Why can't I give?

What does it take to GIVE?

Took my time off on a Friday night and crossed the street in Ayala to the bus station. The exhausting rush hour pack couldn’t get me a ride so I decided to just eat my dinner in the nearest fast food. On my way, I saw two old grannies in the staircase of Mcdonalds near PBCOM. I’m not usually caring on what I see on streets, but seeing these two grannies at passed 8 in the evening, still roaming in Ayala, did caught me alittle off guard. But remembering I was hungry, I went into mcdonalds and ate my dinner. It was Friday night and exhausted from work, I wanted to go out and have fun. But for some reason, my friends (even my sister) are not available to join me in my Friday play. So instead of feeling sorry, I just tried to appreciate the book I was reading and stayed in mcdonalds. I engrossed myself with reading and lose track of time. After two hours and realizing it was already 10pm, I stood up and walk out of the fast food. Just a few steps out, I once again saw the two grannies, this time they were asking me for a penny. I continued my steps forward when I felt something strange that I stepped back towards them. I didn’t give them money at first, to my amazement, what I did was to talk to them. I took time to talk to them, asked questions to know them better and their concerns. It was a good 20minutes of my time knowing these people. People who were passing by were looking and curious with what I was doing with them, and for some reason I felt different again. Realizing it was getting late, I’ve invited them to go home and since they’d take the bus I’m taking, I’ve joined them til I reached my stop. I gave them a few bucks and I’m thinking of returning to them to answer alittle of what they need. I just need to take time in collating and asking from people who are also willing to give.

“Doing such will take a great deal of my time and money”, as I’ve always thought in the past, for I was thinking of my own resources and time. If I’m not different now, they would have been somebody I’ll just passed by; either coz I have no time or money to offer. Such experience made me realized something again, that if only I’ll take my time to notice them, to get to know them and their concerns, I can be a bridge to the fortunate people who can give something to these people who were less fortunate. And as I’ve noticed, a lot still have good hearts that are willing to GIVE.

GIVING will not take so much of your money and time. Just a percentage of your monthly earnings, even just 1%, if combined with the other 1% of others can create a change in the lives of other people who weren’t as fortunate as you are. Giving money is fulfilling enough, but I realized, taking time to spend with these people that you gave your help, sure creates a bigger change, not only in your character but in your whole life as well.

Remember, life is short. Two important things at the end of it is:

1) How happy you were?
2) How happy others were because of you?

Start giving and experience the happiness it gives your life and other people’s lives. :)

Full-time with part-time

Months ago, I was someone living a life of prestige, stability and security only achieved thru a highly-valued employment. Back then, I was a full-time professional accountant working my way up to the ladder of the corporate world. But along the way, little by little my eyes opened up to a different world, a reality that got not only my attention but my whole life in totality.
Now, I’m living in a world of unstable, non-secured and non-prestige life of a free person. I’m currently resigning from my stable and secured job with no assured job to replace it yet. For I have this free mindset that made me choose to let go of the stable and secured life to face the bigger possibility of being successful in where I can do best.

The freedom excites me for I can see great possibilities of my success, but the temporary setbacks and emotional feeling of the unknown is what I’m currently struggling to face. Such includes the feeling of exhaustion on having to get up in the morning and walk towards work. I gave the current company a two months notice of my resignation for I have some paper works that I still need to finish. And right now, I still have 36-days left to drag myself again and again. But for past two days, I’ve been at home on leave trying to find out how to settle the upcoming days of no pay, plus start planning in building my businesses. Unlike others who calculate a lot before taking their jump, in this decision I had, I rationalized for several months convincing myself to be safe and secured in staying until such day comes I can no longer tolerate the weight of dragging myself to work that I decided to finally resign and leave with just my confidence and faith on my baggage. What I did is to decide and take on the circumstances that I’d be facing along the way.

