Train yourself for Real Life

  
Normal na buhay estudyante: Commute to school & back home — as to your schedule. Aral & school works — as to professors’ requirements. 

You are like a pencil, you are like being sharpened each time — which means, it’s also normal if nahihirapan ka! But each time you “keep on” despite difficulties without complaining more often, and without becoming bitter of your situation, notice that you are becoming better!

Yet, ONLY IF YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE HELD IN GOD’s HANDS! — which means you have to ALLOW GOD TO DIRECT YOUR STEPS.

Kapag kasi di mo nakikita ang INSPIRASYON sa ginagawa at mga dapat mong gawin, that is a clear indication na kahit ang DIREKSYON na dapat mong tahakin ay di mo din totoong nakikita kasi sarili mong pagka-akala ang pilit mong sinusunod — without you realizing na ikaw mismo ang nagpapahirap sa sarili mo dahil sa sistema na hindi akma sa REAL WORLD na dapat mong harapin sa totoong buhay. 

Tamang oras ng pagtulog, tamang budget ng oras na walang “on the sides” na paningit, totoong disiplina na kahit walang nakatingin ay ginagawa mo kung ano ang magpapatapos sa gawain mo, organized na environment na malaki ang effect sa pagiging organized ng thoughts & dispositions mo — ito sana ang akma sa totoong buhay at ganito dapat ang ginagawa mo if you are allowing yourself to be held in God’s hands! 

Sa totoong buhay kasi, hindi ka magtatrabaho na ikaw lang ang tao sa mundo kaya di mo dapat gawing excuse na kaya sa gabi ka hindi natutulog ay dahil di ka makapag isip kapag maraming tao. For the truth is, you are actually secluding yourself from listening to God’s DIRECTIONS if you keep on defending your excuses & not DO THE RIGHT THING. 

Buhay Estudyante: you are like a pencil, you become better everytime you are being sharpened kasi “what’s inside of you” which is your “led” cooperates than break. If “what’s inside of you” is grateful of what you have, you will choose “to listen w/your heart”. If you don’t break, then you will become a successful pencil, doing your purpose because you allowed God to be REALLY IN CONTROL — and that is thru your parents who may never know everything about “what you don’t tell ” — but who are just there, striving to guide you to the direction that you should take. 

If afterall things are always difficult for you despite that you have most of what you need than what you still expect to have, maybe you should then strive to look around using your heart that there are persons who do not even have a little of what you do not appreciate. Maybe some do not even get reminders & guidance from their parents — thing that you choose not to consider more often — even if they are already to striving for their life for your sake. 

Interconnectedness!

Why Care for something which is not yours?

Who would GET INTERESTED if after all the “claiming for what belongs to us”, we would soon end up shrugging our shoulders that we don’t really own anything at all?

Silly, right?

BUT here we are, in this course on Management!

Within the whole Semester, we would be talking about “managing” School Plant and Property — which isn’t OURS!

BUT WHY?

SURELY, you wouldn’t be wasting your time, thriving for the 18 Saturdays of your life,  only to end-up not knowing your PURPOSE! — not really that you don’t have a choice than to be here because you could actually mention all the reasons in the world to justify your every absence in class! [*grins*]

SO THEN — WHY still DEAL ON MANAGEMENT besides any point?

Why would you care for something which is NOT YOURS?

What would it take for you to be able to DO IT WELL?

What is there to LOOK FORWARD TO after all?

Sense of Accountability

OVERCOME YOUR FOCUS!

Pls Read God’s Silent Message: Mark 6:1-6

HINDI OPTION ANG SUMUKO!

Divide Single-Mindedness!

Ang dami-dami nating pwedeng makita kung hindi lang tayo nakatitig sa iISA!

Ang dami nating pwedeng maramdaman kung hindi lang iisang pakiramdam ang gusto nating pagbigyan.

…come to think of it, there are a lot of wonderful things, people & situations na dapat nating mapansin from sunrise to sunset … isama na natin ‘yong pagbangon natin sa madaling a raw:  even with our eyes closed, alam natin na naandyan pa din ‘yong family natin — na despite some imperfections ay  pwede pa din nating maging dahilan kung bakit tayo bumabangon; at si God, ang daming inihandang opportunities para sa atin sa loob ng buong maghapon.

Problem lang is …

we never get to see those wonders kasi we opted to FOCUS our attention to our own assumptions which make us feel that we’ve got to do a lot of “proving our SELF” to people whom we think “never appreciate us!”

we are NOT AWARE of our OWN SHORTCOMINGS because we keep on FINGER-POINTING that our pains are all because of what others have done.

