Expression of the Heart

The Transfer of Knowledge

I would have given up on writing if it weren’t for a few people who have enjoyed what I had to express.

This is not Transfer of Knowledge, as much as it is the Expression of the Heart. This time around I have not gained Knowledge as much as I gained experience going through some life’s challenges. Solitude and Love are some of the most humbling feelings that I have felt, and I can imagine these are the very feelings that shape a man’s life.

These feelings can be the source of deception or discouragement.

It’s true that we are the creators of our destiny, and the ones responsible for all that we have and we don’t have. We are responsible for our mistakes. However, we are also responsible for overcoming such mistakes with character. I may venture into believing that in the process of overcoming mistakes with character, many men/women become champions, and many others don’t because they become discouraged.

Discouragement could be the worst thing that may happen to a champion. As a champion will never become a champion if he/she is discouraged and interrupts his/her path to success. Discouragement may very well be the difference between someone achieving his or her life’s mission or not.

I read: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

When I first read this I had to make sure I read it more than a few times. I thought it was one of those mind-bending ideas out there. But the reason why it took me a little while to understand it is because we are taught to believe that we must be reasonable. That we must conform to the environment, and that if we are unreasonable in our society, well, then we are just a failure.

Unreasonable people, in my mind, are those people who surpass the norm of understanding. They are those people who do not become discouraged by social norms, or others influence. They believe deep in their heart that they should overcome to succeed. And in doing so they might be on their way to achieving their mission in life.

I think that the first thing I would have done when I felt this way, was to run to my mothers arms and cry a river on her lap. Oh I remember how I would complain to her that life was so unfair. She would tenderly call my attention, and would only let me cry once about a situation. When she saw me crying twice about the same situation I was not on her lap for comfort but for a slap. Nevertheless, I had the opportunity to cry to her, and know that no matter what there would be someone who loved me, and be there no matter what.

Solitude came about when I had nowhere to go. So the natural reaction to my situation was to become discouraged. My feelings deceived me to a point where, my image in the mirror was not that of an overcoming-champion, but that of a worthless human being who cannot overcome.

I did not work, took a holiday that lasted a long time. In fact, I still think I am in that holiday. I was not able to keep disciplined with my own life agenda. The past, my mistakes, my feelings occupied priority number one of my agenda. My own understanding of the situation deceived me. I was being reasonable; I was comparing myself to the norm, or to my understanding of good. I had dropped from that standard. Or so I believed. I was feeling guilty, worthless, and anxious that I would not be able to overcome.

In fact, the very reason why I own a consulting firm in Canada is because I was unreasonable. I quit every job I was given, I starved, and found myself homeless sleeping on friend’s couches, or in my car, when I had no friends. I was unreasonable. I knew what I wanted. And it was just a matter of time until I achieved what I wanted.

So why was I discouraged?

That is another whole story in itself.

What I want to share is that no matter the reason why we are discouraged, that we can never be discouraged, we cannot solely rely on our negative feelings, or negative thoughts. We must rely on what is in our hearts. As long as you do what is in your heart, you will never regret the outcome.

I have used this insight all my life, as it was taught to me since I was little.

This serves as a reminder to myself to continue to believe only in my character and what is written in my heart.

The rest? Well, reasonable people will only care about the rest.

Allen make sure the dough floats on the water

If instead of remembering I do. Then I might remember.

I have been cooking lately, I tried to find my mothers recipes, but for some reason they were lost. 

I went to the street market with my mother every time, I cut vegetables, I tasted her food. So I have been doing just that, going to the market and cooking the way she taught me. 

Her cooking was very complex, just as her loving. It took time, but it was ready every day at the same time for 17 years. 


Her recipes included many things:


1. Salads (all of them) sweet and not sweet. 
2. Soups, cream soups, fish soups, chicken soups, meat soups, vegetable soups, noodle soups, tortilla soups, 
3. Chicken, meat, fish, and vegetable main plates. All with a combination of spices, that were incredible. 
4. Baking and desserts were also very varied, and she would make sure there was something special on our plates at all times.


