Sudden Post: Blending

It's been a very long time since I've posted in this blog and yet I have realized something; well, it's more of a re-realization (if there's such a term) on my end since I read this back in 2006 from Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power: talk the talk, but keep things to yourself. Never withhold information that would give away your true motive, your true color or anything that would be your undoing even if it is a little thing. For all we know, little things act like a little snowball that goes down a mountain of snow which of course, would lead to become bigger and/or even trigger a cataclysmic avalanche.

The only thing that makes this case-to-case basis is when you're caught in a situation where there is a need to put away the competition: usually most people who employ this move are the passive-aggressive ones or the ones who keep a low profile. They could also be people who most could see as slackers, But beneath that facade lies a calculating individual biding their time for the best timing to execute a move which will get things one and done on their end and when that does happen, it is usually something that permanently seals the deal for them.

Don't Lose Yourself III

I know this is a blog, a manifesto of the inner workings of a whole lot of individuals, but one thing I want to definitely profess and ascertain to everyone that God is always there. Yes, indeed this is a whole lot of things being amoral which seem to delve in how negative and dark people are, but that is not so---there are still good things in this world. Although a lot of people may not believe in God or even slander, insult and/or ridicule Him, experience and a lot of miracles happened in my life that has always proven that God is always there. He exists and moves in very mysterious ways.

So to anyone having a hard time, do what you can do and pray. A good relationship is continuous and progressive when both sides work and in this sense, we work hard, we fight hard and we pray. When all else fails and the people around you are, well, let's say crazy or downright impossible, He'll prove you wrong---and there He is proving that He exists.

A Relationship With a Twist

I heard from my mom about an episode of The 700 Club where a man got rid of a lot of books which are misleading to the Born-again Christian faith which I also am part of. I applaud him for that since he is very determined of doing it step by step. Now, as usual, I love making distinctions about things which makes it critical towards the perception and approach of something, namely how can we follow God when we delve into the dark depths of the human soul which unfortunately is very much a part of society and a whole lot of people today?

I am not God to dictate what is righteous or not although we do know a good number of things as right or wrong. But what I can definitely say is we should still know the possible devious and cunning (usually underhanded) ways as to how most of the other people's minds work. It is hard in this world to walk the path of righteousness which is God's and to all of those people who do, I admire them and seek to follow as well. What I saw here that in everything you want to happen, we need conscious effort and push it to the limit. When we can't go for the extra mile any longer, there is God who pushes us or the miracles and mysterious ways where we are rescued from peril.

Deprive Emotions in Times of Burden; The Detachment Strategy

You are not Spock like the one in Star Trek. We are humans and it proves that emotions is one of the greatest strengths and weaknesses that comprises the enigma of what is humanity. But like I have probably mentioned earlier in the first posts is we must also learn to detach ourselves. For example, I have realized that my family and their petty squabbles are dragging me along and was even required more than twice to pay for such things and mistakes that I don't even contributed in. Therefore, I prefer to just vanish without a trace later for the purpose of breaking free from any possible future torment and financial problems that usually come up whenever I finish a problem of theirs.

Do not be afraid. Do not also be fazed when people say you whine too much. It is great when you know what the problem is and have determined and realized it. The problem with a lot of people is they tend to say too much against you but can't actually stand up to their own. Be a realist which is a way of perceiving the world as opposed to the typical person's understanding of it as pessimistic. Remember that the only way of fighting a war is a visible enemy and from that point you will be able to wage an offensive in a direct or indirect manner.

Take the Initiative. Do Not Depend on What Was Given to You

It is unfortunate that a lot of people live in an era where society and the media dictates what a person should become. A lot of people go to college because "it is necessary" to get a job and live. But one should ask him or herself if that is truly living a life when I know that most people would just graduate from college, work, enjoy for the moment, get broke and repeat the pathetic process for the rest of their lives. Others, seek a false sense of security via entitlement like how most Americans burden the government who would very likely fail to meet their expectations.

THE REALITY:
As my favorite author Robert Kiyosaki stated, most people live in a rat race. It's not just financially, it's also mentally. Curtis Jackson, A.K.A 50 Cent also saw through the varieties of possible slavery either in his hood or in the corporate world. The settings may have changed, but the rules, the ruthlessness and those environments' way of clouding people are all the same.

