“Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”

- Sean O’ Casey

I would always look at it from afar. I’ll be standing some seven meters away from my well-off classmate’s house just to see its magnificence, the colorful decorations, the dreamy lights and what makes it all complete—the shining star that crowns it. Yes, I drooled over Christmas trees when I was a child—because back then, my family of 12 only lived in a small hut, with no electricity, TV, and where the floor where we sleep is made of bamboo slats.

Star of Bethlehem (Photo courtesy of www.scenicreflections.com)

My father was very good at encouraging us to feel contented despite the lack. When I asked, “Tatay (father) why can’t we have a Christmas tree with a nice golden star on top of it?”, he will always tell me, “Look at the stars above, isn’t that more than one golden star?” And yes, I will always find comfort just by looking at the window, where the pitch dark color of the country side is lit by the thousands of stars scattered like diamonds.

To believers, the Christmas star, also known as the Star of Bethlehem, revealed the path for the wisest of men to the humblest of shepherds to find the Savior Jesus. It is said that it was a sign that the Israelites have long sought, and its appearance raised their hopes.

Like my father who inspired me to always look at the bright side and the Christmas Star which led the way for the wise men—someone, somewhere we will encounter persons or events that will shine on us. When we are at our darkest hour, when we are seeking for answers to our problems, God will send angels not in their glorious form but through events, the people around us, or even strangers!

In my life, I encountered so many Christmas Stars—the priest who was instrumental for my college scholarship, employers who gave me career breaks, my staff who helped me with my business, my family and friends who supported me, my mentors who inspired me to write a best-selling book and fans who sent me emails filled with gratitude and inspiration they got from reading my book The Tale of Juliet.

What will be life without these people who took the time to care?

And how much better will life be if all will extend a helping hand to someone in need?

There are so many stars around us, inside of us—perhaps all we need is to be one, to shine brightly, and to give light to others. Never mind the lack, the missed opportunities, the past, our limitations, or even our biggest disappointments, we all know that stars shine radiantly when it is dark. We may never know how and where that one encouragement, advice, or material help will go, but we know it has the power of fire to ignite the lives of others.

I hope this message touch the light inside of your heart, and make the flames grow bigger. Imagine if all will be a Christmas Star, how bright will our world be?

You are a star! Shine on!

Personal Development Seminars have both believers and skeptics. I truly believe in it while my husband is skeptic about the benefits of such programs. Yet when our whole family attended Wings Seminar in Oregon, we all came home renewed and equipped with tools to living better lives.

A fair and wise lady whom I now consider as one my mentors, Kris King is the CEO of Wings Seminar. Through her practical teachings, participants like me, were able to fully understand how to become 100% accountable of the choices we make and its consequences.

This short video was taken after my family completed the course in Eugene, Oregon. You can also find this on Kris King’s website http://www.krisking.org. Filled with nuggets of wisdom, who knows your life might get an extra boost in just six minutes! I hope you enjoy and learn from it!

And let me borrow Ghandi’s words “Be the change you want to see.”Open your heart, be grateful and let the magic and bliss of your life start all over. Enjoy your own journey!

For your reading pleasure, here’s the Interview Transcript of the Video:

Jhet: Hello everyone, I am right here in Oregon, with Kris King, one of my mentors.
That’s Kris King. And I am attending her Personal Development Seminar, Lifeworks. And I am going to tell you about who is Kris King and what she does for the world.

Kris King’s Mission

Kris: Our mission is to inspire and support positive change, creating an abundant, respectful and loving world community. And we do that one heart at a time, one mind at a time, in a way that I believe is respectful, inspirational, practical and profound.
Read the rest of this entry »

What do climbing a mountain and writing a book have in common? They are both not easy. And its the not-so-easy things that I just love to do.

To jumpstart my journey in writing a second book, a follow up to my first self-published best-selling book The Tale of Juliet, I took on the challenge of climbing the Grouse Grind - a 2.9 kilometer trail up the face of Grouse Mountain which is the highest peak in Vancouver, Canada.

With an elevation of 2,800 feet and an approximate 30 slope, Grouse Grind is not for the average hiker. Apart from the rugged and steep terrain, hikers will need to face off with 2,830 stairs!

It will take an average of an hour and a half to reach the top, but for new hikers, two hours or more is recommended. It is a trail that requires physical and mental preparation.

On a cloudy Wednesday morning, I arrived at the site at 6:30AM with a friend. Usually there are more hikers during summer, but because of the light rain, we only saw a few hikers.

At the base of the summit, we took a moment to visualize our goal of writing and publishing the book. My friend happened to be a children’s book illustrator and she will do the illustrations for the book.

“Write the book, draw the illustrations, publish the book, launch the book,” this was our mantra as we took our steps.

The first few steps were a breeze, but after 10 minutes, the weight of climbing up the steep terrain was already getting on our legs. 30 minutes after, we were already panting and  catching our breaths.

And what we thought was already a long and painstaking achievement was only…

The rugged terrain was getting harder and harder as we move closer to the summit. The light drizzle turned into a shower, making the trail slippery and requiring more caution from those that step on it.

“Write the book, draw the illustrations, publish the book, launch the book.”

“Write the book, draw the illustrations, publish the book, launch the book.”

It was our mantra that kept us going,  plus the sheer beauty of the trees and the fog that embraces it.  As some hikers were giving up, we went ahead and pressed on.

We then reached the half-mark, and then the three quarters. These markings were like medals to our feat, cheering all hikers that the summit is within reach.

Our water and granola bars were done. We can hear the gondola from afar, it was like music to our ears! The bright light from the summit is already cheering us on, waiving hello to us.

We knew it’s only a few minutes and we can reward our tired legs with a wonderful rest.

As we reach the summit and saw the peak of the chalet, we felt like olympic champions. Oh we were shouting with joy! “Yes, we did it!”

1 hour and 30 minutes, that was our time. We didn’t finish it like the pros who complete the trail in less than 40 minutes. But we were so happy! The climb itself means nothing is impossible to achieve.

And so the journey to Grouse Mountain by climbing it has ended. But its end is only the beginning. It is the bell that heralds the journey to writing my second book. It is like the torch light that signals the start of a 3-month book project.

So  please stay tuned as I post more on the development of my second book!

Have you ever done a physical challenge to jumpstart another chapter in your life?

Marathon for a career change, skydiving to love again?

Share it with me!