Friday, November 25, 2005

Those little things

The little details make the difference. In everything that we do, even the smallest extra thing that we do will leave a mark of who we are like our personal signature.

It is a little hard to describe exactly this insight that I'm having right now, but anyway I need to put in writting so I don't forget.

A little note of appreciation towards our significant one makes that person feel good. A simple goodbye kiss when leaving for work, a short phone call, the smallest caress, can mean a lot for any of us. At work we find the same situations when performing our tasks. At school is the same. At church. Everywhere.

We are not aware of this fact most of the time, but keeping it in mind will make the difference. This is something to think about...

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

To Myself

To be what a man can be. That's my commitment for today. But the question is still: Am I being all what I can be? What a deception.

All the questions that I had when I was a teenager are still unanswered. I'm still asking the same questions to myself. My life is ruled by my ideas of what life is. It is terrible to think that all that I think is wrong and that I'm deceiving myself. I'm afraid of getting to the end of my life and discover that all that I did was wrong, a terrible mistake, a big waste of time. Time will pass me the bill.

PALADAR
Silvio Rodríguez

Llego al club de los cincuenta
y una mano trae la cuenta.
Llama la atención la suma
desde hoy hasta mi cuna.
Cada fuego, cada empeño,
cada día, cada sueño,
viene con importe al lado,
a pesar de lo pagado.

Me pregunto qué negocio es éste
en que hasta el deseo es un consumo.
¿Qué me haré cuando facture el sol?
Pero vuelvo siempre el rostro al este
y me ordeno un nuevo desayuno
a pesar del costo del amor.

Vengan deudas, inflaciones,
vales, multas, recesiones.
Pruebe a arrancarme el ratero
el sabor de mi bolero.
Sea quien sea el gerente,
me lo cobre diligente
(ya sabrá esa mano cruenta
cuando le pase mi cuenta).

Me pregunto qué negocio es éste
en que hasta el deseo es un consumo.
¿Qué me haré cuando facture el sol?
Pero vuelvo siempre el rostro al este
y me ordeno un nuevo desayuno
a pesar del costo del amor.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

This day...

I am so stressed right now as I write this lines due to work and everyday issues. Normally it takes a long time before I get mad at things that bother me. Today I had a parents meeting over at Raúl's elementary school late this evening. He's on the first grade and his teacher is an inept. That old lady is really dumb. It makes me angry just to think of her. How the heck did she become a teacher? I doubt she's capable of transmiting any knowledge. What makes me even more angry is that Raúl is not in a public school and I am paying for his education. I don't feel I'm getting what I'm paying for. This school we picked is not what my wife and I expected.

Things at work are getting ugly as my critical dates are going past due. My main responsability at work is to make things happen as planned. It is so frustrating when there is no cooperation from my peers. It feels like I'm on my own when in reality what I do (or don't do) affects the whole company. It is almost a fact that I will have to work extra hours at night, as well and saturdays and sundays, during the following month to meet the customer expectations.

I need a relief for all of this feelings. Maybe playing the "Gansito Marinela" video game on the computer with my kids will help.

Bye now.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Outdated Post

Nowadays, when talking about meeting people, we are not limited to meet them in “person” only. With the internet it is possible now to meet people from anywhere in the world and know what they think without the most minimum idea of how they look like. I mean, it is very easy to stablish communication and share thoughs, ideas, feelings, information, knowledge, etc., through forums, live chat, email, blogs, bbr, websites and so on.

The new generations take it for granted and they may not be as amazed as I am now, but back when I was a kid, people never thought that something like this was going to happen. It is amazing for a "ruco" like me :^)

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Remembering

Here I'm camping with my family: Silvia my wife, Raúl (6) and Eduardo (4). We are at the shore of the Huapoca River (Chihuahua). It was during 2005 "Semana Santa" when we spent a few days over at Ciudad Madera with my wife's relatives. We had a great time.

That day on the video, we woke up very early in the morning, I would say around 5:00 AM. It was very cold. I remember there was frost outside the tent walls. The cold made me wake up to gather some wood in order to start the firecamp. By the time I was done with it, The kids woke up as well and came to me. Silvia arrived a little bit later. It was so delightful to be in front of the fire in such a cold morning.


Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Thought About Self-esteem

I am the sum of all that I think about myself regardless of what I want people to think about me. I am as successful as I want per the limitations that I impose to myself. I have not become all that I wanted because of my internal fears to fail. Why am I so frightened about failure? I don’t know exactly.

Having a solid self-esteem is part of the foundations that lead to succeed in life, because if you have it, the will to be the best can take you wherever you want, because you feel that you deserve it, because you love yourself and you reflect it.

The difficult thing is how to build it if you have a poor one. The other day I was on an electronics shop waiting to receive a work order to repair my videocamera, when suddenly a guy entered the place asking for money to buy something to eat, a “tortilla with salt”, he said. I had the impression that he didn’t love himself. It seemed to me that he was thinking that it was all that he was worth, that he only deserved a “tortilla with salt”. He didn’t have to be specific on what he wanted to buy with the money he’d get, but he emphasized it like saying “poor me, give me only enough to keep alive”. I hate it when people do that. I didn’t give him any money, he was young and good looking to be begging in the first place.

Anyway, this made me think that probably I behave like this guy but in a different level.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

ASK

If you want something you can get it. All that has to be done is ask for it. If one never ask, then the possibility to get it dramatically drops down to near zero.

Let’s put as an example. Raúl, my 6-year-old son, wants me to put a video game on the computer, but he’s being shy and doesn’t tell me. Just by seeing him I know what he wants and that he’s being shy about it. I’m not going to put that game if he doesn’t ask because I want to encourage him to ask for what he wants, I mean, if I say “no” it won’t be the end of the world, but, if I say “yes” I’ll put it with no problem.

It’s like the time back when I was in high school and I was dying to date the most beautiful girl ever of the whole class. I never told her how much I liked her and that secretly I was in love with her. If I had ever told her about my feelings, she could have rejected me, or she could have at least turned her eyes to me, and if I had insisted maybe we could have been sweethearts. But that never happened because I simply never ask her to go out on a date.

It is the same if I want a pay rise. My boss won’t know that I need one if I don’t ask. He may even be happy that none of his employees ask for a pay rise. If I ask for it there is a chance that I get it. That chance is what makes the difference. Asking for something opens up an opportunity.

Let’s look at a beggar on the street, or a beggar on the public bus. He is taking advantage of that chance to get money by asking for it. Probably not everyone will give him money, but if just one single person gives him some spear change, then he'll make profits.

Praying is about the same. Praying is asking God for what we need. We have to pray a lot more, don't you think?

The bottom line here is: Ask for what you want and there is a possibility that you'll get it. Leave the fear and embarrassment feelings behind. DARE TO ASK.