Digital Outlier | Orly Ballesteros

There are wonderful memories. They are magical, but if they are gone like the people you work with in the past you cannot do anything but to move forward.

You cannot stay in the past, others have moved on and so must you.

Life is about moving forward and continuing the journey.

The best thing you can do is just appreciate the people that came along your way, and be excited that new set of individuals are waiting to share your journey in work and in life.

Aisa Mijeno immersed herself in Kalinga and saw the need for a sustainable and accessible electricity in a place where people need to walk for six hours to buy kerosene to power their lamps.

Seeing the need, Aisa Mijeno created a lamp that is powered by mixing salt and water - a saline solution.

As of the moment, her invention is winning her awards and adulation which she did not intend to have, all she wants is to do good.

Doing good is the starting point of a business. It is not profit. Profit only follows when people feel that you intend to make their lives better.

If you make the lives of the society better, you will get their support, you will get a generous support.

So do good, create something good and feel the blessings of what you have created.

You have Aisa Mijeno as a model, now it is your turn.

You need to because you have the power to do so.

Create because there is a need. Create because you have the gift to convert your ideas into reality.
Create because when you do, you are fulfilling your purpose.

Most importantly, create because when you do something positive comes out, that benefits you  and society that you live in.

Yes, there are traffic and rallies being staged, an effect of APEC - an event hosted by our country.

Traffic is not an excuse, people must not suffer because of the event, but traffic is part of our daily life in Metro Manila, we have been suffering from this problem even before APEC, only now it was heightened.

Rallies are symbols of democracy, so yes, we can tolerate that.

But what we cannot tolerate is the total disregard of the good things APEC is bringing to us. Hosting it means we can show our capabilities as a country, and we are very capable as evidence of how the event is turning into.

Add to the fact the following, the infrastructures and beautifications made in welcoming the guests, which after the event we will continue to use.

How about the positive tourism effect of the visitors that will be coming in, the last estimate is around 9,000 foreign delegates.

More so, the conferences organized to share knowledge and information. These are huge in terms of giving the Filipino attendees a deeper understanding of the Global Politics, Business and Success Stories of Entrepreneurship.

Lastly, the economic impact of the business and trade deals forged during the event.

APEC as an apple has two sides the good and the bad, can we present both sides.

From where I stand, all I hear are the rants from our traffic experiences and protest rallies.

So here is the challenge for all the media outlets covering the event,  strive to show the two sides of APEC, the yin and yang.

For all you know, the good sides farther outweighs the short moments of discomfort we have because of APEC.

Your belief  doesn't make you a better person, your behavior does.

The recent Paris Attack and other attacks that took place in other parts of the world to show devotion to a belief do not justify the barbaric behavior.

Why? Is the question that resides in the head of the people all over the world.

Once, somebody said at an event similar to the Paris Attack that what happened is a SENSELESS KILLING. Somebody quip, "Why is there a SENSIBLE KILLING".

Your belief  doesn't make you a better person, your behavior does.

I hope that our HUMANITY rules the world at the end of the day and that KILLINGS for the sake of forwarding our beliefs stop.

If you want to do something, then go ahead.

Yes,  we praise planning and analysis, but not if it remains on paper.

Most of the times, we plan, but we do not ACT. And there is where the BIG ERROR lies.

Even if we do not plan, if we start, we are better off than we were before.

So what are you thinking right now, spill it out and make it a reality. You only need one word, and this will make the difference - START.

Start, even if others don't want you to do it. Start, even if others are laughing about your idea. Start even if the challenges are as high as Mt. Everest.

Start and don't look back. After that, I and others will be waiting for you at the finish line.

If you don't who will.

Yes, a lot of people operate with an the intention of taking care of themselves.
But what will happen if all of us will act out of our personal interest.

Take for example, of creating a product. If we create a product that we are in love and we only want out of it is profit, what will happen to the consumers?

