Happiness is Worth Struggling

“Life, a never-ending experience…”

That’s what you can hear most people say to others… “For as long as you live, you will always learn something new every day” You know what I say? Every day is a struggle. You have to fight for you to know what you want; you have to look if you want to see, to feel for you to act, to hear others for you to speak yourself. Life can be a struggle or maybe it is actually about struggling.

Every day is a struggle. You have to decide for you to move on, even though that choice might bring some happiness while some misery. You have to be as competitive as possible if you want to be on top, if you want to be known. Stand to be seen and speak to be heard. Each and every struggle you make brings you closer to your dreams. But that dream, that dream that awaits you could bring you more, more struggle.

You can never be spoon-fed with everything. Things will not automatically walk upon you to be benefitted of. You have to make the first move. Think to be thought of, walk to be knowledgeable of. Goals and dreams in life is not made just to be an imaginary thought forever, it was made for a clearer vision of what you should do today.

Life is a struggle. You have to make the most out of every struggle you make to know if it is worth being happy for, if it was worth your life. Every struggle you take is a beautiful beginning of learning what life is and what more can it be. You just have to be willing to take those struggles and do not let them tear you apart.

In struggling, you may find peace. You may find completeness and you may find happiness. Struggling doesn’t mean that you have to hurt others; it doesn’t mean that you have to fight for yourself; it only means that you have to act for what is best for you. Understand to be understood, Love to be loved and most importantly, struggle to be happy. Because happiness is indeed worth struggling for.

Why Entrepreneurship?

Before, I used to ask myself about the course that I took, BS Entrepreneurship. Is it really the course of my dreams? Do I really want it? When I was in my high school days, I’ve always wanted to take several courses. But frankly speaking, taking up business and entrepreneurship is not one of them.  Growing up in a Chinese family, as early as a child can be, I was already faced with responsibilities. One of which was helping with our family business. I may not be the eldest, nor the youngest, still, I knew where to place myself and live up to their dreams.

Business has always been a part of our culture. Chinese people are good in business, as what others have already percepted. My family has always been associated with business that made it inevitable for me not to know what it is. Even at a young age, I was already part of our family corporation, helping  them in managing. All of their courses are in line with business, banking, accounting, commerce. I’ve encountered several dilemmas on Chinese family problems about children being forced to take up a business course, and I’ve always hated that culture.

I was not forced by the way. I’ve always liked advertising, I’ve always liked culinary. Yet I chose to study entrepreneurship because I know that it is going to be something that is worth my time and our money. I have to think smart in knowing which course to take, then I realized, thinking smart is like being a business minded person, you really have to think of the different strategies so that you will not have a net loss. I’ve always been amazed of how businesses are strategically handled and run, do I have the right mindset to study Entrepreneurship?

Right now, I am just a year away before graduating in this course. For the past three years, I’ve taken up the course which I never thought I would be taking, and if you want to ask me if I regretted taking it up, I would have to say NO. It is a big no indeed. For the past three years, I’ve loved it. I’ve realized that choosing a course is like choosing the path of your future. You have to think smart. If I chose what I liked over business and entrepreneurship, I would probably just studying how to cook, or drawing on advertising. But you see, these things CAN wait. I can always learn on how to cook, and I can always learn proper advertising through my course. Entrepreneurship is clearly not a waste of money!

Entrepreneurship is so flexible! The course has a lot to offer! You can study almost all the fields there is and have knowledge about it! You will be tackling even those you might say is not related in the course. I’ve tackled biology, statistics, law on obligations and contracts, taxation, agriculture, accounting, marketing, and so much more! These subjects might not be a major subject of business, but businessmen should have proper knowledge on these things, that is why you’ll actually learn more than your major in Entrepreneurship.

It teaches Responsibility and Character. Businessmen should have the right mindset of being. Entrepreneurship teaches innovation, something that is behind all of the wonderful things in life which includes your gadgets. And the most important part, it doesn’t limit a person. You can be something that you want, and open a business out of it, EASY! It doesn’t require you not to commit mistakes. Because most of the successful entrepreneurs and businessmen have failed several times before reaching what they are right now. Everything is a matter of hard work and determination.

