In a few days, 2014 will have ended. The time for New Year’s Resolutions is here again. The thing is how do we stay on track for New Year’s Resolutions in 2015?

Generally, after the first week of January, the best intentions go to the wayside, forgotten in the juggling of family and work. Perhaps, keeping it simple is the approach to use.  So here are some easy ones to consider:

1. Give ourselves credit. Sometimes we forget where we started and how far we’ve come in the journey. It is good to take a break, remembering that our lives are all works in progress.
2. Practice active listening.
3. Drink more water and try green tea instead of sodas and coffee.
4. Donate clothes or household stuff that are not needed. If finances are on the tight side, organize a garage sale. It’s a win/win situation as others can use stuff that may be unnecessary to you.
5. Make every effort to stay in touch with family and friends. Use email and social media. The cliché that ‘life’s short’ is a reminder to appreciate the present.
6. Be punctual; credibility increases with punctuality. Being prompt for appointments and meetings shows respect for other people’s time.
7. Organize and avoid accumulating clutter. A disorderly environment mirrors a cluttered mind.
8. Make every effort to spend less than you earn. When possible, begin saving at least 5% of your monthly salary. Rainy days don’t announce themselves.
9. Be more positive in looking at negative situations. Go into the thinking mode of “a solution is available, I just haven’t found it yet” when faced with challenges.
10. Take the time to just be. Start with turning off the phone for ten minutes. Practice the art of doing nothing. It may be the only time you hear your body.

Sticking to 2015 New Year’s Resolutions is the goal but more important is staying on track every day to achieve a balanced physical, emotional, and mental life.

Written by Yoli P.- The Help

Living up to its name, The Help, once again reached out to the community of Tagaytay City in the province of Cavite. Engaging in the immediate neighborhood and contributing to its improvement is key to The Help’s overall business mission.

Though threatened with possible typhoon Ruby’s landfall late in the evening of December 7, staff at The Help arrived at the Injoy Life Children’s Home to share the season’s holiday spirit. Residents, 13 young ones, go to a nearby school. In their free time, they busy themselves with gardening activities. But on Sunday, expectant faces waited for the day’s program of speakers, prizes, and games.

The program consisted of an opening prayer led by one of the children, a group song and dance performance, and a message from The Help’s owner, Ms. Astrid Escover-Stanek. Games, as well, involved the young residents in the day’s event.

Keeping in mind last year’s typhoon Haiyan that devastated Tacloban City in Leyte and other cities in the surrounding islands, tremendous appreciation for good health, support of family and friends as well as the continued backing of the local government was expressed by the orphanage and The Help.

Meanwhile, joyful squeals from young and old alike resounded in the community hall as everyone laid eyes on the ready-to-eat boxed spaghetti, chicken and rice lunch. There were sacks of rice and blankets, for the orphanage while art and pencil kits, and school provisions such as paper and pens were for distributed to the orphans. Bathroom, kitchen supplies, and canned goods were also in the gift bags.

The Help thrives in a tradition of sharing and giving back to the community that continues to nurture staff and their respective families. Ms. Escover-Stanek comes from a family steeped in charity and sharing with the community. Influenced by the values of her parents and extended family, she has, over the years, made certain that the civic aspect of the business is actualized through the bi-annual community outreach activities of the company. A profit and loss statement is one measure of business success. However, only community impact and its relevance insure business longevity.

Written by Yoli P.- The Help

“Gracious acceptance is an art – an art which most never bother to cultivate. We think that we have to learn how to give, but we forget about accepting things, which can be much harder than giving…”
― Alexander McCall Smith, Love Over Scotland

A great number of people are uncomfortable at receiving gifts in any form. Perhaps the unease comes from having been brought up and trained in the idea that giving is better than receiving. Instilling selflessness in the youth usually begins with lessons in sharing food, toys, and other material possessions with those who are in need.

With the holiday season, everyone will be receiving gifts, as well as giving away some. Most will be focused on the giving part while the receiving side is mostly acknowledged with a quick hug or kiss.