Kaya naman in effect … 

we are no longer aware na ‘yong totoo, tayo yong hindi na nakaka-appreciate sa mga pagre-reach out na ginagawa ng iba towards us.

Today, let’s strive to DIVIDE OUR “SINGLE-MINDEDNESS”! Let’s not be too focused on the “not so favourable things” that are happening around us; neither on the self-concept that we are neglected by whatever cause – kasi ang totoo, even Jesus was despised by His own relatives and we couldn’t imagine how “painful” it was … but because He stood by the truth that He is PURE IN HIS INTENTIONS, He kept on reaching out to those who are “close-minded” – all because HE LOVES GENEROUSLY WITHOUT ANY AMOUNT OF PRETENCE!  #sunset

========== published in The Feast Bulletin, Issue#25, 5 July 2015

/@ProfGail67[twitter]/@gailmontero.47/blogs@trendingprof47.wordpress.com

If a Person is Really Sorry!

You would know if a person is really sincere when saying “sorry”!

She would mean and respect your response in her heart and would not react in defense of her mistake when you tell her that she should realize what she did so that he wont add up more insults to God by not committing the same mistake over & over again.

A real sorry person STRIVES TO COMMAND HERSELF NOT TO ENTERTAIN NEGATIVITY OVER THE CONCERNS OF OTHERS who hope to make her realize the things that she should “work hard on” to let her become a better person.

These acts are the responsibilities of both parties if we mean striving ON THE RIGHT THINGS THAT GOD WANTS US TO DO.

Waterproof Faith.

Yes #DearPopeFrancis, I am Personally ONE WITH YOU!

Please read: Mark 1: 14-2

IaMPOSSIBLE!

¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

¹⁸ Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

… sana ganito din ang response ng mga tinatawag para sumama at makinig!

Sa totoong buhay kasi, HINDI MADALIng magyaya ng mga taong pwedeng maki-isa sayo –

not evenwithin the family – to be with you in the same net!

Despite some changing of minds & discouragements against my desire TO BE THERE in Luneta Park-Quirino Grandstand last Sunday, the ONLY CHOICE I HAD was to tell myself: “I AM POSSIBLE!” … until all by myself @ past 3am, I had to walk-through the re-routes along Roxas Boulevard back to Maria Orosa then to Taft Avenue for main entrance and stand-still among the approximately 6M people who desired to have a PERSONAL ENCOUNTER with our Dear Pope Francis for the concluding part of His Pastoral Journey. I was supposed to meet-up my younger sister & bro in law amidst that emerging sea of believers but network signal was cut-off just before we succeeded being together in one quadrant.

Sa totoong buhay, scenarios like these may discourage us. Of course, who would want to be alone in the middle of such a very big crowd, and who would boldly wait for hours while you’re nowhere to hide from the non-stop rain which didn’t give you the choice to remain seated for you’ll get so wet all over? And so true, there may be some speck of wanting to just give up & just go back home to your family – BUT THEN NO! – for in His message during the Meeting with Families in MOA Arena, our Holy Father urged that since there are many threats within the family:

“We must rise from our slumber! We must get up and act!”

He wants a sheep against the wolves that are approaching, particularly our tendency to get trapped in materialism which is destructive of family life. True enough, we may unawaringly experience “isolation and divisions” within our famiy; and sometimes, human and vulnerable as we are, we may just feel too weak to just “let things be”!

BUT THEN AGAIN NO! Lolo Kiko said that “The future passes from the family” & today’s gospel could be an affirmation of our responsibility that the very first place “to fish” is within our family. However, if we find it difficult, there’s got to be somebody to take the initiative to make the family protected against ideological colonization which may eventually separate us.

Reason may not understand what the heart perceives. YES, I “persisted” to be there not to make history with the 6M crowd with “waterproof faith” but to LISTEN UPCLOSE to God’s message through His Holiness & “offer my presence from dawn to sunset as an ounce of sacrifice for my family’s intentions” – for in my heart ¹⁵ “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” #sunset

Published in Light of Jesus’ “The Feast Bulletin CM Binan”

Cor Dei 03. 25 January 2015, Mark 1: 14-20, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Series: BOLD! Dare To Ask God for The Impossible, Talk 2: Persistence

Waterproof Faith! by Gail Montero@TheFeastBulletin.

Plan Your Timeline

Just when will we open that “closed door” for relationships to get better?

Why do we have to start each year with a “JANUARY”

One cool answer I’ve got was that “because we ended with December” 😀 –still in a state of “inactivity” 🙂

This could actually be a tough time to start A NEW YEAR because this requires us to do a “sudden leap” from being hibernated in vacation mode to being mobile & active.