Entrepreneurship is not something that is less than those of the course with board exams. Entrepreneurship is HARD! Making a business plan is hard, and running your own is harder. The future is in innovation, which is being created by entrepreneurs. And I am not saying this because I am an entrepreneurship student. It’s because it is true. You know what is one thing that entrepreneurs have that others don’t? It’s their ability to be different. They take risks, and are not afraid of it. They are smart yet extremely outgoing, they are serious but takes fun more serious. Yes, they are weird, in the most awesome way.

If you are an entrepreneurship student, be proud of your course! It is HARD. And if you are an entrepreneur, prove those who say you cannot WRONG. Stand up for innovation, stand up for success!

Ten Things to Live by

10. Pride

You know how others say that pride is bad or something that one must avoid. Well I say that it isn’t. For me, pride is something that empowers a person for something that he worked hard for, of course if it is vice versa, it is indeed bad. Everything when too much is bad. Pride is worth having when you know for yourself that you deserve it. Pride is similar to proud, when you are happy with something that is good.

9. Misery

Misery is such a huge word. It may come from pain, or anger or anxiety that you suffer from every day. But you know, every single of it is inevitable; you just cannot avoid it and be happy in an instant. We all have our own miseries and at the end of the day, you’ll figure out that these things don’t bring you down but define you more as a person, as a stronger one.

8. Mistakes

Mistakes are everywhere, mind I tell you. We all commit one. These are nature’s way of telling us how imperfect we are yet those imperfections are the reason why we are all uniquely and amazingly different from one another. We are perfectly imperfect, and what matters most is not how good we are doing but how great we accept what we cannot do.

7. Friendship

We all have our comfort zones. One of the best ways to feel better is to get along with your friends. The laughter, joy and fun being together with them is just irreplaceable and you know, real friends are there when you need someone to talk to or someone you can open up with. Real friends will stay with you through good times and bad.

6. Wisdom

Wisdom for me is the ability to know beyond what you know. It is learning. It is simply cannot be learned from schools, books, or any other educational things because it is our experiences that teaches us wisdom. Knowing is good, but knowing more than what you know is always the best. Learn from your experiences and inspire others.

5. Chance

Chance is not literally chance that you give to others but more of the opportunities that awaits you. Each and every one of us has been on the situation where we are stuck in a middle of a decision both of which could change our lives. I say go for the one which you think your heart says, hear your thoughts and go for your instincts, because whatever your instincts may be, it will always be the right one. Don’t ever let these opportunities pass by again because you might be missing it for the rest of your life.

4. Change

Change, the word has been one of the most commonly wide used terms for people who want new things in life. Change for the better as what they say. For me, change is definitely more than that. It is the key for personal growth, for personal development. You have to think change if you want it, and you have to believe in yourself if you want it to happen. This time, do not just change for the better, but rather change for happiness. Because happiness occurs when everything is at peace and order.

3. Reputation

For my top three, the third spot goes to the word reputation. Reputation is more than just fame. It is the name that matters in it, but at the end of the day, there will always be a deeper meaning of what reputation really is. People are going to judge you, whether you do something good or not. They would throw criticisms over you. With a strong reputation, these negativities are nothing. Because you know for yourself that even though some people hate you, more and more trusts you and believes in you. This is what reputation means for me.

2. Love

Love is something that goes beyond relationships. It was never about having a love life or having someone’s company. Those are just temporary. Love is something that is beyond them, something that you should have for yourself first. It undergoes your family. They should be your primary love because ever since you were young, they have been your number one supporters. Your passion, goals, dreams also go with love. If you love what you do, you’ll definitely be successful with it and nothing seems impossible, right? So the next time people ask you who do you love, think of no one else but yourself first.

1. Faith

And of course, the number one reason to live by is God. No, not because of religion or those beliefs that he should always be first above everything else, though it is correct as well. You give importance for the person who has always believed in your capability and had known you more than even your parents did. Thank Him for all the fun, laughter and joy that you receive from your loved ones, thank Him for every little blessing that he gives you, thank Him for all the opportunities that he made you encounter, and thank Him for every downfall and mistakes that you experience because you are now wiser. Thank Him for everything, He made you.

