The Rapper, The Innovator and Me

Steve Jobs is an icon -- an icon of innovation. On the other hand 50 Cent or Curtis Jackson in real life is an icon of fearlessness; his book entitled The 50^th Law co-authored with leadership guru Robert Greene is my personal black book of power – Nihil Timendum Est (Fear Nothing).

I am not a multimillionaire like them nor have I done something extraordinary like owning a multimillion recording industry nor a big name in the technological industry but we all have one thing in common – we all underwent tremendous physical pain to bring out true strength from within -- 50 Cent was stabbed and surgically underwent more than a dozen surgeries whereas Steve Jobs suffered from Pancreatic Cancer, which was the cause of his demise. I underwent two surgeries both for Breast Cancer Stage 2A and currently on my second cycle of chemotherapy.

Both of them I very much look up to.

As a breast cancer survivor and an ongoing chemosabe warrior (definition of which is an individual undergoing chemotherapy in ‘fight’ mode), I learned invaluable lessons from two men who have taught me to replace fear of the unknown with curiosity.

Photo Courtesy of peacepandemic.blogspot.com 

The following are snippets of both the 50^th Law and lessons from Steve Jobs that I wish to share with you in your journey to your own fearless “uncomfortable” zone; I have inserted my personal thoughts though in regular font format –

            Fear is inevitable. What separates those who go under and those who rise above adversity is the strength of their will and their hunger for power.

            See things the way they are. There are things/situations/circumstances in life where rationality cannot be applied. Being spontaneous has its wonders; it brings color to a dull life provided you stay true and YOU.

            Your goal in every maneuver in life must be ownership, working the corner for yourself. When it is yours, it is yours to lose – you are more motivated, more creative, and more alive. The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant and completely yourself. Be an original because everybody else is taken.

            Do not give others the chance to pin you down; keep moving and changing your appearances to fit the environment. If you encounter alls or boundaries, slip around them and not collide head on with them. Do not let anything disrupt your flow… NO MATTER WHAT.

            Be the best at your niche in the world but do not be so exclusive that a majority of the world cannot experience it. When I first started engaging in the world of social media via twitter I was totally ignorant of the how-to’s in terms of engaging in twitter chats hosted across the globe but thanks to a drug called determination I was able to slip around and got the hang of it and before I knew it I was in actual conversation with the icons of leadership and healthcare that I only read about in articles and books written by them. Hosted a chat once when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

I realized that it was not exclusive after all for myself and others not to experience its beauty and wonder – the niche of empathic and compassionate social engagement. Hats off to their humility and true warmth in welcoming me when I was starting off.

Communities such as the breast cancer social media (#BCSM), Carpool Health Community (#CPHC), Healthcare Leadership (#HCLDR), Medical Education (#MEDED), #HCSMANZ, #HCHLITSS, #PEOPLESKILLS, #TEDX, #MEDX and #DADCHAT, to name a few, who have helped me hone my personal niche in the world of social media in healthcare.

Note: At this point I vow to name all the mentors that have truly made a difference in both my personal and professional life in social media on my next blog. Truly grateful for their unselfishness.

I may not be the best but I believe that I am doing my best in making a difference in my fields of interest.

Lastly, Steve Jobs could not have said it any better but this is one lesson I mark in stone that he said in one interview with Forbes – Don’t mess around with your health. Health indeed is wealth. I need not expound more.

I end my blog entry for today with this quote, it pretty sums up the ones taught by The Rapper aka 50 Cent, The Innovator aka Steve Jobs to me, and that is -- Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

Be brave…

The Official Press Release of the Philippine Medical Community for the Upcoming Elections

I make a special entry on my blog today which I personally mark on stone.

"Do not follow where the path may lead go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Press Release

6 May 2013

Available for interview:

Dr. Tony Leachon - 09175303788

Dr. Maricar Limpin - 09176283502Jo-Ann Latuja - 09178069392

May-i Fabros - 0917206983

Doctors Prescribe: Go Out and Vote for Health

Manila, Philippines (6 May 2013).  Trust your doctor. Doctors and health advocates called on their patients and colleagues to go out and vote for health on May 13. “Exercising your right to vote is good for your health,” said Dr. Tony Leachon, Secretary of Philippine College of Physicians, “This is a powerful opportunity for us to flex our muscles to put true health champions in Senate, who will fight for health.”

