Category: Life Lessons

Categories
Business Life Lessons

How to Build a Successful Business

This article describes the 3 tips on how to do build a successful business.  This is part 3 of a 3-part series on the lessons I’ve learned from the recent Money Summit and Wealth Expo. 

If you missed the first 2 articles, you can read them here

Ask anyone of your friends and at least one will say they dream of starting their own business someday.  The fact of the matter is, it’s easy to start a business.  The hard part is building it into a successful one. 

They say 1 in every 10 businesses fail in the first 5 years.  Of those who were able to survive, 1 in every 10 will fail in the next 5 years.  Here are 3 tips I learned during the Money Summit and Wealth Expo that maybe able to help you beat these odds.

1) Sell

The secret to building a successful business is learning how to sell. Unfortunately, selling brings out a not so good connotation to a lot of people.  But the fact of the matter is, everyday, you are already selling.  For example:

  • When you were born, you sold to get what you want by crying
    • When you were hungry, you cried and someone fed you,
    • When you wanted to pee, you cried and someone changed your diapers,
    • When you wanted attention you cried and they made funny faces to make you smile. 
  • When you got a little older, you sold your way
    • to play outside with other kids,
    • to play computer games, or
    • to watch TV
  • When you went to school, you sold your parents
    • to give you “baon” (allowance)
    • to buy you a nice school bag
    • to go study at a university
  • When you applied for a job,
    • you sold yourself as an investment to the company and they hired you
    • you sold yourself as an asset to the company and they raised your salary
    • you sold yourself so good other companies are now trying to recruit you
  • When you liked someone,
    • you sold yourself into her/him going on a date with you
    • you sold yourself into being her boyfriend/his girlfriend
    • and then eventually sold yourself to spending the rest your lives together in marriage

The question is not whether you like selling or not.  You have no other choice.  You  are already selling whether you realize it or not.  The only question you need to ask yourself, is how you can be better at selling. 

According to Dr. Rodolfo “Dups” delos Reyes, best-selling author and speaker at the Money Summit, selling can be described in just one word – “attitude”.  To sell effectively, you have to address the needs and fears of your customers.  The #1 need of people is acceptance, and their #1 fear is rejection.

All other techniques on selling revolves around this very simple idea of helping someone else solve his or her problem by having the attitude to be his or her friend.     

2) Solve Problems

According to Zig Ziglar, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.” When you learn how to solve other people’s problems, they will be more than willing to pay you for it.  Think about it.  Why do you think your boss is willing to pay you your salary if you are not solving his problems. 

Now, let’s ask what are some small businesses trying to solve?

  • a food cart business helps temporary solve the problem of hunger by making it easier for busy people to buy and eat on the go
  • a home-based internet marketing business helps people find the information or products that they need
  • an Ebay business helps collectors find rare items

How about the BIG businesses?

  • Google helps organize information and make it available to you fast…really fast
  • Microsoft helps companies increase their productivity by using their software tools like Windows and Microsoft Office
  • McDo or Jollibee allows people on the go to enjoy a meal fast

3) Build Systems

The only difference between us and Henry Sy, is his ability to leverage the skills and efforts of thousands of people working for him to build his empire of SM malls in the country.  The secret?  He knows how to build systems. 

Can you imagine Henry Sy, doing everything himself? Of course not.  It would be ridiculous.  But that’s what a lot of us are trying to do when we go into business. And we end up doing a job working in the business instead of having the business work for us.

The business system differentiates BIG businesses from small ones.  According to Robert Kiyosaki, you know you have a BIG business when you can take a vacation for 1 year, come back and find your business still standing and more profitable than ever. The challenge then becomes making your business systems work even without you.

How then can you build systems?

One way is through franchising. Franchising helps people get into business by leveraging the systems built by a successful one.  McDonald’s for example, is run by business systems.  Whether you are in Singapore or Manila, a McDonald’s store will practically be the same. 

Another way is to use leverage.  Leverage other people’s skills.  Leverage technology.  Leverage other people’s money.

Lastly, you can get a mentor to help you learn how to build those systems and shorten your learning curve.

 

That concludes our 3-part series on the lessons learned from the recent Money Summit and Wealth Expo. 

 

Dear readers, what other tips can you share to build a successful business?

