Level Up and Roar

There are a lot of things—both pleasant and unpleasant—in life that escape our senses from being recognized as the actual answers to the ones we had long been yearning for.

Others are undeniably good (or sometimes sugar-coated bitter gourd) that we easily discern, or claim, them as the answers to our yearnings. Some have façade that are rather unfamiliar, gloomy, scary, and sometimes pain-inducing, that just by the mere sight of them we shiver.

Nonetheless, only when we have already gone through the frontage that we come to realize that inside there is an overflowing abundance of great things that are just part of the answers to our prayers—more wonderful things are yet to come. We just have to take some courageous steps forward to experience them—God doesn’t want us to just see them from afar, but to experience them and own them ourselves.

I wouldn’t appreciate the value of challenging moments—melancholic, scarcity, chaotic—if had easily thrown my hands up and go back to my comfort zone.

Because of those moments I now see things more beautifully; I have more patience to wait; I have more energy and reasons to inspire myself to keep going; I become happier; and I don’t easily get worried nor easily get mad.

Certainly life has become brighter and lighter for me.

In times of surrendering things, I wouldn’t realize the genuine and wonderful freedom I am entitled to have, which I enjoy right now, if I tied myself to a certain sugar-coated, glazed with honey and strawberry uninteresting routine. I could have blinded myself and regret my life years before I pass.

If I didn’t take bold steps forward perhaps until now I am stuck with round-about questions and deceptively see the putrid fantasy as the nirvana, when in fact it is just the distorted shadow of reality.

Life is much much more meaningful than my own fancy, than the life in the cave.

It’s a wonderful feeling for once in my life I have my own time and I don’t have to worry about someone or something else before the right time when I will forever be committed. It’s nice if I can responsibly freely do whatever I want to do which I could no longer enjoy when I grow old because it may no longer be inappropriate for my age. It’s wonderful to break free to give other people and other hobbies importance than just focusing my energy and time to one person or thing.

It’s beneficial to note that without the uncomfortable feeling induced by the unfamiliar façade, I wouldn’t be able to clearly see and optimize my ‘built-in healer’ [of emotional and physical infirmity] and to realize more fully the essence of ‘enjoying and loving ourselves in generous and humble manner first so when our happiness and love overflow we can reach and touch more and more people.

Now I see it better…

Good thing I wasn’t specific with my prayer that time, when I was still unripe and a cab asking God for happier life, more meaningful moments, and enjoyable youth. I wasn’t specific because I wasn’t sure if I was genuinely happy with where I was. Now, I have unlocked my life for and welcomed more loved ones.

The deepest fibers of my humanity have now been awakened to enjoy the reality, no matter how sour or spicy they get.

If I didn’t break free and didn’t take bold moves, I would certainly catch myself right now sitting on the corner still bargaining for more interesting and meaningful life—I mean the one which is anchored to His word and has limitations, for only when you know your boundaries that you can actually act in liberty.

When things are really not meant to be, the more you try to fix things, all the worse and complicated things get.

It’s amazing that God gives us a birth right to be constantly in molding process until we become who He intends us to be. No matter how painful the process is, He keeps on pouring us strength and wisdom. No matter how many times we turn our back from Him because of pain, He keeps on coming back to our heart just to give us our gift of eternal wonderful life.

Like a potter, God constantly moves and tosses things until we become the kind of person He shaped us to be and until we receive the ever-wonderful life He designed us to have.

It only takes a faith like a mustard seed that flourishes into a humongous tree of enlightenment and victory for us to enter into the paradise He prepared for us.

At last, like a cab turning into  lion I have transcended the hill of the unfamiliar feat and now roaring triumphantly on the peak of the mountain of victory.

Money Matters: Tips by personal Finance Expert Francisco Colayco

Money Matters
Tips by personal Finance Expert Francisco Colayco

 We work hard to provide for our loved ones and keep their future secure. However, we sometimes fall victim to our own pecuniary crimes, such as impulsive buying, living beyond our means, investing in pyramid schemes—the list goes on. We lose our focus, and our heard-earned money along with it.


There’s also the recession, and the attendant inflation, layoffs, company shutdowns, and corporate bankruptcy.