What is it that makes us uneasy about receiving a gift, a compliment, or appreciation?

I believe fear of strings attached to the gift could be one reason. If a past experience of receiving a present for which a favor is expected in return, then a cautious attitude is developed by the recipient. Indebtedness cannot be attached to gifts.

Receiving is an occasion to look at our “soft spots.” Being reminded that we have something tender hidden away makes us vulnerable, perhaps even embarrassed that we feel sentimental about having been remembered and appreciated by family and friends. In all relationships, the act of receiving is that of a connection, be it in our personal or professional life. Maybe that’s why women cry during a proposal of marriage.

Joy for ourselves is best expressed in allowing life’s abundance flourish by accepting gifts with warmth and grace from our family and friends. Receiving as such becomes our present to the giver.

In the Christian tradition, Jesus was the finest recipient of gifts but He also exemplified the best giver when He gave his life for mankind.

Written by Yoli P.- The Help

Careers sometimes get bumped off track by circumstances brought about by changes.

The appointment of a new department manager, at my former workplace, created a ripple. There were high expectations from both the side of the boss and the team because of the company’s impending reorganization. On her arrival, a long discussed policy that retirees cannot be rehired except after a year’s break from the company was implemented. It is a policy adopted by several large businesses and trepidation among staff was palpable. Each individual was concerned with the rule’s possible effect on his or her career. Non-retirees re-examined their long-term plans.  The loss of motivation, low morale, and the lack of focus were the three most common effects.

After the policy’s implementation, management took steps to reassure staff of their job security. A general assembly was scheduled to explain the diminished sales and resources. Human resource managers fielded an hour of questions and answers from the staff. A week later, it was also announced that a frequently asked questions site had been set up at the institution’s web site.

The new rule started the company on its streamlining path. Staff demanded transparency and a couple of management layers were eliminated; thus, flattening the organization. It was an ongoing process to adapt to the current culture of managing oneself and others, eliminating the traditional bosses. It removed procedures that tended to delay the disbursement of funds for field staff. Petty cash for routine expenses was made readily available.

The immediate result of the one-year break rule provided middle managers with the opportunity to lead: to present, design, and implement programs that impact a number of communities.

Long before the reorganization began, I was already in a community college learning Chinese, hoping to become fluent and teach English in China. My experience taught me to pay attention to my personal life by creating other career pathways while on the job. Uncertainty is always around the corner; a professional life can continue notwithstanding changes in management.

Written by Yoli P.- The Help

Reading and writing skills are absolute needs in daily life. Texts are read from blackberries and iPhones as one brews coffee. On the way to work, when one is on the bus or driving, signs are read for directions and then noted so as not to miss one’s turns or stop. At the workplace, staff is expected to read, comprehend, and analyze market reports, summaries of meetings, and trend updates.

For a Virtual Assistant (VA) as well as for other professions, reading is equal to breathing. The two goals of reading are to find information, for example, procedures in electronic filing. Then there’s the other purpose of reading, the understanding aspect. These two occur at the same time so that the reader discovers or acquires something new. Getting the information and relating it is vastly different from having the information then being in a position to explain its relevance, where it is connected, and how it may impact the task at hand.

In the current professional environment, acquisition of new information along with sharp administrative skills is a foundation of success in the workplace. But this is also the era of information overload where choices have to be made on which reading materials take priority.

Whether immersed in fiction, non-fiction, annual reports and other reading materials, consider the following:

1. Reading contributes to improving writing skills. Certain authors can influence vocabulary and sentence construction. Successful authors of books such as The 4-Hour Workweek show concise writing that is easy read for audiences.
2. Reading is good training for focus and concentration. Multi-tasking is not possible when reading as it is an activity that requires attention.
3. Reading improves retention of information. In a novel, there are several characters and plotlines that must be recalled to keep track of the story. The same is true for non-fiction book reading. It must be noted that new memories that are created result in new brain pathways (new synapses).

Perhaps the best value in reading is found in Vera Nazarian’s words:

“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.”

Written by Yoli P.- The Help