Big things start small

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

SOME people approach life the way toddlers approach an all-you-can-eat buffet: one gigantic plate, zero strategy, and complete confidence that nothing could possibly go wrong. 

They announce world-changing plans before breakfast, only to discover by lunchtime that they cannot even keep a houseplant alive. Thankfully, Christ's parables of the mustard seed and the yeast (cfr. Mt 13,31-35) offer a gentler, wiser approach: start small. Very small. So small that your ego may need counseling.

The mustard seed does not demand to become a towering tree overnight. The yeast does not throw a dramatic press conference announcing its intention to inflate an entire bakery by noon. They simply do their quiet work. Meanwhile, humans are busy writing ten-year plans after watching one motivational video and purchasing expensive planners that will remain suspiciously blank after February.

There is profound wisdom in beginning with little things. Small beginnings build strong foundations, unlike castles constructed entirely from wishful thinking and inspirational quotes. 

More importantly, the ordinary moments of daily life are precisely where God quietly waits for us. Scripture reminds us that God's will is our sanctification, not our successful audition for the role of "Most Impressive Person on Earth."

Starting small also keeps us from the dangerous sport of premature greatness. Many brilliant projects have collapsed because someone confused enthusiasm with competence. Patience grows best when watered daily by humble effort instead of flashy ambition. Even better, small beginnings gently force us to rely on God's providence instead of our own oversized confidence.

This means finding God in ordinary routines: washing dishes without composing a personal tragedy, answering emails without declaring war on your inbox, smiling at difficult people instead of secretly nominating them for exile. 

Suddenly, these tiny actions become holy because they are no longer just our own efforts. They become opportunities to cooperate with God rather than starring in the one-person show called "Look What I Accomplished."

People often dream of performing spectacular acts of holiness. They imagine heroic sacrifices, dramatic miracles, or perhaps receiving heavenly applause after surviving an especially difficult committee meeting. 

Yet true greatness usually arrives disguised as countless unnoticed acts of kindness, patience, honesty, and love. Heaven apparently has a soft spot for people who quietly do the right thing without demanding a trophy or at least a commemorative coffee mug.

Never underestimate the power of little things. Tiny acts of love accumulate like compound interest, except the dividends are eternal. Ignore them, however, and you may discover that you have mastered impressive speeches about faith while remaining spectacularly impatient with slow cashiers and family members who chew too loudly.

Christ himself offered the perfect performance review: whoever is faithful in little things will also be faithful in much. That sounds wonderfully simple until your greatest spiritual challenge turns out to be remaining charitable before your first cup of coffee. Apparently, sainthood begins much closer to the kitchen sink than to the spotlight.

Sanctity may indeed require heroic courage, perhaps even martyrdom for some. For most of us, however, heroism wears ordinary clothes. It means consistently choosing love when nobody notices, nobody applauds, and nobody posts it online. Hidden faithfulness can be remarkably heroic.

So, spend your day asking, "Lord, what should I do with this moment?" Whether facing exciting work, tedious chores, or endless waiting, invite Christ into every little task. The mustard seed never looked impressive on day one, but somehow it still managed to outgrow every oversized ego in the garden.

 

MARTIN BRAMBACH MUSSTE IN KLINIK Fitness-Neustart mit 58 für „Tatort Star“

 

I feel I could be better

By Klaus Döring

July 24, 2026

Feeling like you can do better is a great sign. It means you are growing. To make changes, pick just one small thing to focus on today. Break your big goals into tiny, easy steps. Track what you do on a “done list” — a list of your small wins. You can use the idea of beating a “high score” in a video game to improve your own life. Instead of looking at what other people are doing, try to beat your past self.

Often in life, we come across relationships and people who are never happy with us. There may be times when you have given your all, but you still realize that you’ll never be good enough for some people.

This feeling is really sad and hurtful, and it makes you doubt yourself. This is when you feel that the world will never be satisfied with you, and there could be days when you feel like a failure.

But life is not about perfection; it’s about accepting the people we love as they are. When one person’s expectations are too high, it’s not possible to be good enough for them, no matter what you do. Never let this feeling make you depressed or feel low.

Amid daily changes in the world of work, there’s never been a better time for employees to cultivate skills that can help them better manage workplace challenges. This is where the idea of the “growth mindset” comes roaring in — the belief that workers are capable of actively improving their abilities rather than being innately able or unable to complete certain tasks.

