Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 25

Never take direction from a crowd for your personal life. And never choose to quit just because somebody disagrees with you.
- John Mason

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 17

Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood. Make big plans: Aim High!
- D. H. Burnham

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 16

Think positively about yourself. Keep your thoughts and actions clean. Ask God who made you to keep on remaking you.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 15

There is no money problem. It's always an idea problem. So think longer.
- Robert Schuller

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 14

The law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act, and reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.
- G. D. Boardman

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 13

Develop the hunter attitude... wherever you go, there are ideas waiting to be discovered
- Roger Von Oech

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 12

Your ideas are like diamonds. Without the refining process they are just rock, but by cutting away the impurities, they become priceless.
- Paul Kearley

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - March 11

When you think you can do something then it's probably too easy. It's only when you think you can't do something that it becomes a challenge. The mind always gives up before the body.
- Luke Rosenberg

Commencement Address by John L. Gokongwei, Jr. on March 27, 2004

I wish I were one of you today, instead of a 77-year-old man, giving a speech you will probably forget when you wake up from your hangover tomorrow. You may be surprised I feel this way. Many of you are feeling fearful and apprehensive about your future.

You are thinking that, perhaps, your Ateneo diploma will not mean a whole lot in the future in a country with too many problems. And you are probably right. You are thinking that our country is slipping? No, sliding. Again, you may be right. Twenty years ago, we were at par with countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Today, we are left way behind. You know the facts. Twenty years ago, the per capita income of the Filipino was 1,000 US dollars. Today, it's 1,100 dollars. That's a growth of only ten percent in twenty years. Meanwhile, Thailand's per capita income today is double ours; Malaysia, triple ours; and Singapore, almost twenty times ours. With globalization coming, you know it is even more urgent to wake up. Trade barriers are falling, which means we will have to compete harder. In the new world, entrepreneurs will be forced to invest their money where it is most efficient. And that is not necessarily in the Philippines. Even for Filipino entrepreneurs, that can be the case.

For example, a Filipino brand like Maxx candy can be manufactured

In Bangkok where labor, taxes, power and financing are cheaper and
More efficient and then exported to other ASEAN countries. This will be a common scenario if things do not change. Pretty soon, we will become a nation that buys everything and produces practically nothing. We will be like the prodigal son who took his father's money and spent it all. The difference is that we do not have a generous father to run back to. But despite this, I am still very excited about the future. I will tell you why later. You have been taught at the Ateneo to be "a person for others." Of course, that is noble: To serve your countrymen.
Question is: How? And my answer is: Be an entrepreneur!

You may think I am just a foolish man talking mundane stuff when
The question before him is almost philosophical. But I am being very thoughtful here, and if I may presume this about myself, being patriotic as well. Entrepreneurship is the answer. We need young people who will find the idea, grab the opportunity, take risk, and set aside comfort to set up businesses that will provide jobs. But why? What are jobs? Jobs are what allow people to feel useful and build their self-esteem. Jobs make people productive members of the community. Jobs make people feel they are worthy citizens. And jobs make a country worthy players in the world market. In that order of things, it is the entrepreneurs who have the power to harness the creativity and talents of others to achieve a common good. This should leave the world a better place than it was. Let me make it clear: Job creation is a priority for any nation to move forward. For example, it is the young entrepreneurs of Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore who created the dynamic businesses that have propelled their countries to the top. Young people like yourselves. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, progress is slow. Very little is new. Hardly anything is fresh. With a few exceptions, the biggest companies before the war like PLDT, Ayala, and San Miguel are still the biggest companies today. All right, being from the Ateneo, many of you probably have offers from these corporations already. You may even have offers from JG Summit. I say: Great! Take these offers, work as hard as you can, learn everything these companies can teach and then leave! If you dream of creating something great, do not let a 9-to-5 job even a high-paying one lull you into a complacent, comfortable life. Let that high-paying job propel you toward entrepreneurship instead.

When I speak of the hardship ahead, I do not mean to be skeptical but realistic. Even you Ateneans, who are famous for your eloquence, you cannot talk your way out of this one. There is nothing to do but to deal with it. I learned this lesson when, as a 13-year-old, I lost my dad. Before that, I was like many of you: a privileged kid. I went to Cebu's best school; lived in a big house; and got free entrance to the Vision, the largest movie house in Cebu, which my father owned.

