My Unseen Blessings-A Reflection

As I am waiting for my boarding time, I cannot wait to tell you about my experience on how I was blessed.
There were so many of them that I don't know how to start this.


My Fist Blessing


This is the first Christmas that I did not do some Christmas shopping.  I don't have enough budget to buy gifts for my family.  But I wished and was hoping that I would have something to give even just to my small pamangkins.  They might be expecting something from their tita.  But I could not afford it.

On the morning of my departure, one of my friends texted me asking when would we meet again. Then I told her that we would be celebrating our Christmas party by January when I return to Manila.
She told me that we need to meet because she had to give me her gifts to my pamangkins! Wow! She have gifts for my pamangkins! They  would really be very happy.  Although it's not from me, that would not matter to them. So, I hurriedly went to our meeting place (at Jollibee).


Finally we met, and she gave a bag of gifts. I was very much grateful to her. She even treated me for a free meriyenda at Jolibee.  Wow! Double blessing! We chatted and exchanged a few laughs.  I had a most heartwarming meryenda with her.


"God is truly a great God. He is full of surprises."


My Second Blessing


It was a bit late when I went back to our house to finish up packing.  Finally, I was finished at around 2pm.  My flight was 4:35pm.  So I need to be there by 3pm.  I went out to get a cab, but it was difficult to get one.  I prayed to God for the right cab.   I just relaxed myself - in full trust to God that He will give me one. I was thankful that my prayer was answered at once. And He gave me a really kind driver.

There was light traffic, so I arrived early at the airport. The line was not too long, but the service was slow, due to the overbaggage of the other passengers. So, when it was my turn, I was a bit exhausted and nearing to getting irritated.  Finally, it was already my turn. I'm glad that the transaction for my boarding pass was not that complicated since I had only 1 check-in baggage and it was really light.  I finished quick and I went to the final checking of the baggage.  Suddenly the lady checking our things asked me to remove the umbrella inside my bag.  So, I removed it, and she snatched it from me.  She told me that umbrellas are not allowed and that it was already confiscated! She dropped my umbrella inside a container below the table.  I was really shocked and angry at the same time at that very instance. I asked her if I could get my umbrella, and that I would be checking it in.  She agreed, so, I took it from the container and went back to the check-in counter.  I told the teller that I did not know that umbrellas are not allowed to be hand carried.  He confirmed and told me that it was prohibited to hand carry any umbrella.  So, I told him to check-in this.  He told me that I need to place it inside a bag.  I said, "what????!!!?? I don't have any extra bag!"  He asked me to use my other bag that I was carrying with me.  I said that I don't want to check in that bag.  Fortunately, I recalled that I still have the bag of gifts.  So, finally, I agreed to check-in my other bag. But I was able to remove the stuff first inside this bag and transfer it to the bags with the gifts inside.  The bag of gifts was a double blessing to me.

My Third Blessing


As I was finally finished and was starting to leave the counter, I noticed an ID and a paper on the counter table.  When I looked at it, it was my ID and my printed ticket!  I did not know that I forgot to take back my ID after my initial check in! That means that if my umbrella was not confiscated, I would have lost my ID plus my printed ticket! Wow! That means that God used that incident for me to go back to the counter.


"Our trials are God's way to lead us to the right path."


My Reflection


Whatever happens to us, whether trials or blessing, let's not miss the point.  In doing so we won't miss the blessing after the trial.  I thank God that His message to me is still clear.  Although I still have the compulsion of complaining. But after that, I still get His message.  God's love for me still reigns in me.
I know these things that I told you are just petty things.  But it gave me clear messages of God in action in me.  That even on small things, God never left me. God was, is, and will always be with me.

My Prayer


Dear Lord,  I praise You Oh Lord for all the wonderful things that you are doing in my life.
Thank you, for giving me a clearer vision amidst the clouds of trials that I am going through right now.  Thank you Lord for clarity and peace in my heart and my soul.  You truly are worthy of all praises. You truly are my Lord.  Though unworthy of your Love, you still Love me anyway. And I thank you for that.

People Changes When Tipped

"I don't need money." My friend blurted that out to me one day as we were out eating our diner.  She was telling me that she wanted to try out new things.  So, I suggested to her if she would want to earn extra income.  I told her she can start her own business. 