So I tried to venture into her style of cooking, which was complex, sharp and tasty. I bought some of the ingredients that she used to mix, tomatoes, onions, dry peppers, spices. And I came up with these:


Plate numero 1

I am going to call it spiced meat. 
 The sauce is a boiled mixture of spices and ingredients including:

dry peppers, onions, tomato, garlic, (and a few things that must remain secret)
That's the already boiling sauce when I added it to the cooked tenderloin ;)


And this is what it looks like:

It was very delicious, but by no means any close to my mothers cooking. And I don't really know whats missing or how to make it better.


NOTICE - Since it was a very complicated recipe to try to replicate, I didn't have time to prepare anything else to eat with it, so NO GARNISHING FOR THIS ONE.


Plate numero 2 Fish with herbs and vegetables


OK So for second chances I went all out with a fish recipe. I wont tell you the details because it involved the oven, and many ingredients, and hours in the making. 


But this is what it looked like:

It only took me an hour to get the rice right, and another hour to cook the fish.


The mixture of the herbs with the vegetables and the fish made it a delicious result.


NOTICE - This plate was delicious, but I try to remember my mothers fish soup, and I am not even ballpark. 


NOTICE numero 2 - I only make one serving, because I only cook for myself and eat alone. 


If you ever want to join the "Lets try to replicate mexican cousine" challenge, let me know in advance and I will make sure I go grocery shopping for 2. 


oohh! and I almost forgot! about the title. When my mom used to bake tamales, the secret in the dough is that you have to press it again and again with your hands until it floats on water. So I had a container with water where I would drop a bit of dough until it floated.

Personal Transformation for Business

One can not expect the business to grow, and move forward on its own. The business is not a person, the consultant is the business. Therefore, when thinking about investing in the business, one must think that investing in oneself goes along with business growth.

I spoke about investing in technology and the impact that I was able to measure in my business. However, I have not cover other areas such as investing in oneself, and having a measurable impact in business. 

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

I got out of personal and business parasitic relationships. Very quickly I felt powered to run. So I did. I started running long distances, and noticing my body needing to breathe and so I learned to expand my lungs in ways I have never done before. I also stretched my legs and moved my body faster than I could before. The first days I was running, I would fall asleep anywhere and everywhere. Eating healthy followed, why? because my body craved it all. 

I did not notice any changes, until Val Kilmer, told me that I looked good, and clear. I started to look myself in the mirror and I looked transformed. Light. 

BUSINESS FOLLOWES

The people I am surrounded with are all digging deep for opportunities in different industries. I am incredibly lucky to know leaders in the Financial, Technology, Management Consulting, legal and even political environments. I think we all have beneficial relationships because we exchange information openly. Not everyone is invited to this club. Specially if you dont run, expand your lungs and legs. 

I recently happened to be with a group of business friends who referred me to a new client. As mentioned before, I wear my Management Consulting radar and sharp solutions everywhere I go. Even when I am found eating chicken and have my fingers greasy (which happened when I was introduced to my new client).

MY MEANING OF TRANSFORMATION

CHANGE + ACTION + FEARLESS MOTIVATION + a little Luck = TRANFORMATION

It happens when you least expect it. You wonder around like your usual self, until it happens. And the world opens to you, to what you have to say, to your sharp solutions, and to the consultant that you have become.

Mi amiga Mexicana me pidio escribirles a mis amigos Mexicanos

Hablando con una hermosa amiga mia de Mexico, me inspire a hablarle a mis amigos mexicanos. Y es que no mucha gente de aqui o de alla o no se donde, saben porque vivo lejos de mi pais. O porque me separe de mi nucleo familiar. 

Alguien aqui en Canada me dijo: "A presentation without a demonstration is merely a conversation" En Espaniol, "Una presentacion sin una demostracion es meramente una conversacion"

Asi que les muestro la razon por la que vivo aqui:

Poca gente incluyendome yo mismo, entiendo porque vivo lejos. Y es porque aqui encuentro la paz, la inspiracion, y naturaleza que encontre con mi familia. 

Y es por eso que no me voy de Winnipeg. 

Porque aqui encontre mi hogar.

This one is for you April ;)

Business and Technology

When I started my business I was using an IBM T42 that I "borrowed" from my dad. I did not know the value of a proper system to work with to interface with my ideas. 

The paramount activity in business is Communication. If one cannot communicate with clients, you will not get business. Simple. 

Entrepreneur - Computer - Web - Client

In the last 5 years I have bought a series of PC's and all of them realized an incredible ROI for my business. I was finally able to understand the value and the impact of technology in my business.