In the first place, will the consumers patronize our products?

So care even if it is not demanded, even if you are the only one caring.

The more you care the more people take notice, and eventually, a magical thing happens, they
start to care for what you are doing.

And going back to creating a product, if they feel that your product cares for them, they will start to bring you profits that even if you do not ask for it, they will insist.

So care because that is the needle in the haystack that will be your gateway to success.

There is more to cooking.

I realized it yesterday when I joined my buddy Ryan in his cooking. For starter, we woke up in the morning and went to the market to get the ingredients he needed. In the cooking time, I helped him, but more as an observer than a helper (I believe).

Along the process, we exchange stories, laughters, and cooking secrets and techniques.

I got to know him better. I learned a lot from his stories and techniques. Most of all, by hindsight, I enjoyed the process and the meal with Ryan and his wife Julie.

I ended up appreciating my buddy Ryan and his wife Julie more. I ended up being thankful that I have people like them in my circle of friends.

There is more to cooking, there are great moments that you can receive, and there are lessons of the victory of the human spirits that you can capture in the cooking process.

The magic of cooking is like the magic of life, there are a lot of diverse and different ingredients that you have to figure out and carefully merge to create a masterpiece. When you have finished creating that masterpiece, you cannot and must not keep it for yourself, but to excitedly share it with others, for in sharing that work of art, can you only feel the sweet taste of success. A mouth watering triumph that lingers permanently in the hearts of the people that you shared.

The exclamation point of the cooking process is the steaming hot, vibrant color, and to die for delicious meal waiting to be enjoyed and gobbled by your friends and loved ones.

A lovely picture that will forever resonate in your heart.

 For this Zen like experience, I thank Ryan and Julie, cheers to you guys.

It is easy to stay in your comfort zone. The reason why it's called such is because you never have to fear anything or expect something that is unexpected.

But getting out and getting lost is better. At first, you may feel the discomfort, fear of the unknown might make you feel shaking, like your nerves has been injected with cold water.

However, this shall pass when you begin to see that getting lost means discovering something new and beautiful.

Getting lost is getting new things that are better than your previous comfort zone.

So get lost, and discover something better.

Permanence is good.

In some cases, you want things unchanged.

One of these are friends. You want friends to remain your friends, no matter how long you have not seen them.

You want to see them and be the same person that you enjoyed companionship in the early days of your life.

Alas, only few people can be the friends that you once have. People change and it is a universal law.

But when you do find a friend that never changed, in terms of the way both of you treat each other, you celebrate and make the most of the moments you are together.

Permanence is good.

Yesterday was something.

I went to Bank of Commerce Branch in San Miguel Avenue to pay my car loan. I inquired how to pay for this is my first time to pay my car loan. Normally, it is my wife that pays the bills.

I was referred to a supervisor, the supervisor called the assigned person. I thought that this will be fast.

Almost an hour or exactly 55 minutes, the Supervisor called again the person assigned, the person instructed the Supervisor to send me to 7th floor.

I went to the 7th floor to meet the person, but the person made me wait again for 5 minutes. When she came, her name is Nina Agno, she told me that my wife has an existing loan and my payment will be diverted to the personal loan of my wife.

I just say if there is a contract that stipulates that I am ok. And requested for a document. She went inside her office, I assumed she would get the documents, she made me wait for 10 minutes (I use my I Phone to time my waiting moment), when she came back, she introduced me to her Senior Supervisor Mr. Noah Rodriguez.

Her supervisor and I again made the same discussion. The difference the Supervisor sounds arrogant. But again, we settled that if there is a document that states they can divert my payment to my wife's loan I will abide, they just have to furnish me a copy.

Both Nina and Noah can't that day so I gave my email.

Here is the thing that blew my top and pissed me, since it is settled, I told Nina if I can pay now. She said yes, but I have to go down to the bank again.