“Six out of 10 Filipinos die without ever seeing a doctor,” added Dr. Tony Dans, President of Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine (PSGIM), “The high cost of health care in the country prevents people from accessing life-saving services, and drowns families further into poverty.”

In 2010, Filipino families spent more than half of the country’s annual health expenditure according to the National Statistical Coordination Board. “Mahal magkasakit. Mabuti kung may bulsa na puwede paghugutan, kung wala mamatay ka na lang?” added May-i Fabros from WomanHealth Philippines, “Enshrined in our Constitution is our right to health, which is why we need to ensure that those who we elect into power will push for health reform policies that will make access to health services equitable for all, regardless if you have money or not.”

Sin Tax Law as Criteria in Voting for Health

“Although health is just one of the considerations when choosing candidates, its impact in our lives resonate, we need a health criteria to help us vote for true champions for health,” said Jo-Ann Latuja, Senior Economist of policy think tank, Action for Economic Reforms. “We can use their position on the Sin Tax Law as a proxy measure for health and societal reform since it addresses the issues on health financing, universal health care, governance, corruption, economic reform, and vested interests, among others.”

The Sin Tax Law or Republic Act 10351 was one of the critical and highly controversial health reform measures that passed into law before the end of 2012, amdist the strong tobacco industry lobby. "Words are cheap, what we need are true champions for health who will battle it out with vested interests in the halls of congress," said Dr. Maricar Limpin, Executive Director of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP), one of the first tobacco control groups who fought against the anti-health Sin Tax Law of 2004, or Republic Act 9334, which maintained the status quo and kept tax rates pegged at 1996 prices. "We will vote for legislators who will fight for health, and reject those who will most likely fight against health."

"What we are presenting are Pro-Health and Anti-Health candidates based on our critical appraisal of their health position particularly on Sin Tax," continued Latuja, "With health as our criterion, we encourage the public to assess the track record of the candidates for local and national positions, particularly those who have the obligation to pass national policies that will health our health system.

The doctors, economists and health advocates presented their review process of the 33 senatorial candidates. First, they identified the incumbent candidates who had the chance to vote for what they referred to as the effective and pro-health Sin Tax Law of 2012 or the defective and anti-health Sin Tax Law of 2004. After which they assessed the most recent statements on RA 10351 of the candidates, whether they are for or against it. Combining these two they identified only four (4) Pro-Health candidates - Risa Hontiveros, Jamby Madrigal, Koko Pimentel, and Sonny Trillanes, but were able to identify eight (8) Anti-Health candidates - Gringo Honasan, Chiz Escudero, Jack Enrile, Migz Zubiri, Ernie Maceda, Mitos Magsaysay, Teddy Casiño, and Christian Señeres. (Please see attached the PDF file on the critical appraisal on health)

"We hold the reelectionists accountable, as doctors, health advocates, we are reminding the people that these are the people who turned their backs on health," added Dr. Dans. "We need to remain vigilant and protect our health gains from the threats to water down the pro-health sin tax law. "

"To the candidates who remained steadfast in protecting health, continue doing so. For those whom we identified as Anti-Health or have remained fence-sitters who are noncommittal to health, are you for or against Filipinos?" Dr. Limpin threw the question to the candidates.

"They have a chance to do better, if they really care for the people, they should make health their priority. Strong Heath policy creates a ripple effect from powerful primary health care and regulatory measures to health financing, and even more substantial health appropriation in the national and local budget," said Fabros.

"As doctors, we advise our patients on how to live better lives, on how to take care of their health, and to contribute to a better society," concluded Dr. Leachon, "In 2010, 36 million Filipinos had a chance to make their voices heard, but failed to do so. Now we have another opportunity to choose the leaders that we truly deserve."

The group led by the Philippine College of Physicians, Philippine Society for General Internal Medicine, Philippine College of Chest Physicians, and civil society sin tax advocates, Action for Economic Reforms, WomanHealth Philippines, and FCAP held the press conference during the 60th Anniversary of PCP and its 43rd Annual Convention to inform the public of the pro-health and anti-health stance of the 33 Senatorial Candidates.