In these times of economic difficulties, a good trick is to start and save early and invest wisely. Having another source of income thus makes for a sound financial management.

 The 20/20 Rule

We often ask, “How can I save with just this amount of salary?” In an interview with Francisco Colayco, author of several financial guide books especially designed for Filipinos, he responds to the question with basic answers: “At any income level, one can plan, execute, and achieve comfort if one has common sense and the right mindset.”


Even if one earns a hefty sum every month, if one overspends, nothing will be left to save. On the other hand, a person with a smaller salary and spends judiciously could have more savings.


To ensure that your basket is never empty, follow the 80/20 rule: live within 80% of your salary and pay yourself with the remaining 20%.


Put another way, it’s like having two horses—one that you ride, which is your income from work; and another that runs with what you pay yourself with (passive income from investments). It’s now easy to build wealth because you have two horses building your wealth for you, he says.


Just let your earnings from passive income roll, until one day you will just be surprised that your money can buy you a new house or a new car. “It’s so easy to build wealth! It’s so easy to get rich!” Colayco added.


So why are people not doing it? Because some are not aware of how they should look at money or generate wealth, while others who are aware don’t know where to put their money.


Furthermore, some people are hesitant to bring out money because they’re afraid of risk and failure. For my fiend who has her own business, “ there are no failures, only learning experiences. But never leap without a safety net. At the same time, always be ready to seize opportunities.”

 Trip to Financial Freedom

“Investing is like going on a trip, you have to know where you are and where you want to go,” shares Colayco. Then figure out how much speed and time you need to get there regardless of your income level. Set a destination (the kind of investment to take) and determine your pace (the kind of lifestyle that will fulfill your needs as you build your wealth).


In planning your trip (business, stock market, trust fund, time deposit, T-bills, etc.) you have to consider three things: distance, speed, and time. Their equivalents in investments are: returns (the promised earnings at a given reasonable period), risk (the capability or the person or company to perform), and liquidity (if you want to pull out your investment, can you sell it?). the three must always go together if you are to avoid most, if not all, of the unforeseen mishaps along the way.


No matter how near of far the trip is, get rid of unnecessary luggage. Pay off debts and increase your net worth (Asset – Debt = Net Worth). Your net worth tells you where you are right now and how close you are to your destination.


Unfortunately, many people continuously look for new investments even though they’re still deep in debt. “If you have debts, you’re not in a position to invest,” Colayco warns.


Leverage is different from debt way before the business starts.


When you pay off your debt which charges, for example, 3% interest per month, you are free from that monthly debt interest and can now save or invest the money, he says.


In deed, you don’t need to be a CPA, a summa cum laude in Finance, or an MBA graduate to secure your and your family’s future. You just need to plan your “trip” by doing a little tightening here and loosening there and by using part of leisure time to look for extra income.

Appreciating the rough sail out of the old wharf

(While writing this blog I’m sitting next to my friends who are drinking, smoking, and eating pizza and pasta.)

Many times I attempted to put an end to several things—vices, habits, relationships, recurring thoughts. In the same way, I also budged myself a lot of times to put my hands on something and get rolling—work, assignments, keypad, book.


Now I’m in the middle of a stash of different finales. Sometimes I catch myself already totally on my back on one thing. At times, I spot my other foot trying to step back to another thing.


(Now, one of my friends talks about how she stopped smoking for 3 months… and now she’s back on the coffin nail due to some personal reasons, which I myself used also to justify my puffing.)


Going back… I’m glad I’m surviving this self-made ordeal [on a lot of things]. Although at times I swag, fortunately, I still manage to immediately get back up. All this is just a war between two internal factors, between level of determination and level of resistance to external pressure.


When I finally decided to stop some of my pernicious habits that I know, though others don’t manifest yet, cause my body to deteriorate, I started seeing the rough sail away from the old wharf as fun and enjoyable.


I challenge myself. If I stagger, I immediately pick up myself and find reasons to laugh at myself while challenging myself even more, rather than blame myself and totally give in.


When I overcome the temptation, I feel great and empowered—which pumps me up even more to continue overcoming some more temptations. “Keep coming bastard, make me feel even better and victorious!”