Yet, this “can-do” mindset can be more difficult to harness than it seems. Doing so means becoming comfortable with embracing hurdles, learning from criticism, and persisting when things get difficult.

Even if we believe that such tenacity is worth developing, doubts and fears can dominate in practice. “We’re wired to believe our emotions,” says Elaine Elliott-Moskwa, a psychologist and author of “The Growth Mindset Workbook,” based in Princeton, New Jersey. “When a person says, ‘I feel I’m not good enough,’ that feeling is very powerful, even though it is a belief about their abilities.”

At the heart of the growth mindset is learning to overcome such feelings of inability or inadequacy in the face of obstacles and instead recognize an opportunity to learn. There can be profound benefits to cultivating this approach. Employees with a growth mindset can tap into useful skills to manage stress, build supportive relationships with colleagues, cope with failure, and develop attributes to help further their careers.

Approaching a challenge with a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset is a choice anyone can make.

Stanford professor and psychologist Carol Dweck narrowed this concept down to two approaches that can determine results: “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset.” “Fixed mindset is the idea that your abilities are high or low, and there’s not too much you can do to change it,” says Elliott-Moskwa, “whereas the growth mindset is the view that your abilities are malleable or changeable.”

While some people may naturally lean more one way than the other, people do not have either a fixed or growth mindset toward all problems. Instead, approaching a challenge with a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset is a choice anyone can make.

For many people, though, moments of difficulty often spur fixed mindsets. For example, Elliott-Moskwa says that when people receive criticism from a boss or struggle with a new task, they might feel a sense of inadequacy. In these situations, a fixed-mindset response might be, “I’m not good enough,” or “I can’t do it,” she says.

By contrast, a growth mindset takes a different approach to the same situation. People with growth mindsets do not interpret such moments as personal failings but instead recognize a need to improve. Crucially, people working with a growth mindset believe they are capable of such improvement and can break down challenges into achievable steps.

This means getting out of one’s comfort zone and accepting a certain level of risk, uncertainty, and potential failure that comes with trying something new. “It feels a little bit uncomfortable and also a little bit exciting,” says Isabella Venour, a London-based mindset coach who helps professionals understand the role their beliefs, values, and patterns of thinking play in the workplace. “You’ve got a bit of risk that it might go wrong, but you’ve also got the potential to learn something and to grow as an individual.”

Why is the growth mindset important in the workplace right now? A can-do approach is always a plus in the workplace — it demonstrates that workers are adaptable and willing to evolve within their jobs and organizations. But fostering a growth mindset also plays an important role in helping workers navigate turbulence and improve their resilience, as they feel more confident and capable of handling difficulties.

How can you improve your growth mindset? The first step toward encouraging a growth mindset is personal awareness: the ability to identify fixed-mindset thinking when it occurs, which often manifests as feelings of discomfort or inadequacy in the face of a challenge.

First, Elliott-Moskwa advises recognizing and accepting such feelings instead of beating yourself up over them. “Then, mindfully make another choice to take an action step in keeping with what you would be doing if you had a growth mindset — the belief that you could increase your abilities,” she says.

To help clients approach obstacles with a growth mindset, Venour often breaks down challenges that feel overwhelming into smaller pieces. For example, if a worker feels unable to give a presentation in front of colleagues, “How much of that is emotional, and how much of that is factual?” she asks. “Can they talk? Yes. Have they spoken in front of more than one person before? Yes. Have they done presentation slides before? Yes. So, if there are elements that they can do, what is the part that they’re not comfortable with?”

Narrowing down an overwhelming challenge to a specific point of difficulty helps workers focus and reduces the amount of learning required to an achievable level.

Often, the learning itself requires asking for help. One of the key concepts of a growth mindset is seeing others as inspiration rather than competition, an approach that can help foster collaborative teams. “If workers view others as resources and not as competitors, they’re open to sharing other people’s skills and abilities and learning from fellow employees,” says Elliott-Moskwa.

Over time, recognizing a fixed mindset and practicing a growth mindset can become easier, and the prospect of taking on challenges can become less daunting. “Growth mindset is an empowering attitude,” says Venour. “You can really develop and grow over time as a person.”

