My mom is a nutritionist dietitian and she worked abroad for 9 years specifically in Kuwait and Beish Gizan, KSA where I was born. She is a strong willed woman and I've known my mom as a hard worker by nature. She grew up in Cadaruhan, Southern Leyte where her parents are not well off. My grandparents thought her a lot about working hard and she learned about responsibilities at a young age. As a teenager my mom and her two siblings had to walk at least a kilometer from their house to the school just to study. She worked for a while in the Philippines and had an opportunity to apply for abroad. Her friend told my mom that she was going to apply to a government hospital in Saudi and she asked my mom to join her in the process of applying. Luckily my mom was hired and her friend wasn't. My mom is now 63 years old and during her time working abroad is a good way to earn to support her family.

From time to time, my mom would have vacations and she would go back here in the Philippines to see my dad and me. I remembered, when I was a child we had a pretty good urbanized life living in San Pedro, Laguna where I grew up. My mom provided all the things for her family that any ordinary OFW would do when she got back from abroad; like chocolates, family vacations, new betamax, new vhs, new vcd player and vcd's, new sound system, new couch, kitchen wares, etc. and we also had a very nice house. Life was pretty amazing and fun when I was young. Typically, what we had would be somehow similar or perhaps close to the same story of any other OFW. A good life indeed.

Our family is living a good life and when I was young I thought that it would never change, but then I was wrong.

Now as an adult, I've come to KNOW and REALIZE that there are other things I didn't notice when I was young. In the other side of the coin, my mom worked for 9 years in abroad but every damn day she spent in abroad I didn't know before that she "MISSED" us everyday more than I could ever express. As her only SON, she didn't saw me grew up for a couple of years. Plus she didn't know what was happening with our lives from a day to day basis. The price she had to pay for supporting her family. I'm sure if you are reading this and if you are an OFW, you know deep down that "money can't buy the time that had passed". There are a lot of examples that I could say but I believe that this would suffice for you to realize that what I'm saying is TRUE and it's also happening to a lot of people.

The misconception:
Through Facebook and other forms of cyber communication, I've asked some of my friends who are working abroad some questions about working abroad. These questions I asked are only to clarify  some misconceptions of my fellowmen about their loved ones working abroad. I got a couple of honest answers that would let you realize that it's time to THINK DIFFERENTLY.

Here are 3 samples of my general questions I asked to each OFW friends that I know and some honest answers that I got from them:

1.) Is it true that if you're working abroad you are bound to get rich?
- It's said by some people here in the Philippines that if you're working abroad then you are "WELL OFF" and has no problems with money. The answer I got was "NO" plus my OFW friends would say "yes we are earning, but it's NOT EASY to earn here in abroad, you have to work double."
2.) Is it true that our so called friends would expect us to treat them as soon as we get back from abroad since they expect that you have much money earned in abroad? And if we're not going to treat them they would feel bad about it?
- My respondents would say "Indeed, some of our friends would expect that we should treat them". Not all of them but yes it's true. Due to the fact that we didn't saw each other for a long time then we should get together and have a vacation courtesy of the one who came back from abroad.
3.) Is it true that our relatives would expect us to have a family vacation or buy some new things when their OFW relative gets back home?
- The answer is still YES. Why? because they didn't see each other for a long time and we've missed a lot of things and there's a need to catch up on things. Plus my respondents would say "some would ask for NEW shoes, NEW TV, NEW shirts, NEW gadgets, NEW sala sets, etc." (There is nothing wrong about this, but then again, think about it, these activities will undoubtedly take us to the journey of SPENDING a.k.a. EXPENSE. Only a few OFW's would think of INVESTING their money on things that would generate more money to them in the future so that they would no longer need to go back abroad. Like putting up a business, getting bonds, investing in stocks, and any other forms of investments.)

My own thoughts in the matter:

I'm 100% sure that the life of an OFW is nowhere near easy. It's all hard work and sacrifice. But then again if you think really differently and if you would allow me to show you my own perspective you would come to realize that this cycle has been done by those OFW who took the same path before you. Not all of them became successful, most of them earned a lot but lost their money in the process. Why??? Because there's a UNSPOKEN PLAN of this journey that only a few would notice using their VISION. Imagine, let's say you went abroad from the age of 25 and you worked until 40 and then go back to the Philippines for the family you've left. Indeed you have money in your pocket when you got home but please don't forget when you're already back YOU DON'T BRING YOUR JOB TOGETHER WITH YOUR MONEY. You have some choices of activities that would surely DRAIN your hard earned money in the process. And in effect, you would go back abroad to do the same cycle again. Hence, you are now trapped in this race plus the mere fact that you don't have the luxury of BEING TOGETHER with you LOVED ones.

There's also another scenario. Yes, you're working abroad and you miss your family. You have come to realize that what I said above would not be a good option. You now work abroad and since you don't want spending your whole time without your family you will apply for petition. You will get your immediate family and live in abroad. Let me inform you that it's still like living in the Philippines with a little upgrade. Why??? Because you know that the reason why you are working abroad is to earn bigger salary and ones your salary is converted to the home Philippine currency it's value goes up. Now if you do live with you family in abroad that option of converting your salary currency will be gone since you have to SPEND THE SAME CURRENCY in the country you are in. (in tagalog: sa madaling salita pag nasa abroad ka at pinadala mo pera mo sa pinas mas malaki ang value, pero kapag dinala mo ang pamilya mo sa abroad para makasama mo yung currency na gastos mo pareho lang ang value. Dollar ang earn mo dollar din ang gagastosin mo.)

There's another OPTION that I would highly suggest. YOU PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE IT CAN GAIN MORE MONEY. That's what Robert Kiyosaki said. The writer of the world renowned book "rich dad, poor dad". It means to say don't spend but instead invest some of your money for business. Why??? so that you could gain more money. There are a lot of business opportunities that can offer you a small amount of investment but high returns ONLY if you LEARN how to do it but with much more less effort. I have a GREAT OPPORTUNITY that I can share and if you are willing to OPEN your MIND and start to LISTEN to the POSSIBILITIES then you might consider INVESTING a small amount of money. Money can be gained and earned again and again, it's only a piece of paper that has value. But the TIME that you lose with your family that ticks day by day will never be gained back. Time cannot be purchased, it cannot go back, it will not wait, it will pass even if you don't seize the opportunity. 

My GOAL is only to help you realize. The decision is yours to make. If you are interested to know more about HOW I CAN HELP YOU. Please do click HERE and also HERE to know my story. (You can click the other TABS for more information and if you have questions please ask me how).

Success Often Comes To Those Who Dare To Act!
The Future Belongs To Those Who Believe In The Beauty Of Their Dreams!

A great day to all and God Bless! :)

We all know that most people who becomes successful in life are those who are engaged into business. NOT ONLY because of the money. But what exactly do they gain? Number one because they gain the value of TIME in the long run in making their business work. The second thing is that they can make money work for them. The third, is that they can pass their business to the next generation. Unlike jobs, it does exactly the opposite. You earn in proportion to your TIME spent inside the office and sometimes the "overtime" is not even included in the salary. We can't pass our job to the next of keen. And the sad reality, when an employee dies young the income dies as well.