So Nina Agno, called me upstairs at her office on the 7th floor, discussed about a policy they cannot furnish a copy, when if fact, they are in the main office of the Bank of Commerce, and wanted me to go down again, to pay my car loan.

I and anybody for that matter will be pissed. It is very disrespectful and agonizing to a customer to be placed in this kind of situation.

To cut the long story short, I did not pay my loan yesterday. And I will never go to that branch again. But of course, I and my wife will pay the loans that we have.

Do business again with Bank of Commerce, I say no more. I love my sales agent with Diamond Motors, and my loan is for my second car. If I will get a car again in the near future and the dealer will partner with Bank of Commerce, I will just have to go to other dealers not connected with this Bank.

Also, I will tell my friends every time I have an opportunity, that they should never take a loan or deposit to the Bank of Commerce. And to the Bank of Commerce, if the management or customer service department  is reading this, I hope you fire the two inept employees that you have.

Bank of Commerce does not need tough competition if  they have employees like these two.

So we are visited by storms every year. 

Life has storms, visiting us unexpectedly. But like the storms that Mother Nature throws at us, it passes by. 

No storm is permanent.

So when storms enter our lives, be strong, it too shall pass.

Ironically, I see a lot of people who take the storms in their lives like a permanent thing. Their acceptance of defeat is mind boggling. It is sad to see people like these.

If you know someone who is like the one I am describing, please give them time. Talk to them and show you care, explain to them that they are stronger than the storm.

Tough situations don't last but tough people do. 

So a staff of mine said she does not have more love left for the company that is why she is leaving.
Although the real reason is not this one, but this statement is very interesting.

Love for work is an emotion and a responsibility. If you have an emotion, it is not enough. You have to have the deepest sense of responsibility to perform the work and know why the work is important.

How does your work add value to the bigger process of the organization?

Oftentimes, staff equates their love to the money present on the table for them if they do a certain work, forgetting the responsibility that is required before they get the value and money they deserve.

Where is the love (money)? It is there when you become responsible and serious to prove yourself that you can accomplish greater things. If you do and can, the money will be there because superiors and managers will do all the things that are possible just to satisfy you and tie you to the company that you are working in.

As for the staff that said this to me, I let her go.

It is baffling to hear people saying something they want others to do when they can't do it for themselves.

The effect to the one being told to obey is devastating. The person giving orders, loses credibility.

Although this is common knowledge, the practice is very uncommon.

So if you are reading this, walk the talk, and walk the walk. It is better to walk than talk because we move from one place to another. We create motion if we walk the talk, and if there is motion there is movement, if there is movement there is positive growth.

The problems are as natural as sunlight. You cannot run away from it, even if it is so painful.
So if you cannot run away from it, there is only one option. The best option is to FIGHT BACK.

FIGHT BACK means to face it, plan and plot a solution, endure the pain and let the wounds heal by finding the right cure.

There is no other positive option left and the best part is that the power to FIGHT BACK is in your hands.

There is no book that points out the right solutions in running a company. As a leader, you can create a system, but this must be run by people, some prone to errors.

So when problems appear in different areas all you can do is face it. Do not run away from it.

The more you face the problems, the more you become skilled in solving the problems.

Manage the situations the best that you can, and pray the everything you implemented and decided will go the way you expected it.

Sometimes life puts a challenge to a friend that you value. Sometimes the challenge will put your relationship with that friend to the brink of destruction. If that happens and the choice is between money, another unimportant person, choose your friend.

Tell him or her that the years of friendship are more valuable than material things. This is easier said than done but it must be done.

You thought that as you grow older this precious thing will just come to you. But it's not. People's maturity is not directly proportional to their age - a sad reality.

So how can you achieve maturity, there are possible ways: read books, education, feedbacks from others and self-introspection.

The more you study about life and have the self-awareness of your actions and stories of people, this maturity will grow.

Although I advise this, it is not a guarantee, again maturity is dependent on the individual who is facing and journeying life alone.