YOUR MISSION:
It is your mission to educate yourself like Socrates should. Adopt that you are not wise but you admit that you are ignorant of things. Now this requires common sense, what I mean here is we must be capable of taking away our emotions related to matters of pride. I know that we love to be known for something but the world is a big place and there are a whole lot of things which we obviously don't know about. It is a mission of assessing and continuously improving yourself. Think first if what people say or if this or that is something you should take into consideration.

Learn how to break free. Rome wasn't built in day but you can break free from you chains bit by bit. You just need to focus and don't do things that are unnecessary. True happiness is when you have your own freedom where no one is capable of putting you down and dictating things that put you in harm's way.

The Expulsion of Emotions: Fanning the Flames

In relation to the post I have made regarding enemies, we should also as much as possible, soak up as much detail as possible especially when we got insulted. Through insults and other possible ways of humiliation and embarrassment done against you, you will be able to make an assessment. If you see that you are not what they have said about you, then it this is the time to integrate the anger into the ball of hatred or emotion and expel it outward---a very powerful potential source of energy. Imagine Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore plus a great degree of control. Imagine what you can do with that.

Again, I want to make distinctions. Anger that is stored inside can be very self-destructive. It will harm you mentally, emotionally and physically. If such anger is stored a long time and suddenly unleashed, well that's where you'll read some headlines as some sort of guy kills XX people in this place and that. Like what we read or see in South Korean or Japanese news. The difference of anger expelled outwardly and controlled on the other hand, brings fuel to the fire in your purpose. This is very similar, well, actually the same to my explanation of handling that green-eyed monster we call Envy which is very famous for one of the seven deadly sins.

The Surrender Tactic

More of a truth than just an opinion, most, if not all people crave power whether it be in a conscious or subconscious level. This is one of the points where self-esteem and control gets along whenever we deal with other people especially if either they are of a higher position or when it's a situation where they outnumber you. The Surrender Tactic is quite hard to use since you have to go through the process with a very good amount of self-esteem and consciously knowing that your pride or dignity isn't the one going down, it's for the sake of fooling the enemy to lower down their guard and/or to stop pursuing or tormenting you.

This tactic is probably one of the most calculating and most effective of all. It is a tactic that can provide the time and the room to maneuver since it puts you in a position similar to the number zero--- a number most people describe as nothing but most of them have forgotten that if you add something to zero, it goes up and so on. Never have I seen a tactic so creative, calculating and efficient that a well-planned Surrender Tactic could be the turning point of a battle or even a person's life. In battle, for example, think of this as the sudden retreat of a decoy or skirmisher part of an army where, if the enemy takes the bait, they will be flanked or encircled by the former in turn. In politics, a person surrendering joins the fold or group of the enemy and then destroying it within.

A lot of possibilities. Pick your poison.

The Deterrence Factor

In the animal kingdom, there are the predators and the prey. I bet you have a very good idea of what happens when it comes to the former and the latter's relationship: one consumes, the other gets consumed. It is not different here in the realm of men where the current society demands or, imposes civility as decorum. A lot of people see this either as acceptable or just plain accepts it trying to see the world as it is. I was also like that; if the world is so simple and people would just show who they are at face value then the world would be perfect...

...NOT! The world isn't a secure place at all. I was even able to read something like this from a yahoo article about the advantages of being in a relationship with the other partner having an inferiority complex. If that does happen in such relationships that are considered intimate, how about those around us?

Most people, let's say around 99% of the population, had the misfortune of being unable to have the self-esteem that one should possess to be secure and confident of oneself. This can be overcome through sheer determination and hard work to strive to be complete. Though it sounds pessimistic, I am forced to say and admit that unfortunately, those people who fall in that 99% category won't be doing such things to improve themselves and be complete; hence, the politics. And with politics, we see the heart of men doing the cloak and dagger stuff which makes things very complicated.

As you can see, a lot of people who are insecure and incapable prefer to escape these misgivings to themselves by trying to unnecessarily assert control over others. Now, I know I have been talking about the need to combat inferiority complex in our lives but we can't easily help other people on that matter. In these cases we should know how to combat such types of people who we know would usually be an impediment or a thorn in our side: the deterrence factor.

