Experience Bank: Live Now, Secure Your Future

Live your life. Deposit the experiences to your Bank. Withdraw them any time you need to draw the lessons or feelings that can fuel your passion. Gain interest by making good use of your experiences.

Live!

Invest now.

Secure the future—not only yours, but even your descendants’.

Imagine yourself in a deathbed. Cruel idea? Not really. It might even save you from thousands of regrets. If you would look back on how you lived your life, would you smile or frown?

Now snap back to reality.

Establish your own bank! Your own bank of experiences, where you deposit your lessons learned, failures, your dreams, your successes, what have you.

 

In your own Experience Bank, be your own CEO. Be your own teller; your own ATM; and even your own security guard.

Start monitoring your activities, your life transactions. In this way you’ll be in auto-active mode. Because you don’t want to be zero or in the red, yourself will naturally make activities that will propel you to progress instead of getting stuck at where you are now.

Have you tried playing a game on your phone or on the internet and you just suddenly get hooked on it because you want to beat the best score? Same thing could work if you will consciously monitor your life transactions.

Closing your eyes and recall the week that was. Would you want to see a dark blank image or hear a story on repeat each week? Of course not!

Start by refreshing your heart and mind buttons. Just like in real banks, you also have to "know your customer" or the KYC policy. Ask yourself what you want to achieve in life (finish this course, invest in that business, travel to this continent, earn that much…name it!). Then plot your personalized map or timetable on how and when you will get them. Be realistic in setting your goals and timelines, and be deliberate with your actions—short-term, medium-term, and long-term action plans.

Go out of your nook! See the world. Learn from people from various walks of life. Visit places. Have a taste of different cultures and subcultures.

Your experiences and your observations will inspire you in ways you do not expect and many useful ideas will just pop out of nowhere. If you will constantly move and progress, all these fruitful activities—simple and complex alike—will snowball and incur interest that will make you a million-dollar worth person without spending even a tenth of it.

If you have no money to finance any activity, it’s okay! If you don't have a college degree, it’s alright! In your own Experience Bank, your own CEO doesn’t care. You can still become a client, an investor.

Even if you don’t have money or don’t have a diploma, the world is so big and limitless, it can offer you wide array of opportunities to fulfill your goal. You just have to be determined to achieve your goal and be purposeful with your actions. Look around you, do you know Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Henry Sy, Lucio Tan, or any drop out or rags-to-riches in your place? Learn from them.

You see, your imaginations, your experiences, and your generosity can grow your worth. By doing something, you only gain, you never lose any.

I cannot tell how you must live your life. You are your own boss, your own captain. You are your own CEO remember? But what I can tell you with certainty and confidence is, you can be victorious! You can be worth more than a million!

Just have a goal. Own it. Do something about it constantly.

Your experiences are priceless and cannot be stolen from you. They can even gain interest by putting them to good use and sharing them with your kids, who can learn from them, or even try or improve them, and pass them on to their kids to further improve them.

Live your life. Deposit your experiences to your Bank. Withdraw them any time you need to draw the lessons or the feelings you had that can fuel your passion. Gain interest by making good use of your experiences.

If you are the CEO, you have the say on how to grow your Experience Bank; remember, you are also the security guard who has the duty to control what may be deposited and at what given time; what may be withdrawn and when; and who may come with you in the bank.

To launch your bank, get your pen and paper.

       1. Make a Gratitude Notebook

Divide the page in halves lengthwise. On the left column, write the “Things I Am Thankful For” (at least 10 things that happened during that day). On the right column, write the “Things I Am Thankful For (yes, same time, but these are the things that you claim to happen and you feel that is happening already. Attract them, think of them, and your body will naturally respond to get them). Do this daily to reinforce them.

       2. Make a Timetable/Map to get to your goals

By writing down your goals or dreams, you have a clear picture of where you are now and you can devise ways on how to get to your goal on a specific date. There may be many ways in skinning a cat, but be specific about your goals and timings. This timetable/map will serve as your guide, as your compass, in knowing where you are as you progress towards your goals or dreams.

       3. Keep a mini notebook with you

This will serve as your bankbook. Whenever  you learn something, observe something, realize something, write it down. In time you will need them. This bankbook will keep a record of your experiences, so don’t hesitate to write down both the “ouch!” and the “wow!”, and the “no!” and the “yes!”.

After mapping out your investment schedule, just keep on moving whatever your mood is. Do not worry about your future… just live where you are, your future starts now. Invest there, grow from here.

“…your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” ~ Matthew 6:32-34

“Fortune favors the bold.” ~ Virgil

My Two-Cents Worth: Sex Ed and RH Law

PROVIDED! Provided that the teacher is one who is specially equipped with proper knowledge, training, and moral consciousness in properly teaching the course. FURTHER PROVIDED, that sex ed will be taught in school at the right or proper time ascertained by an expert in the matter.

