How To Save Money

Before anything else, please answer this question: What is one thing you want to be saving money for?

Let's do a little bit of computation.

If you are earning P10,000 per month, you are earning Php 120,000 annually. If you started working at the age of 20 and will stop working at the age of 60, you will be working for 40 years. If you multiply 40 years of work with P120,000, you get a total of P4.8M.

At the age of 60, you have P4.8M. What was your answer in my first question? Can you now spend this money for that?How much do you think it will worth by that time? Take note that you will get that P4.8M if you will save all your income every month for 40 years. Even if we triple your monthly salary, you will only get P14.4M  by the age of 60.

How much money do you actually save for your future? What are you saving for anyway?

The value of money is decreasing year after year. Compare what you can buy with P5.00 20 years ago to what you could buy with it today. I remember when I was still in elementary, the jeep fare was P3.50 (student rate) but now it's P7.00 (P6.00 for student rate). That's just around 10-12years ago.

How do you save money? By spending it wisely.

My point is: you don't need to save money, it will always be there. Don't worry, it won't die. What you need to save are your assets.

According to Robert Kiyosaki, author of the bestselling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, an asset is anything that puts money into your pocket.

There is no such thing as a secure, stable job anymore. It's time to diversify your earning potential and learn financial literacy. Start a business. Invest. Take risks. Have the 1/2 probability of winning than 0% chance of succeeding. 

"But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today."

-Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)

Online Marketing

Most of the people I know knows how to use the internet. Being a computer science graduate myself, I've developed an interest in communications through social networks and blogs. Website development is not really my passion but it somehow helps having some basic knowledge in that area. 

Right after graduation, I became a business owner and have never been employed to this day. I get to go online most of the time both for business and pleasure. Becoming an entrepreneur after college called for a lot of adjustments because the academe has trained me to become a corporate slave. The people closest to me got disappointed because they expected me to get a job after getting my degree. I did apply to companies because I wanted to know how they test applicants to become employed. I undergone online tests, written exams and personal interviews. I've experienced the pressure of being under someone's mercy. I did get job offers but I turned them all down. What the heck was I thinking, right? 

Time and financial freedom.

Yes, I was thinking about my own freedom. Sorry for using the term "corporate slave" a while ago but that is how I view a person with a boss. Think about it. Employees are being paid for their time, effort, knowledge, creativity and obedience. How terrifying is it to hear the words: "you're fired!" after committing a mistake?

What's the connection of my story to the title of my blog? Better alternatives.

Did you ever realized that employment is not the only way to earn income? If you haven't, I'm telling it to you right now: There a lot of ways to earn income, not just from a job!

Online marketing is one way. This is for people who at least know how to use the internet and know the word Facebook. There are a lot of references available about starting to earn online. This blog was meant for me to earn through advertisements and links. It only takes a decision to start.

I've seen other people doing online marketing as a source of extra income, there's nothing wrong with that. If you are currently employed and wants to earn from this, I highly encourage it. 

Learning new skills and ideas does not stop after graduation. Learning is a continuous process. The more you learn, the more you earn. ;)

FOCUS

Yes, it's my dream car, but we are not going to talk about Ford Focus here.

Most people advice others to have focus in order to achieve success in life. "Focus on what?" is usually the question that comes to my mind.

Honestly speaking, I'm easily distracted by even simple things. These distractions makes me lose my focus and tend to forget what I was concentrating about. But the bigger question is: What am I focusing on in the first place?

Fears. Obstacles. Commands. Useless. Sacrifices.

Have you ever lost something or someone because of focusing too much on the things I mentioned above? I'm sure we all have. Personally, I have lost clients just because I was so focused on the fear of rejection and the obstacles I have to face to continue the transactions. I've known people who lost eagerness and excitement in what they do just because they concentrated on the sacrifices they have to make instead of the benefits of their work. I'm sure most of us lost some precious time with family and friends just because of focusing on useless things in life. Being distracted from focusing on these things are definitely needed. Have a break, evaluate where your focus is.

Freedom. Opportunities. Creativity. Usefulness. Success.

