This is a compilation of lessons learned by Edwin Ebreo through life. He shared this in his blog, edebreo.wordpress.com. He picked his favorite blog post and put it together in this work.

1. What I Picked up on My Way
Here
By Ed Ebreo

2. Introduction
Take advantage of the ambiguity in the world. Look at something and think what else it might
be.
Roger von Oech
This quote is one of the major inspirations of this work. The bigger inspiration is my children. I
hope to share with them the things that I’ve learned in my journey through life. I don’t know if
this will help them as they complete each page in their own lives, but I hope it inspires them to do
three things:
•
Be happy
•
Take risk
•
Use their strengths to achieve whatever they want in life.
This work is open source. Share and use it as you please. I hope that it inspires you as the ideas
in this work perpetually inspire me to do my best in everything I do.
Edwin C. Ebreo
edebreo@yahoo.com
639189399294
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3. Traffic Light
Stop, ready, go! In that order. I believe that pursuit of
success requires that we keep a mental traffic light.
Stop to think about what we want to achieve for our
selves. Stop to plan.
Get Ready by acquiring the resources that we need in
terms of knowledge, skills and attitude. It would also
be good to have a healthy dose of support from the
people who are close to us.
Go and pursue your dreams relentlessly. traverse this
life using the knowledge and experience that you get
along the way.
Enjoy the trip!
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4. I don’t take just any bus that come my way. I look for the
Bus Rides
ones that lead to the place I want to be.
I don’t just take any bus that lead to the place I want to
be, I choose the ones that are likely to take me there in
the most efficient way.
I don’t just take any bus that leads to the place I want to
be in the most efficient way, I take the ones that will
likely make me enjoy the trip.
For all these to happen, I have to patiently wait. More
often than not the wait is well worth it.
As we traverse this life’s highways, we need to be clear
about the directions we wish to take, the means to get
there and when we wish to be there. Pretty much like
taking a bus ride.
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5. My Old Shoes
How long has it been? three, four years? I’ve lost count. It’s not the amount of time that we’ve been together
that matters but the places we’ve gone to together. You accompanied me through successes and failures, you
endured my care-free nature that took its toll on your health. What started as an awkward, uncomfortable
relationship bloomed to a partnership that is hard to break. But breaking up the relationship is what we must
do. Your time to retire from loyal service has come. We need to move on, I need to move on. I am set to reach
new frontiers in my life, set my feet on new adventures. I’m very sorry to leave you behind but I realize that
being together can get us nowhere. I already accepted the fact that my new set of shoes will not be able to
provide me the same kind of comfort that we worked so hard to develop between us but I am also confident
that in time and with some effort we can be more comfortable with each other, the way we were.
This is true with you and I my old pair of shoes as it is with the changes that happen in my life. They are all
painful at first, scary even but I know that the only way to move forward in this life is to take some risk and
try new things.
Thank you for your service, I’m moving on now.
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6. Do you see this glass as half filled or half empty?
Conventional wisdom say that we should look at it as
Half
Empty?
half full to manifest a positive view of life and what
it offers. I won’t disagree. Such mindset helps us
appreciate the things that are available to us, to be
thankful for what life gives. I won’t disagree.
But to ignore the fact that there is an empty space in
the glass, is to ignore the fact that things can be
better. That with some effort, the glass can be more
than just half-full.
We often criticize people who see what’s lacking, we
are not comfortable with people who point out the
other truth. Think about it though, life cannot be
better, if everyone is too satisfied.
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7. Elevator Buttons
I was standing there waiting
for the elevator to reach
ground floor. Another guy
came and hit the already
lighted elevator button, a lady
came and did the same thing.
Another guy approached and
did the exact same thing! He
didn’t stop there. As we stood
there, he kept on pressing the
button as if the elevator will
come down faster if he hits
the button several times!
Sometimes we approach life the
same way. We want to accomplish
so many things so fast that we fail
to recognize that we put undue
burden to ourselves and others,
expecting things to happen faster
than they should. We sometimes
fail to realize that some things in
life are like the elevator, when
you push the button, all you can
do is wait.