Categories
Business Life Lessons Money Mindset Personal Finance Personal Growth

Plants vs Zombies Money Secrets Revealed

Do you want to know the money secrets of the rich? Discover these secrets from one of the hottest game these days – Plants Vs Zombies.  This article reveals the money lessons out of this unusually popular game.  If you haven’t played this game, here’s your chance to find out why you should.

These days, my wife is staying out late in the night…not because of work, but from playing plants vs zombies computer game.  I was looking over her shoulder one time and noticed how concentrated she was playing the game.  Curious why she gets overly excited over a simple-looking game, I was intrigued.  While listening to her unravel the mysteries and strategies of the game, I realized there are 5 money secrets that can be learned from this hugely popular game.

Secret #1 – There’s a season for everything

There’s a season for everything.  Just like in the bible, there’s a season of planting and there’s also a season of harvesting.  At the start of the Plants vs Zombies computer game, you have to plant sunflowers.  And when they bear fruit in the form of sunlight (weird huh?) you get points.  The more you plant, the more you can harvest later on.  It’s as simple as that.

Unfortunately, in the real world, we often forget to plant.  We become impatient.  We want the fruits (a.k.a. sunlight) right away.  You want that new car, even if you don’t have any savings and you’ve just started a new job.  You say, no worries.  I can secure a loan anyway.  What’s your “sunlight”?  New house?  New mobile phone?  New LCD TV? 

In the midst of this obsession for chasing these things, we should also keep in mind the most important thing – where’s your plant?  Are you planting seeds that will turn into money machines that will bear fruit and give you money later on? 

Secret #2 – The secret to success is preparation

One time, my wife was complaining to me how she’s so frustrated at a specific stage in the plants vs zombies game.  Apparently, it’s already her nth time repeating that level and she could not get around the zombies.  These creatures always overwhelm her, no matter what she does. 

After some time, I was startled to hear her jubilantly scream “YES! I finally defeated the zombies”.  Without me even asking, she proceeded to tell me how when she gets overwhelmed, she just restarts the game on the same level AND THEN on the next try, she PREPARES way ahead of time.  She plants the necessary flowers and weapons, even before the hoard of zombies come.  So that once they finally come, her plants are more than ready to defend her house by throwing more fruits at the zombies, more fruits than ever thrown at any stage in the game.  Now, it’s the zombies’ turn to get overwhelmed.

While we cannot just restart our real life (that would be like filing for bankruptcy), it’s very important to learn how to PREPARE.  This is the reason insurance and emergency funds are important.  You need to prepare for these things even before you need them.  This is even more evident for life insurance, since the younger you are, the cheaper your premiums will be.  Unfortunately, when you’re young, you are not concerned with life insurance reasoning that you still have a lot of time ahead of you.  You say, that can wait.  But while you’re waiting, the zombies are planning their attack.  Be prepared.

 

Secret #3 – Use leverage

To win the game, you can use different kinds of plants.  Some plants throw only one ball.  Others throw two at a time.  Others don’t throw anything but block the zombies way, delaying time.  Sunflowers, on the other hand, can’t do anything to protect themselves, but they give the most important thing of all – points.  Points to buy the seed for your other plants.

In real life, some people are working their way using only plants with one ball at a time.  That would be like having a job.  Your job can give you money, and scare away some of your zombies (a.k.a. financial problems – like not having any money).  If you have a job, congratulations.  At least you have planted your way to one money machine.

But while having a job helps, it can only throw a ball one at a time.  It’s a slow process.  The richest men in the world, however, own big businesses.  Their plants throw millions or billions of balls at a time.  Take Bill Gates, the billionaire who built one of the biggest software company in the world today – Microsoft.  Or closer to home, you can look up to Henry Sy, the owner of the most successful malls in the Philippines.  They have planted a different kind of money machine – BIG businesses.  

 

Secret #4 – Don’t panic

At every level, you start off really slow.  You plant one sunflower.  Plant another one.  Then your third comes along.  You only need to concentrate on what you can do at the moment.  That is plant more sunflowers to make more money!  Then use more throwing plants to fend off the incoming zombies. 

But once the zombies come in, their faces make you scared.  In real life, zombies do not look like scary creatures.  Often times, they are just unexpected events or people you meet, who forces you to see a better way to live.  So there’s no reason to panic especially if you prepared to the best of your abilities. 