According to Merriam-Webster, deterrence is defined as the maintenance of military power for the purpose to discouraging attacks. This is something that one should learn as it is not always that we are able to solve things diplomatically. How do we tackle such scenarios when diplomacy and the indirect approach fails? As I have read in Robert Greene's books, I have experienced that these tactics DO WORK against such people. But mind you, there is always the need to use common sense since it will always be a case-to-case basis for each scenario where there are a lot of factors that could prove you to be right or wrong.

Tactic #1: A Touch of Madness
People who appear crazy or mad usually have the power of being unpredictable. If someone does something against them, no one knows what will happen next. The power is like the saying of be careful what you wish for if you dare to do it.

Tactic #2: An Exuded Aura
One should learn to read people's auras. This stems from having "a feel" of things---life, joy, anger, power, sadness, etc. People exude an aura of who they are as well. I exuded an aura of intimidating power or anger back at my former workplace where inferiority, immorality and crab mentality was festering.

Tactic #3: A Reputation
You should learn that people should not mess with you. Either make it sure they will always suffer one way or the other per attack they make or you could also develop a reputation of dragging your enemies as you go down. This is similar to one rather famous line in TV shows or movies of today that goes as "Don't fuck with me!"

Tactic #4: Confrontation
A lot of people love to insult via insinuation and such. Some would go as far as to insult you directly and if this continues, it means they are trying to feed their self-esteem with this. So what do you do? Confront them in public if need be but make it sure that the people see the angle of them persecuting you because a bully who's confronted right to his face yet incapable of fighting back will lose all respect and power.

An example of this was a former colleague of mine. He kept insulting me both in a direct and insinuating manner at times. Me, trying to be peaceful and just work foolishly allowed it. So what happened next? I confronted him and his insults via chat. I calmly asked for a duel, man-to-man. My madness is creeping up to me at that time and I was quite glad I didn't have to fight because, when madness and anger creeps in, who knows what might happen to the idiot? He backed out and was unable to insult me for the rest of my stay in the company.

These are, but a few of the common ways in dealing with people of this sort. Remember to try use diplomacy, tact and the art of indirection first before having to use the tactics suitable for war.

A Simple Realization

I took a simple crash course in basic baking. Setting aside the fact that I will have to work all-out again to regain my usual appearance because of all the sweets and pastries I've made, I realized something simple, yet profound. Life is like a recipe to a masterpiece: there are fixed recipes, but again, it won't actually guarantee the success compared to how the original maker does it so we either make some alterations, improvements or even rehash a good chunk of the original recipe. This is similar to the post I previously made but even if it seems redundant, isn't it great that we can see a lot of similarities and actually make distinctions of it?

Why, you ask?

Because in this life and in this world, a lot of things that are commonplace seem to be taken for granted for too much and too long that people have lost the power of insight, creativity and something that will make their lives all the more meaningful and full of purpose. This day and age of convenience, comfort and technology (not mentioning the degradation of values of a lot of people) makes a whole lot of people dull, idiotic, perverted, messed up and a whole plethora of negativity that you can use to describe them. How come? Well, take into consideration the possibility of people not having to lift a finger to fight, to survive and also the mentality of only going into such an extent of only living day by day enjoying the moment and not remembering the future, we will end up with such people.

So again, before I get carried away again, I just want to add that life is something that you should plan for all the way to the end. There will always be setbacks but always remember your roots and your reasons for in the end, they will always be the things to remind you why you're doing things in the first place.

Learn From The Past But Do Something Different

REAL LIFE:
Life is full of twists and turns. I had this basic baking class which I am currently attending due to a weird circumstances. Since I love sweets and pastries (even bread), I noticed certain key ingredients lacking or requiring more than what's on the recipe. I did it my way and it turned out really good. Now what is my point in telling all this in this post?

Recipes are almost fixed. You could rely on most of it but you cannot actually go 100% of the way since it is somebody else's formula. It is the same with history: the actions of men and women helped shape the world and their world and these actions in return, can be reflected upon especially in the need for guidance and structure but you cannot totally copy off or follow what they have done or the path they have taken with blind faith. You have to twist it like how the Koreans did it on a lot of their TV shows.


