Enter Trainstation, a motivational marketing company that fuses the art of entertainment (through theater and improv) with the theories & processes of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).

I first heard about NLP in back in May or June 2012, didn't do anything about it, until I was reacquainted with it thanks to a fellow Global Shaper, Boogs Rosales, an NLP Practitioner at Trainstation. Since my first encounter with NLP last April 27, 2013, I knew that I wanted to know more about it, and that if possible, be more involved with Trainstation.

And thus, began my work at Trainstation this month, and this is probably the only place where I feel I can feel at peace with being an employee reporting to an office AND (gasp!) wearing corporate attire.

In the few days that I've been working here, my heart swells with the awareness of how the work they do changes the lives of their clients, and of each individual that works with the company and chooses to imbibe their values as well.

You know how they say you can't win the game if you don't place your bets, or you can't win the lotto if you don't buy your tickets, or some other idiom like that?

Well, this is me, choosing to play. And it doesn't feel like so much of a gamble when you know why you're doing what you're doing. I may not have the best hand yet as of the flop, and when I don't fold on the turn, I'll go all in for the river. ;)

Jen

You'll read or hear all these stories about  social entrepreneurs or innovators, NGO setter-uppers, "change-makers"/"game-changers" and all these other apparently Type A overachievers who are causing cataclysmic shifts in mindsets and movements. And then you'll hear that little voice in your head asking what you're doing with your life, and how you can make a difference yourself.

While we need those go-getters like Anna Oposa of Save Philippine Seas, and Reese Fernandez-Ruiz of Rags2Riches, who are working their behinds off to create awareness about their advocacy in marine conservation, and eco fashion respectively, we can all be catalysts of change in our own right.

So how can normal little you cause great big change?

The good news is you don't have to set an NGO or a social enterprise to make a positive impact in the world. But you can help support some NGOs and social enterprises. They need normal people like you and me - consumers, and clout-bearers - who move about with our own lives, to help herald their advocacy. And there's a multitude of ways to get involved depending on what works best for you or how you think you can best contribute:

Share their story with your friends and family You can do this through social media and face-to-face dinner conversations (less of the gossiping :P). And as Maria Ressa always says, you have the power to influence your immediate social circles, so what you say, and more importantly, what you do really matters.

Consume more mindfully Poke around and ask questions about how food gets to your plate, or how a product is made. It's good to know! Having people question supply chain and production process challenges entrepreneurs to think of create better products for society and the planet!

Attend their bazaars/workshops/events From time to time, social entrepreneurs participate in bazaars, and this is one of the best ways to get to know the people behind the awesome products and really show your support through your purchase. Some NGOs also seek volunteers from time to time (like for Save Philippine Seas' mural to raise awareness on local marine life) or hold fundraisers. Check out other Muni-recommended events here.

Choosing to eat less meat, or bring around a reusable bottle may not make you a hero, but choosing to a more mindful way of living is an admirable act in itself. And once you know better, it just feels better to choose the more favorable and ecological option as well.

Recognize the impact of your personal decisions. You don’t have to move mountains to create change (in fact, we highly discourage tampering with mother nature), and in your own way, just live your life as best as you can to serve as an example to friends and family. They might ask why you make certain choices, and this is your chance to gently (not forcefully) explain why you thought it was a better decision. They don’t have to make the same change in their lives right away, because at least you have planted a seed. And that seed will grow.

In July 2011, I took a trip with friends to Vietnam, at a time when I felt fatigued and in need for a break. When I came back home, I found the same heaviness on my shoulders, and that I really just wanted to be anywhere but where I was. I channeled this towards this Nomad Manager Tumblr blog, which I created to help keep me on track on the road to getting out of a rut. In the year that followed, it served as a reminder of my dream of location independence, and the steps I could take towards that goal.

Along the way, I found other things that inspired me, and more and more that I had a desire to share some things with the world that I hadn't been able to do with how I was living my life at that point. But I was stuck, I didn't know what to do. And while I had an idea, I was met by resistance, and simultaneously, self-imposed obligations to individuals I cared about.

On July 1, 2012, I packed my life essentials into a tiny 9-kilo bag. Double checked that I had my passport, the address of the guesthouse I booked 2 nights at, my ticket to Siem Reap for that day, and my ticket back to Manila from Kuala Lumpur on September 14, 2012, and hopped on the plane.

I was so tired with what I had been doing up until that point, and I validated to myself that my fatigue had become a weighty insouciance, and that it couldn't be solved by a break, but really, by a drastic change. So, 3 weeks into my trip, I did. Not the fairest thing to my team, but I figured they best know sooner than 7 weeks later.