Early circumstance of my choice of freedom is the question, what’s next? After being comfortable in a company for two years, here I am trying to figure out where I want to go next. If I’m not different now, I’d for sure look for another company that can give me much better prestige, stability and security that I can work on full-time. But different as I am, now I’m considering the fact of being full-time in part-time. And how the heck is that?
Being full time with part time just means focusing on looking for work that won’t have prestige and stability but will give me part-time income that I’d be needing to sustain my monetary needs but at the same time can give me my time that I need in producing the things that are important to me, and building the wealth that I dream. :)

This is the journey that I’ve decided to live on starting the day I chose my freedom over prestige. And despite all the circumstances, both good and bad, that’ll come my way, my spirit is uplifting me too much for it excites me to sail my journey, meet the circumstances and lessons along the way until finally, I find my dreams. :)

As Steve Jobs have quoted,

“If u are working on something exciting that u really care about, u don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls u.”

Filipina - A Mother & Leader

Few days ago, the name Cory Aquino didn’t appeal that much to me. She was just a political figure who I’ve been hearing since year 1. I’m EDSA 1 baby myself, born in February of 1986. I really didn’t know how much this person has contributed to our country and to my life ‘til this day.
I knew and have seen that she’s a big contribution in our country just by how much people she have influenced now that she’s dead, but something have kept me thinking with her life and death. I’ve appreciate not her presidency but her life as a mother and as a leader. Her influence awed me so much that started last Monday when I was in Ayala Avenue waiting with thousands of other professionals and non-professionals in Makati, waiting under the sun, just to pay tribute to her when she passes by our area. People waited for two hours for a 5-15 minutes glimpse of her. It was heartfelt and overwhelming to see professionals gathering together for this woman, a non-career and typical-loving-Filipina mother who became a president by calling and fate.

Then today, here in Quirino Avenue Malate, I paid tribute to her once again with the masses of Malate, a mixture of suburbs and urban poor community. Once again, I felt the contribution of this Filipina woman of affection, integrity and faith.

She reminds of my own personal mission statement. To live a life with the end in mind, a life that’s live with values that are important to me and to keep a life of integrity, affection, love and faith and a strong will to keep moving forward in this life. :D

Almost Broke

If not death, one’s most feared situation is getting financially broke, for it does not feel right and fair that after getting a great degree in college, worked in a prestigious company for several years, you’d admit to yourself that you are indeed broke. You take a deep breath and instruct yourself to not panic then positively double check all your bank statements, but reality sinks in, it is glooming you with “zero” balance account. If it can only speak, it would want to scream at your face “You’re doomed to get broke”, then, you allow yourself to panic.

But what does it feel to be broke anyway?
I’m not sure specifically, but for a saver like me, not seeing a load of money in my bank statement and having to pay outstanding loans (without seeing the goods I’ve purchased or travels to brag) already makes me feel dizzy and ready to admit that I am almost broke. So I ask myself why and what had happened?
I’ve been feeling really down and experiencing breakdowns, recently. The idea of getting almost broke does makes the worry freakiness over me. This isn’t surprise situation for me for I knew that the moment a person decides to let go of comfort, uneasiness happens, of which I am facing now. Just a few weeks ago, I’ve finally decided to let go of my current state to face the challenge and uncertainty of a different state (aka dream). Such dream is what most people do not try to live on for as I’ve said, it’s uncertain and unstable. Different mind as I am now, I’m willing to face its uncertainty and start all over again so I can redirect myself to the new path I want to live on. And as someone has said, she thinks I’m in a crossroad that she hopes I wouldn’t regret.

Life I’ve learned will never be regretful if you have the proper mentality to choose a moving forward attitude. As I’ve noticed, our decisions and actions today will greatly affect how we will be tomorrow, be it we decide over it or not, consciously or not. And unlike fairy tales, life isn’t going to give you a perfectly smooth journey in whatever path you’d take, for it’ll surely give you trials to learn lessons on your way, be you accept it or not. So don’t expect things to be perfectly okay in all aspect, for it’ll never be as long as you’re breathing the air of mother earth. If you expect a 100% worry-free journey, you’re doomed to get broken.

So what to do when you’re almost there, reaching that zero balance, and worse, negative brokenness of life?