APPLICATION:
It is hard to be original nowadays for there are a lot of things that require a certain bearing to show that you are one of a kind and the same goes with solutions and decisions. Books have been made for such things and although rather annoying for some but quite interestingly, biographies of people who've made it to the top have a certain weight that you can incorporate on the road to success. It doesn't matter if people insult or heckle you for not being that original, but remember that the human spirit and mind are capable of being creative and resourceful and couple it with excellent planning and contingency you will be a force to reckon with.


LOOK OUT:
There are a lot of paths, actions and decisions that had been taken. Although it's a case-to-case basis, one should have a combination of logic and instinct to win. Avoid exactly following the paths of the ones who had done something great because most likely than not, the conditions of their success are way different compared to yours. Also look out that it is best to keep to yourself your plans for a lot of people are unfortunately so weak and of low self-esteem that they are likely to get rid of you than assist you. Handle them as chess pieces or puppets should: they've become like that because they are already like that. It takes a ton of education to change an ounce of perception and the same goes with self-esteem so parents, try to really build the character of your children lest they be pathetic conniving savages later in their lives.

The truth hurts more than a lie.

Keep Your Reputation At All Cost...

...and end situations where the other party won't get back at you. Learn to judge the character of the other party you're dealing with. Whether it be good or bad, make it sure they won't aim for you in the future.


Experience:
I once had a problem with Starbucks. I was with my girlfriend at that time and unfortunately, I was embarrassed in front of her and her best friend. How come? One, I ordered 3 venti-sized frapuccinos and they only gave me an egg rack to contain these three when it should have been a bag (like I have a car). Two, I have to raise my voice a bit because they reasoned they have no paper bag for my order but lo and behold, they actually have paper bags for take out. Three, due to the first two, I asked for the manager who again, unfortunately was not around so I talked to their supervisor who was stifling her laughter at my face when I was speaking to her which of course, anyone would immediately be angry at such an act. It was an insult, plain and simple.

What I Did:
I got the number of the store manager for that branch who was totally incapable of meeting my demands that the said people be terminated. Why the harsh treatment? Well, I have also forgotten to mention that one of their staff even asked me which Starbucks branches allowed foreign nationals to bring food from other stores when I asked them if it was alright to bring something from McDonald's. It may sound idiotic for some why I asked them but it was my way of giving respect to the establishment which was met with extreme sarcastic rudeness from one of their baristas. And all this came from that very branch which I resolved to wage war against for this great disrespect. Well, even my mom had a very bad experience from them as well but that's another story. Sorry to get carried away but let's go on with what happened next:

The store manager whose total incapability to put her people in line made me ask for the contact number for the area manager instead. The area manager called, I was offered a bag and journal of which I totally said no. I know a good number of people would have stopped getting angry and like a dog, start wagging their tails but that is an insult to me. How come? Because I can pay more than enough money to have the right to have that bad and journal in their promo. I wanted a revamp of the store's staff for the great demonstration of incompetence and rudeness I have experienced in a span of 6 months' time (and for my mom of course). Nothing more, nothing less.

The area manager was unfortunately, also an idiot for dragging this case. I lost 2 or 3 rest days because of the mess, they called in their lawyer to fix things up. The other branch where we talked in tried to give me a freebie but this is war, why give accept such things if it will mar my honor and the advantage I already gained? Unfortunately, I wasn't given just compensation and respect which I totally believe that I deserve to this day. But fate, karma, or whatever you want to call it, works one way or the other...


AFTERMATH:
Seven months later, a terrible typhoon came up. It was the worst of the decade and was broadcast throughout the world. A month's rain deluged a lot of parts in the country in around 2 days which meant a lot of people dying, losing their homes and the same went for a lot of businesses and that Starbucks branch also got hit big time.

It's been 7 months since that typhoon came up but that branch hasn't been renovated and opened for business. I know Starbucks has a lot of money to put life into a branch but it seems with all that had happened, I think there were a lot of people who had the same problems with that branch which resulted to its death. If that is the case, that branch became more of a liability to its higher ups becoming something not worth resurrecting since it'll mar their reputation all the more.