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8. Find another way… that’s the answer. Block the ant’s
path, and it goes left, right, above, even dig it’s way out
of the problem. You won’t see ants banging on the
What Would
an Ant Do?
blockage thinking it can break it, no! they find other
ways. The least that ants do when they face a challenge
is stop. I mean have you seen an ant staring at a wall for
long hours? It’ll be dead if it does that.
Now, what would you do?
It’s amazing how often we feel stuck whenever we
encounter a stumbling block or when we see things do
not go our way or our schemes fail to work. I’ve seen
many people including myself staring on a blank wall
and say, no choice, there’s nothing I can do when this is
far from being true… And we have bigger brains!
The next time you see yourself saying, there’s nothing I
can do or I have no choice… think of the ant.
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9. Your Gift
Imagine this, you gave a friend a
nice shirt as a gift. You of course
wrapped it up in a dainty little
package, wrote some dedications and
gave it as a birthday present. After a
week, you ask your friend, “did you
like it?” Your friend said, I don’t
know I have no intention of opening
it… I can guess how you would feel.
Everyone is gifted. We are all given a gift or
gifts. While some people have uncovered theirs
and use them to the hilt, some haven’t or
hesitate to do so. If you are one of those who
haven’t made a move to discover what is in the
package, don’t you realize how disappointing it
is to give someone a gift and he won’t open it?
Using your gift is a sign of appreciation of the
one who gave it to you.
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10. The fruits used to be just laying low, you can reach
them with your short ladder. For sometime you have
enjoyed the fruits of your effort. As time passes by
Change Your
Ladder
however, the tree grows taller and the fruits become
too high for you and your ladder. You should have
seen it coming, you should have prepared a longer
ladder for the taller tree and higher lying fruits.
It’s pretty much like life. We all know that what used
to work so well can become useless all of a sudden
because the environment has changed. Well, all of a
sudden may not be the right way to state it, because
there are almost always tell tale signs that change is
about to occur, hence we should be prepared.
Prepared to change our ladder… or move to a new
tree.
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11. The Leader is a
Farmer
When a farmer looks at raw land, that’s not what he
sees. He sees it’s potential. He will consider it’s
location, the characteristics of its soil, the climate and
all the potentials of the soil to produce the needs of
the people.
The farmer envisions, plans and then implements. He
cultivates, plants, nurtures, protects and works hard
in covering all the necessities of a good harvest.
The leader must learn from the farmer, nothing can
be had without toiling. A great leader envisions, plans
and then implements. He cultivates by preparing
people for the challenge ahead, plant seeds of
knowledge, nurtures to develop the knowledge into
skill, protects people from being waylaid from their
destiny and works hard in covering all the necessities
of a good harvest.
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12. The Leader is a Potter
It starts with a shapeless chunk of earth. Dry and rough, devoid of beauty nor refinement
but not without potential. The potter prepares the materials with a detailed picture of the
end product in mind. He adds just enough water and other materials. He lets his hands
dirty as he tries to get the right consistency. When the batter is ready, he waits some more
for the water to rise and the clay is ready for the next step.
The potter puts the clay on the pottery wheel and starts working on the shape. The shaping
of the clay depends on the skill and creativity of the potter. The success and failure to
acquire the right shape is on his hands. After the shape is acquired, the material is
solidified by putting it through intense heat. The pot is beautified further by painting it and
putting more design. The final product once complete is vastly different from when the
process started.
Such is the work of a potter and such is the work of a leader.
She starts with a little more than potential. She prepares the team for the shaping process
by giving them a sense of purpose and other basic information they need that will motivate
them to accept the bigger information they will get as they go through the process of
building their skills – the shaping process. The newly acquired skills is put through the
intense heat of testing to solidify it. The leader adds on to what has already been acquired
by letting them use their own creativity to adjust to the daily challenge of their work. The
finished product is vastly improve from when the shaping process started.
Vision, creativity patience, discipline and willingness to get one’s hands dirty are necessary
to succeed in both
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13. The Leader is a Cook
What makes a great cook?
The ability to turn an ordinary recipe into a culinary
masterpiece
The ability to identify a good ingredient
A sense of timing
An exacting intuition
The ability to blend different ingredients together
What makes a great leader?