Playing Safe: The Most Dangerous of them All

This quote just suddenly struck in my mind. At some point, I felt that it is true. Being on the safe safe side is one thing that will hinder us from being with greatness, when we always go in between, we fail to realize that there might have been a better stand point when we just have chosen a side. Do not be afraid of changes, take every chances that you’ll encounter and grab those opportunity.

Do not limit yourself, actually, never do it. Life is a never-ending experience for personal seeking and development. If you’ll just limit yourself, then there will never be any development and growth for you. Enjoy life. Learn to flow freely with its directions. It is far more important to tell yourself that at some point in your life you did great than just being okay.

We tend to tell ourselves that okay is good. We settle for ordinary things and actually become contented when we reach them. Not that I’m telling to dream so big, but just to dream big. Big enough that you know in yourself that you are capable of reaching it. Believe in yourself, there wouldn’t be any other person better than believing in you than yourself.

Learn to be free. Learn to take the extremes. Learn to go out of your comfort zones. Learn to be who you want to be. Learn to do the things you’ve never done before. And most importantly, learn to know what you really want; it’s because knowing what you want will bring you to the life that you want to become.

Creating the Brand Inside You

A year ago, I attended a seminar in our college that talked about creating a brand. I suddenly became interested because the speakers were some of the most famous people in the business and showbiz world in the Philippines. They have already created the brand within them, but as a student, how important is branding?

Being an entrepreneur student, of course one of the greatest things that I want to accomplish is to have my own business. But creating a business is not that easy. We all know how brand plays an important role in helping our customers to recognize our products. Brand is needed in a business so that one could distinguish your business from other businesses and yours be above the rest. Like what the other successful business has established, they have already proven their company to their customers that they are someone that should be trusted and be patronized.

For me, branding has always been a part of the person behind it. One of the greatest factors of branding is that people who are behind of it are the first ones to be known before the business and the products. That is why Henry Sy and Lucio Tan are already brands without their companies. Whenever there is a person, personality comes next.

Just what our first speaker Wilfido Samson said that made an impact on us, “If you don’t have a smiling face, don’t open a business/shop.” He is actually correct if you are going to think about it. What is the purpose of opening up a business if you can’t have a good relation with your customers? Customer is one of the most important things in business.

In the one minute entrepreneur, it is said that “Make customers feel that they are given the importance.” Because they are the reason why the company exists, they are the ones that could decide whether to have a trust in your company or not. Customers should always be placed in the center. In significance with smiling, you tell your customers how delightful you are to see them; they are feeling that they are important.

The second speaker, Mr. Boy Abunda was more on the experiential side. He said that brand equity is being who you are without any comparison of others. It defines who you are and you don’t have to be liked by anyone else. Branding yourself is simply being you. Things that you do and love to do, and what makes you happy to do it. You don’t have to think of what other people are going to say, if you love what you are doing, fight for it.

    “You are okay, who ever says you’re not, is the biggest liar in the world.” That is one strong quotation of Mr. Boy Abunda. He said that if there is one thing that is hard in branding, is facing all the negative comments, allegations and criticisms that people might throw at you. But what is harder when you are already on top, is to maintain it.

“Branding is simply a story, and each one of us has a story to tell.” As what other successful people have gone through before reaching their position right now, everyone of us has a story, story of failures, story of downfall, story of encouragement, story of determination, and story of success. We are the story tellers, because we create the story. We decide for ourselves.

“Create the highest vision, and dream the biggest dreams.” Similar to the one that is stated in one minute entrepreneur, you have to dream big if you want to achieve something. Some people never got to have the opportunity of being successful because he dreams too small. Always remember that you become successful the minute you think of success. “You become what you believe.”

An Impossible Dream?

     In every country, poverty has always been a problem. It is the main cause of bad things that a person might do, as well as it may also cause the country’s economy to go down and decline. Ever since, it has been a major problem that different government from countries try to resolve.

Every government’s goal is to reduce poverty at all cost. That is why some government like the United States of America made their locals as their top priorities in employing them so that they could help reduce poverty by creating jobs.

In the case of the Philippines, majority of the Filipinos are from the middle and poor class while the upper class or rich are fewer. That scenario is the reason why thousands of Filipinos find jobs on other countries and work as OFWs yet it seems that thousands still starve and die due to poverty.