All you need is your attitude and faith, that moving forward mentality and belief in yourself. It wouldn’t be a smooth journey, but as long as you keep your focus and faith in the end you picture, it will be all worth it.

An Owl's Life

I was once called an Owl, why? ‘coz they say I have big eyes, especially when I’m surprised or trying to intimidate someone. But for two years now, I’ve been living a life of an owl. Well, setting aside the big eyes issue, it’s coz I’m working graveyard or better known as “night shift”.

Here are some of the analyses I’ve compiled while working as an Owl:

1. Night differential. Talk about the money.

2. No traffic. Coz you’d always do the opposite of what the normal human beings do. (You go to work – Normal people go home, vice versa).

3. Happy bank account. Coz you save more. So many reason why:
a) No gimmicks on Friday night.
b) Too tired to go out on Saturday, better sleep.
c) You do not need to buy prepaid credits since you wouldn’t have that much textmates, not unless your sweetheart is a guard, taxi driver or an owl like you.
d) No after-work shopping, coz malls don’t open at 6am and you’d be too tired to wait for the 11am opening.
e) No weekend shopping. Coz you’d rather sleep. In short, the mall will be missing you so badly.
f) No dates/gimmicks. Coz your sweetheart or even friends live a normal life.(Not unless they'll have a midnight lunch date with you or their an owl too).
g) Lastly, lesser medical bills, coz you’d be too scared to visit your doctors. What you don’t know won’t hurt you, not unless it’s hurting you already.

Most pinoys of my generation is living the same life. Either their working in a bpo (business process outsourcing) and/or call centers. And where are all these owls nest came from? It’s none other than jobs from the west that were transferred to developing (aka poor) countries like PI, for lesser salary expense and cut cost.That’s one of the advantages and disadvantages of the information age for it became so easy to communicate and transfer data and information globally, at any time and place. The advantage is yours if you know how to play it for it has a high earning potential.

However, there’s also disadvantage of this global move and I’ll share to you two instances:

* THE VICTIMS
The financial crisis experienced by the west countries 'coz most jobs were outsourced. Such resulted the increase in the unemployment rate that chained effect the problem of normal Joe’s inability to sustain his/her high lifestyle, for his usual JOB SECURITY ceased existence. Like a rubber at night, it left him pennyless 'coz they weren’t prepared. Their most treasured high-paid job can already be done abroad, for a lesser cost that they couldn’t compete at.

* THE BENEFICIARY or is it?
For developing countries, such is seen as an advantage for available jobs increased. BPO firms occupies more than 50% of the job employers today that's why most of my generation who are staying in PI are working in these firms. The only good news I see with this is it helped the economy of PI by providing temporary job to pinoys. When I say temporary is because of the mobility of the job plus for health reasons. Such jobs cannot provide job security for its mobility can cause a BPO to close down anytime and be transferred somewhere else cheaper with same quality. We clearly see it by the number of retrenchments that’s happening nowadays. While for health reason, imagining yourself working at night for 10years, will surely make you think otherwise.

Our beloved country belongs to the group 2, the beneficiary, and I’m one of those. But what will I do about it knowing these things?

As for me, I’m planning my way out by educating myself to learn ways on how to be free. Such financial freedom is what motivates me to move forward in learning as much as I can. But as they say, learning is nothing without action, so I choose to take actions too. And sooner or later, I know I’d be free from this owl’s life, to live a more normal, healthy and financially free life. :)

What about you, are you doing something?

A Journey of an Autistic Accountant

One of the most unforgettable moments in my life is when one quoted me “Autistic”. It was the officemate beside my desk who’ve called me such. Amazed and insulted I’ve asked why, “I’m living in my own world” is what I’ve got. Unsatisfied with her answer, I typed the word autism in google and I found this:

A brain disorder that results in communication, socialization and development problems for the individual that is suffering from it.

I would want to hate my seatmate for calling me such but instead I felt happy for it opened my eyes to see where I was.

I’m not really an autistic type of person but more of a proactive-introvert-superwoman employee (aka certified rat racer). In this environment, requires professional to do more and more work, less and less talk and building relationship.