Now these are the things we should concentrate about. This is more than positive thinking or optimism; this is having focus on good things and not get distracted by anything or anyone. I'm not saying to always dream of the future and forget about the reality of today. No, we should still be realistic but we have to be optimistic. Realism is for our "today", optimism is for our "tomorrow". I'll give you an example:

(Being realistic) Today, I only have P1000.

(Being optimistic) I can use this money to invest on something that could increase my money for tomorrow.

(Being pessimistic) I need to spend this money today for my expenses, then I'll have no money for tomorrow.

Do you see the difference now? Okay, I'll give you a test.

I have here a business opportunity that could give you an extra $200 every week. Capital starts at $350. Do you think it's a good investment?

Where did you focus on? The capital or the income potential? Most people focus on the capital, that's why there are a lot of poor people today.

Having FOCUS is a secret weapon for success. But any weapon, if not used for the good, can lead to destruction. What are you focusing on today? ;)

Problems Can Fall In Line Too

I love multitasking. Doing different things at the same time makes me think I can do much more in a short period of time rather than doing things one at a time. Can you relate with what I'm saying?

When I was in high school, I would do my assignment in front of the television while eating my dinner. My mom would always scold me for doing so. She would tell me: "You can't do two concentrations at one time". And I would be thinking in my head: "This is called multitasking mom. This is how kids do their assignments nowadays." I sure do have a rebellious mind when I was a teenager.

What my mom was telling me is to focus.

Back in college, I was part of the multimedia ministry of our church where I was trained to handle pressure and do a lot of multitasking action. The tasks were hard especially when preparations were a mess or lacking. That's where I realized that multitasking was not only hard but also hazardous to my health (stress, you know?). Sure, I did finish the tasks on time but if we would evaluate the quality of the results, I would just say they could have been better.

Why am I talking about multitasking? I don't know about you but for me, I do multitasking to solve overflowing problems faster in a shorter period of time. I'm not really sure if I really solved the problems or created more problems for a later time. Just to say I'm doing something to solve my problems, I do them all at once! How stupid of me.

I once posted a status message saying: "Kung marami kang problema, papilahin mo sila!" (If you have many problems, make them fall in line!)

This is about Prioritizing and Time Management.

Reality check: Your problems should not dictate what you should do, you should be the one dictating what you should do with your problems!

When I was in 2nd year high school, I read a book entitled: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey, the son of Stephen Covey who is the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Anyways, the 3rd habit is Put First Things First. A topic under the discussion of this habit is about the Time Quadrants (rows: Important and Not Important, columns: Urgent and Not Urgent). I highly encourage you read the book and learn more about it.

I learned how to prioritize and manage my time after reading that chapter of the book. I started writing down my goals per week and giving time for each goal. It was not an overnight magic, it was a continuous process. Just like what they say, you cannot develop a habit overnight!

If you have many problems, write them all down then organize them according to your priorities in life. Give it time. It can be very frustrating to see how long the list will be but very rewarding once you check the problems solved one by one. Finish one task before starting another one especially if you are going to use the same body part for both tasks. And of course: Avoid cramming! (note to self: Avoid cramming!)

Another reality check: Problems come EVERYDAY! It's your choice if you want to add your problems today to the upcoming problems of tomorrow. I rather would not. I only have 24 hours today, I'll only have 24 hours also tomorrow. Why waste time on things that are unimportant, right?

The most important thing before doing anything else is to pray. Pray to God for strength, wisdom and grace. We cannot remove God from the solution of our problems because He is the solution!

Problems are meant to be faced and solved, not to be ran away from. You'll be surprised how fast problems can run back to you if you ran away from them!

Make your problems fall in line according to your priorities. Manage your time properly. Pray and do something about those problems.

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Follow But Do Not Follow

Did you know that it is not a good idea to ALWAYS follow whatever your leader has done? Well, unless your leader is perfect. Most of our leaders have committed mistakes in the past even though we see them as very successful people right now. What we really need to follow is what they say we should do. I am pertaining to their commands, tips, advices, etc. They have already experienced what we are still going to do. They already have an idea of the optimal action in attaining a goal without undergoing the mistakes they have committed.