My Past


I recalled that those were somewhat the same words that I was uttering during my employment period.  I had a very "stable" job at that time.  And my salary was more than enough for me. I was able to travel to different places. I was able to take my vacation. Sometimes I would treat my friends. I also have some savings, but it was not really increasing that much. I have some investments too. I also practiced living (as much as possible) a simple life. Living below my means. I would say, I had a really comfortable life. When I saw people having difficulty in their finances, I would always have that idea that they just don't know how to manage their finances.  Or maybe they were not blessed because they did are not good people. Or I would say, they don't have enough faith. 


Having my own business didn't came across my mind during my employment years.  I didn't know what kind of business was for me during that time.  And I was thinking that business was not for me.  I just would like to sulk in my computer chair in front of my computer the whole day.  As long as I am comfortable and safe in my office.  Not minding of other people's business.  Not minding at all wether people needs my help or not. I was very indifferent at that time.  "As long as I am doing my job, and am not inflicting pain on other people." That was my motto before.  I don't have the heart of helping others. I was just minding my own business.  Maybe the reason for this was that I could not empathize on other people's in needs. As long as I was doing my job, I believed that I was safe at least financially. Anyway, I don't know how to help the people that are financially drained.  I don't want to give them my financial help because I did not want them to depend on me. 


That was how I lived my life and that was how I saw life, until my big fall came.  


My Change of Perspective


I received a retrenchment notice the very first day of the year (January) that I reported in the office.  It was a shocking news. But I was able to accept this sad news really quick.  That was the day that I realized that my job was really a temporary one.  And that this job would have an end.  That "stability" is not real in terms of "job". 
It taught me that there is a need for us to build the right financial foundation while we still can.  Since I was out of job, we tried out doing business. We received our separation pay, so my friends and I were able put up a new business venture. But we are very new in doing business. We were not able to do it right in the first time.  It is really difficult to start a business with a very limitted resources.  I also had to weigh this business if this was in line with my core gift.


Doing the very first business was really tough one.  We were immersed in the world of the small time vendors.  It is a very tedious and very physical work.  We became part of this society and environment.  I thought that this was an easy thing to do.  But I was wrong.  It is a very hard work and requires very straineous activities.  From ordering stocks, to lifting these stocks to the store.  From physical inventory to computation of actual sales.
I saw with my very own eyes, how small time vendors strive to survive with their daily needs.  With their not so big income.


My Wake Up Call


I think this was a way of God telling me to wake up.  To wake up and see the reality surrounding me. So many people in need, yet very few people care enough to help.  While I was having struggles, I could see people also having struggles.  And I saw many people too indifferent to help.  Too engrossed with their own lives.  Too engrossed with their own small problems. These people just don't stop to help.  They don't even look at the people in distress.  I would often times hear people say, "I work hard to be able to meet my family's needs.  Why don't these poor people work also?" Instead of saying, "How can I extend my help to them? How can I love these people?" Instead of thinking of a way to help the people in distress, they would rather spend their energy complaining at these people.


I believe that most of these poor people once strived to work in order to live and just gave up.  They gave up because they no longer did not know what to do.  They just gave up because people refuse to help them. 
A visous cycle.  Because people won't help them, that's why they give up.  People won't help them because they now refused help. If people will try to help them, they no longer want that kind of help.  Instead they would prefer to beg. Only a few people would take time to really help them.  To sit down with them.  To love them.


A Big Hope 


After all these financial difficulties, I was lead to different seminars.  These seminars nourished my knowledge about life and how to live it.  Seminars on how to be successful in all areas of my life.  I digested every word that I've heard. I found a passion on sharing these new knowledge to others. But I was not contented with this.
I was looking for more. 


And then finally, I was able to attend one particular seminar.  This seminar gave me another big hope in truly helping mankind - financially distressed or not.  Helping people to be out of financial problems.  Helping people to be equipped with the knowledge on how to build a stable financial foundation while they still have the means to produce income.  This seminar taught me the value of money.  What is the most stable financial foundation.  And how to achieve this stability.  I found out that there are still establishments that truly helps people who are in need.  That there are still very dedicated people out there who spends their time educating us on financial literacy. 


Here are some things to ponder about.
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Do we need to experience these things for us to help people?
Do we need to experience these things for us to change?
Do we need to experience these things for us to empathize on the people in need?


Why can't we learn from people that have experienced these things?
Whe do we need to have a tipping point in order for us to have a change of heart?
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Don't wait for things to happen to you.  Make a decision to make things happen- improve your financial literacy.


