Why I'm So Happy I Joined the Freedom Weekend Workshop

When Mr. Jomar Hilario came to Cebu for a 3-day Internet Marketing Workshop and VA Seminar, I was blessed enough to join the event and it was such an eye-opening experience. I learned so many neat stuff that I'm still digesting things until now. Seriously, it was such an enjoyable experience.

The best thing I took away from this experience is gaining new friends who are such nice people.

Day 1 -- VA Seminar

The best thing I learned from this seminar is the importance of having confidence in yourself and always being open to new experiences. They say the only thing constant in this life is change so learning should never stop. Acquiring new skills is not enough, we need to hone those skills and find ways to become better at what we do.

Another useful information that I picked up is the importance of becoming familiar with new software and keyboard shortcuts. Seriously, shortcuts can make or break your day. Something as simple as switching tabs and copy-paste shortcuts can save you some much needed time in the long run.

What really cracked me up was this warning for Virtual Assistants and other people who work from home. Ready for it? "Your bed is nearby." Seriously! You have to take into consideration that working at home means you're AT HOME. It's not just your bed that's nearby, so is your fridge, your family, your kids, your pets, so many reasons to step away from the computer. The lesson here is being disciplined and being focused. You see, distractions will always be there, whether you're working from home or at the office so it really all boils down to your determination to stay focused no matter what. The last part is based on my own experience. :)

Days 2 & 3 -- Internet Marketing Workshop

You know what I really liked about the workshop? The fact that it was "hands-on". As in everyone gets the chance to go through all the steps with Sir Jomar, then review it with a fellow student, and then we can do the steps on our own. I like Sir Jomar's teaching style, very up front and direct without being too intrusive. He and other students who have already been through the workshop really helps each one of us. My favorite part has to be the "hands-on" experience. It made everything so real and simple. The steps are all there for us to follow. Learning while doing, now that's my cup of tea.

The best and perhaps most memorable information that I learned from the workshop is "Dreamboards".

Dreamboards ... I first heard of this word from Bo Sanchez in one of his audio talks and it has stuck with me since. I have written down a list of dreams, which was inspired by his book, How to Know If Your Dreams Are God's Dreams. For some reason I never got around to coming up with my own dreamboard. I kept editing and rewriting my dreams list but just didn't feel motivated enough to look for pictures and other stuff to add to my own dreamboard.

Dreamboards are visual representation of our dreams and what we want to achieve in life. It can be anything from pictures to magazine posters to training certification -- virtually anything that best describes what we want to happen in our life. This was explained in detail by Sir Jomar and he even showed us his dreamboards.

And oh, Sir Jomar also said the Mac is the best. I think I'll add that to my dreamboard. :)

Perhaps the most practical lesson I learned from this activity is the importance of planning. Research, planning, implementation, follow through and monitoring, documenting results and applying the lessons learned. At least that's what I've been doing since the Freedom Weekend.

I also learned to appreciate the importance of having mentors. Learning from experts really helps. People who have already "been there, done that" and are willing to share their knowledge with the world are out there, all we need to do is find them.

Plus, the freebies, so many freebies! Bonus materials that we can't find anywhere and pdf files that allows us to review the whole workshop from start to finish. So cool!

I'm really looking forward to doing the assignments. Procrastination is the enemy and I intend to defeat it no matter how hard it gets! Bit by bit, little by little, right? I'm inspired and I'm not afraid to show it.

It was called the Freedom Weekend and it was the most appropriate way to describe it. So many of my old belief systems have been uprooted and I'm hoping that with God's help I can get rid of the most difficult ones to uproot. I intend to fight old habits with new, improved ones, starting right now!