Tuesday, August 11, 2015

CALLING ALL OFW’s

In terms of wealth, sometimes I am thinking most of the people around me are luckier than am.  There are friends and colleagues as migrant workers who have so many opportunities to become rich but have just disregarded.  I mean, they have the hefty pay, the capital and the other sources but not in use.  I think, if only I can fill in their shoes which I wish, I think I will be better-off than those. I might sound over confident but I have to say it because I want to inspire my overseas-worker readers thru my flaw that they're on better place to start.

Lucky are those who have inherited properties from their parents unlike me who have to start on my own and have to strive hard to own.  But you, all you need to do is just to nourish them.  Grab that opportunity to make these properties profitable.  Invest from it, make savings to fund your capital instead of buying luxuries that do not last.  Today is your chance while you are earning well-paid here.  Lucky those whose place is in the south and north of Luzon or in the provinces of Mindanao and Visaya for your cost of living there is not as high as in my place in the east of Manila where a parcel of lot is ranging from 7k – 13k per square metre.  Where the sizes of land in your places are so vast from 300 sqm to hectares, while in my place, to have a hundred is lucky enough.  Why don’t you take this chance to invest in this property rather than sustaining enjoyment of lifestyle here?  Lucky you who are engineers and architects, or administrative assistant like me but earning more handsome sum, and lucky you who have abounding overtime for you’re edge to earn and save more, faster and earlier than am.  Still, I hear them complaining about financial difficulties. When I see them satisfying every inch of gadget, I need no further explanation.  It’s budget issue.

It’s good not to compare ourselves with others for we have different undergoing and all of us have our own responsibilities and different degree of necessities to keep us going but we have the same opportunity to work here for more decent pay.  It’s not defense to say someone has the bigger responsibilities like expensive education, household maintenance and social needs of family because it’s all our choice. We always have the choice to be simple and we always have the priority.  Everything is balance, it’s just depends on how to handle them.  And we’ll see most of us are becoming extremely fond in the wonder of gadgets, physical get-up, food trips, and parties while here.  These are not wrong actually but taking them more than once is what makes them wrong.  When we say we pumper ourselves once in a while, are we really meant once?  Learn the definition of the so called “once”, maybe need to redefine it, know the distinction of necessities over wants and know your limitations.

When we do our thanksgiving, is there any other means other than celebration that only you and yourselves are enjoying?  And when we share our blessings, are we giving them in the right time, right place and right way?  Lastly, do we really need to make celebration when we were blessed?  Maybe we’re just becoming materialistic?  This whole message is not yours anyway if you’re a real and honest to goodness well-off, or feel not guilty if your every single cent goes to important cause like housing, health, education and reasonable comfort in life but those not, it’s time to make self-reflection.  Ask yourself where did you put all those earnings.  Maybe you need to put some control and assess your financial literacy.

Being generous is fine but doing it in multi-circumstance is wasteful.  It is not being accommodating but is is already more on pride and vanity.  I do not criticize those known stingy.  I have admiration in them for they know how to value their earnings.  I take no offense actually to be called stingy on the first place, for I know there is nothing wrong with it.  There is thin separating line between stingy and exploit.  While stinginess is practicality and reality, exploiting and abusive are selfishness.  As I always say learn to embrace the art of simple life.  I am happy that I am blessed to have the proficiency of living the simplicity and in here where I can feel I am luckier than others.

By Alex V. Villamayor
August 11, 2015

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