Global Filipino

The Newsletter for Filipino Migrants and OFWs

September 2016

Volume 2, No. 2

Use Scarcity to Produce Success

When Pain Produces Prosperity
One day, I was talking to three of my mentors in one room.
All of them were incredibly wealthy.
One of them has a doctorate, the other was a college graduate, and the other one didnt even finish
college.
And then it hit me: The one with a doctorate degree was the least wealthy among the three, the second
richest was the guy who finished college, and the richest guy in the room was the one who didnt finish college.
At least in that room, it was absolutely fascinating to me that the more education a person had, the less wealthy
he was.
My friend Marx told me this story.
He attended his high school reunion. And Marx
noticed the same thing. The guys who were honor
students when they were in high school ended up
becoming professors of prestigious universities in the
Philippines and abroad. Some became managers and
efficient number crunchers for multinational companies.
In other words, they became middle class.
But some of his classmates who had lousy grades
all their academic life became successful entrepreneurs
and multi-millionaires.
Please dont show this article to your childrenor youll have a big problem in your hand! But if youre a
student, and youre reading this, no, Im not saying you should stop studying. Please finish your studies!
Heres my point: Formal education can make you a decent living. If youre aspiration is to be middle class,
formal education is your ticket to that dream.
But if you want to become very wealthy, you need more than a degree or academic prowess.
Why do some of these poor students become so successful in life? Because of a particular characteristic
My message? Dont berate yourself if youre 35 years old and dont have the required educational degrees
to climb the corporate ladder. Youve still got what it takes to succeed in life.
Even Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, didnt finish college. He spoke of this exact message
too in his books. In fact, he is trying hard to change the educational system by creating Cashflow clubs in schools
where kids play his game and learn to think in a different way.
What is this characteristic? Conviction.
I define this Conviction as

Back-Against-the-Wall Determination
My mentorthe one who never finished collegeexplained his success this way: Intelligent, educated
people have choices. If they dont like their job, they go to another one. And if they dont like that job as well,

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they jump ship and take another one. Because companies seek them out. But I had no choice. I was poor. I was
not good in school. I was kicked out of college. So I had no choice but to make my business work. It was all I had.
It didnt matter how difficult it was. I just had to make it work or I lose.
I like what he said: I had no choice.
His back was against the wall.
I now realize that this wall is very important to success.
Many kids of the very rich arent successful precisely because they dont have this wall. They have so many
options. Everything is provided for. Theyve got cars, food, gadgets, and a bunch of friends that follow them
around. Everything is easy. If they get into trouble, Daddy and his big bucks come to their rescue.
Have you heard this saying? The first generation builds the wealth, the second generation maintains it,
and the third generation squanders it. Believe me, it happens to many wealthy families.
The story is familiar. The patriarch was poor as a rat. He grows his business from a shoebox. By age 50, it
becomes an empire. His children take over and dont do badly. They maintain what he built, but dont grow it.
They have too much to lose if they risk too much. Finally, the grandkids come in. Pampered in the lap of luxury,
their hearts arent in the business. The empire dwindles, disintegrates, or is sold.
I want you to look for your wall.
What was my wall?
When I was 32 years old, I got married. I was a missionary, earning a decent salary that could pay for a
small apartment, a simple car (which was given to me), and very little else.
I knew my wife and I would have kids soon.
How could I buy a house?
How could I send my kids to school?
My family wasnt rich. My wifes family wasnt rich.
My back was against the wall.
Why? I wanted to remain a missionary for the rest of my life. That was a non-negotiable
item in my life. But the tiny salary of a missionary doesnt really grow through the years.
So I had to create my own wealth.
Added to this was another motive: my massive ministry work. I was faced
constantly with the needs of Gods people. My fantasy: That when I saw a need, Id
pull out my wallet and fund the project with my own money. Thinking about it gave me
goose bumps. It was such an exciting idea.
So I had no choice. I had to become rich on my own.
Let me ask you: Do you feel like your back is against the wall? Do you feel like
you have no choice?
If your answer is yes, then I say, Congratulations!
Youre in the right place.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

