or that Sales Presentation more effectively! Not play Angry Birds or DOTA and end up getting Angry Management courses.

Here is Step 5:

The real great thing here is that this paradigm will give you more and more balance in your life. Short-term thinkers won’t see the impact of this because all they do is act on what they feel like doing, or what they are being pressed on doing - were they easily end up feeling victimized, or get easily tempted doing unimportant escapist activities. They tend to put up the important things they really need to do and easily choose the gravels in life instead of the big rocks, feeling more pressure, procrastinating.. the list goes on and on. What you end up having is a life where you are not in control - but rather, a life that controls and owns you!

It's not a "purpose-driven life".
It's an "autopilot-driven life".

A life without a purpose! 

That’s why some people say, own your business – not your business owning you (because they don’t do the Q2 activity of careful planning and handling of finances)!

By understanding the 5 choices and the 7 habits of Highly Effective People, by acting based on principle-centered time-management, you will end up overcoming fear & procrastination without thinking about it.
It's a wholistic, tightly-integrated approach not only applicable to productivity - but also to living your life, I repeat.. YOUR LIFE, in general.

You will not only end up freeing yourself, having and spending more time on what matters most to you - your relationships, enjoy reaping what u sow: the fruits of real & lasting success born out of your hard work; and ultimately… you will get to attain true contentment, true health, true wealth in all areas of your life - not just financially (if that is just your goal).

Who wouldn't want a life were you get to reach your goals, your dreams, while at the same time being genuinely happy inside & out? There's a higher plain out there, higher than attaining financial freedom. It's called Balance. It's called Inner Peace.


If there's something you realy need to invest wisely on, it's this. Investing is not only applicable with using your money wisely. The wisest investment is investing on wisdom.

Practice the 7 habits. Be aware of your 5 choices and act on it.

And soon the phrase "live happily ever after" will be transformed from fantasy to reality.


JCV


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Next time. I will tell you about how at one very low point in my life, the 7 Habits book changed my life and saved me from Tuberculosis.

And how, with God willing, it seems that it is saving my life again.

To know more about the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", you can check on Amazon.com:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Insights from the Free Overview Seminar: The 5 Choices by FranklinCovey

    
Big big thanks FranklinCovey for the wonderful and inspiring (not to mention FREE) overview seminar about your 5Choices program!!!

I went to the venue yesterday January 18, 2012 by myself. I commuted right from Quezon City through the MRT, stopped at the Buendia station and set on foot towards Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati (my map shows it's just a few blocks away from the station), so yeah, it was a delightful walk.

Anyway, I arrived there just on time - and honestly, I don't really know what to expect. I haven't been to a FranklinCovey seminar, or to any official talk or conference concerning my ever-favorite book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. But it has always been my dream to attend one. If I have the money, I would surely go to their 7 Habits Signature program (but of course, I'd like to attend only here in the Philippines). But if there's a chance for me to meet and talk to my idol, the great mentor and one of the greatest Business Consultants that Man has produced, Dr. Stephen Covey, well.. I'd certainly go! But not now, that's for sure. We're still establishing our business and kicking off (do check our facebook page - Your Ideal Partners in Properties, Incorporated or YIPPI) - which is precisely why I went here: I was hoping I'd get to learn some great insights on the seminar (for such a prestigious company such as FranklinCovey, you would expect only the best, the time-tested and proven methods that would work with any body and any culture). Hopefully, some quick points I would be able to easily do to improve productivity - especially now - with all the crazy things, great ideas and the seemingly-endless business activities that has been going on in my life lately. Well, that is certainly what I came in for. I need to learn productivity, and learn quick. (Later on, I know for a fact that they did not disappoint - I found out first hand how very intact and integrated they are as an organization. They don't just make or create methods. They have scientists and scholars who study and test them.)

To know more about the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", you can check on Amazon.com:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Upon my arrival on the venue, I was asked promptly by the usherette if I have my company ID with me. I said... "sorry po, we don't have one yet!" (or should I say "we're still a startup and we haven't planned about that yet - but thanks for reminding!"). LOL.

Here is the ID they gave me.. which you can assume I will be putting in a frame and hang it on my home office wall preeetttty soon! :)

The place was full of great strangers. I'm not a fanatic or anything, but I know that the book 7 habits really gave great insights and brought great changes in me during troubled times - and I got excited in having the opportunity to talk to people who may have possibly (in one way or another) experienced great paradigm shifts in the same way or manner that I have experienced with the 7 habits book.  Unknowingly, I met Harold - my colleague and friend who is also the president of our newly-established company, at the venue. During the seminar, I thought I'd text him and see if he was able to attend. Fortunately, he was indeed at the venue and didn't even notice him just a few tables from me. That's well and good - he was the one I should be thanking for inviting me and informing me about this wonderful event.