Now that the administration has changed, Filipinos are looking forward that the new administration might change the economy, bringing thousands of Filipino families up and reducing the percentage of poverty. The first goal of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the poverty rate from 26.5% from 2009 to 16.6% in 2015.

But do you think that the Philippine government could be able to do it when in fact that the previous government has left a lot of problems regarding the financial debt of the country? It may seem really hard. But with proper management and allocation of funds, I believe that it could surpass those targets.

Diokno said that ways on how to poverty would be the implementation and sustainment of the conditional cash transfer program, modernization of the agriculture, filling the infrastructure gaps, more foreign direct investments, population management program, revenue generation and spending prioritization.

Agriculture plays an important role in every country because majority of poor people comes from rural areas and I believe that the best way to reduce poverty in rural areas is through employment of farmers. A healthy and fast-growing agricultural sector would result to more productive farmers and more job employment that might help lessen the poverty percentage.

Infrastructure is also important in attaining proper development in the country. If a country has good infrastructures, it might also help in attracting new foreign investors that might also help in job employment. More investors mean more jobs could be created. For me, the best way to lessen poverty is through employment.

Population Management Program is very important. One main reason of poverty is because of over-population. And since the Philippines have over 85 Million people living in it, it is certain that Philippines are over-populated. The best way to control it is through Population management, being able to let the people know the different scenarios in over-population and acting upon it so that it could be lessen.

Spending prioritization is important as well. During the past administration, the biggest budget went to the national defense which I believe is not that important compared to education and health. Now that the new administration has given bigger budget to education and health, I believe that they are in the right path because education is necessary and it should always be given the priorities.

All of what Diokno said that might help in lessening the poverty is indeed commendable. I believe that the best way to reduce poverty is through proper decision-making of the government in giving priorities to. A good decision must always benefit everyone and not yourself, and that is where the Philippines are heading right now.

Through proper decision-making, it seems that Philippines might actually hit the target of having a 16.6% of poverty by 2015 after all. All it needs is to be with the proper hands.

Nothing is impossible if we stand up for what is right. It doesn’t matter how many times we fall, what matters is how we rise and learn from every single of it. Filipinos are strong, they are one of the most happiest people on Earth. After all, it is more fun in the Philippines, right?

 

Back to Basics: What is Gross Domestic Product?

Gross Domestic Product is not an uncommon term for us. Especially because we have already tackled that term during our high school economics subject, as well as in our tertiary level or college. But whenever we are asked what the real meaning of GDP is, we are still having some hard times in thinking what really it is. For all we know, it is just the measurements of all the monetary value of goods and services within the country. Aside from that, none anymore.

Thanks to the article by Tim Callen, Back to basics: What is Gross Domestic Product? I was able to understand more on what GDP is. I’ve learned the importance of GDP is that it enables each and every one of us to determine the size of the economy and if it is performing well or not. In measuring the country’s GDP, one can use the production approach, or summing up the value added or the total sales less the production cost of a production, the expenditure approach or adding up the value of the final users’ purchases, and the income approach or adding up the incomes that the production has generated. In that way, GDP of a certain country is going to be accurately measured.

As a person, we should all be aware of what is happening in our country and its economy and by being aware, it also includes whether that issue is positive or not. By knowing our country’s GDP, we can compare it to the past results so that we are most likely updated and aware if the country as well as the government running it is doing a good job or not.

Though it may sound helpful, I believe that GDP is not the over-all determinant of a country’s success. If for instance the GDP is doing badly, it doesn’t mean that the country is poor or under-developed. It can have tons of reasons. But what is important is that people are able to help each other in good and bad times. That is for me, a better determinant of a good and well-run country.

Back to Basics: What is Inflation?

How do policy makers around the world deal with inflation? Should all of these apply to the Philippines? Why or Why not?

Inflation, I believe is one of the most popular terms in Economics. It is said to occur when there is an increase in the prices of goods or services in a certain period of time. It can also be defined when there is an increase in the cost of living in a country.

Reality speaking, the certain increase in price in the country can also come from the goods’ supply right? Like for gasoline for instance, we are now experiencing some increase in the price of gasoline because of the shortage that its supply is experiencing. And in my own point of view, we also experience an increase in prices due to the different seasons. Increase in prices is also seasonal. Like for instance, the price of commodities (food, clothing, etc.) increases during Christmas season. So there are also other causes of increases in the prices of goods and services.