Sometimes, you might feel like you’re not good enough or unique enough, but everyone is unique. Everyone has a different personality.

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com, or visit me on Facebook or LinkedIn. You may also visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.

DON’T WORRY – BE HAPPY!

 

By Mindanao Daily News -July 23, 2026

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” was written and recorded by jazz vocalist and musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in 1988, the track was the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it won three Grammy Awards in 1989, including Song of the Year.

Almost on the way to the airport ,  I get this in mind: we hardly count our blessings. We enjoy counting our crosses. Instead of gains, we count our losses. We don’t have to do all that counting – computers do it for us. Information is easily had.

Just remember this: Opportunity doesn’t just knock – it jiggles the doorknob, and “your friend” – the worrier, is with you day and night, at every corner, following your every step. Complaining and grumbling are good excuses, aren’t they? We have time and opportunities to do almost anything. So why haven’t we done it? We have the freedom of bondage or restraint, every one of us in his or her very special way – but, we’re still our old inferior selves.

The whole world is an awful place filled with dreadful and terrible negativism. No wonder, if you check the daily news.Yes, I confess, I am also surrounded by many worriers who put their fears into me! Politicians, i.e., many times love to search for some grave alarm that will cause individuals to abandon their separate concerns and act in concert, so that politicians can wield the baton. Calls to fatal struggles and fights are forever being surrounded.

But at this moment, I am counting my blessings and thank our Almighty God for everything.

Well, when will we start counting our courage and not our fears, or enjoy instead our woes? Worrying itself is pointless. Of course,  no society has achieved perfect rules of law, never-ending education or unique responsible governments. Let’s seek out the worries but avoid the warriors, because they try to avoid liberty.

Stop worrying and boost your happiness by anchoring yourself in the present and reframing your mindset. Try allocating a 15-minute “scheduled worry” window daily to contain anxiety, practicing present-moment mindfulness, and listing three things you are grateful for.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:25-34.

DON'T WORRY - BE HAPPY!

 

"Don't Worry, Be Happy" was written and recorded by jazz vocalist and musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in 1988, the track was the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it won three Grammy Awards in 1989, including Song of the Year.

 

Almost on the way to the airport ,  I get this in mind: we hardly count our blessings. We enjoy counting our crosses. Instead of gains, we count our losses. We don't have to do all that counting - computers do it for us. Information is easily had.

Just remember this: Opportunity doesn't just knock - it jiggles the doorknob, and "your friend" - the worrier, is with you day and night, at every corner, following your every step. Complaining and grumbling are good excuses, aren't they? We have time and opportunities to do almost anything. So why haven't we done it? We have the freedom of bondage or restraint, every one of us in his or her very special way - but, we're still our old inferior selves.

The whole world is an awful place filled with dreadful and terrible negativism. No wonder, if you check the daily news.Yes, I confess, I am also surrounded by many worriers who put their fears into me! Politicians, i.e., many times love to search for some grave alarm that will cause individuals to abandon their separate concerns and act in concert, so that politicians can wield the baton. Calls to fatal struggles and fights are forever being surrounded.

But at this moment, I am counting my blessings and thank our Almighty God for everything.

Well, when will we start counting our courage and not our fears, or enjoy instead our woes? Worrying itself is pointless. Of course,  no society has achieved perfect rules of law, never-ending education or unique responsible governments. Let's seek out the worries but avoid the warriors, because they try to avoid liberty.

Stop worrying and boost your happiness by anchoring yourself in the present and reframing your mindset. Try allocating a 15-minute "scheduled worry" window daily to contain anxiety, practicing present-moment mindfulness, and listing three things you are grateful for.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:25-34.

Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear

By Manila Bulletin Newsroom

Published Jul 23, 2026 12:02 am | Updated Jul 22, 2026 03:51 pm

REFLECTIONS TODAY

In the light of today’s Gospel, we wonder if we would accept Jesus the way most of the Jewish authorities did, or the way the disciples did. Most of the authorities rejected him, and so Jesus’ teachings to them remained “parables,” that they could not understand or appreciate the meaning of. When the eyes, the ears, and the heart refuse to listen or pay attention, whatever is said, no matter how beautiful or noble, remains a “parable.”

