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Dearest Mr. Lloyd,
I work as a supervisor in a retail store chain.
I happened to get a copy of The Manila Times last week and I
stumbled upon your column. So I decided to write you. It seems that
I don’t really get better as time goes by. I started my career in
sales and later in marketing but I’m not satisfied with my
accomplishments. Prices of commodities rise and I don’t know what
to do. Can you help me?
[Name withheld]
Dear buddy,
You’re right about one thing: Prices of
commodities are rising and they are rising indefinitely. But it’s
not just in the Philippines. Other countries also experience
crises—political, economic, and spiritual—and the United States
is no exception. But the good news is we don’t have to go far to
see what seems to go wrong.
It’s quite remarkable that you’ve learn to
look back and admit that something must not have been working.
That’s the first step. If you want to really take control of your
life and career, I have a good story to tell you.
They say I am fortunate to live a kind of life
that I have now. Well, it’s still a combination of uphill and
downhill. But, because God loves me and I bet He loves you as much
as He loves me, I get to have more of the uphill—I win and I get
what I desire in God’s perfect timing.
But I was able to do that because I have several
people who have helped me discover what myself and what I can do.
They helped me improve my potential and they guided me throughout my
journey. Most of them served more than my mentor or business
partners. They served as my extended family.
A couple of years ago, my friend and his wife
thought of an idea of putting up a publishing company, that is after
his wife miraculously healed from a painful battle over a
life-threatening illness called systemic lupus. Together, they went
back to what they love doing—writing and publishing.
Much to my astonishment how come only a few
people succeed, I asked my friend what could be that very ingredient
of success. Just like many of us, he also had the best and the worst
in his life. But he said, “to continue being the salt of the earth
and the light of the world.”
At a glance, such one-liner statement seems is
hard to understand. But when I got to think about it, I think it
sums up all what he has done and everything else seems to be the
by-products of such philosophy.
My friend got it right. Because we’re too
excited to get what we want and we’re always in a hurry to arrive
at our destinations, we fail to see the basics in life. While
carefully studying why and how my friend made it to become a
household name in publishing and training industry, it all boiled to
becoming the “salt of the earth and the light of the world.”
Whatever we do and wherever we are, we’re
always on to accomplish a mission—a purpose why we live. Many
people make a mistake of complaining why they fail and why they
don’t get what they want. I think that happens when we don’t
really serve our purpose.
There are times when we are called but we’re
just too busy to hear the calling. That’s not the case for my
friend. When he decided to get back to what he loves doing, it
happened after a Sunday service when he came up with a brand name.
The company name is both a call and an answer to the call.
I have learned so much being with this friend.
And during one of my turbulent times, he treated me not as a partner
to his business but as a son who badly needed moral support at the
time. I must admit that I need to learn more from him.
We can only be satisfied somehow when we fulfill
our mission in whatever we do. Find the true meaning of why you are
there—wherever you are now—and make the best out of it. It’s
not forever that we’ll stay in one place. The future is always in
motion that we can’t help but to move along with it.
If you want to increase your income, I suggest
you find your mission because when you do, you’d know what to do
best. And just like my friend who found his mission through what he
loves doing, I’d bet you, too, can always create a wealthy, happy
life.
The man I’m referring to is Ardy Roberto, the
CEO of Salt and Light Ventures and co-founder of Inspire Leadership
Consultancy. I’m greeting him a happy birthday on April 8! I thank
God for his life. He’s indeed a salt-and-light to many others.
Your life coach,
BigL
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Big Lloyd Luna, the best-selling author of Is
There a Job Waiting for You?, and seven more books on career,
business and personal development, is a career philosopher, an
internet marketing guy and a motivational speaker. He is the
president and CEO of The LLOYDLUNA Communications and the founder of
The LLOYDLUNA University. Do e-mail at Lloyd@lloydluna.com and visit
www.lloydluna.com. To send a message, type LUNA <your message>
send to 2299.
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