Life Line of Famous Icons

A staggering 95% of the world’s population lives with a scary, future pounding spending habits. Payday after payday, they start to live a life like a one day millionaire—make scarce the wallet up to the last penny. Only late they realize that their future is in big trouble. It is sad to know that many people fall into this circle of life. But here’s the kicker: there’s still a big chance that your future will be stable—and here’s how. Let’s make these famous icons of success as our guide. Let’s learn from their secret so that we also do the same. If they can do, we can as well.

1. Vision oriented. It’s a surefire know-how to success to have a vision. This vision will propel our actions and shapes our desire to achieve the most craved feat of ours in the future.

Let’s take a look first at the secret of our own retail king, Henry Sy, and how his steadfast vision drove him to success.

We all know that this successful icon started his life from scratch. At the age of 12, he came to the Philippines and worked in his father’s sari-sari store for about 12 hours a day. He spent so much time in the store that he had forgotten to play with other children in the neighborhood.

When WWII came, his sari-sari store was looted and burned. Thereby, he did so much of buying and selling in order to survive his family.

After the war, he got an opportunity of opening a shoe store. After not so long years, he opened another three branches of his shoe store. At present, he is the man behind the gigantic SM stores, malls, properties, and banks.

The formula of his success story is his vision that fueled him to be on top in whatever endeavors he had taken. It is his long-range strategic vision that continuously keeps him innovative of new products to make his business luster to the eyes of the people.

“Behind SM stores, malls, properties, and banks, our story in SM is one of vision—one that is fueled by a constant drive to innovate, raise the bar and create values that redefine consumer experience. It is about constant service and quality concepts that transform people and their environment.” – Henry Sy

2. Get a mentor. No one beats someone looking for a mentor. If you want to live your future dream—no matter how intelligent and talented you are—you have to seek for a wisdom figure who can tell you what to do because he’s already been there. Let’s take what Bill Gates said, "Everyone needs a coach. It doesn't matter whether you're a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast, or a bridge player."

William Henry “Bill” Gates−this name still makes a ring in our ears every time we talk about success. Though he came from a wealthy family, Bill Gates’ struggle in his corporate life wasn’t that easy. We have to take note that before Microsoft was developed, Bill Gates had been a dropped out at the University of Harvard. Plus, when he was in high school, the Computer Center Corporation—where Bill Gates and his friends worked—was declared bankrupt.

In the year 1975, Bill Gates established the Microsoft. However, the start of his success wasn’t a piece of cake.  The company experienced difficulties with the distribution of the new product. And, early the year after, his company’s income dropped to the lowest affordable point because of piracy. His software was illegally copied.

But now, Microsoft Corporation is one of the most recognized brands in the computer industry where every computer has at least one Microsoft program installed.

“Everyone needs a coach.” This was Bill Gates’ opening statement at Ted Talk. If this intelligent and talented man, and CEO of the world’s most recognized brand in the computer industry—Microsoft, said that we must have a coach, how much more we.

3. Hard work and perseverance. Success is not a product of mere luck. It doesn’t come out of the blue. Success is a reward of hard work and perseverance. When the grasshopper ends his day hasn’t done anything but enjoyment, the ant busies himself working and preparing for the coming winter.

Let’s see how our own Filipinos—Manny Villar and Tony Tan Caktiong—lived a life like an ant, and how they created a dish of success with these two ingredients.

Sipag at Tiyaga. This is the famous tag line of Manny Villar. It means hard work and perseverance. Manny was born in Moriones, Tondo, Manila to a family of nine children. Here, we can sense a rag to riches pattern of life, from a slum of poverty to a mansion of wealth.

Manny worked with his mother at their small fish and shrimp business in Divisoria. This is where Manny learned his entrepreneurial skill.

After college, he worked for an accounting firm but resigned hoping to catch his luck in business. After then, he ventured into seafood business. However, the young entrepreneur, at the age of 22, failed to survive his business because of the uncollected debts. Through his hard work, he was able to compensate the lost.

In the year 1975, he ventured into real estate. His clients were mostly OFW who availed the financial terms of PAG-IBIG. Eventually, he sold more than 100,000 homes.

He is into politics at present. He served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and as Senate President.

His life is truly an excellent example of a rags-to-riches story of which we can model.  

Be Busy but Be Happy. Who doesn’t know Jollibee? I’m sure all Filipinos from any walks of life at any stage of life know Jollibee. But only a few know the secret knack that hauled out the food chain champion from poverty.

Tony Tan Caktiong came from a poor family in China who immigrated to the Philippines. He was third of seven siblings. His parents worked hard at their restaurant business in Davao which opened the door to Tony to study Civil Engineering in the University of Santo Tomas.

At the age of 22, Tony opened Cubao Ice Cream and Quiapo Ice Cream House. As the business grew successfully, Tony started to hire more people to help him manage his business. A couple of years later, he decided to serve hamburgers, fried chicken, and spaghetti as he noticed that people didn’t want to eat ice cream all the time. It was then the beginning of Jollibee which represents the company and the people as hardworking and happy.

As of today, Tony Tan Caktiong established other food chains namely Chowking, Red Ribbons, Greenwich, and Delifrance.

Just last year, Tony was the 6^th in Forbes’ Philippines’ 50 Richest.

Hard work and perseverance indeed beget success. It’s a far way difficult for a lazy person to be successful in whatever path he will take. It’s all true to any endeavors of life, that without hard work and perseverance, success will only be an unattainable dream.

I know the question that bothers you then and now—when will our life experience a rags-to-riches turnabout?  And, this was the same question that these famous icons first asked. The only difference is that they took action to answer the question.

There are avenues of how to be like them. There are attitudes we must practice in order for us to also attain what they have attained. Let these attitudes be sunken in you, and surely, we will dine with these famous icons at the table of success.

Sources:

http://asksonnie.info/10-secrets-of-henry-sys-success/

http://moneyminting.blogspot.com/2011/05/manny-villars-success-story.html

http://greatsuccessstory.weebly.com/success-story-of-bill-gate.html

http://www.wipo.int/ipadvantage/en/details.jsp?id=2531