On the other hand, for those who have open minds and hearts, like his disciples, his stories and preaching, as well as his works or deeds, are understandable and meaningful and fruitful. That is why Jesus declares them truly blessed, they who are so privileged to have heard and witnessed the things Jesus said and did. There are many others who do not have (and will not have) the privilege or the luxury of hearing or seeing these things.

Indeed, when we realize that as Christians we have received so much from the Lord, or come to know him, even if only glimpses of him, we cannot but be truly grateful and feel blessed. Imagine, for example, if we have remained Godless, agnostic, or even anti-God! Let us therefore contemplate and treasure our blessings as Christian believers and disciples.

First Reading • Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

This word of the Lord came to me: Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear! I remember the devotion of your youth, how you loved me as a bride, following me in the desert, in a land unsown. Sacred to the Lord was Israel, the first fruits of his harvest; should any presume to partake of them, evil would befall them, says the Lord.

When I brought you into the garden land to eat its goodly fruits, you entered and defiled my land, you made my heritage loathsome. The priests asked not, “Where is the Lord?” Those who dealt with the law knew me not: the shepherds rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after useless idols.

Be amazed at this, O heavens, and shudder with sheer horror, says the Lord. Two evils have my people done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; they have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.

Gospel • Matthew 13:10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.

Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2026,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

LPA develops into Tropical Depression 'Kiyapo'

 

By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

Published Jul 23, 2026 10:04 am

The low-pressure area (LPA) east of southeastern Luzon has developed into a tropical depression and was given the local name “Kiyapo,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Wednesday evening, July 22.

PAGASA said Kiyapo developed into a tropical depression at 8 p.m.

As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, Kiyapo was located 1,080 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 55 kph.

It was moving northwestward at 25 kph.

Following its development into a tropical depression, PAGASA raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 over the eastern portion of mainland Cagayan (Santa Ana, Gonzaga, Lal-lo, Gattaran, Baggao, Peñablanca, Santa Teresita, and Buguey) and the eastern portion of Isabela (Maconacon, San Pablo, Cabagan, Tumauini, Ilagan City, Divilacan, Palanan, San Mariano, and Dinapigue).

PAGASA said Kiyapo is expected to move west-northwestward to northwestward throughout the forecast period.

It may make a close approach to or make landfall over the Babuyan Islands by Friday evening, July 24.

However, PAGASA said a landfall over mainland Cagayan cannot be ruled out.

Lovi Poe enters new season of life, career

By Neil Ramos

Published Jul 23, 2026 03:13 pm

At A Glance

• Lovi Poe officially joins Star Magic, calling it a dream come true as she opens up about motherhood, Hollywood, dad Fernando Poe Jr.'s legacy and the next phase of her career.

Actress, singer, producer, entrepreneur and Hollywood actress Lovi Poe is now officially a Kapamilya after signing with ABS-CBN's Star Magic.

The move had been rumored for months, but Tuesday's announcement finally made it official, ushering in what many expect to be an exciting new era for one of the country's most versatile and fearless leading ladies.

For someone who has built a career by taking risks, the decision feels like the natural next step.

More than the glamour, however, Lovi says she is entering this chapter with a completely different outlook on life.

"You do things that make you feel good. I think you just have to do things that make you happy and make you feel good and just don't think about the opinion of others because you want to live your life the way that makes you happy," she told reporters.

"That's what I've learned. Sometimes, especially in our industry, we tend to impress others or try to impress a lot of people. At the end of the day, they really won't do anything for you. I think that's one thing that I've learned, to work on myself in the most inward manner."

The words carry extra weight coming from an actress who has spent years under the spotlight.  

Once known as one of the industry's boldest, sexiest and most daring stars, Lovi is now balancing multiple roles, not only as an actress but also as a wife, a mother, a producer and an artist steadily carving out a place in Hollywood.

Last October, she welcomed her first child with husband Montgomery Blencowe. Before taking time off for motherhood in the United States, she appeared in the Hollywood film "Bad Man" and starred in "Guilty Pleasure," where her performance earned Best Actress nominations from both the Gawad Urian Awards and PMPC Star Awards for Movies.

Despite the growing list of responsibilities, Lovi made it clear that her passion for storytelling remains stronger than ever.

"I just want to keep working and doing what I love," she said.

At Star Magic's official welcome, she admitted the moment still feels surreal.