There were times that no matter how determined I was, my pernicious habits kept on pulling me back after couple of weeks, days, and sometimes after few minutes of supposed to be fruitful struggle.


Things are different now.


Yes, I can honestly feel the distinction. I am more focused and enjoying my move forward. I discovered a powerful spur. However, I really have to dedicate myself to this discovery if I want to see myself a victor in the end.


I discovered the power of ‘loving oneself and life’.


Of course I love myself even before. That was why I’ve come to a point of confusing ‘loving oneself’ with ‘excess pride’. Now, correcting the level of my pride is also part of my ordeal.


Through experience, and surely through His works in my life, I found out that I just have to truly know my priorities (short-term) and my goals (long-term) to align my stars and serve myself well. Part of this self-appraisal is the discernment of pure and benevolent core of priorities and goals.


While helping myself to leave my chain smoking vice, I’m respecting my friends’ smoking habits. Sometimes, I still do social smoking. I’m still looking for an alternative feat in place of smoking.


As I gradually shift from porky and beefy meal to fish-and-vegetables, I don’t care about my friends’ food choice. What is more important is we eat together and enjoy our own meals.


In closing my doors and windows to a surrendered relationship, I respect the other person’s individuality and character. I no longer care if he’s good or bad, or has been an angel or a pain in the ass. I just mind my own business and move forward composed, focusing only on wonderful things, and with an excited heart that is ready to receive more graces from Him.


With my struggle to drink more water and pee more often, I set my mind to fight against my own will. Whenever I control my bladder, all the more I drink water and hurry to the toilet.


In times when I feel more like holding on to my stuff—money, food, time—all the more I share it with others.


If I love myself and I love life, then I have to live a better life with a happier relationship with more people. Only by training my mind to be sincerely dedicated to my priorities and goals will I achieve my targets. And by becoming victorious over my duel against myself will I feel more empowered—without having to intentionally annoy, hurt, use, or step on others.


Every battle to be won is just a battle against oneself.


When you totally become the master of yourself, no matter what other people will do or say to you, though you may wobble, you can handle well. No matter what you decide to do about yourself, you can achieve with a happy and grateful disposition no matter how long or short it happens.


Be your own captain! Enjoy the sail to the island of abundance!

Difficult beginning is not that bad after all

Some people say, ‘beginning is always difficult.’

It may be true… but now I believe that it’s always relative with one's perspective, with one's priorities, with one's strength, with one's wisdom, and most especially, with how much one trust God’s abundance.

In times when we are surprised by circumstances, we may become more vulnerable or we may become indifferent. When unwanted things happen deliberately, we can be prepared to face everything or we can be resistant to what we know will happen next and plot our counteraction to protect our egos.

Others say live life like Teflon, wherein you just let things slide off. No sticking to the situation nor persons. Some may advise us to get on our knees, close our eyes, clasp our hands together, and pray sincerely.

Whichever we decide to follow, in the end it’s still up to us to decide how we will let external factors affect us and how we will live our lives moving forward.

Me, being a person who distinguishes special from general or common (why is there such a word 'special' after all?), there are persons and circumstances that I treat like a Teflon and there are things which I willingly endure and joyfully see difficulty as a sandpaper or a coal-transforming-to-a-diamond until their accompanying pain and pressure come to their natural end, believing that through my strong faith in Him I will attain progress everday and through my sincere prayer God will overflow His abundance upon me.

I’m surprised that now even though I still randomly feel the pain brought a specific subject, I just see it as part and parcel of the necessary process for me to gradually achieve my full potential and experience the wonderful life at its best.

We just have to believe that through our good stance about life, we can heal our own selves through the help of God and the prayers of our loved ones. Truly our trials are just avenues for miracles to happen in our lives.

Now I can say that difficult beginning is a premise for a sweet surrender towards a wonderful and blessed life. Let’s perk up our cheerful hearts and open our grateful eyes!

When pain becomes a tool...

As human beings, we are capable of being hurt and of hurting others—deliberately or not. Our emotions prod our imaginations to create various things in our minds that almost burst our thought bubbles. Sometimes our emotions stir us to plan things that we don’t normally think of.