The ability to lead ordinary people towards achieving
extra ordinary results
The ability to identify a good team member
a sense of timing
an exacting intuition
The ability to blend different people together
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14. Flow
I am a drop of water,
I am part of a great flow called life,
that goes with the other drops
not my life, but a bigger life
of water,
The persons I meet are the people I
that flows through a river,
should meet
that empties to the sea,
that evaporates to the clouds,
that pours down the mountains,
that flows back to the river,
that shapes the land around it,
that sustains the life of the
The problems are the ones I must have
The happiness I feel are the rewards of
the moment
The emotions are fleeting phases
I am a drop of water that fills a glass
that quenches a thirst,
that cleanses the ills
living,
I am a drop of water
that gives and that takes
that serves my purpose
as other drops serve theirs
I am part of the great flow called life
everything will be alright
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15. Roll with the Punches
The secrets to boxing success can very much be the same secrets to winning in life. Here are a few lessons you
might want to consider as you step up the big ring called life:
Keep your guards up
Life will throw everything at you and at the most unexpected moments. Keeping your guards up means being
ready to parry the shots. Diligence, patience and anticipating change are critical to keeping your guards up.
Roll with the punches
A great boxer may be able to knock the opponent out before the latter throws anything. In life it’s different, no
one can possibly parry all the blows. One must learn to take life’s punches by rolling with it. Roll with the
punches or you’ll end up a road kill. As they say, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Jab,jab,jab
You can’t possibly take everyone down with a single punch, the same goes in life. You cannot possibly achieve
everything in a single try. You need to work your way up or through by making small steps that will eventually
lead you to the gold. Small hits that lead to big success.
Cut off the ring
opponents are moving targets. If you don’t know how to cut off the ring, you will end up chasing an unreachable
target. Learning to cut off the ring in life means having a strategy for catching the target as you chase it. While
hard work is good, smart work is better.
Build your stamina
While a boxer could boast that he could take an opponent down in the early round, the prophecy does not always
become a reality. A good boxer builds enough stamina to survive when the fight goes the distance. Same is true
in life. Things don’t always happen as we want and guess they should be. We should build enough stamina to
avoid frustration and burn out.
Listen to your coach
This is the best advice. The best boxers listen to their coach. They train and they train hard, as the fight happens
they listen to their corner’s advice. In life you’ll find people in your corner. People who has your good in their
mind. Listen to them.
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16. A Bag of Seed
We all have our own bags of seeds. We decide when to unpack
them, plant them, grow them till they bear fruits.
Sometimes the idea alone of the effort necessary in making that
happen is so petrifying that we hesitate to let the seeds out of
their bags.
Sometimes we think that laying the seed to the ground is
enough that we fail to nurture it. When it fails to deliver on our
expectations, we say bad seed.
But those who know the nature of seeds, those who are
determined to do what it takes to get the seed to bear fruit,
know that waiting is not enough.
We all have our own bags of seeds and they are called
TALENTS.
They are worthless inside the bag. They won’t achieve their full
potential, just laying on the ground. They have to be cultivated,
nourished, fertilized and nurtured.
Ask these: How much of your seeds are out of the bag?
What have you done to make them bear fruits?
If you are not doing what it takes, it’s just right to lower your
expectations.
Is reading this makes you want to work on your bag of seeds?
Are your going to take concrete steps towards achieving your full
potentials?
Put some deadlines to it will you?
And be accountable for it.
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17. Coals and Diamonds
Coals are coals and diamonds are diamonds. They may have the
same basic ingredient but they are far from being the same. You
cannot expect coals to become diamonds nor diamonds to become
coals.
Don’t get me wrong, there is no need for coals to be diamonds,
they are good as they are. With their abundance, they get the
machinery going and they fuel the industries.
I am reminded lately that what is true for coals and diamonds
maybe true with people. Sometimes people have the romantic
notion that coals should eventually graduate to becoming
diamonds. I used to share that notion… Until lately.
Lately I realized that some of the coals I met are not diamonds
in the rough. No amount of cutting and piling will make them
look any close to being diamonds, and to push them to become
one just adds to their stress because while they may be inspired
by the thought of becoming diamonds, they just don’t have what
it takes to become one. Some of them are just plain uninterested.
As a matter of lesson I realized I need to distinguish between a
coal and a diamond in the rough… And let coals be coals.