Then my dad died, and I lost all these. My family had become poor, poor enough to split my family. My mother and five siblings moved to China where the cost of living was lower. I was placed under the care of my Grand Uncle Manuel Gotianuy, who put me through school. But just two years later, the war broke out, and even my Uncle Manuel could no longer see me through. I was out in the streets literally.

Looking back, this time was one of the best times of my life. We lost everything, true, but so did everybody! War was the great equalizer. In that setting, anyone who was willing to size up the situation, use his wits, and work hard, could make it! It was every man for himself, and I had to find a way to support myself and my family. I decided to be a market vendor. Why? Because it was something that I, a 15-year-old boy in short pants, could do. I started by selling simple products in the palengke half an hour by bike from the city. I had a bicycle. I would wake up at five in the morning, load thread, soap and candles into my bike, and rush to the palengke. I would rent a stall for one peso a day, lay out my goods on a table as big as this podium, and begin selling. I did that the whole day. I sold about twenty pesos of goods every day. Today, twenty pesos will only allow you to send twenty text messages to your crush, but 63 years ago, it was enough to support my family. And it left me enough to plow back into my small, but growing, business. I was the youngest vendor in the palengke, but that didn't faze me. In fact, I rather saw it as an opportunity. Remember, that was 63 years and 100 pounds ago, so I could move faster, stay under the sun more, and keep selling longer than everyone else. Then, when I had enough money and more confidence, I decided to travel to Manila from Cebu to sell all kinds of goods like rubber tires. Instead of my bike, I now traveled on a batel?a boat so small that on windless days, we would just float there. On bad days, the trip could take two weeks!

During one trip, our batel sank! We would have all perished in the sea were it not for my inventory of tires. The viajeros were happy because my tires saved their lives, and I was happy because the viajeros, by hanging on to them, saved my tires. On these long and lonely trips I had to entertain myself with books, like Gone With The Wind.

After the war, I had saved up 50,000 pesos. That was when you could buy a chicken for 20 centavos and a car for 2,000 pesos. I was 19 years old. Now I had enough money to bring my family home from China. Once

They were all here; they helped me expand our trading business to
Include imports. Remember that the war had left the Philippines with very few goods. So we imported whatever was needed and imported them from everywhere, including used clothes and textile remnants from the

United States. We were probably the first ukay-ukay dealers here.
Then, when I had gained more experience and built my reputation, I borrowed money from the bank and got into manufacturing. I saw that coffee was abundant, and Nescafe of Nestle was too expensive for a country still rebuilding from the war, so my company created Blend
45. That was our first branded hit. And from there, we had enough profits to launch Jack and Jill. From one market stall, we are now in nine core businesses including retail, real estate, publishing, petrochemicals, textiles, banking, food manufacturing, Cebu Pacific Air and Sun Cellular. When we had shown success in the smaller businesses, we were able to raise money in the capital markets through IPOs and bond offerings-- and then get into more complex, capital-intensive enterprises. We did it slow, but sure.

Success doesn't happen overnight. It's the small successes achieved day by day that build a company. So, don't be impatient or focused on immediate financial rewards. I only started flying business class when I got too fat to fit in the economy seats. And I even wore a used overcoat while courting my wife it came from my ukay-ukay business. Thank God Elizabeth didn't mind the mothball smell of my overcoat or maybe she wouldn't have married me. Save what you earn and plow it back.

And never forget your families! Your parents denied themselves many things to send you here. They could have traveled around the world a couple of times with the money they set aside for your education, and your social life, and your comforts. Remember them and thank them.
When you have families of your own, you must be home with them for at least one meal everyday. I did that while I was building my company. Now, with all my six children married, I ask that we spend every Sunday lunch together, when everything under the sun is discussed. As it is with business, so it is with family. There are no short cuts for building either one. Remember, no short cuts.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, your patron saint, and founder of his 450-year old organization I admire, described an ideal Jesuit as one who "lives with one foot raised." I believe that means someone who is always ready to respond to opportunities. Saint Ignatius knew that, to build a successful organization, he needed to recruit and educate men who were not afraid of change but were in fact excited by it. In fact, the Jesuits were one of the earliest practitioners of globalization. As early as the 16th century, upon reaching a foreign country, they compiled dictionaries in local languages like Tamil and Vietnamese so that they could spread their message in the local language. In a few centuries, they have been able to spread their mission in many countries through education. The Jesuits have another quote. "Make the whole world your house" which means that the ideal Jesuit must be at home everywhere. By adapting to change, but at the same time staying true to their beliefs, the Society of Jesus has become the long-lasting and successful organization it is today and has made the world their house. So, let live with one foot raised in facing the next big opportunity: globalization. Globalization can be your greatest enemy. It will be your downfall if you are too afraid and too weak to fight it out. But it can also be your biggest ally. With the Asian Free Trade agreement and tariffs near zero, your market has grown from 80 million Filipinos to half a billion Southeast Asians. Imagine what that means to you as an entrepreneur if you are able to find a need and fill it. And imagine, too, what that will do for the economy of our country!
Yes, our government may not be perfect, and our economic environment not ideal, but true entrepreneurs will find opportunities anywhere.