Good thing there is “Janus”, the god of doors & gates, openings & closings from Roman mythology. He is a “two-faced god” who has the ability to turn one face to the past “in reflection” and another face intently directed towards the present “in consideration of the future”.

January, having been named after Janus, gives us the “leeway”to softly shift from “being idle” to being rekindled!”– It gives us the opportunity to examine the doors both of our past whose opportunities could accumulate to the present & could even contemplate our future.

SO, How were your doors in 2014? Was it OPEN or CLOSED? & it it was open, was it slightly or widely OPEN?

As to Janus, many doors are surely to open as the NEW YEAR posts many opportunities for us.

What doors do you envision to open in 2015?

How do you see your DOORS?

Grab this chance to PLAN for your TIMELINE for the entire 2015 so as to install those doors where you are and will be most ready to position those doors.

Whether this year will be a promising one is all up to us!

Remember that no one will open that door for you expect for your WILL, willingness and determination to find the DIRECTION which God has destined for you.

Plan your timeline ahead so that you won’t have to plan to fail.

Live up to Steven Covey’s 1^st Habit of being Highly Effective Leader: BEGIN WITH AN END IN MIND

BE AWARE OF THE “SIGNS”!

“¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed…

¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod,

they returned to their country by another route. “

It’s NEW YEAR once more!

May dapat bang ikahiya na nagpo-pose ka sa kung saan kasama ang family for pictures para ipakita na masaya kayo dahil kumpleto kahit magulo? … READ SIGNS … pag dumating ang time na wala kang makitang maganda, at least may pictures kang pwedeng balikan.

“Picture-picture!” … selfie dito, groupie don! – natapos ang taon na maraming ganon – at nagsimula na ulit ang taon, GANON PA DIN :)! … at isa na ako don! “eto na naman si picture-picture!” – ganito lagi ang kantyaw sa akin kapag may “moments”! Nagkamali nga daw ako ng course na kinuha – dapat daw ay Photography!

True enough! I have always loved “photography” because I have always loved “life & every bit of chance in it”! Thanks to the leveled-up technology kasi digital na tayo ngayon … gone were the days na “kailangan ipa-develop mo muna ang film bago mo pa makita ang image”! – tapos saka mo pa lang makikita na ang epic-fail pala ang shots mo, gumastos ka pa sa developing charge!

Each picture tells “a thousand words” & God’s messages & signals are in-to-it! Images may be kept in the heart but God has given us another alternative to make us “see beyond” when we “take another glance” at those shots in our solitude.

God has always been great for creating great minds that brought us this “digital advantage” where we can easily keep good-to-see pics, drop unpleasant scenarios & elements and change some effects before we post pics that would gather many “likes” in social sites –- all because we’ve INSPIRED life!

What we do in photography, we also do to “life”! – but let us be like those three WISE men who CONSIDERED God’s SIGNS which made them decide to take another route & save themselves from unseeming destruction.

So, my dear brothers & sisters, let’s reflect what we can “keep, crop or drop &

change” in our life as we welcome 2015. Happy & Blessed New Year po! #sunset

*published in The Feast Central Mall Bulletin, Issue#1.2015

Let’s Embrace our “NOW”

Cor Dei 47. 14December2014, 3^rd Sunday of Advent

Please “fill-in” these Blanks.

Please take time reading today’s Gospel: JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28, 

In my response to Bro. Bo Sanchez’s ’s challenge, I must admit – I am enjoying another year in my lifetime … ‘just turned 44, days back.

Ang bilis ng panahon! … It has been five years when I last affirmed a promise to God that “I would maximize time” – if He would only “will” to grant me added opportunities.

Year after year, at the onset of my birthday month, I would really “self-check” if I am still fulfilling my promise. Sometimes, I would have that guilty-feeling that I should have done something better rather than what I just did. At times, I would regret not having met some expectations here & there — while there were even times when I felt that I’ve given almost “all of me” – but still my efforts looked insignificant ‘coz it seemed not enough to suffice some highly-set standards for material things & pleasures.

But God has been ever-faithful to His response to “our mutual agreement”!

Every time I would ask myself “what on earth am I STILL here for?”, isang “look-up” ko lang, He would right away send me His consoles.

Through all those years, I know that He has been increasing & leveling up on His added assignments to me. It has never been easy though — battling through those difficult tasks coupled with some difficult people too which made me experience different SEASONS of LIFE — but I have discovered ONE SECRET:

All that it should take amidst any season

is to be a “John the Baptist” — who is deeply aware

“WHO he IS NOT” – but BY HEART knows “WHO HE IS”!

At dahil dyan, brothers & sisters, today, we are challenged to CONCRETIZE an answer to fill-in these lines/blanks:

“I am not _________________________ !”