Well, I'm sorry to say that it's goodbye for now.. I gotta sleep. Coz I did put to good use the things I learned from the seminar. And because there was so much "gravel" going on in my life, it took me some time to really reflect on my goals and choices and the productivity patterns that I have been doing. I started assessing myself using the lessons I've learned and I did apply it even if it's just an overview, and it turned out really really great! For such a short and broad overview - a 3-day seminar rolled into 2 hours - it did give me a huge impact and edge on the way I do things! It's exciting and invigorating. It's like my vision got clearer. It feels like any big heavy stone can actually be divided into smaller chunks so that it doesn't become any burden at all - it injects balance in your life that you are indeed going to be effective in all areas of your life and be genuinely happy or in control of your life despite any troubles. It's interesting to note how the paradigm or perspective taught here by Covey slightly differ from other self-development gurus like Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Napoleon Hill, or even John Calub here in the Philippines. They have different methods and ways of presenting solutions - but they all put prime focus on productivity, goals and action.

To know more about the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", you can check on Amazon.com:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Coincidences? or by Design?

Things really do happen for a reason. I was searching for answers these past few weeks or months - getting into dead-ends and cycles of disappointments. But just as I was not expecting it - things are beginning to come to it's place. And just as I have expected - when your character is put to the test, that's when you would be able to see the things that are essential in life, the important aspects in life that are crucial to your private or inner victory and to your very own personal development. Like what Stephen Covey said on the book - Private Victory precedes Public Victory. You cannot have lasting success if you have issues within you that you haven't resolved.

And just like what the famous line on The Little Prince said:

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery


I leave you for now with this quote from the great business innovator, Steve Jobs:

“.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”


More on the things I learned, tomorrow!

We'll review what great things did I get to learn and apply from the seminar overview of The 5 Choices by FranklinCovey Philippines. God bless!


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To know more about the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", you can check on Amazon.com:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

The Search for WISDOM by Solomon - and how you can apply it to Business and Investing

The Moral Benefits of Wisdom
Proverbs 2:1-9
FROM: Our Daily Bread (Jan. 3, 2012 entry), biblegateway.com


1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.


There's not much words that could better say it. If you really want to succeed in businesss and in your investments, hear what this Bible verse has to say.

If you really want to succeeed, you humble yourself and learn. Acquire skills, knowledge and above all - WISDOM. Be wise. If ABC in Sales says "Always Be Closing", this timeless, classic bible verse says: ABW - "Always Be Wise".

Always Be Wise

Always go for learning. Always go for wisdom. I think this also basically sums up the idea of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).

Learn everything about business. Be humbled by your learnings. Understand that if you're going to succeed, you are going to continually be a student of life, not just your business. This way you will be wise.

That's why you always hear great basketball players like Michael Jordan or Dwyane Wade say "I'm a student of the game." This is very much true.

Just like how "Mike" succeeded in the game of basketball, he was a student first. He's gone through the hardship, rejection, failure from his High School try-out to his numerous on-court basketball battles. Then when he was pursuing success (aka, Championship first, Hall of Fame Legacy 2nd), he wisely humbled himself and rose up from his failures, learned more and more, trained harder and harder, persevered with hard work. And ultimately, he led himself - and his teammates, to their dream goal.

Wise for him to do so.

At the end, he has the last say. No one in his right mind can object that he became the greatest, the best in his chosen field. In the one good thing that he really loves and cares with passion.

How much is the difference between a million and a billion?

Be wise. Be a student first. You can't claim anything. You can't claim success - even if you already are a billionaire. If you really are successful, very well then - you are successful now. No one can say so in 5, 10, 20 or so years. Because money is not permanent. Nothing is permanent. Except your your character, your legacy, your wisdom. Even Donald Trump, at one time, was a multi-millionaire before he went down deeply in debt (they say he was even poorer than a beggar, with all the business failures he experienced at the time which was caused naturally by market crash & market downturn). But with great wisdom and a great mindset - he rose up and became one of the most powerful business leaders and multi-billionaires today. He was poor, but then he came back even stronger than ever before.

That is what wisdom can do. It can be the difference between a million and a billion.

Start building by mastering yourself and continually gaining wisdom. Learn and relearn, discover and re-discover. Hear everything, read everything, learn everything. But be sure to keep them, apply them and put them into ACTION!

Inner victory first. Outer success will come along.

What have I done today that's related to Business or Investing?

A Business Journal Entry

I met with Layla (not her real name, for security reasons) today and discussed about the prospect and the possibility of doing business or "partnering" with her on her Solar business. We met at 3pm earlier.. I originally asked to meet her at 2:30, but I came in late - how shameful of me - because I went to BPI Bank to withdraw some cash, but surprisingly I met Mac (who was my office-mate and best friend) there. Plus, an amazing thing happened - the BPI guard whom I regularly chat with whenever I go to their bank, asked about my conversation with Mac (which was totally unintentional). He overheard us talking about our cellphone loading business, and so I had to chat with them (good business!) even if I am already running late on my appointment with Layla.