When everything fails, know that it’s ok to restart on the same level.  In real life, this is equivalent to the many lessons you learn about money when you ACT.  When you start your first business, you may find that not a lot of people really need or want the thing you’re offering.  Your business fails.  So when you restart on the same level, like opening up a new business, it would do you good to do market research first to ensure a lot of people would love to buy what you have to offer. 

The most important thing is to just have the bias for action.  Take action.  Even if you fail.  Learn the lesson and try again.  If you fail, restart the game, take a more intelligent action.  Act again and again until you succeed and scream your hearts out to say “Yes! I’ve defeated the zombies!”

 

Secret #5 – Enjoy playing

If you don’t enjoy playing plants vs zombies, do something else.  Play Farmville instead. Or Restaurant City!  Play Cashflow 101.  Get up.  Get running.  Do something. 

In life, if you’re not enjoying what you do, it will all seem like an uphill battle and a huge waste of time.  Are you trapped in a job that you don’t even like?  Are you working 9am – 5pm on something that your heart is not passionate about?  Maybe it’s time to do something else.  Find your passion.  Life is too precious to waste your time doing something you don’t love.

If you’re young, the world is yours.  There’s no better time to be alive.  A lot of opportunities abound for the passionate mind.  Bless the world with your talents.  Help other people with your gifts.  The more people you help, the more the universe will give you what your heart truly desires.

Now, go play!

 

 

P.S.  Do you want to learn how to play the game of money better? Join Bo Sanchez’ Truly Rich Club NOW!

Categories
Life Lessons Money Mindset Personal Finance

Why having a coin purse can make you rich

A few weeks ago, my wife and I went out with my mom to the mall to help her buy a helmet she can use when driving her motorbike.  Yes, my mom drives a motorbike!  Cool mom, huh?  Well, it’s more like a scooter so it’s perfectly safe.  Anyway, while looking through the men’s accessories section (yes, my mom doesn’t mind that we’re shopping under MEN’s accessories), I chanced upon a display of wallets.  There’s a small table where you can see and touch all kinds of wallets. 

My wife, being the very thoughtful person that she is, saw the wallets and immediately prodded me to buy one!  Not for bills, but for my coins! My coins seem to have a life of their own.  Most of the time, they are scattered everywhere in the house.  You can see them on top of our refrigerator, inside the drawer, scattered on the floor, etc until they are found out by my wife when she cleans the house.  And I get that glaring glance that I so love. 🙂

Why am I having a field day about a coin purse?  Because having a coin purse reveals an interesting money habit.  Why do you think men don’t like carrying a purse?  Because it is NOT cool and manly?  If you’re a guy, can you imagine yourself mustering the words, “oh wait, let me just bring out my purse”.  Only ladies carry a purse.  For the most part, that’s what I thought.  But when you’re like me who hates carrying heavy coins in his pocket all day, I’ll take that coin purse anytime.  And so, on that faithful day…I finally brought my coin purse.

Buying a coin purse is one of the greatest organizing tool I’ve bought for quite some time.  Whenever I buy at McDo, KFC, or even at the grocery store, the smiling lady at the cashier would always ask me if I have a spare change or coins?  Most of the time, I don’t because I hate bringing coins in the first place.  Whenever I have coins in my pocket, I try to empty it out immediately and put the coins inside my drawer.  They are too heavy on my pocket.  Unfortunately, when I try to have my lunch a few hours later, I (again) no longer have any coins with me.  When I am (again) asked if I have a spare coins I can only smile to my teeth and say I have NONE (again).

Since I don’t have the exact change,guess what the lady would give me as change?  I get another set of big bulky coins!  Yes, another set of coins!  When that happens I feel like being penalized for not carrying the exact amount. I guess my pocket is going to be heavy again…for a little while, until I get to dispose it into my drawer. 🙂

So how does having a coin purse make you rich?  The answer?  It’s in the habit.  The habit you cultivate in putting importance to the littlest of things like spare coins is priceless.  You learn that when you have more of those little things, they become big.  When they become big, their importance becomes more glaring.  They can give you something you cannot take for granted.  Like for example, having those extra coins allowed me to treat my wife for a simple lunch.  Nothing too fancy, just good food from good old coins. 