Fast forward to November 2012, when I created Muni.com.ph, and I've felt blessed to have it in my life since. Because up until Muni, I felt like I was just a drifter; I was doing things others seemed to admire (Punchdrunk Panda), but I didn't feel as happy as I thought I should be. Finally, with Muni, I found a sense of fulfillment I didn't find before. Being so-called "selfless" is the most selfish thing that I've done.

Muni has been so fortunate to receive the support of so many talented, passionate individuals, and I really want to make it grow even more, and really create a platform for people to share more freely. In the meantime, while I raise funds for that or create a viable business model for that, I'm glad to have experienced TrainStation in April 2013.

On July 2, 2013, just yesterday, I got to know the rest of the TrainStation family, and I realized how wonderfully it really ties in with my long term vision for Muni. Ultimately, I created Muni with the idea of sharing mindful living, and somehow, it steered more into the direction of environment and social enterprises that I forgot about nurturing the very crucial aspect of the self, and that at the core of it all, it's really empowering the individual, showing them that they have the ability to create ripples of change within their circles, who will in turn affect their own circles (as my idol Maria Ressa puts it).

I'm anxious / nervous / excited about what lies ahead for me now, as is expected with any new and unfamiliar experience. Last year, I stripped down my life to the basics, packed in a bag and left. This year, I know I don't need to go anywhere to escape a humdrum life, but instead, create interesting things around me - meet people and just do some stuff together!

I've blabbered on for long enough, a necessary process for me because I feel like I need to hear my thoughts out loud or see them on paper or my computer screen for them to be real. Things are coming together, and I'm excited for the possibilities. :)

Time to get crackin'.

Cold Calls / Emails & Warm People

I’ve met up with SO MANY AWESOME PEOPLE, a lot of whom I’m really surprised gave me the time of day, and not just 5 minutes out of their busy schedules, mind you, but like hour-long meetings and a genuine desire to help me figure things out with Muni…which they didn’t necessarily give me the answers to, and in fact, some of the things they shared were contradictory.

But it helps that I know their views, and it’s up to me where I should take Muni given the insights I’ve gathered. Having said that, I’ve also realized that some things I said about incorporating Muni in Progress Report #5 here just over a month ago have also changed. I’m still at that point where I find myself constantly trying to figure out the “voice” I want for Muni. And its direction and focus. And its scale.

But the concept of scaling up, for me, is largely more challenging because of my hesitation to have people on a regular payroll and depending on me for monthly sustenance. For those who have not experienced that type of pressure (even if it’s just 1 person you’re paying), I don’t think you can easily understand how much that pressure feels. I built it so I could live with myself. So I could sleep a little better at night knowing that I was trying to make my world a little better. But I feel like given the events / sponsorships and Muni Pop-Up Shop (offline and online), I’ll have to formalize things and have people to sort of man the ship with me. Okay, this doesn’t have anything to do with the warm people anymore but more of me being afraid of commitment and people depending on me. ANYWAY.

Pop-Up Shops, HOHOLs & More

The first ever Muni Pop-Up Shop event was a mini success that catapulted a lot of things for Muni afterwards, like ADB No Impact Week. Now, we’ve also set up a humble Multiply store – Muni Pop-Up Shop Online – to continue promoting conscious consumption even without an event. We’ve also done the Iloilo HOHOL, which also makes it look like we’re a bigger deal than we are, and continuing the “road show” up to Liquid Dumaguete. And just yesterday, the Muni PH Eco Fashion Workshop was my first exploration into a workshop-type setup complete with event pre-payment (to guarantee attendance), a schedule, and food preparations. But these have all been so fulfilling and I really feel so happy in the connections I've made and seeds that I've planted in opportunities like this.

Rambling. I think I'm kind of just gloating now by counting the little victories.

I guess the question now is why am I doing all this, really? What do I hope to achieve? And where do I want to take this?

Again, Muni is really so I can live with myself and sleep better at night, knowing that I’m shedding the light on some otherwise, well, unlit areas of our daily decisions. I guess once you feel so bad / guilty about something, you are kind of willing to spend your life doing everything you can to not feel that guilt, and to do all that you can to not see that “bad” thing in the world around you. So while lifestyle sections are usually interested in the business of "pleasure", I guess one might say I’m in the business of pain - addressing that gnawing feeling in one’s stomach that I’m just not doing enough but don’t want to spend my entire life in the service of others either. I’m selfish like that.

I just want to plant seeds in people’s minds, and keep planting those seeds, and watering them through continuous articles and events. And hopefully the people I talk to become seed planters (brainwashers) themselves. That’s it.