OBSERVE:
A reputation is useful and brings you either respect or fear. Either one is good especially when you use it to bring things to fruition. It is also the life of businesses who depend on it to attract and retain customers. Anyway, I don't need to further explain since you have seen what a reputation can do for a person in life.


FOLLOW AND OBSERVE:
When dealing with other people or parties (example, like me if you are in Starbucks' point of view), do not underestimate them and blow them off. Inasmuch as possible, learn the mentality of each opponent or adversary as some are so easy to butter up and convert while others would for the mean time accept what you have done while waiting to exact a vengeance so calculated and violent that you may either not notice that you're going down bit by bit or you're going to go down with an excruciatingly slow pace like that of a very slow death. Oh, and most of all, there's God and the golden rule of things which does happen one way or the other.

Control Your Emotions: The Matrix Strategy

Imagine:
Anyone who's able to watch The Matrix can attribute that The Machines are brutally and ruthlessly efficient for the fact that they work and function in a system. Though the human spirit is capable of endless possibilities, our emotions serve as a double-edged sword capable of fueling us to do the good and the bad---unfortunately and usually, it's the bad things that happen because of us being too emotional. Impulsiveness and brash actions tend to be more destructive than creative and more importantly, put us in a disadvantageous situation.

Face It:
Although it's a case-to-case basis for some people, observe that the fruits of impulsiveness and brash actions through being emotional usually ends up in a situation that becomes so messy and entangled. Take note that solving problems we made earlier makes us go into greater lengths and effort than the effort used that brought about such a problem in the first place.

The Practice and Application:
Try to project yourself with a great distance from the situation: it's you, the situation and the empty space or gap between the two of you. There may be other ways to detach yourself but as usual, there's no fixed way or solution for each process or problem. This is perfect in times of great strife, stress and even scenarios that quickly puts you on the spot. Look at the poker player's eyes, they don't show emotion and even try to minimize body language for the sake of a bluff, or the cold devious calculation that they are putting their opponents in a trap for the winning hand. As Liam Neeson said to Amon Goethe in Schindler's List, "Control is power."

Take Note:
The strategy of detaching yourself from your emotions should always be done consciously. It is through conscious effort that we realize the art of The When and The How: when to do it and how to do it. Inasmuch as I would love to perfect this, sadly, no one is perfect and this applies to all except God. There will always be situations where you will need to bring out the face that cries, the face that worries and the face of empathy towards others.

Morale Strategies: The Importance Of An Enemy

This world is full of people and things you don't like or you don't want. You may even despise them or more than that. It's common and it's all normal. This is applicable to any amount of people: be it one, a group, a company, a political party, a nation and yes, even the world. We need fuel to the fire: when one is beginning to tire down, to slow down, you need something to fan the flames: you need an ENEMY.

Let me just remind the readers to not be so fast in thinking that this is all about waging war and crushing your opponents. An enemy is, like my favorite, The 33 Strategies of War describes, the polar star that guides you in your quest. It may be a person, an idea or something whose existence should be dealt with. For some, it's their enemies in their lives, for nations like America or Russia there's Capitalism and Communism and there's also environmental pollution for the rest of the world just to name a few.

This tactic can also bring about a sense of unity. Unfortunately, not many in the country where I live in has the mind to use this. Imagine what a nation with one united mind and spirit can do. Imagine South Korea in the 1960s poor and in dire need of technology: they battled poverty and the miserable outcome for their families and nation should they fail. The result? South Korea emerging with its own technologies or the counterparts of the Japanese Zaibatsu, powerful companies that have a significant impact to their respective countries, like General Motors of America.

Imagine that the realized presence of an enemy can unite, can emotionally empower people to do a lot of things. That's why we got Jim Rohn who's good in motivating people through their emotions, the revolutionists (picture the Russian Revolution), etc. But do remember, an enemy is best kept in mind, not outwardly. Be graceful to people by not telling them who or what is your enemy because the best kindness you can give to them is to expect that they will most likely be unable to understand you. Do not make high expectations of them but expect lower, unless you're already in a very high seat of power.

