The Promise of Hope

"What will you do when you're in the brick of losing hope?"

Effects of Storm Melor (Nona) in Isabela

Two days ago, I watched a movie entitled, "I am Gabriel", a story wherein, a town named Promise are experiencing drought, farmers can't grow their crops because there's no rain, there's no hope on the people living there, they also lose their faith in God, it seems to them that God abandoned them and cursed the entire town. In fact, there's this signage that says; "Welcome to Promise, Texas, Where Good things [never] Happens". They inserted the word never because people had been losing their hope and longing for an escape. Then something happened, Gabriel comes, a child out of nowhere. He'd bring hope to everyone, taught them how to pray and talked to God. He knows what on the peoples greatest fear and their deepest hurts.

Suddenly, it hit home, I was struck with the same feeling of hopelessness and I think I was numb and I wanted to ignore it, sleep it over and wake up as if it doesn't happen, but it wasn't that easy. It wasn't not just about me, I was deeply hurt for my father, for my family, to our neighbors, to all the farmers and to those whose livelihood was affected by the recent floods. It wasn't just one time but twice in a row. We planted our crops (corn) last August, destroyed by Bagyong Lando (storm Koppu) last week of October. My father says, "It's alright, it's beyond our power, we'll plant again because it's what we do", and so we planted again first week of November, spend again for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and a bunch of hardwork and a lot of sweat of labor knowing and hoping that somehow it will grow into fruition, but it didn't happen. Another storm came (bagyong Nona) and it was a big time hit. Now, as I'm writing this, Bagyong Onyok is on going, we haven't fully recovered yet from the remnants of storm Nano. I don't know how to console nor give comfort to my father. I admire his perseverance, his struggles, his hard work and his efforts to be optimistic despite of what had happened.

On the brighter side, such unforeseen events no matter how uncontrollable they seems to be, we should be always ready and take preemptive precautions on how to minimize such loss and protect ourselves to a greater risk of losing everything we've worked for. After Bagyong Lando, my father is wise enough to secure his capital and file an insurance for our crops at the PCIC (Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation) who caters to farmers who suffered crop losses due to drought and flash floods. I was tasked to file a claim on the losses we just had and we are hoping that they'll give back a portion of our capital in order for us to plant again. 

There is always something we can do, not just being ready but to be always wise and believe that the best is yet to come. That there's always light after dark and good things happens after every bad situations. We'll just have to walked with faith, never lose hope, never give up and trust God at all times, and pray unceasingly to God that despite every storm, every battle, there is hope of better tomorrow. It maybe difficult to find hope in this case, but we have a big God whose up there listening to our sorrows and give us strength to move forward, just like the child Gabriel in the movie that I watched., Archangel Gabriel, messenger of God reminds us to trust God to His Promise and never lose Hope.

"Auntie Kory"

A friend once asked me, "Kamag-anak mo si Kory?", Huh? May kamag-anak ba kaming Kory? I haven't realized back then what they were telling me, so I was confused and wondered bad ba ang pagiging kuripot? I am a full-blooded Ilocana, and I'm immune to friends who keeps teasing me 'kuripot' ever since. Back then, deadma lang ako sa mga ganun kasi ang pagkakaalam ko kapag Ilokano ang isang tao kuripot talaga, it was like trademark na sa mga Ilokano yun. It was relatively true, well based sa observation ko as I grew up. So, it's no big deal kapag tinawag akong kuripot, and so what? Being kuripot means being matipid at hindi palagastos sa mga bagay na hindi naman talaga kailangan. We can do this by living below our means. It's not as easy as we say lalo na kung hindi natin nakaugalian ang magtipid dahil our parents had much to give and we haven't experience the hardship of earning money specially sa mga modern-day parents and children ngayon. I remember my parents never gave us a quick cash when we need to buy something, we need to earn it by selling some kamatis or sitaw in our neighbor, or selling ice-candy and polvoron at school. Then out of our profit, we save for the things that we need and wanted to buy. Practicing a simple yet practical life is easy as long as we identify what we really need versus what we want in life. Its all about delayed gratification. Sacrifice now, payback soon when we're able to save and earn enough to enjoy the fruits of our labor. So I guess, being kuripot is okay as long as we know our limits and boundaries.

Where did all my money go?

"Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle"-Prov.23:5

Have you ever made it to the end of the month and wondered, "Where did all my money go?". Ignorance of your financial condition plus easy credit equals disaster. You've heard that phrase, "Money Talks". It does not. It's just walks away quietly and it doesn't tell you where it's going. If you don't know where your money is going, it's going to fly away like an eagle. And you don't have anybody to blame but yourself. So you have to keep good records so you know where your money is going. Tracking your daily expenses and writing it down in the slightest details helps you track your spending habits, thus improves your finances. Here are the four things you need to keep good records of: what you own(asset), what you owe (liabilities), what you earn (income), and where it's going(needs or wants). Buy only what you need and not what you wished to have.  There are several ways to budget and you need to figure out which one is best for you. Your money is your responsibility. Plan carefully and you have plenty. Because not having a financial plan is a plan--just a really bad one. 

Be financially wise.

The Wise Financial Mindset

"I don’t have enough money.

I don’t have enough time.

I don’t have enough blah, blah, blah.

Sound familiar?"

The idea of “not enough” plagues us all.  Whether it’s that we’re not skinny enough, smart enough, rich enough, talented enough, etc., if we don’t remain present and aware, it’s so easy to fall into that mindset. And when it comes to our money and feeling like we are living a financially fulfilled life, watching our thoughts about “enoughness” is key.  Whether you are rich or poor, choosing to feel abundance in your financial life is an inside-out job.  I’ve seen lots of people with lots of money still feel it’s not enough. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how much you have.  People with tons of money sometimes feel the “not enough” complex the most. That’s because the mentality of not having enough is one that’s been around long before we got here, and will continue even when we’re gone. Look at the effect money has on the way we view ourselves. To some degree, our self worth and security tends to rise and fall with our income. And regardless on how we reason on it intellectually, the truth is, we all have an emotional connection with money because we always feel better when finances are not an issue. Money is a never ending issue in every aspect of our lives.

Here are some wise financial mindset that get us through tough financial times and help us prosper in the future.

1. If you yearn to earn, you need to yearn to learn. "Knowledge that forever reigns, never withers", thus investing in knowledge pays the best interest. As Proverbs 23:23 says, "Truth, wisdom, learning and good sense--they are all worth paying for, but too valuable for you to sell".
2. Save for a goal. Don't simply save for the sake of saving. Having goal  gives you more focus and motivation to save.
3. Keep track of your finances. If you want to be financially strong, you need to start writing down what you spend until you know where it's all going.
4. Don't spend more than you have. Learn to make big sacrifices at the start, in order to reap greater rewards. 
5. Count your blessings.All you need is to count your life’s blessings. A mindset of gratitude gives people the patience to handle money better. Practicing gratitude is a powerful way to increase your happiness and decrease temptations. Gratitude makes us feel less selfish, which gives us more patience.
6. Don't expect money to solve all your problems. Money is not a path to happiness or fulfillment or improve your relationships. Always remember that money only solves financial problems.
7. Let go of limiting financial beliefs. A belief such as, "money is the root of all evil" will only block your prosperity. There is no shame in a modest lifestyle, but there is also nothing noble about lacking money.
8. Stay away from negative people–surround yourself with people who choose the happiness and abundance mentality, too.

  Being wise in financial aspects is the key to personal financial independence.  Growth is painful and so change is, but action is the fundamental key of success.