Candidate Moves

I always get killed when I play Final Fantasy Tactics. I hated Vagrant Hearts's gameplay.

But I loved Arc the Lad. It was probably the only tactical game I loved to play, and would spend hours on.

Why am I talking about tactical RPGs?

Because, Chess.

Tactical RPGs are like Chess. Every game is unique. It has opening moves. Certain Job classes have their own moves and skills.

 Did I mention that I suck at strategy games like chess?that's what.

James Altucher advocates Chess and Go. I like to learn Go. However, there aren't a lot of players where I live. Either there aren't, or I'm not searching hard. I'll assume there aren't any. But someone is bound to love chess in my area.

Chess. Altucher said, "Look for the candidate moves". he quoted that from another chess grandmaster (whose name I forgot).

What is a candidate move? It's a list of moves a piece can probably make.

I need to play chess, to enhance my thinking. to see the possible candidate moves in my life.

Last October 19, 2015, we had an activity that had a lot of... well, "small failures". Small failures that could have been prevented if, well, candidate moves had been predicted and counter moves were done.

Sadly, there weren't. And one of my biggest mistakes was I didn't learn how to think of the candidate moves.

It sucks. And it's part of learning.

Candidate moves.

A Financial Guidepost

On September 2014, I made the crucial decision to invest in the stock market.

Armed with Bo Sanchez's advice from his books, I subscribed to the Truly Rich Club and opened an account with COL Financial.

I've been investing for a year and a month now. Has my life changed? Yes and No.

No, I am not yet a millionaire. I have yet to save a lot of money and create a business to reach a million.

But my life has subtly changed. Many years ago, I had no idea what the stock market was. I had no idea that you could earn an income,aside from your day job. The stock market, for me, seemed like a jungle. It was reserved for those who knew how to handle money (which is true).

And it was scary! I had no one to guide me, except for a popular lay preacher and several financial literacy blogs.

After reading Brian Kim (another great self-help improvement blogger) and Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich", I took the jump.

I only had Php 5,000.00 to lose. I cared for my future. I wanted to create a  difference in my life. I was financially illiterate, until I read about financial literacy and bought every book about it.  Better do something than nothing, right?

So I invested 5,000.00 monthly. Gosh, it would have been a waste. Look at the number of luxury and gadgets I could afford! (but I don't buy a lot. I only need a few things to be happy. A notebook and a pen... and internet connection). The story of the grasshopper and the Ant motivated me, that setting aside a portion of my take home pay would make a difference.

After I made the jump and shared my experience with the stock market: all those color red and green, all the dips and leaps my stocks made, all the joy and frustration when I seemed to lose money...

Eventually, a couple of my officemates heard I was already investing in the stockmarket. They would approach me and ask several questions (who's your broker,what is COL Financial, Is it legit, how much have you earned, have you sold...). Eventually, they would ask me how to send their applications to COL Financial, or what stocks to buy. I never pressured them to subscribe to the truly rich club, nor COL Financial.I just narrated my experience, and what I believed in.

It feels weird. A happy kind of weirdness. 

One officemate thanked me that I shared my experiences. She was contemplating to join the stock market scene too. She thought it was not legit... until I came. 

I can't help but smile. At least, in my own little way, with my simple knowledge, I was able to help. I was able to be a source of inspiration. I was able to be a financial guidepost, all thanks to the books and blogs I read about financial literacy.

***I've realized that this has become a sort of testimony for the Truly Rich Club and COL Financial. I just wanted to express my gratitude somewhere. What better place than in my own blog?

10 ideas on what i don't know

What do I get when i mix Think like a Freak (to admit what you do not know, but I can learn, right?) and James Altucher's 10 ideas a day? Inspiration for Idea sex.

Here are my 10 ideas: ideas written on paper that I will dispose,  but ideas I will immortalize in my blog. I hope that one day, maybe one day, I will be able to... succeed! Act on one of them and do something about it.

1. I don't know how to cook yummy food.
2. I don't know how to finish a planned project.
3. I don't know how and where to meet people with common interest.
4. I don't know how to sustain a relationship (friendly, casual, romantic ones).
5. I don't know how to manage my time properly.
6. I don't know how to be a proper or great, or well functioning administrative assistant.
7. I don't know the entire procurement process (related to my work, but I'm hanging by).
8. I don't know the answers to a lot of questions.
9. I don't know how to plan projects, especially when it is asked of me. (no wonder I wasn't a good leader in elementary and highschool).
10. I don't how and what it means to give my all and succeed.
11. I don't know how to be a proper nurse.

*why is there number 11? Because when you exercise the idea muscle... everything starts to flow

Where are you, "Effort"?

So many drafts.
too little published entries.
just what am I doing?
Do I really want to change my life?
Reading a book won't change my life.
But reading a book, learning from a book and applying what I learned might certainly create a change.
Likewise, reading blogs, motivational books, inspirational posts won't change my life.
Unless there is effort.
Effort.
Effort is what differentiates people.
People who give up.
People who fall, stand up and exert effort all over again.
When was the last time I saw "effort"?
When was the last time "effort" caressed me, or visited me for a cup of tea?
Seriously, I need "effort".
Do I need "Effort", or do i already have it?
Is it within me? Is it waiting to be awoken? Is it waiting to be acted upon?

Oh where are you, you magical thing called "effort"?

...
...
...

Oh, I just remembered!

You were always with me.
I was too focused with the front view, that I never saw you were behind me.