Tony Leachon,MD

Consultant of the Department of Health on Noncommunicable Diseases

Director,University of the Philippines Manila,Information,Publications & Public Affairs

The Bungee Jump

Way back February 25, 2012 when I first started my blog I only carried with me random thoughts on my personal view on life, love and happiness… from a medical perspective so to speak and as how I indicated it on the subtitle.  Exactly though, a year later, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer Stage 2A… Drastic shift in thought as an introduction to this new entry of mine for this year 2013.

My blog will focus on the journey I take hand in hand with the big C but allow me to open with this reality that Cancer is not a sentence but just a word.

My father saved my life. How? It was roughly 4:30 in the afternoon, February 26, 2013, when he gave me a call to consult a worker who was apparently a victim of a colleague who did not want to issue him a fit to work medical certificate (not to dwell into the details) but since I was left handed when answering my phone I supported my left arm with my right arm crossed and with a snap of a finger I felt the lump that has changed my perspective on life ever since.

I immediately called my colleague and good friend who was a surgeon. I had my sonomammogram and breast ultrasound on February 28, 2013 and while I was standing having my breast undergo mammogram, thank God for the nice ambiance (pink lights) and nice sounds I did not have a syncopal attack upon seeing my plate in front of me – imagine seeing a palm tree bended to its right with two coconut fruits on it, medically speaking, so “not good” since being a doctor I knew it were enlarged 

lymph nodes and lymph nodes basically ain’t good.

At that point in time trials did come in three’s: work, health and life 101. At that point it was a stark reality that a Higher Power can take away things in a blink of a second not to punish us but rather teach us lessons that have been repeated to us ever since but we were too busy or just basically evasive that it needed to be learned and realized at that time when it was being presented to us.

As usual my life was lived again on the fast lane but this time health-wise from the point of diagnosis till the day I underwent a Radical Mastectomy to remove the tumor up to my chemotherapy which is ongoing as of present writing with five (5) more to go! All in a span of less than thirty days (30) I underwent hardcore trials in courage, determination and most of all faith.

My blog will come in episodes as I take my journey in the bungee jump from physician to patient with hopes that somehow I can make a difference in your lives, my readers, in my own small way.

I end my entry for today with an excerpt from Paulo Coelho’s book Manuscript Found in Accra and which exactly summarizes the message I wish to relay in my coming entries:

Even if you were to study your own life in detail and relive each moment that you suffered, sweated, and smiled beneath the sun, you would still never know exactly when you had been useful to someone else. A life is never useless. Each soul that came down to Earth is here for a reason.

The people who really help others are not trying to be useful, but are simply leading a useful life. They rarely give advice, but serve as an example.

Do one thing. Live the life you always wanted to live. Avoid criticizing others and concentrate on fulfilling your dreams. This may not seem very important to you, but God, who sees all, knows that the example you give is helping Him to improve the world. And each day, He will bestow more blessings upon it.

Sharing one of Brian Mc Knight's beautiful ballad "Home"...

An Ounce of Positivity

You can make it happen.

Strike out “I don’t know what to do” from your vocabulary.

You’ll figure it out.

Everything you have ever done has brought you to this point.

The force of life is on your side. Start fresh.

Break the bad habit of a recurring cycle that inhibits you to move forward otherwise it will just repeat itself all over again until you learn the lesson it ought to teach you.

In everything you do, do it like it is your first time.

Make tough choices.

Respect your fear but challenge it enough to get over it.

Passion is fuel.

You cannot have it all but you can always have and do great things.

Balance is a myth. One side will always tip a little more in one side; the key is not to make it fall so much as to make the other side have no weight at all.

Acknowledge your dream. Declare it. Share it. Most of all, realize that you can definitely achieve it.

Do not let perfection become procrastination. DO IT NOW.

Make it a point to learn and relearn. You are a work in progress.

The universe is always expanding and that includes you.

Do what you say you are going to do.

Goals are like arrows. Keep it pointed to where you want it to go.

Do a little more of what you want to do every day until your ideal becomes what is real. No worries -- Goodness has got your back always. You got this so go ahead and make it happen.

The University of LIFE

If I had to live my life all over again...I will...but with the same circumstances. It may be a universal answer to a universal question that is oftentimes utilized but in reality, it really will be of the same quality of the one I have now. I am where I should be now.

