Lessons from Manny Pacquiao

Some may say that Manny Pacquiao is just a boxer - world famous and yet just a boxer. I'm no Pacquiao fan and I don't really like the guy that much but there are lessons to be learned from him. Let me enumerate:

Lesson #1: Find out what you do best and stick to it. I'm pretty guilty with this. I try to be good in everything and find that I have not specialized anything. For Manny, despite the many offers for commercials, films and shows, he makes it a point to be good in boxing which gave him his popularity in the first place. Who would he be without it? He doesn't have the face nor the body for film. Nor does he have the voice to belt out a song for a commercial. But look, he has them all. Unlike his predecessor, Onyok Velasco, Manny devotes much of his time for practice and gives time off it to do his "other" jobs. But only when he can.

Lesson #2: Make friends and develop a following. What Pacquiao boxing match have you watched that did not have Manny saying it is for the Filipino people? It is good for his image and he gets paid because of his following.

Lesson #3: Sharing your blessing. The one thing I admire of Manny Pacquiao is his generosity. He manages to share part of his earnings to his scholars and other Filipinos specially those who have been affected by calamity. The more you give the more you receive.

Lesson #4: Honor thy parents. You will be blessed over and over when you respect and honor your parents. Manny in this aspect is a role model. He isn't ashamed to admit that he got his talents from his mom and often greets them after a bout. You often see that in women. But for men... they're too macho to admit their affections. Manny has proven that a man is still a man despite a display of love to his parents.

So, what's the score for Manny? As an athlete, he's a winner.