When you have coins, it forces you to use them.  Otherwise, it becomes heavy on your pocket.  When you use them, you become more precise.  How much is that meal again?  Oh, PhP85.  Let me give you one PhP50 bill, one PhP20 bill and three 5 peso coins.  Back when I didn’t have any coin purse, I would have just handed over the PhP100, get my change and forget about it.  Let that PhP15 change rot inside my pocket, or my drawer.  This time though, that PhP15 never left my wallet.  It’s still there, waiting for its chance to be a blessing to me and to other people.

How about you? How do you manage your spare coins?

 

P.S.  Are you a member of Bo Sanchez’ Truly Rich Club?  Checkout the huge discount to Jomar Hilario’s 1-Year Online Mentoring Program / (originally Internet Marketing Workshop Club) @ http://www.Bit.ly/truediscount!  This promo is being offered exclusive to Truly Rich Club members until June 29, 2010!  Only 4 days left to take advantage of this amazing offer.  If you’re not yet a member, sign-up to the Truly Rich Club now!

Categories
Life Lessons Personal Finance

Why is Apple so successful while other companies fail?

Here’s an inspiring video on why companies like Apple become successful while others fail.  Watch and Enjoy! 

 

P.S.  How about you?  Why are you doing what you do?

Categories
Life Lessons Money Mindset Personal Finance

3 Ways To Save Money on Your Next Vacation

I’ve been very busy the past month…going out to the beach every weekend! 🙂

The first one was to enjoy a summer outing with my wife’s high school friends.  The second, to attend a beach wedding of one our office mates.  The last, to celebrate my sister’s graduation with an overnight stay at a white-sand beach paradise in the north of the Philippines — Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

What can I say? It’s summer time in the Philippines!

la_luz_beach_loft_room_for_10 The Philippines, with its 7,107 islands boasts of very beautiful coastlines and mesmerizing beaches.  Enjoying a weekend at the beach, however, need not be expensive.  Here are some saving tips I learned while enjoying my summer vacation.

1) Share a ride

Share a ride together with friends to save on gas and/or travel expenses.  Do a carpool. 

The first time I shared a ride, I was the one driving.  Me, my wife and her friends went out on a summer outing to La Luz Batangas, a 3-hour drive south of Manila.  Two of our friends rode with us on that beautiful Sunday morning.  My wife enjoyed the trip because she was able to catch up and share stories with her friends while I busy myself driving us to our destination.

The second time I shared a ride, my wife and I attended a beach wedding.  One of our friends was gracious enough to offer us a ride going to the venue which was (surprise! surprise!) the same beach we went to the previous week for our summer outing.  Even though it was the same beach, we were still thrilled because it was our first time to attend a beach wedding. 

One thing I noticed while driving in the Philippines is that majority of Filipinos drive a van or something large to fit the whole family.  This is nice because you can save on gas if the whole family is riding with you.  But if you’re the only one in the car, you’re actually losing money because you consume more gas than if you were only driving a small car.  Just a little something to keep in mind when deciding to buy a car. 🙂

2) Share a room

Share a room with your friends.  You not only save on accommodation, you even get to spend more time with your friends.  The great thing about going to the beach with friends is that you get to share stories with them.  Sometimes, you even remember “old” funny moments together and laugh your hearts out reminiscing those days.

Besides, if everyone is having so much fun, finding the time to sleep is the farthest thing on everyone’s mind.  🙂

In both the summer outing and the beach wedding, we were able to share a room together with friends.  Our expense is about PhP 500 each per night.  That’s 10 of us.  So the room is actually around PhP 5,000 (US 100) for a one night stay.  Not too pricey. But it’s a big savings for us considering that if my wife and I got a room for ourselves only, we would have spent around PhP 3,000.

Of course, if you’re on a honeymoon, that’s a different story. You obviously cannot share a room with your friends. 🙂

3) Cook your own food

If your resort allows it, it’s cheaper to prepare and cook your own meals.  We were able to take advantage of this while celebrating my sister’s graduation since the resort we got was actually owned by one of my mother’s distant relative.

My aunt and mom prepared the meals together and I helped out grill the pork and fish.  Unfortunately, the weather was not helping out that time since it was raining hard while I was busy grilling.  One thing I learned — It’s hard to grill fish against a windy rain! 🙂

The morning after, the weather was better.  We were able to enjoy and swim on the beach and take a few pictures just like this one. 

saud_beach_pagudpud_ilocos_norte

Hope the above tips help you save money on your next vacation!  Cheers!

