Simple truths for better business and life

At this time, millions of Filipinos are still high from the five-day, spiritually uplifting presence of Pope Francis in the Philippines to deliver the message of mercy and compassion. Undoubtedly, the visit re-energized the sluggish to almost-dead practice of the Catholic faith among many Filipinos, with the hope that people will come back to the Church because of what “Lolo Kiko” said and did.

The 10 simple truths for living well in business and life discussed in the book The Way Of The Wise, authored by internationally known psychologist and humorist Dr. Kelvin Leman, run parallel to the 10 basic principles learned from the well-received Pope Francis event: Being teachable, keeping God’s commandments in our heart and mind, prolonging our life, prosperity, love and faithfulness, keeping a good name, trusting the Lord, leaning not on our own understanding, acknowledging his presence, and making our paths straight.

1. If God is in our corner, there’s nothing to fear. Always be reminded of God’s teaching. But to accept any form of teaching, we have to be teachable. We must welcome being taught. God can do work in our life even when we don’t know it.  He had his hand on us long before we knew who He was. We will never forget His teaching, because He follows us along our way and carries us on His shoulders in our roughest times.

2. Loving takes conscious effort and heartfelt commitment. It’s easy to love those people who think we’re superb, but difficult to love those who think we’re a jerk. Keep God’s commandments in our heart. The heart is our center. It discloses the way we relate with others, and the way we see God and ourselves. All the words we say are for naught if our mind and spirit aren’t paying attention to the big picture of what is really important. We have to have personal encounters with God, and fit in our knowledge of Him into our heart, where it can live.

3. We are loved — flaws and all.  Count our blessings and then be blessings to others. When we do the right thing — not the convenient or inexpensive kind — we become more like Jesus, who shared abundantly. We may get down on ourselves because we feel we’re not good enough: wretched, unacceptable or valueless. We have our down-in-the-dumps, stressed times. We say yes when we really mean no. We bite off more than we can chew. We create the predicament we find ourselves in by getting involved in far too many activities. But even if we don’t think we’re worth it, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even with our own self-doubt, our worth to the Supreme Creator is always fathomless.

4. Each day is a gift, but how we spend it is up to us. We are human. We don’t belong on pedestals. We fail. We feel guilty. We beat ourselves about it. But having said that, we possess gifts and talents that can be shared generously. If we see a need in someone’s life and we can meet it right then, do it. If we can do it anonymously, all the better. Give, and be amazed at how your own perspective on life will improve. Famous coach John Wooden said, “We can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay us.” Although we always strive to do the right thing, we may find ourselves sometimes doing what we don’t want to do: bypassing the poor and the needy when we’re in a rush; brushing off those who rub us the wrong way. Or thinking, “What if the person we gave money to to buy food uses the fund to buy cheap alcohol or cigarettes instead?” What others do with what we give them is up to them. What’s up to us is learning to have the heart of a natural supporter — a lavish giver.

5. Love by itself is not enough, because love wears thin. We must forever choose to love. We must be faithful to love. If we say love is a decision, we’re right on the mark. Love and faithfulness mean thinking of another’s needs first before our own. When we show both virtues, we stand out in a fickle, faithless world where everyone is out to protect number one — ourselves. That’s why we read in broadsheets and online sites with such interest stories of heroes and heroines and of people who have made a difference because they chose to risk their lives to save others. They’re down-to-earth, good people that God has called them to be. Put our iPod earphones on and we’ll hear nothing. But flip the “on” switch and the sudden blaring of sound will surround us. For anything productive to happen between us and our Maker, guess who has to flip the switch? Us. “Let love and faithfulness never leave us; bind them around our necks.”

6. It’s better to be a person with character than to be out of character. We can win favor and a good name in the eyes of both God and man by showing kindness, love, and compassion. Life is short and the older we get, the more accurately aware we become of how fast time is flying by. A “good name,” not a  “perfect name,” is what God is interested in. He’s more concerned in the “good us.” We can still mess up. But what we do with that mess — how we respond to it — makes all the difference in the world. Do we admit our acts of corruption, ask forgiveness, and move on? Or do we wallow in that corruption until we’re sucked down into the mud? Or worse, do we point fingers at others? Winners in life — those who have a good name before God and man — take rejection and failure and use them as stepping-stones to success in life. Be more concerned with our character than our reputation, because our character is what we really are, while our reputation is merely what others think we are.

7. Trust isn’t a one-shot deal. It’s an ongoing relationship. There are two sides to trust — giving it and receiving it. If we have trust in God now, it’s because somebody before us trusted God with all his or her heart, then made an impact on our lives. Perhaps now would be a good time to return the favor — to pay forward and contribute to someone else’s life in the same way by role-modeling what trusting God is all about. But when we do that, don’t forget to do it with all sincerity and be ready to face up to the challenge of maintaining that trust as we imbibe that trust in the Almighty to others.

8. “If you see a turtle at the top of a fence post, it didn’t get there by itself.” It’s a wonderful saying, which hints that by ourselves, we’re not smart. A peek at print and broadcast news headlines or online stories will prove how many troubles we and many others can get into. And none — not even the smartest human being in the world — is immune. But if we acknowledge our Creator, who knows us far better than we know ourselves, and we choose not to lean on our understanding but to seek after our Maker, we will be at “the beginning of wisdom.” There’s no better deal than that. Once we understand who he is, we begin that marvelous journey toward an unshakeable, unstoppable, and passionate faith that will transform our lives and unmistakably influence those around us.

9. To acknowledge God, we have to act, instead of wait for the thunderbolt from the sky.  When we understand who God is and we acknowledge who he is, then we can grapple with one of the biggest questions humankind asks: If God is in control, then why do bad things happen? Was he just looking the other way when typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban and killed thousands of people, or when a strong earthquake rocked Bohol and destroyed a number of old churches? God isn’t a puppeteer who controls humankind like marionettes on a string. Things happen because the physical and spiritual laws he put into place are violated.  Many of our maladies are a direct result of human free will and choice, which God has allowed. Grist for the mill, indeed, for those of us who grapple with bad things happening to good people.

10. Twists in our path are not to be dreaded. They’re simply new directions and opportunities. Nobody said life would be easy. But with tenacity and a long-term perspective, we can make it though the curves of life and back onto the path. Without a doubt, we will fail at some things in life. And when that happens, don’t excuse ourselves. Excuses only make the weak weaker. Admitting when and where we strayed is the healthy thing to do, and gets our relationship with God and others back on the right track.

Pope Francis is back in the Vatican. The test for all Filipinos now is how to sustain the lessons he has bigheartedly instilled, jump-started or revitalized. Leman pronounced, “What we do in life matters. It matters to us. It matters to those around us. And it matters to God.”

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