One example I could give to make my statement clearer is a very loving and successful mother who got pregnant even before she got married. Her daughter, who also wants to be a loving and successful mother to her soon-to-be daughter, doesn't have to undergo the pains or mistakes committed by her mother when she was young. Our parents always tell "sermons" to us because they do not want us to commit the same mistakes they have done in the past.

If you want to become like someone, ask him how he got to his position and do not simply follow him from afar. Follow what he says, not what he has done. If he tells you to follow every step he took, then do so. But most of the time, leaders will tell you not to follow their mistakes. ;)

The Good and the Bad Leader

In any group, there appears to be a leader that well... leads. The very famous leadership coach, John Maxwell, said: "Leadership is influence". It's a very simple yet a powerful statement.

There are two kinds of influence: the good and the bad. Therefore, there also exists two kinds of leaders: the good and the bad.

The Good Leader

There are a lot of definitions of what a leader is; most, if not all, are positive. "Leaders are readers" and "Leaders are followers" are some of the famous quotes I know about leadership. There is less to talk about a good leader because it is almost always defined; it's a general knowledge already. (But sometimes what we know is not put into action. Tsk tsk...)

The Bad Leader

Since most of the quotes about leadership are about good leadership, I want to give emphasis on the bad leader. What is a bad leader? It is not always as simple as describing it as the opposite of a good leader. A bad leader can be a good leader as well. How? It really depends on his goal. If a bad leader was able to get the goal, he is a good leader even though the goal was bad in nature. One example of this is a gang leader who influences his group to steal or to do illegal vices. If he was able to succeed on influencing his whole group, he is a good leader but a very bad leader. The "good leader" refers to his ability to lead while the "bad leader" refers to him as a person.

Any leader could either be a good or a bad leader at one point or another. In essence, the word "leader" is a positive word. It is the goal that either makes it good or bad. Bad leadership is usually seen on unfavorable results.

Leadership is a skill and being able to pass that skill is vital in making a group improve or level up. My next blog is about following a leader. Should we follow what they say or what they do? ;)

BIG DREAMS FOR REAL!

When I was a kid, I dreamed of designing my own house. I wanted to take up Architecture in college to be able to do that. I already had the sketch of the insides of my dream house when I was still in Grade 6! It has a lot of bedrooms, a game room, library room, music room, entertainment room (mini-movie house), etc. I do not really care how many rooms I had inside but one thing should not be missing in my design: a SWIMMING POOL!

I somewhat visualized my house after watching the movie Richie Rich. He has McDonald's inside his own house! Wouldn't that be fun?!

When I was about to enter college, I was very disappointed not being able to get the course I wanted in the school where it is known. I'm pertaining to taking up B.S. Architecture in the University of Santo Tomas. Yes, U.P. was not my first choice when I was in high school. For the benefit of those who do not know me, I'm a B.S. Computer Science graduate from the prestigious University of the Philippines Los Baños. U.P.L.B. holds the title of being the Center of Excellence in Information Technology in the Philippines, that's why being a ComSci graduate from that school is a big thing.

The only college entrance exam I took was from UP. My mom did not allow me to take exams from any other universities. She did not care what course I will take as long as I enter UPLB. By the time I was filling up the UPCAT form, I wrote B.S. Computer Science as my first choice simply because I wanted to design my own animation in the future and I know for a fact that graduates from this course are in demand locally and internationally. I somewhat made my dream smaller: create animation and get a good job abroad.

What happened? Reality hit me. Did you ever had that voice in your head saying: "Design and build your own house? Get real! You need millions of pesos to do that! Travel and work abroad? Dream on! Do you know how many competitions you've got?! Your dreams are impossible to have with what you have right now!"?

This fact really makes me sad. A lot of us when we were still children are dreaming really BIG but when we grow up, we tend to forget our BIG dreams and just accept whatever reality is bringing us. We hope on small things. We work just for the sake of being able to eat 3 times a day. What a pitiful waste of potential!

Right now, I'm recalling all of my dreams when I was young and still adding some more to it. Knowing reality should not make my dreams smaller, it should add up to what I want to have in the future.