Life being a rollercoaster ride will be an understatement in what I have gone through but it has taught me that life is a lesson that repeats the same subject if left unlearned.

Life is an addiction; it has cycles that get into you, becomes a habit, if it is good then go on but if it becomes bad then that is where cycles need to be cut, just like when the umbilical cord is when a newborn baby is born; then you are left to be dependent on a new cycle which should be for the better. We all know that ending a cycle is difficult but that is where precisely the lesson is learned. If you find yourself in the same situation as where you were prior to the “cutting of the cord” then be assured that the cycle gets repeated and you find yourself experiencing double or even triple of the pain when you get to the point of deciding again whether to go or stop; stay or leave. Life is all about just two choices. It was never about three, forget about the “maybe” and focus on just the “yes OR no”.

 

In a month I will be turning a year older. Youth is a gift but aging is an art. Quite defensive but true. Did I indeed learn a lesson from the past years of my life in levels just like in formal schooling? Yes I did, but in a tedious, painful and agonizing way. No regrets though. There is indeed truth behind being strong is your only choice when you are left with it as your only stronghold to survive.

I have simplified the lessons I have learned and decided to enumerate them in grade levels however it has nothing to do with the severity though.

Grade 1- Failure is a friend. It never leaves you no matter what, but the lesson it gives us is what makes us redefine our lives all over again. It introduces us always to an acquaintance named “chance” and it is up to us if we decide to accept it or not.

Grade 2- There is no such thing as being honest to a fault. I remember posting this question on a social media network handle and I was struck by a good friend that reminded me that, again, there is only either honesty or dishonesty. The price we pay for being honest will cost much but the pain of being dishonest is worst. It is indeed the heaviest baggage one can carry and the price we pay is immeasurable. Choose to be honest.

Grade 3- Gone are the days of “thinking out of the box” nowadays we need to “think with no more boxes”. The key for progress is innovation. It may sound like a business strategy but it applies in all aspects of our lives. We do not set standards on how we should live, who the best partner will be, what the perfect living conditions should be. We should not allow ourselves to be victims of standards that limit our freedom in living a full blown life.

Grade 4- It is better to let go of people who drag you down than stay and remain miserable the rest of your life. You owe yourself a good life, let go. The people who were meant to stay will find a way to get back to you.

Grade 5- One can never be ready for any circumstance in life. We can only prepare but never a hundred percent ready. The best things in life come unexpectedly. Take a risk, take a fall, it will all be worth it after all. If you fail then learn, if you succeed then be grateful.

Grade 6- Love, in all its animosity and mushiness, is always knocking at your door. It is just a matter of whether or not you are still putting a door stopper to your past experiences and future expectations. Mind versus heart? I would say heart – precisely why it is anatomically located at the center of the human body; it is the core of our soul and our being.

Grade 7- In everything you do, the most important determining factor is you – fulfillment is when you are happy and at peace in whatever you do. Draw a map. Find your path. Take a deep breath, and then RUN for A good life for YOUR life.

I end with this...

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, do what makes you happy now, you might not even wake up to see tomorrow. Love the people who treat you right and be brave enough to walk away from people who do not. Believe that everything happens for a reason; it may be an agonizing process but hold on to the fact that it will all be good in the end.

If you get a chance...TAKE IT; if it changes your life...ALLOW IT and LET IT.  An excellent life was never promised only a life worth lived, a life worth every breath you take.

 

Life in a Dozen

It has been more than thirty days since I have last made my blog entry. I would like to express first and foremost my gratitude to motivators who have played a major role in the comeback of another Sand and Stone manifesto.

The past days of my life have been filled with a lot of changes all with a common requirement called courage. I have been quite active in a social media platform and have been accustomed in putting a name in my entries pertaining to quotes gearing towards my personal views on the pains of change and how it is to be brave alias “#bebrave”.

Again, and as what I have always done in my past blog entries, I enumerate in a dozen the pertinent lessons I have learned in my #bebrave journey which I hope will assist you in addressing your own personal struggle in any way you feel it has or is affecting you at this point in time..

#bebrave 1- You can’t win without moving out of your comfort/safety zone and taking some calculated risks. No risk. No reward. No guts. No glory... at the end of it all, no regrets.

