April 21-27

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Filipino Celebrities

Never The Strangers

Semisonic

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Filipino Celebrities

This story originally appeared in Philippine Panorama, November 20, 2011

Stephen Covey gifted the world with his invaluable insights on the hallmarks of successful people. We celebrate his ideas by giving a toast to today’s brightest stars who exemplify those qualities.

            A true winner is:

1)  A self-starter. To be proactive means taking the initiative and venturing out of your comfort zone. Eugenio “Boy” Abunda, the King of Talk of Philippine TV and founder of Backroom Entertainment, does not rest on his laurels. He has branched into product endorsements and movie production through the indie film Astig.

            But wait, there’s more! Just last April, he went centerstage as he was conferred his Master’s Degree in Communication Arts from the Philippine Women’s University.

2) Goal-oriented. Beginning with the end in mind means knowing what you want to achive in life. Christian Bautista, certfied Asian superstar, started as a contestant in a singing competition on local TV. He didn’t get the first prize but his first single, The Way You Look At Me, was a monster hit. He wanted to expand his horizons, and now he’s one of the stars of the Singapoeran TV series The Kitchen Musical. Meanwhile, his Indonesian movie, A Special Symphony, opened August in Manila with him singing the theme I Am Already King.

3) Organized. Putting things first means focusing on the essentials. Enrico Raphael “Rocco” Nacino, star of the Cinemalaya 2011 film Ang Sayaw Ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa, is passionate about a lot of things but he knows what he loves most.

The turning point was December 2009: he was studying for the medical board exam, practising Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai everyday in preparation for his first MMA (mixed martial arts) amateur fight and he was a finalist for StarStruck V – on the same night! It has always been his dream to enter show business, so he made a decision, and the rest is history.

4) Creative. Thinking “Win-win” means thinking out of the box to find the best course of action. Eugene Domingo became a box-office phenomenon with Kimmy Dora and she cemented that with the blockbuster follow-ups Mamarazzi and Tanging N’yong Lahat. Genius will always shine but an artist should never be complacent. Even with her mainstream star status, she appeared in a highly original indie film Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank, one of the top grossers in the 2011 Cinemalaya – and for which she won Best Actress

Eugene Domingo wins Best Actress

People's Choice Awards, Asian Film Awards 2012

5) Prepared. Seeking first to understand before being understood means doing your homework. Jericho Rosales, star of the Hollywood film Subject: I Love You, is one of the finest actors of his generation. But he also wants to be accepted as a serious musician and as a director, going as far as taking a filmmaking crash course at the New York Film Academy. So far, so good: Echo has released his third album Change, conceptualized his concert And I Love Her, and written and sang the theme from his soap opera Green Rose. Coming full circle, he is now hosting I Dare You, a new reality show about people achieving their dreams against all odds.

6) Efficient. To synergize is to get more work done with less effort. Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong, co-captain and left winger of the Philippine Azkals, grew up with a supreme passion for football and the over-arching dream of making it the number one sports in the country. One way he does that is to show how exciting the game could be: Chieffy made the first goal vs Kuwait for the World Cup Qualifier, 2 goals vs Timor-Leste for our first ASEAN championship – not to mention the spectacular “nutmeg” goal between the legs of Mongolia’s goalkeeper for the AFC Qualifier.

The Azkal’s daily endurance training is super-human but Chieffy feels even more energized because he’s doing what he loves most. One crucial aspect to the Azkal’s meteoric success is the bond and synergy beween the players because, after all is said and done, victory in football – and in life – is all about cooperation and teamwork.

            7) Well-Rounded. Sharpening the saw means achieveing balance in life. Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski chose marriage and motherhood over her successful careers as an actress and as an equestrian gold medalist – but she is still in full control of her life. The key, she says, is balance. Her family is her priority but she continues to pursue  her passion for horse-back riding by teaching young riders at the Manila Polo Club. Children are also the focus of her advocacies: she just recently led 15 media stars to tape AnakTV public service announcements for free to be shown on board ships and buses. With Magic Palayok and the Promil Pre-School i-Shine Talent Camp, she’s back in showbiz too!

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