My Simple Life Winning Formula

It's not about what we have done. It's about what we can do.

I thought it was great but all I got was hate; thought it was awesome but I forgot to consider some...

I did a website with poor navigation; an ugly website with improper ratio between images and texts. I produced websites that violated CSS and XHTML and design rules. I delivered a website that took centuries to load, was not compatible with other browsers; sites with low search engine visibility; and worst, websites that were only visited once, and totally rejected. I've been through a lot of mess, committed a number of critical mistakes, been moaned and scolded. I failed.

That WAS me.

Behind those failures, I am still playing the same game, just rubbed it off, got up and continue to be ALIVE. Those experiences gave me an opportunity to assess the kind of risks I need to take, and helped me realize that I can really give more only by means of a right formula. Being A.L.I.V.E paves the way for me:

A - Attitude. When I set the alarm to 4am, by 5am I should be up already - that's right attitude for me. Right attitude equals right mindset, organized and open-minded. Discipline along the way is my biggest challenger (That's why I implement a No-Facebook No Twitter time in a day).  When I have to do it, I have to. If I don't have to do it, I won't.  I learned a lot from the 4 quadrants (alone) in the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey.

L - Love of the game. I love what I'm doing. Web designing just started as a hobby until I realize that I could make a living out from it. It was not even included in my college course so I studied everything by myself.  I'm lucky to have got cool mentors, coach and tutors along the way that helped hone my skills further. What better career can you have than the one that you really love? This is pass-ion.

I - Inspiration. I'm greedy about inspiration. This keeps me happy about what I do. I always sing and crank up rockin' - that's my way of saying I'm inspired. I have a beautiful wife to die for, a loving and supportive parents and sisters, great friends.  My dreams inpire me too. Being dramatically inspired squeezes my creative juices more.

V - VITAMIN VISION. Having a vision prevented me from giving up with all those failures and prevented me too from pursuing a career in showbiz. haha. Reminding myself of my vision, adds fuel to my engine. The more I failed before, the faster I got full tank. The motivation to live my dream life with my family is just undying. See my Visionboard.

E - Earnings. Web design and internet marketing field puts me in a very lucrative opportunity. Seeing how far I can go, how big I can be, how huge it could reach out (see Ion as a Youth Advocate) and how quick I can transform my vision into reality never shuts me down. In short, realizing what my earnings could do not only for myself motivates me much.

This is my formula. It can be yours too. Be ALIVE. I refused to die and chose to be ALIVE. And to be ALIVE I don't abuse myself, well not too much. There are still more days I get to sleep 6-8 hours, I can go out with the family on the weekends and relax. I can chill in this desert.
So now, I can create not just stunning websites, but efficient, user-friendly, usable, and cost-effective as a result as well. (See Portfolio)

Coming off the bench, I know my role. It's a continuous learning process while I watch the coach design the play and the superstars execute. I know now what to do with the ball when it gets on my hand. I'm not yet where I want to be, but I believe and feel my other hand already holds a part of the MVP trophy. - Ion Gonzaga