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18. Your Kung Fu
I’m not really sure which movie I heard that statement from
that says “My kung fu is better than yours,” or “your kung fu is
weak old man!” But it drew a lot of my attention on my own
kung fu. In fact it made me realize that in some sense we all
have our own kung fu… or at least we should.
I’m talking beyond martial arts of course. I’m talking about the
skills that we develop in order to face life’s challenges. I found
my kung fu when I was 24. That’s when I discovered that my
passion in life is sharing what I know with other people through
training. My kung fu started out weak, what with so little that I
know about it. I can only laugh now at how I pretend before
that it was strong. Over time and with a lot of effort, my kung fu
became stronger. Just like in the kung fu movie, it took a lot of
studying and practice, and yes a desire that someday my kung
fu shall be stronger.
I wish I can finally say to everyone that my kung fu is better
than yours but that would be like setting my self up for
failure. Besides, the bad guys in the movies always say that they
have the best kung fu and yet they fail in the end. So let me just
say this for now… My kung fu today is better than yesterday…
figuratively speaking.
So, what is your kung fu? Discover it, work on it and get better
at it.
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19. That Displacement Experiment
I’m reminded of a science experiment inspired by Archimedes’ eureka moment that we did during elementary
school. It’s where we learned a couple of things. One; the amount of water displaced when an object of a
particular size is submerged to it determines the volume of the object; two; two objects of similar volume
cannot occupy the same space at the same time and third, no matter the weight difference; objects of similar
size will occupy the same amount of space.
Let’s talk about life. The things you do no matter how important or unimportant occupy a finite amount of
space and that no two things of similar size no matter the weight difference can occupy the same space. So I’d
say be careful what you put in your life.
I often hear people wanting to be more successful, wealthier or happier or simply wanting to be better but
unable to do something about it. Their life is full of stuff that do not contribute to the achievement of their
goals. There are just no space available for them to place the things that will weigh more heavily in their
personal pursuits. So we hear people say, I want to earn more, but won’t sacrifice being out of their comfort
zone to try out new ways to earn. Some people ask me to help them become trainers like me. I would give them
the tools but they can’t find the time to use them. They are unwilling to remove some stuff in their lives that
occupy the space where these tools could have been used. They can’t take the movie marathons out, they can’t
replace their love story novels with books that are relevant to building their training skills.
I say look at the principle behind displacement. No two objects of similar size no matter what the weight can
occupy the same space at the same time. One will have to be displaced. The question is, which one are you
displacing?
Eureka?
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20. Don’t be that Bug
According to Einstein, insanity is defined as doing the
same things over and over again expecting different
results.
This reminds me of a bug I found dead near a glass
window pane. It is easy to know the cause of that bug’s
death. It banged against the glass pane many times
trying to break through until it died. Have you seen
them bugs do that? It’s crazy they can’t recognize that
there’s no way they can breakthrough that way. They
don’t know that the only way to be able to go elsewhere
is to change direction.
Well, it’s not really crazy. They are bugs and one would
expect them to behave that way.
What’s crazy is to see people behave in the same
fashion. With human being’s amazing ability to learn,
why can’t we learn from Twain… Or the dead bug by the
window?
Whenever you feel stuck and your way towards your
goal is blocked. Remember this lesson. ask how you can
do things differently or do different things.
Don’t be that dead bug
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21. Flying Kites
I loved kite flying when I was a kid and now that I have a baby boy I can’t wait to teach him everything I know about
flying kites and the life lessons that I learned to go with it.
Here are some of the lessons I learned from making and flying kites:
1. The air worthiness of my kite is my responsibility. I can choose to make my kite or buy some ready made but I should
be able to distinguish a good kite from a bad one. I’m responsible for every decision I make. I equip my self to make the
right decisions. I can’t blame anyone for any of them.
2. It’s all in the balance. No matter how potentially good the kite is if I fail to balance the string or the line, it won’t fly
well. Life is all about balance. If we ignore our other needs or the people around us and focus only on the demand of the
day, we will eventually go crashing down and hit the ground.
3. Getting help in making or flying a kite is more fun and you show your gratitude by sharing the kite. There’s hardly
anything in this life that we can accomplish without help from others. Recognize them and share the fruit of your success
with them.
4. Making the kite is more than half the fun. Success is sweeter when it’s hard earned. It’s also hard to call success a
success if you did not work for it.