But basically, what is the cause of inflation in a country? Well, in the 10 principles of economics, the ninth principle states that the prices rise when the government prints too much money. But what does it mean? Well, I believe that this also explains its relation to the said Quantity theory of Money in Economics where it states that when the money supply increases, it the value of money or its monetary value goes down which also causes the purchasing power to fall.

Policymakers tend to deal with inflation in different approaches according to its cause. It means they deal with it based on the causes of inflation. For Instance, Central Banks can implement contractionary policies if the economy has overheated. It rein in aggregate demand, usually by raising interest rates.

Some central banks on the other hand, try to impose monetary disciplines by fixing the exchange rates where its currency is tied with other currency. The government as well can set directly the prices where it is called the Administrative Price-setting in order to prevent an increase in the price of goods and services.

These are some of the ways policymakers try in dealing with inflation or the uncontrollable increase in the prices of goods and services.

In the question if all of these should be applied to the Philippines, I would probably say that no, it shouldn’t. Since the Philippines is not that experiencing a big inflation in its goods and services, then there is no need for these measurements and approaches to be implemented and applied.

But if there would come a time where the country shall experience inflation in its goods and services, I guess the government should try to consider some approaches that could help lessen the inflation though I’m not suggesting that all of these approaches shall be implemented. If that so is the case, then the Philippine government, themselves should be the ones to implement their own approach in dealing with the inflation within the country but a little help from other countries could be useful.

Back to Basics: What Constitutes Unemployment?

How does the natural rate of employment or the NAIRU help in determining policies geared towards maximizing employment for most countries? Would this measure benefit the Philippines? Why or Why not?

As what everyone says, unemployment is merely one of the main causes of poverty. Basically, man needs to have a job in order for him to feed his family and without it; it would be difficult to live life. Nowadays, it is one of the needs that our government should focus more on because more and more people suffer from poverty because of it. It is said that unemployment has something to do with the economic activity where when the economy is experiencing some good growth and advancement, the employment rate within the country also rises.

Unfortunately, that is not always the situation in an economy. There would always come a time where the economy is experiencing some difficulties and problems which result to it becoming low in productivity. If that is the case, then firms and businesses also experience the same which would cause them to cut their employment and results to a higher unemployment rate. An increase in unemployment rate would result to a bigger number of people who would or can experience poverty.

The Natural Rate of Unemployment is said to be a labor market characteristics that is driven by policies which determines it.  In my own point of understanding, I believe that having such policy on employment (for example in wages) might result to a better and fair policy to everyone.

The Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment or NAIRU on the other hand, tends to capitalize on the economy where the unemployment rate would not be changed, either higher or lower. Basically, this means that the economy has already set a certain standard where the remaining percentage of unemployment can still be improved.

On the question “would the measure benefit the Philippines,” I believe so. In some way, yes it can benefit the country. Because these measures can help maximize the employment rate where the NRU could help the Philippine government set up and make some policies regarding the employment of firms or businesses in the country while the NAIRU could also be used as a point of comparison where the country’s unemployment rate would have its standard where improvements can still be implemented.

Though, in my own point of view, it is better first to have some further investigations and examines if the said measurements could help maximize the employment in the country since each of the country has its different economy where they implement different policies regarding employment. Therefore, there might still be some changes and improvements from their country that our country can implement in order for those measurements to work within our government, and economy.

 

Ending

ENDING

Ending is often misunderstood as done,

It is always thought of as opportunity forgone.

Seen as hopes and dreams a waste,

Believed as failure put to haste.

Reality has always its ending,

You’ll never know when you’re dying.

Do all the things with love,

Make yourself stand out above.

Learn to live the life of your dreams,

Push yourself harder even with the extremes.

Ending is always the start of a new beginning as they say,

So make yourself stronger than yesterday.

We might not be on the right path now,

But we will be, someday, somehow.

You need not worry with ending,

Because love is never-ending.

As long as you love what you do,

Then ending is not and will not be for you.

- An inspirational poem made by

Harley Dave Chua