Ideas, Hacks, & Articles You’ll Bookmark

As someone who enjoyed cleaning our house in my younger days, I found myself repeatedly frustrated by how quickly it would become messy again. In these moments of exasperation, my mother offered a simple, yet life-altering piece of advice: “Just look away.” At first, it seemed like an invitation to ignore the problem, but it was much more than that. It was a lesson in choosing where to focus my energy. My mother further explained that getting too fixated on keeping the house tidy while there’s six of us living in the same abode would only bring me undue stress. ...

One morning on a solo journey to Manila, my father found himself on a typical bus from our province, overflowing with passengers. Among the crowd, he noticed a woman, roughly my age, struggling to maintain her balance. In a spontaneous act of kindness, he offered his seat to her, a simple gesture that later imparted a significant lesson to me about the power of goodwill. That same day he recounted this story to me explaining his hope that if I were ever in a similar situation, a kind stranger would extend the same courtesy to me. My father wasn’t a ...

Growing up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, the concept of ‘better’ seemed distant—a luxury beyond reach. My father, though far from a snob himself, understood something crucial about breaking the cycle of hardship. “If you want to change your life,” he’d insist, “spend time with those who can lead you to a better place.” This wasn’t about shunning those around me; it was about aspiring for more. He believed in the power of influence—that by surrounding myself with intelligent, ambitious people, their traits would rub off on me. I remember playing in the dusty streets with the local kids, their laughter ...

Whenever I’m asked, “How did you learn English?” I can’t help but smile. While some might find these questions tiresome or even offensive, for me, they were a reminder of a unique journey that began long before I set foot in the United States and well before I started formal schooling. Even back in those days, most Filipinos learn English from school because all subjects, except for the Filipino subject, were taught in English. As to how well one can learn English from school, it depends of course on the child’s learning ability. In my case, I had an exceptional ...

When I was very young, I spent a lot of time playing by myself. My older siblings had their own friends, so I often found fun in simple things. One day, I was playing with an empty can of sterilized milk on the concrete floor outside of our house, flipping it and trying to make it stand upright at each toss. It was a simple game, but it kept me entertained. While I was playing, my dad came over. He seemed to think I had taken some tailoring chalk, which I sometimes used to draw on the walls. He asked ...

My dad, Alex, and my mother, Celia. They and the pup are no longer with us. Often, the most profound business lessons come from places we least expect. What have you learned not from work, business, or formal education, but from the rich and complex construct of life? Looking back, some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned came from simple moments spent with my parents. I’m excited to share these stories with you in a series of short articles, each one offering a piece of wisdom that’s stayed with me through the years. These aren’t grand tales; they’re real ...