Intellectual masturbation... Yes, masturbation--a stimulation. I mean an informative or intellectual discussion that gives cognitive satisfaction.

To start our cerebral orgasm firework display, say…

“Sex! Sex! Sex!”

Why many people can say it out loud? A crime? Wickedness? Nah… You're not violating any law when you say it... Nor you sin just because you say it.

Sex. A taboo for some, perhaps.

I read a tweet on sex education, so here I am.

There was a forum in my Alma Mater and some of the senatorial candidates were asked about sex ed being a school based thing.

One of the Reproductive Health (RH) Law's objectives is to properly educate the people, including the youth, on sex.

With the advent of recently approved RH Law, I think it's but fitting for the government to push through school based sex ed in Health subjects or classes.

School is a more, if not the most, comfortable, informative, responsible place, I presume, where this topic can be discussed with the students openly, honestly, and positively. I believe. PROVIDED! Provided that the teacher is one who is specially equipped with proper knowledge, training, and moral consciousness in properly teaching the course. FURTHER PROVIDED, that sex ed will be taught in school at the right or proper time ascertained by an expert in the matter.

Now that we have RH Law, we should implement it productively and effectively; and part of doing that is to utilize the appropriated money for sex ed properly. (If not, a huge chunk of the budget will just go to condoms and pills; or, god forbid, to the pockets of some public officers.)

Since RH is now a law, we cannot just go against it nor be unmindful of it just because we don't agree with it.

RH being a law now, we have to make ways on how to effectively implement it to live up to its purpose and embolden its wisdom.

On the aspect of sex ed, we have it since a looooong time ago anyway. So now, with the budget appropriated for RH that trickles to sex ed, then we should make sure sex ed get the attention it deserves.

Sex education is a double-edged sword. It can either soil the innocence of the youth and desecrate the supposed to be one of the best things, sex; or teach the youth what is beautiful and make them desire what is right (as Plato treated education).

Improve the old ways of teaching sex ed. Train a special set of teachers because it’s a sensitive topic for a [conservative] Christian country like ours; more than that, it will greatly affect the future of the youth. Print quality books. Come up with a well-thought of curriculum to precisely target the objective of the law.

I mean, not just teach it... But teach it properly with the guidance of authorities in the field. Yes plural. Authorities composed of experts in anatomy, biology, psychology, sociology, morality, and even a lawyer I believe. This is to make sure the students will have the right information they need on the implications of their every action--physical effects, social implication, legal consequences.

Not to mention, the relevance of having a set of responsible, ethical, professional, and willing well-trained set of sex ed teachers.

Common sense dictates that we shouldn't just depend on the educational institutions.

The family, especially the parents, have the fundamental and significant roles in shaping their children's character, personality, values, integrity...name it.

RH Law is now here. Now, what we need to do is use it for the good it is aimed at.

And oh, did I not say, "scientific learning can be taught, but character cannot"?

Character is built over time--starting from home when babies start to grow (parent's wisdom, actions, and guidance) to children's experiences out there in the open sometimes-cruel-sometimes-just-downright-honest world.

Parents’ active roles in guiding their children is very important.

School's supplementary yet equally important role in teaching the students the proper and right thing is undeniably as crucial as the parents’ role.

So I hope, rather than still ranting about the RH Bill, let us all move forward and breathe life into this law for the best interest of our posterity.

After SONA thoughts...

After President Benigno Aquino delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA), comments of all sorts flooded the twitter and so on TV. So here, putting in writing my two cents worth on the issue. Simple thought of another random Filipino citizen.

...SONA everywhere on the news. My two cents worth.

Nobody can please everybody.

It's good PNoy is serious with his anti-corruption, economic, and social welfare goals & campaigns, and that the people are active and vigilant. This can be healthy, given regulated.

Meanwhile, as we actively observe his performance, let us not forget to take time mull over balanced views, unblinded appreciation, active involvement, and self-initiated activities even just for our personal concerns.

The government is there to promote the welfare of the people...and we, the people, are here to help our gov't, regardless of what or whose administration, to make the government's mandate to happen--through our actions, no matter how small or big. Light starts with a spark.

Whoever sits on the presidency, citizens will always have a say--dismay or satisfaction. It's the people's right. The government has duties; the people have rights and privileges imbued with responsibilities.

The microcosm of a progressive and strong government is an informed and diligent Juan. A silent worker finishes more than the ranting duo or trio or group.

As Gandhi puts it, "Good government is no substitute for self-government" and "Be the change you want to see in the world."

To be fair, PNoy's 2 years in the lead is relatively better than the previous administration. One very good thing, he is serious with his anti-corruption drive--good start to tackle the vicious cycle of poverty. He still has 4 years to properly cook his goals.

Let's get involved.

Lord, bless all those who have less than I do and stir within me a spirit of sharing.
Let gratitude and giving be my banners and let all be Yours.
May justice and mercy have places of honor within my being
And may my hands work to relieve suffering wherever I find it.
Amen.
~Vera Salter