If you are interested on learning on what should be the basic and stable financial foundation, and how to achieve this, there are free seminars conducted on this.


To know more of these free seminars, send me a message now. My email address is yzero8_norm@yahoo.com.


Share this story to your friends if you think your friends can benefit on this.


You can also read this.
Why Business Fails
The Seminar That Changed Everything

Why A Business Fails - MOP

So why does a business fails? "My Own Opinion"


One day, a woman named Nene decided to place an ice cream stand in one of the malls located near her home.  She thought it was a great business. She saw lots of kids going inside the mall.  And the location was a great spot. There were no other ice cream stand yet. So for a few months, she had a good sales. She borrowed some more money and bought 2 more ice cream stands. She placed them on other strategic locations - in a school and outside a playground. Nene was really happy for a while. 

Six months later, someone placed an ice scramble stand near Nene's ice cream stand. Several months after, there were already 2 ice scramble stand, and another ice scream stand. Nene could no longer meet her sales.  She could hardly pay her rent and salary for her crew.  She could not even pay the supplier of her ice cream.  A few months after, she decided to close her 3 ice cream stand.  She has now a big debt.


If we want to be successful in a business, we need mentors or people who are also successful in that area. But for some small scale businesses, specially for starters, people tend to do the same concept as the concept of the successful business.  And worst is, they would do this business within the location of the original concept.  This would divide the earning of the original concept with the second same concept.   


Learn From Success and Failures


People just don't get it.  I'm actually confused as to why they tend to do this.  This kind of setup would 
eventually lead not just to loss of sales but to chaos.  Despite the result, they still do it anyway. Why?  What 
is the psychology behind this? What's the logic behind this behavior?  Is there any way we can avoid this kind of scenario?  

One of the best reason I can think of


Most of us don't see or appreciate our very own uniqueness.  If we see other people succeed, we would copy them. We are in constant lookout on what is the trend and not on what we are capable of doing.  We would try to imitate. Then when things does not go the way we wanted it to happen, we tend to get depressed.  We tend to tell ourselves that we are no good. 


We are created differently from each other.  That is the beauty of an individual. But we don't see it.  We are 
blinded by the fact that others are successful and we are not.  We don't pause and reflect.  What is my purpose?  

What should I be doing?  Instead, we are busy thinking on why we fail. We tell ourselves that we already did what the successful person did, but yet we still failed.  We ask ourselves the question, "What's wrong with me?  Why am I not good enough? Am I really that dumb?"


People would label you as "Slow" or "dumb" if you don't get what they teach you.  Or they would label you as 
"tamad" or "lazy" if you don't do anything. I myself have experienced being "tamad" and "slow" in my work.  I 
usually get really sleepy when I am doing things  I don't want to do or am not interested in.  Some "lazy" people 
fail to explore what they really are built to do.  The reason is, we are focused on the things that others do 
great.  We don't see what we are capable of doing the best. And because of this, we miss our true joy.


Another blinding factor is our financial status.  And guess what? I am in this situation right now.  It has been 
10 months that I am out of job. This is causing me great panic.  My finances is depleting as time goes by, and I still don't see any glimmer of hope as to when would this episode of my life end. I told myself - I need a job! 
I started applying for a job, for this month, And I was able to apply to 3 companies. All 3 job offers rejected me within 1 month.  I felt like a total loser.  


The next question would be, how then would you know what's in store for you?  How would you find your core gift?  Your life's purpose? My answer is this. If you have not discovered it yet, discover it.  Look for opportunities. Or you can say yes to every opportunity that comes.  Try it out.  If it doesn't work for you, try another.  And another. Don't stop searching.  Don't stop trying. Until you find your heart's desire. And if you have found it, stop doing the insignificant things, and stay focused on this one thing. Develop this, and you will see great things happen in your life.  This is so, because you are doing your life's purpose. 


Here are some things to ponder. I forgot from whom I got these quotes :
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There's still hope for me today  
Rejection or failure is redirection.
Don't miss what your life should be all about.
Still searching for your right path? Enjoy every moment :)
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Here's another question.  Are you the person who have not found your core gift yet?  Your very purpose or mission yet? If so, then I have some recommendations for you. 


For more information on this, you can email me @ 
yzero8_norm@yahoo.com.


Have a meaningful and joyful life!


You can also read
People Changes When Tipped
The Seminar That Changed My Life