In times like this, it is most appropriate to pause, breathe deeply, and close our eyes for a moment… not thinking of anything. Then poof! Jump back to reality, and tell ourselves, “I’m not okay, but I know I can bear all this. I am bigger than the situation and I have a God of abundance. Wonderful things are on their way to me now.”

I have been hurt a lot of times. By people I value. By strangers. By circumstances. By objects. And even by myself. There are millions of reasons why we get hurt—sometimes because hurt is inflicted upon us and at times because our own pride creates it for us.

The good news is, whatever the reason why we get hurt is, we can always go to family and friends and solicit words of encouragement; and we can always spin around the situation 360° by turning to God and listening to his word. Only the word of God can provide us real confidence and security as we journey through life everyday.

Family and friends are heaven sent to accompany us and walk with us, while God is our light and our safe destination.

Just recently, I have been hurt by the person I valued most in ways and degree unthinkable. I struggled to stand up again after I fell down. I staggered. I faltered. But only when I decided to bring everything to Him and let His hands hold me tightly as I walked down Trial Avenue did I found courage, freedom, and real happiness in the middle of difficulty. I managed to have a cheerful heart and a pair of grateful eyes knowing that everything will be fine and something great is being cooked for me, I just have to wait.

Between the beginning and the end (when I already fully understood ‘it’s over when it’s over’), I’ve been playing tug-of-war with anger, bitterness, and indifference—which I believed was the best gameplan, but was just so hard to execute.

I left our longstanding paradise which straight away turned into haunted house for me. I walked away declaring to myself I was no longer mad. I bid goodbye and said, ‘I’m not mad and I wish you well.’ Nonetheless, I could still feel in the deepest fiber of my humanity the pushing-and-pulling of the tiny pinch of deep-seated resentment and of love, which I homed for more than a decade at the core of the layers and layers of the protective shell of my heart.

Finally, after two months of restless night and days and glorious days of constantly finding refuge and comfort from Him, I told myself ‘I could decide better than make myself be soaked in the toxins of anger and bitterness’ and ‘I can do better than being indifferent.’

Believing that now is the perfect time for things to fall into their places, I mustered all of my courage and held my emotions together as I decided to face the person and the situation head on—sheathed with faith in God and driven by a forgiving heart.

We talked heart-to-heart. Courteously took turns to talk. Listened intently. Admitted our pains. Declared our forgiveness.

I begged that we not just dwell on the things that have hurt me and I admitted that I’m still wounded. I re-assured the person by finally acknowledging my ace... that I never blamed the person—he hurt me but I immediately saw God’s hand in the situation. I kept it from the person thinking that the he may just feel good about what he did and move forward without even a tiny bit of remorse.

At last, I’ve broken the shell of my deep-seated pains… I totally let go of everything I kept about us—both love and hurt. I’ve had loved him in the face of sweet joy and in the face of hurt. I accepted him and forgave him time and again. I’ve loved him in his worst and in his best.

Now I’m letting God to be totally in control of the situation, believing my place of desperation is just His way of making me stronger, wiser, and more prepared to receiving His truly wonderful blessings.

Subsequent to our talk, I felt relieved and happier... It's a wonderful feeling if you don't hold on (too long) to your negative feelings and thoughts just because you were hurt--deliberately or not. It takes courage and willingness to face it, and even discuss it with the person who offended you. But in the end, you just don't help and free the person, but also yourself.

Now I can say, our emotions and circumstances are just God’s tools in awakening and strengthening our faith in Him—the key to releasing His power and abundance over our lives.

After more than a decade of believing God has blessed me with a great gift, which is him and the life we shared, now I see and understood more clearly that those 10 years and eight months of good life is just His preparation for our sweet surrender to God and far better life.

God uses our emotions to hone us into our better versions… we just need to keep moving forward and stay focused on our destination, which is God’s sweet blessings and embrace.

Now I remind myself, ‘Don't toss away your sight from the shattered pieces of glass that pierced your feet... Pack the fragments in the small chamber of your memory to serve as your roadbook and sweet wound memento as you take your journey to the paradise, and never let them annoy and hurt others you will be with like how it hurt you.’