Battling Yourself

I watched a stage play three years earlier and I will not forget the line "Believe in the lie! Believe!". It was about a woman trying to believe that she was this and that. I also want to add that back in the dirty politics of my multi-level networking days, believing in yourself even if you have to lie and believe the lie seems to help, even if it hurts. So what are we actually talking about here?

What I want to point out is there will always be a need to be an actor in life. When the normal you can't go further, you will just have to go beyond: believe in yourself, transform yourself, re-create yourself. These are usually applicable if you want something to be done but you can't go the distance and this is are probably situations where fear, doubt, fatigue and mental or emotional instability crept in. It is hard to use your mind most of the time and have your guard up and the problem here is, the critical times do count a lot and will be serving as the turning points for various aspects in your life.

Do Not Rely On The Government

Most likely you are already thinking why this one's already out of context or topic. But I ask you to also remember that a lot of us are employees (some for the time being and some for the long haul). In that cruel scenario, the government taxes us for almost everything minus the oxygen we breathe. I do believe and trust in God but the government is totally different: they will take first (taxes) before you receive your pay. Give unto God what is God's and Caesar, to Caesar's, simple. Taxes (most of it, hopefully) are used for the improvement of the nation and primarily, its people. That is of course, in an idealistic scenario although I bet a lot of you don't like taxes maybe because you know most likely where it goes: to the politicians' pockets or projects which really won't benefit all of you.

I strongly believe in Robert Kiyosaki's post about how far can Obama do for the U.S. and what I fear is that the rest will follow suit. What happens in the U.S. influences most of the world one way or the other and in times like these you cannot depend or trust in the government. Factions have their own way of doing things, they have their own objectives and reasons why they help this, why they do that. The only person you could rely to protect yourself primarily is YOURSELF. Do not accept things as it is but fight for at the very least, the state of things that are normal in your eyes. To make your reality you should not accept the reality of today but work on it.

What Capitalism Should Be In A Businessman's Perception

Forgive me for capitalizing every starting letter of the title. I just want it to look that way. Anyway, I have another story, well, experience to tell you according to my sister's while she's working in this five-star international hotel and resort. For a background, this hotel and resort is very, very well-known in the world BUT owned by this businessman who doesn't believe in God but worships money. He is also extremely tight-fisted, obviously biased, racist and as much as possible, would do anything to reduce costs. Actually, he won't even give free meals to his understaffed hotels and resorts (I believe there are no three of them in the area since the other two were just acquired recently). Never have I seen such a most arrogant, devious and condescending individual apart from the usual people in politics. Setting all that hatred aside for such a pig, let's go to our topic for today:

Communism, Socialism, Capitalism...what gives? In all honesty, I don't give much of a damn. These are ONLY political structures. Not one of them is perfect. They say that politics are the beliefs of how a nation and its people should be governed and treated but ultimately, it still depends on how much the people want to raise everyone's rank, economy, position and happiness. OK, according to what I have read so far, it seems Capitalism has the best structure so far (but I love Australia more than the U.S.). Anyway, a business is a vehicle for not working for money anymore. In this day and age of corporate slavery and imperialism, people have become so clouded and blind of it all. It became one hell of a rat race which messed things up.

My, my, I'm getting carried away again. A businessman, an entrepreneur is instrumental to the development of people: skills, livelihood and living conditions. That is, in an idealistic capitalist setting. The problem with money is not loving money, but the greed of money. We need money, we use money, we keep money, etc. But if you have more than enough, we expand and we help people. But to all those aspiring businessmen or business owners someday, remember that one should help themselves before helping others but one should also have the capability to measure the success they have achieved through exit strategies and other means of realistic measurement. Besides, when you expand a business, people get employed; when you treat people well, you retain most of them, if not all; if you're able to do all these things, your business also benefits from it in the future. The Golden Rule and Karma, in full effect, one way or the other.