And I guess that’s the biggest hurdle in the whole process of creating a business model or determining Key Result Areas for the people I’m meeting with. I’m not naturally a “goal-oriented” person or driven by money. I’m just the person who goes and does stuff. I turn ideas into action, but I still struggle with the sustaining part. And the need for money is well, a very real need.

So I spent the afternoon kind of whiling away with this, and eating too much in between, and I don’t know if I really answered my questions or got myself some clarity, but at least I got some stuff out of my system. And hopefully when I report back (to myself) in a month or two, I’ll have something more concrete, goal-wise.

In The Art of The Start, Guy Kawasaki mentioned some tips in creating one's own startup and here are my favorite bits:

Start up to make meaning, not to make money (and this is exactly Muni PH - at least I know I'm not driven by money haha)

Make a mantra (Muni PH in 3-4 words: Guide/Community for Mindful Living)

Find a few soul mates (and I think I've found more than a few :D)

Weave a MAT - Milestones, Assumptions, Tasks (I'm kind of bad at organizing things on paper sometimes so yeah, boom.)

Create something unique and of high value to the customer (check)

When presenting, follow 10/20/30 - 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30pt. font size. (amen to concise presentations and clean slides)

Hire infected people / embrace the evangelists

Fight against bozozity!! (There will people who will get you down through their doubt and cynicism, and the worst part is when you let that creep into your own confidence in your startup)

Prior to today, I thought I'd make Muni PH a sole proprietorship on account of some difficulties I encountered in my other corporation. However, I received a new lens today, with my meeting with Ariel of Full Suite for research on an article for Homegrown PH, Chesa & Denise, and virtually, Guy Kawasaki. But more on Muni PH plans another time.

Nomad Manager: The "StartUp" to The StartUp

3 weeks ago, I also got a long and lovely email from one of my Nomad Manager blog readers, Lia. And I thought I would procrastinate that night by blogging about our email exchange. But lo and behold it was meant for procrastination on this night. Anyway, she emailed me about my post on Living Uncomfortably On Purpose, and risk-taking and courage, and here's some of what I said in reply:

I'm a plan z(-ro) kind of girl (though I've been finding lately that I should have some sort of plan). And I wouldn't say just go out and take an uncalculated risk. It's wise to have even just a semblance of a game plan.

But I would say don't be obsessed with creating a fool-proof plan, because there is none. Just be aware of the "risks" and assess if you can more or less stomach those mistakes if you make them. But in attempting future projects, I just ask myself, "Are the benefits of potential "success" greater than the the uncertain embarrassment of falling flat on my face?" And when the answer is yes, I go for it.

It's also a good rule to know how much money you have and how long you can live off it, in case you're planning something that hinders you from generating regular income (my case right now).

I'm not saying you should dive in if you don't want to, but you know what, I don't think anyone who has taken a risk ever felt completely ready. That's why it was a risk. You just have to decide to want to do something, even if you're afraid. The confidence will come when you're doing it. :) That's how it was for me when I decided to go on a 2.5-month solo backpacking trip around Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Sri Lanka. I'm not going to lie. I was afraid. Prior to that, my only experience in solo traveling was 2 days in Malaysia 6 years ago. And you know what I found out? It really wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. And that's probably the way I'd love to travel for the rest of my life.

Muni PH was an offshoot of the things I randomly found myself sharing here on Nomad Manager first. And I've essentially given up "everything" to pursue Muni. And it's been the best decision in my life so far.

No Authority

I am no authority, and I will never claim to be. Because once I, or basically anyone does, that person ceases to learn.

But I have learned a few things recently:

You can't expect your life to go towards a different direction if you continue on in the same path. (All the drastic changes that have happened in my life have happened as a result my own decision and action to take a different course, as difficult as it was to veer away from the path I was on)

If you're convinced that what you're doing has meaning and value to you and others, then the resources will flow (maybe not abundantly, but somehow help has come in many forms, and money has trickled in to keep my minimal expenses at bay).

I'm not religious on any account, but I do believe their is a higher being or some sort of world order that helps orchestrate our lives (though we are ultimately the masters of our own soul), so let me leave you with this quote that Dr. Lei Camiling-Alfonso of Caleb's Closet shared with me:

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." - Frederick Buechner

And with that, I can return to regular programming (read: work) knowing that if I died tomorrow, at least I got to write this, as scatterbrain as it may be. :) (I didn't check for cohesiveness! Sorry to my past editors-in-chief and executive creative director.)

And now, I also grant unto thee the permission to procrastinate and do something you might do in case you die tomorrow - finish a painting, write your mom a letter, make love to your partner, or share your thoughts on Muni PH, and leave a simple legacy in the world. :D

xoxo