I was without wi-fi a few days ago, that’s why you’re seeing a few more blog posts than usual in one period of time. I’m heading back to the states today. I have a few reflections from my time here.Time is a concept and a measure that is unique to each person. How one person quantifies and measures there time may or may not be similar to the next. Those who become your friends because it pays may stop because it pays. The Philippines plays an important geopolitical role in SE Asia to a number of countries. Many large states compete for dominance in the region. Do countries like the Philippines benefit from these large power plays? I don’t know, and the answer may vary depending on who you ask. From my experience, it’s a question that many Filipinos I’ve spoke with think about. Everything is possible. The Philippines is an example where nearly anything is possible with enough money or ingenuity. I admire the people for their innovative mindset and ability to adapt. Everything is possible. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. So prepare for every eventuality and move through life relaxed knowing you’re prepared.

I now have the forming opinion that Wisconsinites like talking on elevators. How do I know this? Because in my attempts to blend in with the culture that I’m staying, I notice a strong desire to talk in the elevators. Nobody talks in elevators here.I think it’s good for more people to spend time in cultures far outside of their primary ones. You learn so much about yourself — pros and flaws — by having another culture reflect yourself back at you. What might I do differently back at home from what I’ve learned here? Unsure. I need to think on it more.

Abe’s Farm, in Magalang, Pampanga, is quiet and natural. The farm is not a farm; it’s a resort and restaurant. The rooms in the resort are small huts that spot a hillside. Lush ferns, succulents, and bougainvilleas cover the grounds. The main building is a large wood structure. Plenty of screened windows to allow air to move freely throughout. There’s a restaurant and a dining room. The dining room has small wooden tables with small wooden chairs. I sat with a white cup of benget coffee and enjoyed a cool breeze from the air exchange this morning. I sat by myself. I wasn’t thinking “this is the good life.” I was thinking about how people found comfort in tropical countries before air conditioning. During this trip I spend more time wondering about how and why we do things than I’ve ever done in the past. I think that comes from my work in Customer Success — which is the work of helping customers perceive value so that they decide to renew our products. My work demands I spend time contemplating questions about how and why. I love it when professions and life intersect in this beautiful way — with a cup of coffee and a cool breeze.

The cars in the Philippines are becoming much larger. I see more SUVs on the road than I see any other type of car. Parking spots in the Philippines are quite small. Narrow. Designed for a much smaller car. My two questions:Keep the smaller parking spots to showoff the parking superpowers of drivers?Keep the smaller spots as a way for large car owners to signal power and capacity?Perhaps there’s a third question… I enjoy thinking about these things because it forces me to think about how and why we decide what we decide.

Making effective decisions requires an understanding of the tradeoffs. If I do this, then I don’t get that…. If you your time on this planet is finite, and if the only thing that you truly own is your time, then is it reasonable to say the life you make for yourself is more about deciding what you won’t do than what you will? That’s the evolving lesson I’m learning from my vacation in the Philippines.

I read an article that made me think that cultivating a taste for failure and disappointment may not be a bad a idea. I thought about it.I studied music. I listened to lots of music and have an idea of the types of music I like. For instance, I love the piano stylings of Richard Tee, Less McCann, Ramsey Lewis, and Gene Harris. I never imagined American country music was a style I’d ever enjoy. Then I played a country show. Come to discover, many “country” piano stylings are remarkably similar to those ideas pushed by early soul and R&B pianists. Really. I wondered, “who influenced who? when? how?" I came to appreciate country music in a way I never thought I could. I wonder how many other “things I think I won’t like” I might come to love.

I’m in the Philippines now. A few days ago, I visited a supermarket. If you didn’t know, I love visiting markets when I travel. Typically, I visit “open air”/”local” or “wet markets.” But this time, I stopped at a supermarket in a mall. I asked myself, Who are the people who shop at this mall? What’s their life like? And, what food things do they demand and want to eat? I noticed lots of greens — beans, squashes, and cucumber-like melons. There were meats - mostly chicken and pork. The cuts of meat were interesting — I wanted to know how I could get similar cuts back home. I saw fruits, but not as much as I might imagine. I noticed lots of packaged goods — soups, noodles, and sweets. Fish and rice (a staple) also present. Lots of sweets. I imagined the food I tasted that day may be a sweet, perhaps porky, and heavier on long green beans or squashes.The food I tasted that day, even the roasted chicken, was quite sweet. Not as heavy on the green beans or squashes. Lots of rice and noodles. All around, sweeter than expected.What does this imply? Not much at a base level. Filipino food tends to be sweeter and vegetable dishes are often beans or squashed boiled. What I enjoyed most was looking at the market and imagining how my food might taste and then seeing the result.

How might we develop more confidence answering “I don’t know”? How do we get by the fear of looking ill-informed? Perhaps it’s a matter of engineering a better sentence:“I am not certain. I still need to answer this question…. am I looking at this the right way?”Transform “I don’t know” into a strategic and well-laid ask for help.

It’s important to have trusted and competent people in your life. People that can offer advice, engage in your ideas, and make recommendations for you to consider. But if what if there was a proxy for a person? I know people that depend on the news and other forms of media for staying updated on events. What’s important to keep in mind is that these input sources are often free to you. And if something is free, it’s likely you that are the product. For example, if I sold advertising to this blog you would see advertisements when you visit. The blog is free to you and advertisers pay me for showing their ads to you. You become the product. Note: I don’t and won’t sell you advertising on this blog.Another example, let’s say you watch your favorite news source on YouTube. You might see ads via YouTube, because that’s how Google/Alphabet earns. You might also see news and ideas that incentivize you to keep watching and watch more. Perhaps you hear ideas that align with your ideas. Perhaps you hear news that stokes fear and creates anxiety causing you to want to find out more. Watch time increases, viewership increases, advertising revenue increases. You become the product. A good input is an insight — the smallest unit of truth that is actionable.Who are the people and what are the channels that deliver you the smallest units of actionable truth?

They often blow up in your face.

Mitigate the surprise and the stress by imagining everything that could go wrong BEFORE you actually set your plan into action.

Plan for your failure.

Interestingly, I think the more you mindfully and healthily plan for your failure, the more likely you might win.

As my Dad says:

“Prior planning prevents piss poor performance.”