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From the EDITOR

The Best Is Yet to Come

By Joyce Roa, TRC New Zealand

I have always liked the song The Great Adventure by Steven Curtis Chapman, especially these words:
Saddle up your horses
Weve got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder
Of Gods amazing grace
Lets follow our Leader
Into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other
This is the great adventure
Life is a great adventure, I believe. Well, it has certainly been an interesting few months for me.
I shared here last month about my job transfer and how I struggled and cried over it. After a month as a
caregiver, I had stopped crying and didnt feel too much like a chicken running around without its headI could
already tell what to look for when we enter a patients room in the morning to sit him or her up for breakfast; I
now know how to use a standing hoist and a full hoist; and I have learned to bond with patients, with some even
calling me their favorite.
Then by some miracle, a door that I have been trying to enter for a while now suddenly opened. As an
event manager in the Philippines, friends in New Zealand had told me I should become a diversional therapist
(DT). A DT is also called an activities coordinator. The job provides ongoing support and development of older
peoples psychological, emotional, spiritual, social and physical needs and well-being through leisure-based
activity programs. (New Zealand has an ageing population. It is expected that by 2031, there will be over 1

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million people who are 65 years old and above, or approximately one in five people.)
I had been trying to enter that industry but had been unsuccessfuluntil now. Finally, after twists and
turns, Ill be in a job thats nearer to my experience and qualification. I dont actually become a DT right away. I
still have to go through a process of study. I think Ill have to go through three certificates to finally become one.
The good thing is that my new employer is willing to train me while I work as an assistant to a DT.
Ill soon be entering another phase of my immigrant adventure. Along the way, Ive learned some lessons
that Id like to share with you:
Humility is an ongoing lesson. You have been told, O mortal, what is good and what the Lord requires
of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). They say that
once you go abroad, you really learn to humble yourself, and its so true for me. Doors that were open for me
in the Philippines because of my background remained shut here. It didnt matter what school I studied or what
position I was able to gain for myself at work, I had to start from scratch. In the process of discouragement, I
learned to pray more, to account all my schooling, experience and skill as though nothing and just hang on to
God. Now what seemed so important before seem as nothing.
Perseverance pays off. Ive heard many stories of Filipinos abroad and some of them really amaze me
with how dogged we are as a people. For my part, what perseverance I had I gained from prayer, and from the
support of family and friends. I dont particularly feel persevering, to be honest. I have wanted to go home so
many times. It is only because of my wedding vows that I kept on. The Lord had to come in and clarify things for
me in my heart in the midst of my struggle for identity and place in this new land. In the end, even hanging on a
thread, grace and encouragement pulled me through.
It is good to be clear before leaving home. It wasnt definite on my mind that I wanted to stay abroad
when we left. A few things contributed to that: my love for the Philippines and wanting to give myself to the
Filipinos in my home country, and my identity in the Philippines. So I had to shed all of thatnot really let go
of them as much as rearrange my self-image and priorities. Then it was easier to hang on and have a new life
abroad.
Each persons journey abroad is original and special. I am grateful for where I am now because I know its
been one great adventure, and Im really happy with how God is shaping me in many areas of my life, however
painful the process might have been.
And I know that the best is yet to come!
Live to serve,

Joyce

Joyce Roa is editor of Bo Sanchez TrulyRichClub newsletters. She and her husband live in Christchurch, New Zealand. You
may connect with her through www.joyceroa.com.

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11 Symptoms of Financial Bondage

By Jun Amparo, TRC Thailand

God wants His children to be free from financial bondage. But the sad truth is that many Christians are
suffering from financial cares and concerns. It is like being imprisoned and you lose the financial freedom to
make your own decision, to manage your time, and to make future plans.
The key to financial freedom, however, is responsible money management regardless of whether you
are rich or poor.Here arethe 11 symptoms of financial bondage for you to reflectas you begin the journey to
financial freedom.
1. Excessive debt
It is okay to borrow extra money whenyou are facing anemergency situation. However, if it becomes
a vicious cycle, borrowing can create anxieties in the long run.
2. Overdue bills
Failing to meet your financial obligations such as credit card bills or utility bills is another symptom
of financial bondage. You have trouble sleeping at night because your bills prey on your mind, for
example.
3. Investment worries
You consistently think and worry about your investments, whether youput them ina rightinvestment
vehicle or not. This too is a form of a bondage.
4. Get-rich-quick attitude
You are constantly thinking about getting involved in some get-rich-quick schemes. Maybe lottery or
other forms of gambling which entices you and blinds you with promising rewards or potential high
returns.

