TRANSCRIPT OF EP6WELCOME TO RETIRE CONFIDENTLY!HI, IT’S IMELDA AND IN THIS EPISODE I WILL BE SHARING WITH YOU WHY AN ENTREPRENEUR MUST GIVE IMPORTANCE TO PERSONAL GROWTH. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND EVEN UNTIL THE TIME I WAS ALREADY WORKING OVERSEAS, I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT PERSONAL GROWTH IS, IN ITS REAL ESSENCE. I CAN NOW SAY THAT IT HAS A PROFOUND AND IMPACTFUL MEANING IN MY LIFE.UNTIL I STARTED TO BE IN BUSINESS IN 2015, I NEVER SAW PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT TO BE THE SECOND BIG THING TO ME, NEXT TO MY FAMILY. IN MY JOURNEY AS AN OVERSEAS WORKER, I REALIZED THAT IT IS ALL ABOUT EARNING MONEY FOR THE FAMILY, BEING GOOD AT MY JOB, FOLLOWING ALL THE RULES AND DOING WHATEVER I AM BEING TOLD DO. NOW I REALIZED THE WORST THING IS, I THOUGHT THAT I HAD ALL THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT I WOULD NEED FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT I NEEDED TO BE IMPROVING MYSELF AND KEEP LEARNING NEW THINGS TO BECOME A BETTER VERSION OF MYSELF. I WAS NOT READING BOOKS, I WAS NOT ATTENDING SEMINARS AND WORST I WAS NOT MEETING NEW PEOPLE WHO COULD TEACH ME NEW THINGS. LOOKING BACK, I COULD SEE THAT BEING AN EMPLOYEE, YOU ARE LIMITED, YOU ARE RESTRICTED. YOU INTERACT WITH THE SAME PEOPLE DAY IN DAY OUT, WEEK AFTER WEEK AND MONTH AFTER MONTH, YEAR AFTER YEAR. I NOW REALIZED THAT IF YOU KEEP LISTENING AND TALKING AND ARGUING WITH THE SAME PEOPLE AGAIN AND AGAIN NOT MUCH WOULD CHANGE, YEAH?. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU START TO EARN GOOD SALARY AND WHEN YOU START TO BUILD A LITTLE BIT OF COMFORT IN YOUR LIFE BY HAVING A HOUSE, HAVING A CAR, BEING ABLE TO SEND KIDS TO SCHOOL, BEING ABLE TO TRAVEL SOMETIMES, THEN YOU SEE THAT YOU ARE HAVING A GOOD LIFE BETTER THAN OTHER PEOPLE, THEN YOU START TO SETTLE. THEN YOU START TO ACCEPT THAT IT IS THE THE END GOAL. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT YOU DO NOT FEEL GRATEFUL ABOUT THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE AND THE BLESSINGS YOU RECEIVE, IT IS ONLY TO MAKE YOU REALIZE THAT BEYOND GETTING WHAT YOU WANT AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY, IS THAT WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT FOR YOU? IT IS THE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR OWN SELF THAT IS MOST CRITICAL. IF I DID NOT ASK MYSELF WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO IN 2010, I WOULD NOT HAVE EMBARKED ON THE JOURNEY OF BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR. THE DAY I ASKED MY SELF THAT QUESTION, IT DAWNED ON ME THAT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING MORE WITH MY LIFE THAN BEING IN A DESK JOB UNTIL I REACH 60 YEARS OLD. EVEN IF YOU ARE 60 NOW, THE QUESTION IS WHAT DO I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE I REACH 70 YEARS OLD. I BELIEVE THAT CONVERSATIONS WITH YOURSELF IS VERY POWERFUL. START DOING IT NOW. I REMEMBER TALKING TO AN INDIAN GUY WHO VISITED OUR OFFICE WHEN I WAS WORKING OVERSEAS. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS RESIGNING BECAUSE I WANTED TO OPEN A COFFEE SHOP. SO THE CONVERSATION LED ME TO SAYING THAT I BELIEVE WE SHOULD NOT STAY OVERSEAS FOR A VERY LONG TIME BECAUSE THERE ARE THINGS WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT BACK HOME. SO HE SAID THE REASON WHY WE TEND TO STAY OUTSIDE OF OUR OF OUR OWN COUNTRIES, IS BECAUSE WE SEE A GREENER PASTURE OVERSEAS, WHICH MEANS BETTER INCOME AND WE WANT TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS COMFORTABLE WITH MORE EFFICIENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS AND ALL OTHER GOOD STUFF THAT A DEVELOPED COUNTRY COULD GIVE. AND I GET THAT, I TOTALLY RESPECT THAT POINT OF VIEW. BUT AS IT IS WITH EVERYTHING IN LIFE, THERE IS GOOD AND BAD SIDE TO IT. IF WE ARE TO LOOK AT THE BAD SIDE OF IT, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? WELL, YOUR LIFE WILL BE LIMITED TO TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. AND THAT SHOULD ALSO BE ENOUGH. BUT A SOUL LIKE MINE WOULD CRAVE FOR SOMETHING MORE. I ALSO WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR MY COMMUNITY. NOT A CLICHÉ, NOT A MARKETING STRATEGY, BUT SOMETHING I HEAR FROM DEEP INSIDE OF ME. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT FILIPINOS MIGRATE OUT OF FRUSTRATION FROM WHAT’S HAPPENING BACK HOME. I KNOW THEY MIGRATE TO ESCAPE NEGATIVITY, I KNOW THEY MIGRATE BECAUSE THEY WANT A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. AND THESE ARE ALL NOBLE REASONS. BUT A SOULD LIKE MINE WOULD AGAIN ASK. IF WE ALL MIGRATE, WHO IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE PHILIPPINES? WHO IS GOING TO CLEAN OUR BACKYARD? I DO NOT KNOW WHY THOUGHTS LIKE THIS COME TO MY MIND. THOUGHTS LIKE MAYBE I CAN BRING BACK HOME THE THINGS I HAVE LEARNED OVERSEAS SO THAT I CAN CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING MY COMMUNITY BETTER. MAYBE IF I CAN LIGHT A CANDLE ONE STEP AT A TIME, MY COMMUNITY WILL BE BRIGHTER. IF I CAN TOUCH AND INSPIRE ONE YOUNG PERSON AT A TIME, MAYBE IT WILL EVENTUALLY GROW IN NUMBER AND TOGETHER WE CAN TRANSFORM A DIRTY CITY INTO A CLEAN ONE. MAYBE IF I CAN SHARE MY STORY AND EXPERIENCES, PEOPLE YOUNG AND OLD WILL GET SOME INSPIRATION TO START WITH SMALL STEPS TOWARDS HELPING NOT ONLY THEIR FAMILIES BUT ALSO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. JUST MAYBE…. I AM POSITIVE THAT THINGS WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER AND I KNOW THAT THE CHANGE SHOULD START WITH ME. THAT IS WHY I BELIEVE IN GROWING MYSELF, CONSCIOUSLY EXERTING EFFORT TO BECOMING A BETTER VERSION OF MYSELF EVERY SINGLE DAY.BY GROWING MYSELF YOU BECOME A BETTER HUMAN BEING. ...