#bebrave 2- The best pleasures in life originate from the simple things we tend to overlook in this seemingly complicated process called life. There is a difference between pleasure and happiness. Pleasure comes from something external, whereas, happiness comes from within.

#bebrave 3- People will always, at one point in time, want to know if you are real. They want to feel you, sense you, and literally look into your eyes to see what you are made of, not judgemental in nature though. There will always be a real person who for you may seem to be “too good to be true” but in reality “really” is plain and simple GOOD. Accept them as heaven’s way of saying that there can be such an experience in earth in human form. We all need someone”too good to be true” in our lives to balance us – learning to admit to one’s self that we need someone is in fact one way of loving ourselves too.

#bebrave 4- Nothing really happens until you move. The Rocking Chair analogy has always been my favourite – it never progresses because it just keeps rocking back and forth. Good things happen to those willing to put ON the effort in making it happen.

#bebrave 5- Everytime you say “yes” to something unimportant is just like saying “no” to something important. I have learned that the worst punishment in life is to please everybody.

#bebrave 6- Choose to be happy. It is not about forcing happiness in your life, instead it is about not allowing sadness to win. Sometimes you just have to let the bridge break, let tears flow and start anew. I remember reading a quote which I will never forget and it says that “Tears is 99% emotions and 1% water”. Very well defined and has strengthened the adage that crying is indeed cleansing.

#bebrave 7- Life is one tremendous filtering system -- there comes a point in your life when you realize who MATTERS, who never DID, who won’t ANYMORE and who always WILL. Forget about worrying about those from the past because there is always a good reason why they never made it to your future.

#bebrave 8- You deserve your own version of happiness and only you can define it. One of the root causes of unhappiness is sacrificing what you TRULY want most for what you want now.  Life is timed, life is short. Avoid rescheduling what you truly want in your heart. We do not hold the clock of our lives.

#bebrave 9- Learn to let things you are unable to control GO. It will be beneficial for your mind, heart and soul.

#bebrave 10- In choosing friends, be extra cautious who you open up to, only a few will truly care, the rest are just curious.

#bebrave 11- Not all days will be good – if you are going through something difficult and you find yourself questioning if your prayers, in whatever form you manifest it, are heard and you begin to wonder where God is, remind yourself that the teacher is always quiet during the test.

#bebrave 12- Life must be experienced in extremes and be accepted as it is. Happiness needs sadness. Success needs failure. Love needs hatred. Victory needs defeat. Pleasure needs pain. If such contrast is lost, you lose appreciation and when you lose appreciation you will never know how it is to value.

I end my blog entry for today with my favourite advice – Believe in better days. Things always have a way of working out only for the best...and again, BE BRAVE... at first glance it may appear too hard but the key to overcoming life’s challenges is to look again and again and again and that life is indeed TOUGH but you are TOUGHER.

The Naked Truth

Straight from the horse’s mouth is a common idiomatic expression which means information that came from the source itself. I quote four people in today’s entry – a saint, a backpacker, a businessman and a psychiatrist on the naked truth of being human which we must face head on to experience life to the fullest.

The saint said – People can often be unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered but FORGIVE THEM anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives but BE KIND anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies, SUCCEED anyway. If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you, BE HONEST and SINCERE anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight, CREATE anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous, BE HAPPY anyway. The good you do today will often be forgotten, DO GOOD anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough, GIVE YOUR BEST anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between YOU and THEM anyway.

The backpacker said – You will have your heart broken more than once and it is harder every time. You will break hearts too, so remember what it felt like to have yours broken. You will fight with your best friend, you will blame a new love for things an old one did. You will cry because time is passing too fast and eventually you will lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much and love like you have never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you will never get back.

The businessman said – Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.

And finally, as a follow through on what the businessman said, the psychiatrist answered – Learn to love the fool in you, the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects you against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom you also harbour and who would rob you of human aliveness, humility and dignity. It is human to love your fool.

Four remarkable people sharing their Four remarkable thoughts on the Four aspects of our human nature -- emotional, physical, intellectual and character.

Gratitude to the saint whose name is Teresa, the backpacker whose name is Anthony, the businessman whose name is Alan and the psychiatrist whose name is Theodore.

“Forget the risk and take the fall... if it is what you want then it is worth it all”