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| Our " pasalubong mentality" is not good for our financial security |
( Note : OFW stands for Overseas Filipino Worker )
It’s already 2016 , kabayan !
May I suggest a
list of things we should ( and should not )
do this new year ?
1.
“ Stop Acting Rich ”. This is actually an important piece of advice from
a renowned financial expert Thomas J. Stanley .Many people fall into the habit
of overspending because they derive
happiness from expensive things , and they want to impress other people. Thus ,
after many years of hard work , they
still end up as financial failures. This is very true with many Filipinos
---especially OFWs and their families. So , this new year ,
buy fewer things and choose less expensive stuff. You are not Kim Kardashian ! You are an OFW trying to get
a better life for your family . And you
have to limit your pasalubongs or gifts . You are not Santa Claus. People who truly love
you don’t care about pasalubong. They care about YOU.
Pope Francis himself has spoken strongly against
consumerism and materialism. Indeed , too much attachment to material things has moral consequences as well. Materialism causes
people to steal from each other . Materialism causes people to lie , like when
you can’t pay your loan because you’ve
spent the money on a smart phone – what do you do ? Invent lies . Materialism
pushes a businessman to make false promises. Materialism also makes it easy
for people to sell their bodies .
Sex with strangers in exchange for nice
clothes .
2. Re-assess your goals and achievements. Are you moving closer to your goals ?
How’s your monthly savings ? If
you are not hitting your target savings , you have to do things differently .
Maybe, you need to further simplify your
life or you need to find a part-time job
or a “ raket” , as we Pinoys say.
Here is another question
: Are your goals realistic ? Or are
they too ambitious ? Here are typical
OFW goals : save for the education of two ( or more ) children or
siblings AND build a house AND save for a business capital .( Okay ,
add a tricycle or car ) . Frankly speaking , you will not be able to fulfill these multiple
targets . How much do you earn ? You will need to work abroad for
about 20 years to achieve two of these things . A
report from a financial institution says that most OFWs need ten to
thirteen years to save one million pesos
. ( That’s about P10,000. savings a
month ) Do the math and you’ll realize
that your remaining life is not enough to get all that
you want .
Therefore , be humble
and realistic . Trim down your goals. And explain to your
family that everyone’s cooperation is needed to fulfill those goals. For example
, the family should have a simpler
lifestyle and capable adults should
work.
3. Improve your knowledge and skills . We live in a challenging world. If you want to
survive , you’ve got to have the knowledge and skills that will serve as your
bread-and-butter . If you are good at what you do , your employer will keep you
. Whatever your age is , you have to
keep on developing your mind and hands. Whether
it’s white-collar know-how such as
teaching and accounting , or vocational skills
such as cooking and computer repair ---- improve yourself. Also , gain new knowledge and skills that will be useful as you get older. Do research about trends in
business and investments. To rephrase a statement from Stanley , if you have the right
knowledge and skills --- you don’t have
to look for money . Because MONEY WILL FIND YOU !!!
4. Build good relationships. And I mean , good , healthy
relationships. Working overseas is
stressful and emotionally draining .
Choose friends who will have a positive
influence on you . Find time to be with
them . On the other hand , avoid people who cheat their wives or husbands. Avoid mean , conceited and
selfish people .They will contaminate
your soul .
With the use of
technology , communicate more often with friends and family back home. Start chatting with friends whom you have ignored on Facebook. Always ask your children how they are . Assure
them that you are open to listening to
childish or teenage problems. Be romantic with your spouse . “Sweet nothings”
are not nothing ; they are something .
5. Take care of your health . Your body is the vehicle that
carries your knowledge , skills , strength
and abilities .If that vehicle breaks
down , so do all the power that you have . A disease will most likely stop you
from achieving your dreams . To be
healthy , you already know what to do : eat more fruit and
vegetables , have more fish and less meat , be active .We all know these things but many of us still fail . Again , it’s the
lack of self-discipline . Well ,
this 2016 , let’s be kinder to our bodies. As Scottish
philosopher Thomas Carlyle says :
“ He who
has health , has hope;
And he who
has hope ,
Has
everything.”
4. Do small acts
of kindness but avoid drawing attention to yourself . It doesn’t have to involve money . Help someone fix a
machine . Hold the door open for the person behind you . Listen to someone’s problems.
And when you have done it , don’t
talk about it . Actually , there
is no shortage of “kindness” in this
world. What I mean is , many people do nice things – and then post it on social media . For what
? For FB " Likes " , praises recognition . It is okay to go public
if you need crowd funding or you need the intervention of a remote organization
--- and even so , the “ helper ”
should divert the attention away from himself .For other types of help we give to others , MUM IS THE
WORD.
6. BE HAPPY ! No matter
how far you are from your loved ones , strive to be happy. Find humor and joy in little things : your mother’s voice on the phone , your
favorite song , a chocolate bar , the gentle wind on your face , the sand in your mouth after a
sand storm . Life won’t get any easier if you
frown and sulk. If you’re at the lowest point of your life right now
--- remember , kabayan --- that , too ,
will pass. All storms do.
That’s it , kabayan . You can add
more to the list . Let’s all have a
prosperous and happy 2016 !
