Because Ideas Change Lives
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“Pay yourself first” or right after receiving your paycheck, take 10% of it for investing. Sound familiar? That was the classic money management tip from George S. Clason, the author of “The Richest Man in Babylon.” Originally published by 1926, the timeless personal finance tips that we can learn from the stories still hold value today.
*Note: The book is in public domain and you can search for it freely on the internet!
Malapit nang maganap ang Philippine presidential elections at naaalala ko na may ibang nag-iisip na “kung hindi corrupt ang gubyerno mayaman na kami!” o “mahirap kami dahil hindi maayos ang gubyerno!” Sa mga ganitong panahon, ang ilang kandidato ay pinupuri bilang tigapagligtas na makakapagpabago sa bansa at malulutas nila agad ang mga problema ng sambayanan kapag sila’y naging presidente. Bilang side-effect nito, may ibang nagiisip na kapag nanalo ang kandidato nila at nagbago nga ang namumuno sa gubyerno, ang lahat din ng mga problema nila (pinansyal man o hindi) ay malulutas din.
Kahit totoo nga na ang korupsyon at iresponsabilidad sa gubyerno ay nakakasira ng kabuhayan ay kasaganaan ng sambayanan o nagpapahirap sa buhay, mali ang pag-iisip na kapag mas-mabuti na ang gubyerno ikaw ay biglaang aasenso mula trabahador at ika’y magiging bilyonaryo ng wala kang ginagawa. Magiging mas-mabuti nga ang kalagayan ng bansa (o magiging mas-masama), pero wala iyong ikabubuti sa kahit sino sa atin kapag wala tayong ginawa para sa ating sari-sariling kalagayan.
The Philippine presidential elections will happen VERY soon and I remember some people thinking “if the government wasn’t corrupt we’d be rich!” or “we are poor because the government is terrible!” During these times, some candidates are hailed by the their supporters as the “savior” who will change the Philippines and that all of the country’s problems will be solved instantly once they’re elected. As a side effect of this, some people appear to think that when their candidates win and the government changes, all their own personal problems (financial or otherwise) will be solved as well.
While it’s true that government corruption and irresponsibility can destroy the lives and welfare of an entire nation or, at the minimum, make everything more difficult, it’s a terrible mistake to think that having a better government will magically turn you from a simple laborer into a billionaire without you doing anything. The country might change for the better (or it might also change for the worse), but none of that will mean anything to any one of us unless we do something about our own personal situations.
“Kaibigan! Pwedeng pahiram ng dalawang libo? ‘Promise’ babayaran kita next week!” Nahihirapan ka bang tumanggi? Hinahayaan mo ba silang abusuhin ka? Hinahayaan mo ba ang mga kakilala mo na manghiram pa ng pera sa iyo kahit alam mo na hindi sila nagbabayad ng utang? Noong kabataan ko, nakita kong naghirap ang aking ina dahil sa mga taong ganoon kaya noong napanood ko ang video ni Chinkee Tan, kinailangan kong magsulat tungkol dito. Huwag mong hayaang abusuhin ng iba ang iyong kagandahang loob.
“Hey ‘friend,’ can I borrow a couple thousand? I ‘promise’ to pay you back next week.” Do you find it hard to say no? Do you let people abuse you financially? Do you keep letting people borrow money from you even when you know they never pay you back? I’ve had to watch my own mother suffer through that during the early years of my life so when I saw Chinkee Tan’s video, I just HAD to write about it. Never let people take advantage of your kindness.