Categories
Life Lessons Money Mindset

Money and the Philippine Elections

It’s only a few days before the first-ever Philippine automated elections.  Every time I turn the TV on, all I see are the campaign ads from the different candidates.  It’s becoming irritating to watch these ads over and over again.  It has come to a point where I would change channels whenever any of these ads start to air. 

When you consider that each 30-second TV ad is worth millions of pesos, and you see non-stop airing of these ads for the same candidates, it begs the question, how much money are these candidates (or their supporters) spending for their campaigns?  I’m beginning to imagine that the only one getting rich these days are the TV companies.

Whether we like it or not, money is playing a big role on the Philippine’s first-ever automated elections, not only on the billions of pesos spent staging the automation process but also on the money spent by candidates in campaigning.

The Philippine government is paying billions of pesos for this election automation.  This money is spent on

  • paying for the PCOS machines that read the ballots and count the votes,
  • printing of official ballots,
  • delivering the election materials to the different precincts,
  • compensation for those involved in the implementation of the automated election,
  • controversial (and hugely overpriced?) ballot secrecy folders, indelible ink, and more

The candidates (and their supporters) are spending millions (if not billions) of money in campaigning.  This money is spent on

  • giveaways like shirts, house and lot, and other prizes,
  • endorsements from popular celebrities, actors and singers, 
  • hundreds (or thousands) of cash handed out to each voter (vote buying?),
  • campaign ads on TV, newspaper, radio, internet, 
  • logistics and travel expenses (helicopter?) and more

With majority of Filipinos still glued to their TV screens, TV is still one of the most effective medium through which candidates can reach out to millions of voters. Using the internet would be way cheaper compared to paying a 30-second segment on TV.  Unfortunately, most Filipinos still don’t have access to the internet.  It’s no wonder that candidates heavily spending on this medium are leading in surveys. 

In the end, even if money is influencing a lot of things in this election, one thing it cannot take away is the hope and determination of each Filipino to dream for a better Philippines in the years ahead.  Each vote cast in the upcoming elections is a show of support and confidence not only on the candidates, but on the country’s ability to make the first-ever automated elections happen in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Influenced by money or not, let’s make the country proud by voting wisely, and help the country build a better future.  Cheers!

Categories
Life Lessons Personal Finance

Funny math video-are you cheating yourself?

Here’s a funny video I came across about the tricky world of Mathematics. 

So, who do you think is the better Mathematician? 🙂

While watching the video, I learned that anyone can easily manipulate numbers to prove what he or she believes in, even in the seemingly accurate & precise world of Mathematics. 

The danger happens when we use the same tactics to deceive ourselves and make excuses instead of facing our money problems with honesty. 

You might say “I’m not interested in money”.  But the reality is, you’re willing to do anything to get a job and earn some money. 

Or you can say “I saved 50% off when I bought this new pair of shoes on sale!” The reality is, if you didn’t buy anything, you would have saved 100% of your own money!  🙂

How about you?  What “excuses” have you been telling yourself lately?

Categories
Business Life Lessons Money Mindset Passive Income Personal Finance

Passive Income Opportunity Myths & Realities: How to Spot a Scam

The idea of a passive income attracts a lot of people mainly because it promises to earn you money while doing little or no work at all.  Some even think of having a passive income stream as an opportunity of a lifetime.  Who wouldn’t want to earn money while you sleep?  Who wouldn’t want to make money the easy way?  Who wouldn’t want to sit comfortably on the beach, drinking a glass of your favorite drink while your “passive stream of income” works hard to make money for you.

That is the dream, right?

 

What is passive income?

Passive income is the residual income you receive from rental properties, royalties from your books, licensing income from your businesses, etc.  This income is passive because it supposed to be earned with little or no work required from you at all.

While passive income promises a lot of things, it is NOT without a price.  Identifying the myths & realities of a passive income opportunity allows you to spot if it’s an opportunity of a lifetime or a total scam.

 

Myth: Little or no work at all

Reality: A lot of upfront work

 

The most common myth about a passive income opportunity is the allure of not having to work at all while money keeps coming to you.  While this may be true at some point, it is NOT the complete picture.  In most cases, the reality is that setting up these passive streams of income requires a LOT of hard work especially in the beginning.