5. It’s all about choices. We choose our kite, we choose our string, we choose the timing for flying it, we choose who to fly
it with. The quality of the experience depends on the quality of our choices. It is true with kite flying as it is with living.
6. You don’t just throw away a kite that won’t fly well. You try to do something about it by adjusting the balance of the
string. Maybe a tail can help or additional weight on the left or on the side depending on the kite’s behavior on air. You
don't’ throw away a life just because things are not going well. You figure out how to make it better and actually do
something.
7. You can’t fly boka-boka (the simplest kite) forever, you graduate to more awesome and perhaps bigger kites. To an
average enthusiast, flying a Gurion (bigger more complex kite)is the ultimate goal. Even as children we are taught to
challenge ourselves to pursue bigger things. When we fail to do that as grownups we betray our natural design.
8. If I lose a kite, it’s good to know that I can use what I learned from the experience to build a better kite or how to fly a
kite better. Nothing is really totally lost or wasted. Even when we lose something or fail at something in our lives there
is always something to be gained – the lesson on how to become better.
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22. Drink
Take a swig, then another and another.
But do not hurry, drink slowly
Let it linger, taste the sweet, notice the bitter and feel
the bite.
Acknowledge how it flows down your throat and then
to your body.
Be engulfed by its spirit, feel how it turns your world
around.
Be here now. Savour every breath, every human
experience.
Let today explain yesterday. Let tomorrow take care
of tomorrow.
Take what you are given, give back as much as you
can.
Drink life, enjoy it, experience it, be intoxicated by it.
Know the low, appreciate the high.
Notice who you are drinking with
Every moment is important only if you live that
moment.
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23. Stick Your Neck Out
You can’t move forward if you do not stick your
neck out. A turtle retreats to its shell when it
senses danger. It’s this behavior that keeps it
safe from some predators. We do this a lot of
times, we retreat to our own shells when we are
facing risks or when we are challenged. We
sometimes forget that turtles stay where they
are when they are stuck inside their shell and
the only way to move forward is to stick their
neck out and take a risk…
Take a risk in life, stick your neck out, that is
the only way to move forward.
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24. About Ed
Edwin is the founder and President of ExeQserve, Corporation, an HR Solutions Company. He is also the company’s head
consultant for Organization Development and Human Resource Development.
Ed developed his skills in training, recruitment, human resource management, organization development and management
consulting through twenty years of collective experience in the retail, financial, BPO and HR consulting business.
Before his founding of ExeQserve, Ed was HR Director/Manager for CheQ Systems, Athena E-Services and PET Plans’
Subsidiary Companies. He was also Head of Training for SPI Technologies, Inc. and Philippine Seven Corporation, the local
franchise owner of 7-Eleven Convenience Stores.
HRMD Strategies Development and Implementation
Ed facilitated a number of strategy formulation, policy writing and change management for the implementation of employee
handbooks, compensation programs, performance management system, competency-based HRD, incentive schemes and
retention programs for companies like CORE, Mobext, Numlock, ALC holdings, SEARCA, Tenkiebox, Provincial
Governments of Bohol and Guimaras.
Learning Activity Design and Implementation
Ed developed dozens of courses and workshops on topics like high performance leadership, supervision, management,
change, creativity, coaching, personal effectiveness, values alignment, career planning, maintaining discipline in the
workplace, trainers’ training, presentation skills enhancement, assertive communication, strategic planning and team
building. His creativity and skill in learning activity design enables Ed to customize programs based on the identified needs
of clients.
Industry Experience
Ed has worked with organizations in various industries and sectors. He is an accredited learning service provider of
Philippine-Australia Human Resource and Organization Development Facility (PAHRODF) and has done work for OPAPP,
NEDA, NAMRIA, DILG and two provincial governments through the facility. He worked closely with companies in the IT,
Financial, Marketing, Manufacturing and other service industries in identifying their needs, formulating, customizing and
delivering solutions that lead to desired results.
Personal Advocacies
Ed is particularly passionate about helping develop skills of the HR practitioners in the country and develop the careers of
individuals through his blogs http://anythinghr.blogspot.com and http://pinoycareercoach.blogspot.com . He is also an active
member of Toastmasters where he helps mentor members who wish to enhance their public speaking skills.
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