“I AM ….. _________________________ !”

Promise, “sobrang saya po and ang sarap sa pakiramdam” na habang tinutupad ko ang promise ko kay God, as sure as I strive to LOOK UP to HIM, He is giving me such assurance that He will also help me fulfill my promise “to still be there until our bunso grows up”!

#LOOK UP.How To Find God In Every Situation. Talk 2: #PagMayTime Finding God in Your Present

“Maximize, We Don’t Have Forever!”

Cor Dei 45. 30Nov2014, 1st Sunday of Advent

Let’s open our heart for today’s Gospel: Mark 13:33-37

“maximize every opportunity” … to TELL & UNDERSTAND … and be God’s messenger 🙂

“Walang Tulugan!”

I would always love that scene:

Each time i would see my dad & mom at my side & front mirrors, standing in front of their gate, looking to my direction until i’ve driven almost at the end of their street.

Ang sarap nilang tingnan … ang saya sa pakiramdam!

‘Yong alam mong naging masaya sila dahil we’ve been with them.

Then i would always tell myself, “sana walang isang araw na walang naghahatid sa akin ng tingin” hanggang almost sa dulo ng street where i grew up and unleashed myself as the person that they want me to be.

Kung pwede nga lang, araw-araw namin silang nadadalaw, araw-araw nakakakwentuhan, araw-araw hugs and himas sa likod — just to at least ease their longings na sana nandon kami lagi for them.

This is one of my greatest fear!

“You do not know when the time will come!”

— that at this very moment, how i want to “clone myself” so that i can both be a daughter by my parents’ side all the time while i continue to be a striving wife and mom to my own family.

In my “child mode” today: how i want to maximize time with my parents for they are not getting any younger! I want to stay awake taking care of them; supposedly looking into their every need even if they keep on saying that they are still strong, seeing the joy in their eyes and hearing the happiness in their laughters everytime we would spend few bonding hours with them. That “feeling of being remembered & regarded importan still” amidst our super busy scheds & multi-tasks — i know will never be enough to be in gratitude to the fact that — when as a child, we didn’t had everything that we wanted — none of those material luxuries — but every amount of sacrifice and love which were not perfectly delivered all throughout those growing up years with my four siblings — that was all that we had until we become the persons that we are!

I hope to make them feel how much appreciation there is in my heart for them while I am also grabbing every opportunity to be at my best for my husband & kids and for my spiritual community: my friends, my students & those who can relate with my every “striving” to relay God’s silence.

“35 So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn; 36 if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep.”

Bottomline po brothers & sisters, whatever MODE we are in right now, God is reminding us today that we’ve got to: “maximize giving our BEST”; “learn to understand MOST” the things that we have no control of; and humbly strive to be “lifted high” in FAITH in whatever ways we could — so that we won’t have to cry over some spoiled chances when the unexpected arrives.

And along with this, we CONGRATULATE our Feast Builder Bro Jon Escoto for a powerful Talk & our Feast Binan & Sta. Rosa TEAM for maximizing an awesome experience of being “LIFTED HIGH” as volunteer servants & attendees in last week’s successful KCon 2014 🙂

published in The Feast Binan CM Bulletin.Issue#45.”Walang Tulugan”30Nov2014

Knocked more than 3x

Just when will we open that “closed door” for relationships to get better?

How many knocks would you expect before you’ll finally make your senses sensitive to the world outside — when you know for a fact that you have some obligations to get-up for!?

Eh kasi naman, “Kinatok ka na ng ilang beses, di ka man lang pala natinag! — at nong nilakasan na ang katok, saka ka lang bumalikwas at sinisi mo pa yong nangatok: bakit late ka nang ginising?!”

Spell COMMITMENT & DISCIPLINE + GRATITUDE!

That fact: “ginising ka na nga, galit ka pa?”! — and dahil sabi mo ay “late na”, tuluyan ka nang di bumangon and to your mind & heart, galit ka dahil “wala naman silang pakialam sayo & that they never care”!

Sometimes, we do not realize that these “little things” would matter a lot in the vastness of life!

Our reactions and mindsets would tell a thousand words about us and would determine how much we savor the things that we are actually enjoying —  much more, it would also tell “our provider” if we really deserve what we’ve been receiving.

God would also knock at our door several times because He wants to awaken us from our “sleepiness”. No matter how the last night has been, His love is new every morning and He keeps on providing us another opportunity to make our life and relationships better.  However, if we still keep on keeping grudges, we would never really “feel it in our heart” that the “knocking actually means caring”!

Bottomline: Let us not wait for that last loud knock before we say things are already too late! #sunset