Insecure Masters

As young as I am so far, I have seen this even at a young age when I had my membership in this international networking (multi-level marketing) company. The true nobles, the true leaders are NOT INSECURE. They have that air of confidence, that air of power they exude. You can sometimes feel it, whether it be a good or bad effect on you it depends on your self-esteem. Anyway, the people up above, noble or leader they may be, should learn that the real noble or leader is capable of handling and surrounding themselves with smart or smarter people. Remember, knowledge is knowledge, but it's different of handling the screws, the psychological makeup of each and every person in your circle.

Unfortunately, that is not usually the case. Most so-called leaders were promoted because of seniority, tenure, "company loyalty", politics (which isn't totally bad but usually done in a negative way), etc. Self-esteem cannot be bought. Self-esteem cannot be easily learned. Self-esteem cannot be acquired through politics and is only acquired usually at home where one grows. It is not taught in schools or even prestigious universities. The ironic part usually happens when someone who stands out, someone who is great in what they do is usually shot down by these idiots. Why idiots?

As arrogant, sarcastic and obnoxious as I sound, face the ugly truth: you should learn to make distinctions to see the character of the person and set aside their positions. Try to imagine that they are this and that in name only. See who they really are. As Major Winters in Band of Brothers said "We salute the man, not the rank". Learn to not be afraid of these people but learn how to manipulate them---IF they are worth the trouble. Remember, a real leader is someone who's able to gain their position in merit and in capability and is able to raise his people to power as well which in turn would ultimately reflect to his overall power. Insecure and incapable "leaders" on the other hand, will surround themselves with cronies, with subordinates who are also their friends and anyone who's willing to suck up to them while getting rid of the ones with potential and the power to ascend, fearing that they will overshadow them.

It's a shame, the truth hurts more than a lie. But isn't it better to known your own weaknesses no matter how shameful or humiliating it is and then improve than to put up a strong front denying all of it but reeking of pain inside you? For one to improve, one has to determine where they are currently standing, like the SWOT analysis.

Remember The Big "WHY?"

Office relationships are common in this day and age particularly in an industry in the country where I am located. When I worked for this well-known international company I was astonished that it was so widespread that the mid-level people treated it as common and acceptable. I was even told that they expect this guy to get this girl from that guy and vice-versa and the scarier part at times is when it all goes to a blur if one or more has a very messed up sexual orientation. (For topics about that very messed up part, I'll try to explain that on another day since these really mess up the whole order of only two sexes)

Anyway, the common employee unfortunately has the same mindset most of the time. They dream of this and that but it's rather shocking to see that a majority of them will just splurge on booze, smokes, vices and there's the shopping part largely augmented with credit card. As my favorite mentor Robert Kiyosaki mentioned in one of his books, these people, after being sunk into credit card debt then go to the office like the seven dwarves in Cinderella: "I owe, I owe, off to work I go". Idiots. I'm sorry, but it is best to be branded as such when making such a big mistake that could lead to a negatively major turning point in your lives. I went through the same ordeal but it wasn't my credit card, it was my mom's and was brought about by the need to buy expensive medicine at that time (which is justifiable compared to the ways how others use it).

Setting aside the bullshit of credit card debt, I want to focus again on office relationships (which is the tag for this post). I worked for 2 major companies and coincidentally, my direct team leads are the ones who really messed up big time. The first was a guy who had this affair with a female agent: his career failed because of the affair and the fact that he was so emotional about it which wrecked his hopes for a big-time promotion. The second was much sadder: man and woman each have a family of their own, they had an affair now the "have" became a "had"----they both lost their respective spouses only to break up after less than a year.

People, I know that we need camaraderie and harmony in the workplace. But I believe that these are items in a militaristic and professional sense. I say militaristic because business is the same as war. And we work for a business. We work primarily for money and for that amount to be saved or used for something really meaningful. Some items are investments, that's ok but remember not to be like the girl in "Confessions of a Shopaholic". But most of all, remember that the heart is easily fooled, that's why we have our brains on top of it. It's located in our head and we use it to think and control ourselves. The Workplace is specifically for work and to earn money, simply put. Remember to ask yourself when in doubt WHY you work and the reason WHY you chose to be there.

Don't Lose Yourself II

Please refer to the first part of this blog to actually relate on this one.