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5. Chronic unemployment
Applying for jobs can be frustrating and discouraging if youre unemployed for many months or even
years. If you cannot find a decent job, the result isfinancial bondage.
6. Greediness
Greediness is opposite of generosity. It is characterized by intense selfish desire for wealth or excessive
acquisition of possessions.
7. Never happy with your income
Youre always unhappy and compare your income with others.
8. You want what others have
You are angry, envious or jealous of others who have enough money to pay their bills and/or who are
debt-free. You wish to have the stuff that your neighbors have.
9. Over-commitment towork
Your work is just another aspect of your life.A good indication of a balance life is that you havetime
for family, friends, community service or volunteer work, and a time to nurture your faith in God.
10. Lack of commitment to Gods work
Tithes and offerings are expressions of your faithfulness to God. However, due to misusing of
wealth,your prayer life and spiritual experience with God suffers. Therefore, Gods work is no longer
a priority.
11. Financial resentment
Bitter indignation and thinking that God is not fair to you is another symptom of financial bondage.
Consequently, you blame God or other people for your financial condition.

Conclusion
God is the owner of everything and He entrusted you to manage your resourceswisely as a faithful steward.
This is the central issue. Do not expect to get out of financial distress andproduce a positive outcome if your
mindset and attitude towards material blessing hasnt changed.
Figuring out the best choices to escape from financial bondage may seem overwhelming yet you need
to take an action and pray earnestly. The way out is to get closer to God, learn what He says about biblical
stewardship, then seek help from a professional Christian financial advisor.
If you begin managing your material possessionsreasonably, they can be a source of tremendous blessings
not just to you but to others. Remember, God wants you to prosper.
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,even as thy soul prospereth
(3 John 2, KJV).

Jun Amparo is an OFW currently working as a school counselor in an international school in Thailand. He is the
founder of Richly Blessed Today, a blog about personal finance and investment. Please visit www.richlyblessedtoday.
com to read more of his blogs and articles.

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Online Learning Sites that Can Help

OFWs with Business
By Tina Santiago Rodriguez, TRC Philippines

Are you based abroad, working hard to support your loved ones yet, at the same time, also dream of
starting your own business? Or maybe you already have a business but hope to level it up, especially since youre
living overseas? Or are you just looking for business-related tips online?
If you answered yes to any or all of the questions above, youre reading the right newsletter! Weve
rounded up a list of websites that will surely be helpful to all the aspiring, newbie or seasoned entrepreneurs out
there. From business management, entrepreneurship, marketing, and more, these sites are a virtual treasure
trove of learning:

1. EdX
EdX is a free site that offers more than 300 courses, covering many
different topics like Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer? and
Financial Analysis and Decision Making. There are even courses from premier
academic institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cornell,
and Columbia University.
Furthermore, EdXs search bar allows you to discover courses by school,
subject or topic, so it is easier for you to start learning what you want to in just a few seconds. Whether you just
want to brush up on business-related skills or add to your skillset, EdX is a great site to get you started.

2. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is probably one of the most well-known free learning resource
sites out there. Its creators objective? To provide everyone anywhere in the world
with access to education in math, science, art, technologyand more. So basically,
as long as you have an Internet connection and a computer or other gadget that
allows you to access the world wide web, you will be able to learn all sorts of things
via Khan Academy!
The courses on Khan Academy include interactive exercises to help students
apply their education in practical ways. You may discover, though, that many of the
courses are more suited for high school students. However, there are still courses
that can serve as refresher courses for you, like those on taxes and accounting.

3. MIT Open Courseware

This page on the MIT official website offers actual courses taught at MIT. You can
learn about statistics and probability, and even animal behavior anytime, anywhere.
MIT even put together an entrepreneurship pagethat lists available courses that are
beneficial to new business owners, among which are courses on Early State Capital
and The Software Business.

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4. Coursera
Similar to MITs Open Courseware, Coursera provides free courses from 114
educational partners, among which are Johns Hopkins University, the University of
Michigan, and Stanford University.
The courses provided are very specific, and are a perfect fit for specific niches,
such as Data Management for Clinical Research from Vanderbilt University and
Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace from the University of
Maryland. Due to its vast network of partners, you have more courses to choose
from.

