My Fat Assets

“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster/ And treat those two impostors just the same.”

-  “IF”, Rudyard Kipling

” When I’m eating,that’s all I think about / If I’m on the march, I just concentrate on marching / If I have to fight,it will be just as good a day to die as any other / If you can concentrate always on the present,you’ll be a happy man ”

– Paolo Coehlo (The Alchemist)

Though my whole family has enough degrees to fill a thermometer, I’ve never been big on education. Unlike my parents and sisters, I didn’t have spectacular grades. In UPLB, I flunked the same subject twice because the Jurassic age jeep I drove couldn’t climb the hill up to the lecture hall, so I just went to the gym instead. None of the things I learned in college (Pre-Med) helped me when I joined the family business. And the PhD or two my mom has been of any help to her when she started the family business. Everything we learned in the biz, we learned thru trial and error and the trials and errors of others.

But the mental toughness to get things done whatever the obstacles, I learned thru sports. I play a variety of different sports; I’ve even represented the country at an international level event. I noticed the mental strength needed to play well in sports is the same strength needed too endure the pressures of running a business.

Hmmmm…If I focused on my business as much as I have on sports/hobbies the past decade, I’d be rich. But I definitely wouldn’t have had as much fun. Now that I’m in charge of the family biz, I have less time for play. But things that have been drilled into my brain during play, hopefully translate well into my work. A lot of these are just plain common sense, but there’s no harm in re-focusing at the start of the new year.

Here’s the plan -

Preparation.

I’m a fly by the seat of my pants type of guy. Just wade in and see what happens. To try and succeed thru force of will and aggressiveness of action. While this may lead to very interesting situations , it definitely led me  to unnecessary injuries in sports . Now, I invest a lot of time and money on training. I’ve ( gasp ) taken classes  and short courses. While I pass out unconscious from boredom after ten minutes inside a classroom, I am however a voracious reader. I consume a truckload of books and google as much info as I can. And I probably would be doing it right now if I wasn’t writing this silly blog.

Focus Daniel-San, focus!

If I want to succeed , then I must remove all distractions. It took me just 3 years to achieve my goal of representing the country in Practical Shooting. But in those 3 years, I was so obsessed with my goal I thought nothing else but shooting. Even in my sleep. When my daughter was about to be born, I even snuck out of the hospital to compete at a nearby match. Ssssshhh…..dont tell her

Positive Thinking

This is my favourite. I’ve done amazing things in a match /game that have surprised the heck out of me. Even with poor preparation, I did it just by removing all negative thoughts and believing I could do it. And I did it! OTOH, I’ve tried negative thinking and all I noticed was you’ve already lost before the game has even started.

Stress relief by Paolo Coehlo

Another one of my favorite lessons. The anticipation of pain is worse than pain itself. Like Mr Coehlo says , “If you can concentrate on the present, you’ll be a happy man”. I should stop worrying about results and concentrate on the things I can control. In a game, I‘ve stopped worrying about winning or losing and instead focusing on what I have to do. If I do my job , then the end will take care of itself.

Until my last bullet

I’ve forgotten where I heard/read this line – “ The battle aint over till I’ve fired my last bullet”. I don’t remember how many games where I suffered early setbacks and gave up. Only to find out I missed winning by just a few points, and I could have won if I just persevered.

Sometimes you eat the bear, Sometimes the bear eats you

I prepared well, I focused, I was positive, and I persevered…..but still lost. Well, that’s usually because the other guy was more prepared, focused , positive and and persevered longer than me! Or maybe he was lucky. Even Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan didn’t win them all. Forget about it, and move on!

What a disaster! Let’s celebrate!

I’ve always been a sore loser. I’m in a bad mood all week after a lousy game. But why make it worse? Instead of beating myself up, I’ll treat myself to a delicious meal or buy a new toy/gadget

Celebrate every defeat! OTOH, I’ve learned never to take myself seriously when I win

There was a popular sports drink advertisement years ago that says, “Sports is Life “
Watching people react in pressure situations in sports makes me see how they will react to pressures in life. Some people elevate their game, some fold under pressure. And in the big games, winning is 90% mental

2009 will be a challenging year.

Bring it on!