To avoid confusion in the future, I would like to inform you all that these events are not chronologically in order and they are randomly mentioned in the course of the blog. Again, these are through my experience and encounters with certain people at the workplace of whom they may be friends, acquaintances, just plain co-employees or enemies. Anyway, back to the first part where Bubbly has a lot of friends and of course, with that lot, some are definitely in her close circle of friends.

Now one of these friends is so close to Bubbly that she is like a sister. Nothing bad on that one but this bestfriend we'll call Giggly seem to insult and irritate her from time to time when they meet through reliving painful memories on her side, etc. Honestly, people, do you think that is actually something that a bestfriend would do? Remember that genuine care and thoughtful thinking would mean to sugar-coat some details or just plain not to mention such things, especially if you know what happened to the other person of whom you care for.

Now, I know that this bestfriend is definitely not an idiot nor a careless girl so I have come to the conclusion that there is a possibility that this girl is actually envious of my friend. People, envy is a desire that has grown inwardly, it takes hold of someone's heart and is usually in a person's subconscious and in the end, consuming which leads you to crash and burn. Now, envy being exerted outside of you, gripping it with a conscious realization is positive since you know what you lack and you know that you have to move, therefore, you improve yourself. I hope this makes sense to a lot of you.

Back to the scenario, I felt that Giggly's personality, her life, her character, is not complete. Actually, it is far from complete. It is more of a mess trying to appear in the guise of a good-looking girl (well, that's good-looking for some men, not my type of girl though). Remember that even if one was able to ascend to a position of power, one cannot be secure and improve if they are not complete, if they do not have the consciousness to contemplate and to self-improve. All these things, these factors are all inter-related in the succeeding posts.

Don't Lose Yourself

I have this friend of whom I am delighted to be with because of the energy she exuded in the office. To be specific, it was the kind of energy that relaxes, makes you feel better even if you're in front of a bad situation and I have to say that it's something really, really great. Let's call her Bubbly. She later resigned because of a relationship issue with a male coworker to make it short. Now that was the time that I saw her not just sad, but broken---her face betrays pain that is more than sadness and in the midst of it all, the friends she relied to, well, seem to be friends with the jerk and the quasi-woman who became his girlfriend. (Use your imagination regarding the complicated scenario and yes, if you'll be able to see her, I believe you'll say the same thing)

What lesson can we derive from such things especially in the workplace? I can say a lot of them and this majority about relationships is usually on a darker and much complicated aspect. We should learn and remember from hereon that we must have a line between the personal and the work-related relationships and that friends should not be able to dictate who you are and who you should be. In all honesty, one must learn to determine who is who---the acquaintance, the friend and the close friends who know who you are (the ones you can really trust, compromise and won't betray you; the rare kind).

The problem in this scenario is the fact that a lot of people have been used to being with a lot of people that they tend to forget their identity. Remember, your identity, self-esteem, real character and strength comes from within (and of course, your upbringing) and those things can't be given to you by other people outside the family, otherwise it will lead to a lot of things that if one is not conscious of what is happening, one could be twisted and well, ruined for the rest of their lives. Does it hurt for some? It should be. Because the truth hurts more than a lie and the step to overcoming the pain and suffering is to face your wound and attack it, overcome it. Do not run away, do not embrace it. Then and only then you will be able to start the very first step to reclaim the real person you are.

Enter The Machiavellian Professional

This is a new blog for the sake of what is, what could be, and what will really be. As I have mentioned earlier in the other blog (of which I hope it won't be traced) that I will be discussing things about living a life when it comes to work and business. I also made the title to appear like that because of the fact that we are living in a very complicated workplace where unfortunately, we have taken a lot of things at face value. This is good but most of the time, it is bad. Like a game I played almost two years ago "A Persona is the face someone wears in front of the world".

Here, I'll be mostly discussing the cloak and dagger stuff, the psychological stuff and a whole plethora of other things which I hope would still stick to the title. I will slip some parts of my life to serve as an example of cases or use it (as usual) to drive my point of view.

As some sort of trivia, the motif is as usual, my favorite, the colors black and red which coincidentally fits the theme and title of this blog. Black for being classy, for the mysterious, for intrigue and red for power, for raw emotions and the destruction it can bring forth it uncontrolled. Cloak and dagger, anyone?