In the current business ventures I am in, we don't only have trainings but also events that contribute to our growth and learning. One of these events is a spiritual one, the retreat. Aside from religious activities, this also includes talks that tackle different life aspects and one of them is self development which is essential in improving our mindset and outlook in life. One of the speakers emphasized that life is a choice. Here's the summary of his discussion.

The 5 W's that Started One's Journey

We all have our own life goals and most of them started after undergoing the process of these 5 W's that once happened at some point in our life.

• Wound

  This pertains to the pain that you are experiencing. Challenges are inevitable as long as we live and that gives us pain. When it becomes unbearable, you start to wish for a change.

• Wish

  When you experience pain, it's natural that you start to feel that you want to do something to turn the odds to your favor and triumph over challenges. You start to think about ideas as the desire to take action gets stronger.

• Will

  This is the stage where you set goals and plans as you decide to take action and make your wish happen. This goal that can help solve these challenges, thus, starting a new journey in someone's current chapter in life.

• Work

  Once the goals are set, you do what it takes to solve your problem and get the results you want.

• Win

  You succeed and make things happen.

Life is a Choice

In this part, the speaker emphasizes that we should live deliberately. Don’t just let life happen, make it happen. Nothing will happen if we just wait for things to happen or wait for a perfect situation before we take action. That perfect situation will never come. The opportunity to that will help us overcome challenges often comes when it is convenient. We have to grab it and take action to attract the results that we want.

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to our circumstances. This is a good news because it only means that we have control most of the time and we just have to control our response in an efficient way so we can make things happen. Therefore life is a

C hange

H appy

O utstanding

I ntegrity

C ollaborate

E mbrace

CHANGE

- You can change without succeeding but you can never succeed without changing. Step out of your comfort zone because the life you want will require a better version of you.

HAPY

- Life is not what happens to you, life is what you do to what happens to you. Your happiness depends on your outlook.

OUTSTANDING

- Don’t settle for less, give your all. Mediocrity will never give you the life you want.

- Work but don’t worry because worry won’t work. Focus on the solution, not on obstacles.

INTEGERITY

- Do the right thing whether someone or no one is watching.

- Guard your integrity, not your reputation for integrity will take care of your reputation.

COLLABORATE

- Relationship is more important than pride. It's true that "no man is an island" so connect, you can’t do it alone. Teamwork amplifies goals and makes the dream work after all.

EMBRACE

- Embrace your role, don’t underestimate it. Your current self and the future self you are working on have a purpose so maximize it to bless more people around you.

I prefer this kind of retreat than the traditional dramatic one I often experience in my high school and college years where people just reflect and cry then do nothing to change. This is a fresh and a new idea of a retreat. We played, we learned and we eat a lot too. I like the way our leaders organized this one. It's really filled with fun and learning plus you get to enjoy a very nice ambiance and buffet food. Life indeed is a choice and I choose to enjoy an activity like this and more importantly, I choose to grow and enjoy life as much as I can. Let's live deliberately and choose a life of good vibes.