The great thing is that I finally discussed with her the SOLAR aspect of the business "empire" that I dreamed of building. (Apart from the Real Estate corp that I co-partnered and built with some friends, I could adopt or feature a GREEN advocacy towards my business or businesses - which I've always thought of as the righteous thing to do or what people should be doing to care for the environment. And yes, I'm a big dreamer - I'm afraid my mom would knock at my head and bring me back to "reality" when she hears me -- well, I love my mom!). But would it really matter if you tried and failed - but deep inside you only had good intentions and good dreams (the "save-our-mankind" type of thing) for yourself and others?

Anyway, back to my story. Layla and I talked for about an hour and a half. Layla was a bit sad when talking about her sister who just got recently diagnosed with a severe illness. I really feel guilty for somewhat pushing her to talk to about our business, despite her condition. I just thought that this is also for her, and that I really wanted to help, in a way. It's just sad - for anyone to go through a situation like hers. She had to take care of her sister because, as she has said - she's the only one in her family who isn't into office work but into business. I felt relieved though when our talk shifted onto business. Pretty soon, our talk was lively, exciting, and filled with hope. Our minds met immediately and "in sync" with the thought of the great ideas relating to business. I made sure I listened with full attention, and being intent on getting all ideas to sink in with the small time that we both had. Our meeting was a very fruitful one.

Finally, after my walk at the mall (I had errands to do), I had a short (or was it actually lengthy?) talk with my cousin Tonton, who's currently living with us for the time being. I really enjoy listening, chatting, and learning from this promising young man! He's very passionate in learning a lot about his work. He shares and tells stories with great zest and appeal, and talks convincingly - and with such integrity - that I feel like I want to buy anything that he offers to me, even if he is just relating to me his experiences at work. One very good thing about him is that he is a MAN of ACTION. He's very much driven to succeed. He's filled with sincerity, humility, and willingness to share and learn everything about his job. He is purpose-driven. He's hard-working and very much contented with his work at a local sales / advertising company.

If I am to be successful at the company we built, I should emulate him. Even at his young age, I could learn a lot about his efforts and his perseverance.

I even felt a bit ashamed of myself, or maybe envious, or mesmerized - at how he learns so fast, how he embraces the very hard challenges and pressures that comes with his work - even if it's hard for him. (I should know! I worked as a insurance & book salesman before and found it really hard - I decided then that Sales was not for me. I learned the hard way that it was actually the way I should go if I really want to be successful in life and reach my dreams.) He relates to me all the he has experienced, all the hard work that he does. He shares to me in vivid details how he approaches his prospects or clients, how he goes to a building armed only with sheer determination and faith. The astonishing part here is that he does COLD-SELLING! Can you believe how hard would that be? It's not even telemarketing where you are hidden behind a headset, where your clients can't see you. Although I have to admit, their products are great. If you have such a great product to sell, with great benefits, you should always forge ahead and be not afraid. Sometimes, I even feel like joining him at his work - just to LEARN firsthand more about sales, get on through with their rigid training, learn about their brand of strategy in marketing. The experience, the hardships, the learning -- all these would be INVALUABLE!! As the saying goes... "Pressure creates diamond out of stone." My only problem is that it's gonna be a full time job. Although I will really get to learn a lot, learn first-hand how to sell to strangers, how to market in odd circumstances, be forced to do things outside my comfort zone, be driven to succeed. To get REAL TRAINING on how to sell, to advertise, to market. I'd love to try that if I have the time. (But who says I can't try it with my businesses? I have my mentors and books. I have to admit though, there's can be no substitute for experience - direct TRAINING is still very much different.)

It's a good thing that Ton is still young, his mind is still very much focused on learning and growing at his professional career, and that he has a great attitude towards work and his humbling conditions and beginnings (he is the breadwinner for his family - his father died a few years ago).

At a very young age, after all that he's gone through - Tonton remains humble, kind & generous, child-like, and very much determined. I could absolutely say he has the RIGHT MINDSET. And that is why I'm proud of my cousin.

I should learn from him. And so it is, too, with Layla - who works very hard establishing her business. I should surround myself with people like them who has pure heart. Who has uncorrupted minds. Who has unbelievable character.

These people are simply LOVABLE. Who wouldn't want to like them? I should emulate them. Just like how the nurses at St. Luke's Hospital treats visitors and patients - in a great great manner, with such an amazing politeness and tact - and a extremely friendly and comforting smile! You wouldn't even feel like you are in a hospital. Or, rather, you would be amazed to think - "there's a hospital her in the Philippines like this?" It feels like home. It feels horribly like heaven in there that you'd want to stay sick. Everyone wants to be treated genuinely with respect and love.

This is exactly what our country needs.

Well, I would love to talk more. But I have to rest and sleep now. God bless all the people I've met and talked to today. God really has his ways of answering prayers. He answers you directly and straightforward. He talks through the pure hearts of the people who cared to have a genuine chat with you. If only you would listen - but listen carefully, both with your mind and with your heart.

So it's a good thing - even in business, not just in your social life, to have an open mind and to share the abundance and the blessings.

God bless!

May you have a prosperous New Year ahead - as well as a business or an investment (invest in your financial literacy first!) that would be a blessing not only to YOU, but to all whom that your heart may touch through all the SUCCESS that I wish you would have!

Jeng
1/4/2012