We should not change our BIG dreams into small goals just because we think we could not have it with what we have right now. What we need to do is to change our actions in order to achieve our BIG dreams.

There are a lot of opportunities knocking on our door but we are either too proud or too afraid to accept and grab them.

I'm a graduate from UP. I should be an employee with a high pay, but I am not. I decided not to accept job offers. Am I contradicting what I said earlier? Not really. Yes, job offers are opportunities but with the BIG dreams I have, I need a different kind of action. I have been observing employees ever since I had my on the job training. I was thinking: "Is this really life after college? Going to work for 8 hours and getting paid every 15 days? This is boring."

I had never seen an employee who achieved the dreams I want to have in the age of 30. Time is very important for me. I don't want to have that dream house only when I'm already in the age of 65! How am I suppose to enjoy that?! Besides, the retired people at the age of 65 who both have their own house and car nowadays are either sick or nearly dead. Do you agree?

So what am I doing NOW to achieve my BIG dreams when I reach 30? I'm doing business at the age of 22. What kind? That I have to tell you personally so better contact me ASAP by leaving a comment below with your email address or contact number. What I could tell you right now is that you should have BIG DREAMS! Do not let reality stop you from dreaming what you want. The good thing about dreaming is that you are not limited to dream just for yourself. You can involve your family and friends to it. The opportunity I have makes me help other people achieve their dreams so that I could achieve mine as well. Helping others is part of my dreams so that's one check for me. :)

Dreaming is for FREE. So, DREAM BIG and find the fastest legal way to achieve that. For me, I already found mine. I'm willing to share if you are willing to listen. ;)

Not Enough? Just Enough? More Than Enough?

In your life right now, are you aware of your financial reality?

Do you say your finances are...

Not enough?

Believe it or not, some rich people tend to think they do not have enough. What do I mean? If you would observe those kind of rich people, they do not seem to be satisfied with what they have because they have BIG DREAMS they have not fulfilled yet. In general, people who say they do not have enough are those people who do sacrifices just to make ends meet. They do more than enough than the usual because of that sense of lack. An example of this is a person who has extra jobs that eat up most of his time.

Just enough?

I would think that people who say they just have enough are those people who are financially secure. A man could say he has enough when his needs are always met. People from this group usually do things in a routine and gets the same results every time. One example of this is a typical employee who gets paid every 15 days and spends his money in paying the bills and other expenses then is left with little or no savings. This seems to be a cycle for him having the same expectations every time.

More than enough?

I admire people who could say that they have more than enough because they are those who know their needs and wants and are able to get both not only for themselves but for others as well. Generous people usually come from this group. Because they are blessed, they are able to bless others as well.

Would you agree with me that in order to answer my main question, you need to know what "enough" means? This factor differs from one person to another. A million pesos may not be enough, just enough or more than enough to one person. It actually depends on our mindset.

To tell you the truth, I was able to answer my main question with those three answers as well. There are days in my life that feels I do not have enough, I have enough and I have more than enough. And I'm pretty sure you had the same experience as well. So what's the point in answering my question? It's being aware of our reality not in the past but in our present time.

Does desiring to have more mean you are not contented? I would say NO. Contentment, for me, is being aware of that joy inside of you. When you desire to have more, it is just that you would be more joyful to be able to share that joy to other people. In simpler terms, a contented man who desires to have more is a happy man who could be happier. Contentment deals with the present time while desiring to have more deals with the present and the future at the same time so it is very possible to be contented yet is desiring to have more.

A contented man can also dream, do you agree? In my next blog, I would be sharing about dreams so watch out for it. Thank you for reading and I hope you could leave a comment or a violent reaction. Haha! :D

First Time

Yes, it's my first time to create a blog here. I'm still trying to adjust on how things work here. I've been writing blogs before in my other sites but I seem to lose the passion in creating blogs when I became busy with other things in life. I hope this site would help me rekindle that passion again in sharing thoughts and ideas about anything under the sun.

I also hope I get to have the support of my friends on this. Being able to know that at least someone is reading my entries makes me write blogs all the more. So please do leave a comment, even just a smiley so that I would know who reads my blogs. Thank you and I hope to enjoy creating blogs in this site. God bless. :D