Real Estate

One of the most common examples of a passive income is rental income from tenants through real-estate properties.  To some degree, it is a passive income. But still not purely 100%. If you are the one managing the property, you have to worry about maintaining the property and possibly fixing toilets in the middle of the night. 🙂  If you do hire a real-estate managing company, then you would need to make sure they do  their job and worth more than you’re paying them.  Otherwise, you stand to lose more compared to running the business on your own.

Business

Ask any employee what they plan to do after retirement.  Most of them will answer that they want to go into business because “finally” they have enough capital to do so.  Unfortunately, it could be the riskiest move they will ever make.  The odds are against them.  Statistics say that 9 out of 10 businesses fail in the first 5 years.  Few do make it.  Others are forced to go back into employment.  The rest are content to live a “cheaper” lifestyle and forego their dreams.

Running a business needs your time and attention.  It demands your focus.  For that reason, it is not a passive income until you’re able to setup your business systems.  Setting up these systems will demand your hard work, your patience, not to mention your time and money.

If you’re able to set these systems up properly and hire a great CEO to run your business, only then can you let the system work for you and allow it to give you a steady stream of passive stream income.

However, if you setup the wrong system, especially if the system requires you to be the one managing the property, you will end up having a job instead of a sustainable business system.

 

Myth: You need a lot of money

Reality: Having money is not a guarantee

 

Some people think that building systems to create passive income requires a lot of money.  The reality is that successful entrepreneurs are not hindered by the lack of money in setting up their business systems.  They even use it as an inspiration to be more creative in selling their ideas to potential investors and partners.

While having money is an asset to a savvy entrepreneur, it is actually a liability for someone who doesn’t know what he is doing.  A lot of money in the beginning for an inexperienced businessman can be a hindrance to his success.  With money readily available, a frustrated and inexperienced entrepreneur can just throw away money at any problem that comes his way.

This is hardly the way to set up a business system.  It will only make the problem worse because the real problem is not identified and fixed, hence, the system does not improve.  All it does is throwing money down the drain.

In the end, money is an asset or a liability depending on how a person makes use of it.

 

Myth: Setting up a passive income stream is very hard

Reality: Setting up a passive income stream can be learned

 

While setting up a passive income requires a lot of work especially in the beginning, it certainly is not limited only to hardworking individuals.  Sometimes, not wanting to work hard can also be your asset as it forces you to think of ways to setup the business without you having to work for it.

You can choose to hire hardworking employees to do the work for you.  You can spend your time learning and figuring out how to set up efficient systems.  You can concentrate on the 20% of things you do that brings in 80% of your output and delegate all the rest.

Doing any of these things allows you to leverage your business system to complement your employees’ strengths and provide more high-value offerings without necessarily doing the work yourself.

Internet

In this day and age of living in the information superhighway, it is now easier for someone to be in business. With access to the internet, someone working at home can setup a blog or sell stuffs through ebay, amazon, or other online stores.  While this requires you to learn how internet businesses and marketing works, you can certainly hire someone to do it for you if you really don’t want to be involved in the technical details.

Making money online is such a popular dream for many of us.  The reality is, it is also NOT for everyone. It requires a lot of learning, patience and self-discipline to make the system work.  As with any brick-and-mortar business, it also needs your skills, time and attention.  It demands your focus and unrelenting desire to give more.  And with more and more clutter competing for your customers’ attention, there’s no other way to serve but to stand out and give your customer ALL you’ve got.

 

Demystifying the myths of building a passive income stream is only the first step of a lifelong journey.  The only way for you to learn how to build these systems, is to do it yourself, always remembering that something worth doing, is worth doing well.

In the same way that an overnight success is actually a culmination of a decade long history of working hard, building passive income streams is a journey laden with challenges and opportunities.

In the end even though creating passive income may be an opportunity of a lifetime, it is still up to YOU to make it happen.

 

P.S. CLICK HERE to email me if you would like to learn a legitimate, legal, low-capital investment with huge passive income potential.

Categories
Life Lessons Money Mindset Personal Finance

Health Is Wealth – Why Your Health Is More Important Than Your Money

Have you ever heard the saying “Health is Wealth”?  I am not sure who coined the phrase but I think there’s a degree of truth to that statement.  It may even be more important than all the money you have.