I was one of those babies who were born with a super-rat racer family. Both my parents are accountant that’s why I pursued Accountancy and strived to get my license to work for a top Accounting firm and eventually end up as a private accountant in a multinational firm. Nice achievement if life is all about titles. And as if this is my resume, I want to add that in a year of service and at 23 I was offered the position of our teams Control Accountant, a leadership position. I am very blessed for I have acquired a great deal of emotional and professional experience in a short time however it also resulted for me to live in a world of Autism.

Reflective as I am, after thorough thinking, I realized why I was living in such world, for with all the paper works in my desk, I did lived in my own world. I was working myself out 16 hours a day sitting and facing my desktop, including Sundays. Why? Will be explained by these two: 1) Ignorance on Leverage, and 2) Self-employed mentality.As such, socializing and building relationship was prejudiced, which resulted for me to lose my true self in the process.

Recognizing where I lacked at, I started searching and learning till I found my answer. I’ve mentioned in my blog, “A piece Called CA2020”, that being part of the core was like a piece of a missing puzzle.

Being a core team showed the real passion and shine of my true self. It guided me out of the autism world thru facing out of my comfort zones. It empowered me to enhance the skills I needed to be effective not only in business but as a person. Such skills included business, people, communication and leadership. These I’ve learned thru exposure to the real world, to people. In here, the more I talk the more I grow while the more I listen the more I learn. The longer I stay the more I realize that the true happiness and fulfillment in life isn’t about titles and how high you climb that ladder. I’ve discovered my happiness and fulfillment in simple things such as talking and listening but creating a big difference in someone else’s life. Such couldn’t be matched by any title or prestige that the corporate can offer me. And the most important lesson I’ve learned in the community is the power of leverage. You are not alone. You don’t have to do everything on your own. And with a team around you, there is a greater abundance you’d achieve.

So why live an autism world? :)

Living life to fullest is like a piece of puzzle that you have to continually searched on to reveal your real shine and passion. It’s not an end but a journey that you have to live along the way. :)

A Simple Life

Oh Philippines!

I duno how many times I’ve said these two words, whether I’m happy saying it or not. And I know a lot have already listed things they’d like and hate about it. Some tag it as “PI”, which I thought then as “P***** Ina”, later on I knew that it means “Philippine Island”. But other than the endless comments I hear about PI, I wonder what more can I say. I’ve already lived in PI long enough to know that it is one of the best paradise in this planet. And honestly, I’ve always believed that it is ‘til I was exposed to the lifestyle of other countries. And what’s with them that PI doesn’t have? “SIMPLE LIFE”

I’ve once watched “Simple Life” starring Paris Hilton. And whenever I watch it, I’m not sure of what I’ll feel. Sometimes I’m mesmerized by Paris classiness, but half of me wants to laugh and cry with what they call, “A Simple Life”. I’ll repeat that word in my head then sigh, “Oh Philippines”. And why? Geez… their simple life, is the life I’ve always dream to have.

What’s that simple life anyways? Just a two-storey house enough for regular family and one to three “regular” cars. Plain and simple. Is it?? Errrr…

For some of the “blessed” pinoys out there, it is simple, but for MAJORITY of “will be blessed” like me (*wink*), it’s something I have to work hard for. And what’s dreadful sometimes is I’m thinking how long before I’d have it? Accountant as I do, I’ve calculated it. And the burden of years, I’ll keep it to myself. Such burden however, is only applicable if I’d rely ONLY thru EMPLOYMENT.

Simple Life is a LIFESTYLE, a way people wants to live. At that day I’ve think of having such “simple life” plus realizing nthe burden of years I have to take, started my quest to BUSINESS and INVESTING.

The more I knew about it, the eager I was to KNOW MORE. For not only the money interests me but the LIFESTYLE, that simple life. Abundant life of money and time.

Then I realized why majority of Pinoy in PI do not live a simple life in our own paradise? That’s cause Pinoys focus too much on EMPLOYMENT. Then who does live abundantly here in PI? Aren’t they mostly CHINESE? Do you still wonder why? What does Chinese focus on? Now, do you see the difference???