With Christmas less than two weeks away, more and more of our kababayans are coming home to spend the holidays with their families. After living and working abroad with little to no family with them, returning home for the holidays is a much-awaited homecoming for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). From balikbayan boxes filled to the brim and nightly reunions, the Christmas holidays is a grand celebrations for OFWs, and an expensive one. Continue reading Top 10 Money Tips for OFWs on Christmas Vacation
Category: Religion
Why There Is No Need For You To Show Off
A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing with a friend about so many things such as the music we play as a band, how good homeschooling is for kids, politics in the Philippines, educating the youth, and our financial literacy advocacy. The most interesting part of our discussion was about stewardship and frugality, two of the things that I truly believe and always wanted to share to other people.
My friend told me about his father-in-law who lives in a posh village in the southern part of Metro Manila. His father-in-law owns 30 properties or so around the Philipppines but drives a very simple car. Which means he can buy any of those expensive SUV’s available around the Metro but prefers not to.
He uses an old school cellphone (the one with flashlight and FM radio) instead of smartphones that many people under the classification of “poor and not-so-poor” show off to their friends and frenemies alike.
Check out my post “We’re Using Cheap Cellphones, So What?”
My friend agrees with his father-in-law. He said that he would even choose a good second-hand car over a brand new one for practical reasons. And I share the same view and sentiment.
Do you want to know why it is not good for you to show off especially if you don’t have the cash? Here are some of the reasons my friend and his father-in-law shared with me.
1. You become a subject of jealousy. Many people will surely get jealous of your high-end smartphone or your extravagant shoes. Yes, it’s your right and hell yah, you’re helping the economy. But tempting your friend to buy or borrow money just to get the same pair of shoes that you have may cause financial distress to him or her or their families. Leave the financial burden to yourself and do not tempt your friends and loved ones.
2. You will be the thief’s apple of the eye. Unlike my friend’s father-in-law who lives in a secured village, your house may be located in a place where you are your own security guard. Your dark street may be the kingdom and paradise for snatchers. Why risk your life for these?
3. You may lose your privacy and become the talk of the town. Many people will talk about you and that expensive thing that you bought. Well, you will say I don’t care what people say. But I tell you, you will. And it will be a big concern for you, your kids or family members in the future.
4. You will not really be happy about it. Other people may be impressed at least for a while. And you will too. Later on you will regret that decision of buying that mundane item because a more important financial matter needs to be settled. And you don’t have the cash anymore.
5. You will not benefit anything from showing off . You will fantasize about it before and after buying it. But soon your fantasy will become a nightmare. You won’t gain anything from such an interaction other than emotions fired up on both you and other people’s side — jealousy and pride. And neither of these two are good qualities for you to show off.
“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” – 1 Peter 3:3
Live simply, comfortably and without the need to post what you have on social media and without the need to wave those bundles of cash in other people’s faces. Subscribe to Rock To Riches for FREE!
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P.S. 1. Are you an OFW who’s been looking for a investment placement where your money could grow higher than your time deposit accounts? Are you outside of Metro Manila and would like to start investing in mutual funds but have no personal advisors to help you out? Click here so I can help you open a mutual fund account NOW! .
P.S. 2. Bro. Bo Sanchez has appointed me as a coach for our young and new investors at the TrulyRichClub social site. It’s a fun, learning family with the purpose of “helping good people become rich”. I’m inviting you to join the TrulyRichClub too and email me at burngutierrezblog@gmail.com if you have any questions. Click here to join!
P.S. 3. My co-author/illustrator Des Feliciano and I have just launched our “The Adventures of Pepot Kuripot and Dora Gastadora” comic book! It’s arguably the first and only personal finance-influenced comic book in the Philippines. You may grab your copy at your favorite National Bookstore and Powerbooks outlets. Or you can grab your copy yourself at ilovemilktea in Las Pinas City. Now available also in Australia, Saudi Arabia, and the USA! Email des_feliciano@yahoo.com for more details.
P.S. 4. Yes, our Cyberpreneur Philippines book is now out in bookstores! Check out the chapters from my fellow authors Ray Calbay, Fitz Villafuerte, Ginger Arboleda, Kristel Silang, Marv de Leon, Paolo Lising, Anne Quintos, and other great online entrepreneurs and experts! Score your copy here now!
5 Simple Things To Do To Feed Your Mind Every Day of This Year
Starting the year right means feeding your mind with positive memories and pushing out the bad ones.
It does not need to be complicated. All you need to do is to apply the “negative out, positive in” approach to your daily mind diet.
That’s right. I’m been reading Tim Sanders’ “Today We Are Rich”.
In this book, Tim believes that possessing a confident outlook makes one perform at the highest level. It says that if you believe in yourself, the people you rely on, and God, you will be able to do what you once thought was impossible.
Here are five things that we suggest that you do from morning until evening from this day and beyond.
1. Exercise your gratitude muscle. You can not change feelings but you can change your daily habits to strengthen your sense of gratitude. Every morning when you wake up, get out of your bed slowly and give your waking mind time to adjust. Be thankful for every great morning and for all the simple yet great things you have right now.
2. Read good books or publications. Do not immediately go online or check your email or Facebook notifications on the first hour you are awake. Read books or high-quality magazines instead with inspirational of instructional materials. Of course, study them and think purposefully about the meaning of what you are reading.
3. Review what is going right and the positive things to accomplish before the end of the day. Have a 5 to 10 minute positive-thinking time after your lunch hour. If you are near a church or a chapel, visit and meditate for 10 minutes. That means just letting your mind clear of stress and negative thoughts.
4. Eliminate network television when you get home from business or work. Do not automatically switch on your TV. Doing this will just undo your day’s mind food management efforts. Try to listen to good and quiet instrumental music instead before taking your dinner. Play with your child. Have a good conversation with your wife about the good things you experienced during the day. Have some fun talk with your Mom or Dad or your grannies. Nothing beats quality time with your family and loved ones.
5. Pray and reflect about giving before going to bed. Think about giving something to someone the next day without expecting in return. Think about giving something that will empower someone and this will in turn give more confidence in yourself. If you give others enough power, you will influence them to go beyond material possession. This will allow to transform themselves from just being recipients to being givers as well.
When you give and expect a return on your investment, you are an investor. When you give and expect to be famous, then you are a self-promoter. But when you give only for the love of giving, you are a generous person. Be an instrument of generosity.
A Very Happy and Abundant New Year!
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