5. ALISON
This online learning platform offers free courses from
top publishers like Google, Microsoft, and Macmillan. Course
topics include supply chain management, economic literacy,
personal development, HR practices,and business/enterprise
skills.
With ALISONs well-curated content, you will find learning or brushing up on your skills an easy and efficient
process.
The aforementioned websites are just some of the sites online today that can help you as an entrepreneur.
If you feel like you need more references or resources, just google best free learning websites for business and
you will be on your way to expanding your business know-how.
References:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238908
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-free-online-learning-resources-2015-3

Tina Santiago Rodriguez is a Catholic wife and home educating mom by vocation, and awriter and editorby
profession. She also gives talks on topicslike parenting, homeschooling, family life, faith-based personal finance,
and inspired living, and is currently working on herfirst book. Tina also hosts The TrulyRich Mom Show, an
online TV show that airs on Bukal.TV and YouTube. Connect with Tina through her blog (TrulyRichandBlessed.
com) or on Facebook (facebook.com/trulyrichandblessed), Twitter (@tinasrodriguez) and Instagram (@
tinasrodriguez).

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Dont Just Work Hard on Your Job

Work Hard on Yourself
By John Boquiron, TRC Australia

I found out that 90 percent of people, including me, work very hard. We work overtime, stay late at night
doing assignments, projects and trying to meet deadlines. But at the end of the day, its always the same thing:
work hard, earn, then spend it all. It is a perpetual cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. I may expect to be
promoted and to get a raise, but no matter how I work hard, my life will still be the sameI will still be poor.
One day I stumbled on Jim Rohns book, 7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness. This is what he said: Dont
work hard on your job, but instead work hard on yourself. This means that you should strive to develop, to
improve, to seek for knowledge upgrade and to add more skills. And I figured out why from Benjamin Franklin:
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

Invest in Yourself
Investing in yourself is the first philosophy that I value the most. I must invest my time to seek knowledge
if I want to grow and improve my lifestyle. To have more time and freedom. To learn additional skills, to leverage
my time and resources. To explore other possibilities.

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I thought before that the lack of resources is one of the major reasons why many people, including me,
are poor and stuck in life. I found out that the real problem is not the lack of resources, but because of not being
resourceful.
So it is important to invest in the things that will improve your knowledge, that will increase the amount
you earn. Here are several things that I did:
1. Buy books about personal development and business management;
2. Download audio books, free podcast and MP3;
3. Subscribe to free blogs like Money Lifeblood, Born to be Rich, and Millionaire Act;
4. Read good articles from magazines about money and investment;
5. Watch YouTube videos on topics that are related to my subject of interest;
6. Attend a free or paid webinar. Attend live seminars;
7. Join a social group with the same interest and passion, like the TrulyRichClub;
8. Find a mentor or accountability partner;
9. Expand my network.
According to Bruce Lee, If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will
spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay
there. You must go beyond them.

Upgrade Your Skills

Its a great advantage if we upgrade and have two or more skills. Learning other skills makes us very
attractive in the marketplace. What Ive learned from others is that communication, and competence are other
forms of skills that can increase your income and change the direction of your life.
Over a period of time, I learned these two skills which I used to attract customers so that I could earn
additional income that paid for my credit card debts. Another miracle that happened to me was in getting a job
in a company from the Land Down Under (Australia). They needed a skilled technician. More than a hundred
skilled technicians were pre-selected for an interview with the employer. I was the one hired and it dramatically
changed my income.
Other skills that might interest you are photography, getting and selecting people, becoming an author
(like mejust kidding). You can also learn about becoming a technical manager, a personal coach or trainer and
educator, a financial advisor or financial planner, entrepreneur MLM, or an investor.
Heres how to add more skills, and apply what youve learned: Enroll in a short course, attend seminars,
and listen to audio books. All these can massively grow your knowledge. We can learn from others about their
success stories and most importantly, learn from their mistakes.

John Boquiron is an OFW based in Australia. He left the Philippines with P20,000 to his name, money he borrowed to bring to the Middle East. Today, he has more than P1 million in investments. This article is an excerpt
from his book, An OFWs Journey from Poverty to Abundance: 8 Steps on How You Can Save, Invest and Retire
a Millionaire. You may get in touch with #238-3176 (landline) or #0977-4439132 (mobile) in the Philippines to
get hold of his book.

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