Look at the young Filipino entrepreneurs who made it. When I say
Young and I'm 77, remember I am talking about those in their 50s and below. Tony Tan of Jollibee, Ben Chan of Bench, Rolando Hortaleza of Splash, and Wilson Lim of Abensons. They're the guys who weren't content with the 9-to-5 job, who were willing to delay their gratification and comfort, and who created something new, something fresh. Something Filipinos are now very proud of. They all started small but now sell their hamburgers, T-shirts and cosmetics in Asia, America, and the Middle East. In doing so, these young Filipino entrepreneurs created jobs while doing something they were passionate about.

Globalization is an opportunity of a lifetime for you. And that is why I want to be out there with you instead of here behind this podium perhaps too old and too slow to seize the opportunities you can. Let me leave you with one last thought. Trade barriers have fallen. The only barriers left are the barriers you have in your mind. So, Ateneans, Class of 2004, heed the call of entrepreneurship. With a little bit of will and a little bit of imagination, you can turn this crisis into your patriotic moment and truly become a person for others. "Live with one foot raised and make the world your house." To this great University, my sincerest thanks for this singular honor conferred on me today. To the graduates, congratulations and Godspeed. "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam". Thank you

The Hidden Treasure

A man was exploring some caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls.It was like someone had rolled up some clay and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man so he took the bag out of the cave with him.

As he strolled along the beach, to pass the time, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could throw.

He thought little about it until he dropped one of the balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone. Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure.

He found hundreds of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left, then it struck him.

He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of hundreds of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home thousands, but he just threw it away.

You know sometimes, it's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside.

It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it; we see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy.

But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person by God.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I don't think he means just our physical bodies. I think he means our spiritual selves, which are sometimes hidden from others by the *earthen vessel*.

But if you take the time to get to know that person, and if you ask the Father to show you that person the way He sees them, then the claybegins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - Mar 5

In order for us to live our personal vision of success, we must first untie the knots that limit our opportunities for success.
- TyHoward

The Essence of Destiny

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Choose your words, for they become actions.
Understand your actions, for they become habits.
Study your habits, for they become your character.
Develop your character, for they become your destiny.

Daily Inspirational Thoughts - Mar 3

Define and redefine your gifts, talents and strengths. Choose today to look for opportunities to exercise your unque God-endowed, God-ordained gifts and calling.
- John Mason

What goes around, comes around

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the

side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he

could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of

her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still

sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile

on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to

help for the last hour or so .. was he going to hurt

her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out

there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that

chill which only fear can put in you. He said, "I'm

here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car

where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan

Anderson."



Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old

lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car

looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his

knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the

tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As

he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the

window and began to talk to him. She told him that she

was from St. Louis and was only just passing through.

She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady

asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have

been all right with her. She already imagined all the

awful things that could have happened had he

not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being

paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping

someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who

had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his

whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to

act any other way. He told her that if she really

wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone

who needed help, she could give that person the

assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of

me."



He waited until she started her car and drove off. It

had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good

as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.



A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe.

She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill

off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It

was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old

gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The

waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe

her wet hair. she had a sweet smile, one that even

being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.

The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months

pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches

change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone

who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.

Then she remembered Bryan.



After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a

hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get

change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady

had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the

time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered

where the lady could be. Then she noticed something

written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes

when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me

anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped

me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want

to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this

chain of love end with you." under the napkin were

four more $100 bills.



Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill,

and people to serve, but the waitress made it through

another day. That night when she got home from work

and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money

and what the lady had written. How could the lady have

known how much she and her husband needed it? With the

baby due next month, it was going to be hard.. She

knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay

sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and

whispered soft and low,"Everything's gonna be all

right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.