"It's just nice to be with family now. So I think more than anything, I'm just really grateful."

She also paid tribute to her husband, who has supported her career despite the challenges of maintaining a long-distance marriage because of work commitments.   

"He's been very supportive. He's been traveling back and forth wherever I am. Talagang grateful ako. He's been helping and still wants me to achieve my goals even if it's been hard for us. It takes a real man to be able to make something like that happen."

Calling the move "a dream come true," Lovi revealed she grew up watching ABS-CBN and Star Magic artists, never imagining she would someday become part of the family.

Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi described their newest talent as "a true superwoman" who embodies excellence as an actress, singer, performer, producer and storyteller while carrying the legacy of her father, the late Fernando Poe Jr., the legendary King of Philippine Movies.

As for what's next, Lovi isn't slowing down.

She hopes to headline action projects, thrillers, horror films and comedies while working with Kapamilya stars Kathryn Bernardo, Gerald Anderson, Jericho Rosales, Belle Mariano and Maris Racal.

Perhaps her biggest dream, however, is deeply personal.

She hopes to remake one of the iconic films of her father, Fernando Poe Jr.

"I don't really have to say just one example, but I think an FPJ story would be great. It doesn't matter what it is. I hope that I get to do a project that my dad did."

It's a fitting ambition for an actress entering a new phase of her career, one no longer defined by proving herself to others but by choosing projects that inspire her.

The Philippines has the largest estimated Christian population in Asia in 2026

 The Philippines has the largest estimated Christian population in Asia in 2026, according to a ranking sourced from Geomapas. The country recorded around 107.7 million Christians, followed by China with 72.2 million, India with nearly 34 million and Indonesia with 30.9 million.

Southeast Asian countries also occupied several places in the ranking. Vietnam recorded around 8.48 million Christians, Myanmar had 3.46 million, and Malaysia had 3.31 million. Christian communities in Indonesia are concentrated in areas including North Sulawesi, Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku, while large communities are also present in East Malaysia and ethnic minority regions of Myanmar.

Christianity remains deeply connected to Philippine public life, education, family traditions, festivals, and local communities. Vatican data cited in the report estimated that the country had around 93 million Catholics in 2025.

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How mutually intelligible are Germanic languages?

 

Put a Swede and a Norwegian in a room, and they’ll converse fluently in their native tongues. Pair an English speaker with a German, and they’re reduced to pantomime.

The Germanic language family spans a spectrum from nearly seamless mutual intelligibility to complete linguistic isolation. The mainland Scandinavian languages—Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish—form a remarkably tight dialect continuum. They are so closely related that linguists often describe them as dialects of a single language, divided primarily by national borders. However, this intelligibility is famously asymmetrical. Norwegians generally understand both Swedes and Danes with ease. Swedes and Danes, conversely, often struggle to understand each other when speaking. Danish pronunciation has evolved rapidly, softening consonants and altering vowels, making it notoriously difficult for neighboring Swedes to parse in real time. Yet, in written form, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål are almost identical.

Step off the mainland, and this mutual understanding vanishes. Icelandic and Faroese are also North Germanic languages, but centuries of geographic isolation have kept their grammar and vocabulary highly conservative. While an Icelander can read a 13th-century Norse saga with little difficulty, they cannot naturally understand spoken Swedish or Danish.

On the European continent, West Germanic languages operate on a classic dialect continuum. A speaker of Standard High German and a speaker of Standard Dutch cannot hold a spontaneous conversation, though they share enough core vocabulary to puzzle through a written text. But travel along the German-Dutch border, and the local dialects blend so thoroughly that neighbors on opposite sides of the border can converse perfectly. Dutch also shares a high degree of mutual intelligibility with Afrikaans. Dutch speakers can read Afrikaans with near-perfect comprehension, often viewing its grammar as a streamlined version of their own.

English is the extreme outlier. Despite being a West Germanic language, it underwent centuries of dramatic sound changes—like the Great Vowel Shift—and absorbed massive amounts of Norman French and Latin vocabulary after 1066. Today, an English speaker without prior study cannot understand German, Dutch, or even Frisian, a language spoken in parts of the Netherlands and Germany that serves as English's closest living relative.

A map illustrating the geographic distribution and major dialect groups of the modern Germanic language family. Photo by Dokyundokyundokyun is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.