I purchased a MAC Air in February, and the return on that system is even greater than all of the past computers together. In only 5 months, I was able to transfer my ideas to a computer, organize my information, and most importantly I was better able to communicate with clients. 

I just acquired an iMAC with incredible capabilities, I am so excited to be able to see the results on this whole system.

Consultant + Technology = Powerful Solutions

Dinner with the U2 Snowbirds

On Friday night (May 27th) as I proceeded to have dinner with friends, we were introduced to a great group of pilots. Andrew, Gary and Al, were all veteran and experienced pilots who had international air missions around the world. I was amazed by how these pilots shared their passions and life experiences with us. They even shared with me how they would synchronize the right moment at which they would fly over the U2 concert here in Winnipeg. 

My passion for learning how to fly is still very much alive today, Gary shared with me that many times he had to go to work and do a bunch of paper work and deal with office matters, but that knowing that he would get to fly was worth all the hassle. He shared with me that he a sense of accomplishment knowing that he had served his country and flown over most of the skies in this vast world.

I got their names, we exchanged cards, but I never asked for a photo of the whole group. I somehow feel like the momento was not completed without it.

Lastly, sharing that moment with my good friends was pleasurable and unique as you just do not get to have dinner with the snowbirds that would fly over the U2 concert everyday.

NO PHOTO FOR THIS ONE.

My First Post

This is it! My first post. 


It all started when my dad got our first computer, or should I say, his computer. It was in 1986, Yes I was 5, and my dad was already buying IBM's. The computer had mostly games, some kind of pacman, in fact pacman would've been way too advanced for this computer. It wasn't until 1989 when dad brought a computer that had paint, and a mouse. I remember jumping right away into it, and dad saying: "Allen this is not a game". I was his son, but by no means stupid, I recall thinking that I saw paint as the perfect game. And when he was gone I would be making circles, jotting, penciling, erasing, doing it all again... and again. 

My dad made his millions selling ATM's and selling complex computers to the biggest corporations in Mexico. And I kept on playing with the computers. We were the first ones to always get the newest computers. People would say that I would be a millionaire in the computer world, but these people didn't know that even though I knew everything about a computer, that my brain was just not wired nor was interested  in complex arrays. 

My dad encouraged me to learn science, as he was the greatest engineer I have ever known. He is the most educated, most charismatic man I have ever met. He was talking about computer networks and teaching me about it since I can remember. When I was first able to connect with him on the phone about 9/11 he knew and told me that Al-qaeda was responsible for what had happened, he is that educated and aware of the world. I loved science. And I learned it. However, I was mostly interested in people. The more interested in people I was, the more people seemed to shy away from me. So I always felt challenged socially. 






When I would leave to school, my Mom would yell, Allen you are a leader! My lunch and my bag was always well equipped, in fact I always had enough in my bag to give it all alway. Somehow I always managed to lose all things my parents would give me. And get in serious trouble for it. I must've been so excited to share it with my little buddies. What my Mother was trying to give me was way more complex than anything else I was able to understand. 


And that's the way it went. I played catch up to learn what my Mother was trying to teach me. Until this game ended. My Mother died when I was 18. She managed to hang on for years battling cancer, until I was a legal adult. 


It is since she left, that I have been playing catch up.




I have a Bachelor in Commerce from Canada. It is the place that seemed the most sane at that large University I went to. This was the only place where they would combine numbers with people, and the only place in University where they would teach me about this Leadership thing my Mother always seem to talk to me about. 


For the first time in my life I have been able to grasp the value of Leadership, and the value of understanding the processes involved in engineering a solution. I have done so by being a Management Consultant or providing a Professional Service. I can only say that I have a grasp on Leadership, because of the results that I have delivered to all of my 9 amazing clients I have had since I started this journey, and the 50+ people that I have provided with a job. 


I was inspired by my friend Dan Nord to write my first blog, as I was able to learn more amazing things about Dan than the usual human ability to communicate would've allowed me to. 


I only hope that I get to inspire others to share something about their lives, and transfer their knowledge with others. This way what we have in our brains is not all going to waste. 


My final comment is that, this way of sharing feels more free, than the chicken cage Facebook is. 


Allen Ortega