If your wealth is a number, your health would be the leading “1” on a $1,000,000,000 (one trillion dollar) jackpot.  All the other zeroes represent your material wealth – a house, a car, your investments, family, friends, etc.  As you can see, without the “1” in front, it will just be $0,000,000,000 which is basically NOTHING.  This is the same as your health.  If you’re NOT healthy, if you’re getting sick all the time, all your riches do NOT matter…

I got sick with cough and cold the past couple of days…again.  With the very hectic schedule during the Holidays, and my wife and I making ala “amazing race” from Manila to the northern part of the Philippines they call Ilocos & Cagayan, topping it off with the pressure of going back to work on a night shift immediately right after the race (ooppss..I mean vacation? :))…I was REALLY exhausted…as a result, I got sick (again).

Eating right

Sadly, I’ve not been eating right for the past couple of months…

I almost always eat out at delicious but not so healthy fast food restaurants, eating tasty fried chicken, fatty “sisig” or inihaw na “liempo” (grilled pork belly?).  I’m just too lazy to cook food when I get home after a long day at work.

Coffee is my water.  I drink coffee in the morning, in the afternoon and at night.  Sometimes I feel the strongest brewed coffee I drink can no longer keep me awake.  The good thing is…I easily ended up getting not one but TWO Starbucks planner even before the Holidays. 🙂

When I don’t drink coffee, I splurge on sodas.  There’s even a time when I drank 2 liters of “DIET” coke (a.k.a. Coke Light) each night for a couple of days…That’s when my body started to give up and I got the nasty cold & cough.

Being physically active

When I was in Malaysia, I used to play badminton or tennis twice a week.  I also have this basketball game with friends every weekend.  On top of it all, our office was a good 1 kilometer “walking” distance from our condo.  As you can imagine, I had several physical activities lined up for me to keep my body moving and healthy.

When I came back to the Philippines, it was a complete 180 degree turn for me.  The only exercise I did is to have my fingers tap at my computer’s keyboard all day and all night long.  I convinced myself that I was “too busy” tapping at the keyboard to do anything else, much less a physically challenging activity called “exercise”.  Not even once was I able to go to the gym because of laziness.  No wonder my belly seems to be getting bigger and bigger everyday. 🙂

Where do I go from here?

I really don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions…but I realize I must change or I’ll keep getting sick again and again.  So first thing I want to do is to get well from this persistent cold & cough.  Second, I’ll try to keep my self healthy for a change.  Eat healthy food.  Minimize coffee and sodas.  Drink more water instead.  Eat fruits.  And lastly, I want to go finally use the gym at the condo and get my money’s worth at the hefty association dues I pay every month.  Wish me luck!

How about you? How are you keeping yourself healthy in 2010?

Categories
Life Lessons Personal Finance

How much is your time worth?

The other day I was reflecting on whether it is really all worth it giving up your time for a hefty paycheck.  After all, it does pay the bills…and more.  But if you don’t have time to enjoy any of it, does it really matter whether you have all the money in the world?

Should we just wait for our retirement to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor?  But you say, “it’s why we have vacations throughout the year!”

Is that really the case?

Tell that to a father who has to give up attending his son’s birthday just to fix an “emergency” situation at the office.

Or to the proud mother who has to miss her daughter’s recital just so she can keep the business going during a “major” software upgrade.

Or to the countless call center agents who are on a “graveyard-shift” struggling to stay awake, feeling like zombies while listening to endless rants and complaints from angry customers on Christmas day!

Over the years, I’ve personally observed how our own personal time is being taken upside down.  There’s no such thing as a vacation anymore. Or even a holiday for that matter.  The dates to celebrate  holidays keep on changing.   Your boss allows you to have a vacation, only if you agree to be “on-call”…which literally means, you can’t go anywhere but within 100 meter radius from the office.  It doesn’t make sense.  It’s depressing, especially for a hardworking office worker who doesn’t have any choice other than quitting the job.

So, who makes the rules?  Who makes a 40-hour workweek, a 45-hour one, or even a 60-hour one?  Who says you can only take holidays only if the business doesn’t need you anymore?

Who decides how you spend your time?

Is it really you?…Or someone else.