Being on lockdown for more than a month now, virtual meetings have become the new normal for many of us. Personally, I have at least one online meeting every single day!
Recently, Insular Life held a digital learning session as part of the 2020 Trail to MDRT Summit entitled "Staying Positive and Productive During Lockdwon." The speaker was Bro. Arun Gogna who happens to be one of my favorite preachers from The Feast, my spiritual family.
One part of his talk was about HUNGER, which is our compelling reason for pursuing our dreams even when we have already fulfilled them.
Personally, when I began my financial journey in 2013, tired of being broke and living paycheck to paycheck, my ultimate dream was simply to be able to quit employment and pursue my passion as my profession. With the help of side hustles, having mentors, and slowly building a solid financial house payday after payday, I was able to resign from my job in 2018 to be a full time InLife Financial Advisor.
Enjoying doing purposeful work while having time for my family, especially my very young kids, and being paid to do it, every paycheck felt like a bonus. On top of that, I am also blessed with a supportive husband who provides beyond our needs and gives our wants. As I share with a friend, with the simple yet comfortable life that we have now, I am happy and content, even while I work at a "petiks" pace.
The question I ask myself is, "What do I aim for next, now that I have ticked off my personal goal and filled my own hunger?"
The answer was what Bro. Arun Gogna shared in his talk. He said, "Make your hunger bigger by including the hunger of others."
And with the number of people that "others" actually include, and thinking about their needs, that hunger will never be filled. After all, life is not just about us and our unlimited wants, right? I believe God made us for bigger things.
In line with this, I was browsing through my FB wall and came across a "Pledge A Plate" program by a big company, saying that we can donate food for frontliners. I initially thought of participating here.
Incidentally, I have a friend who owns a restaurant in Pasig City, Senor Paco. Knowing that they resumed operation since Easter Sunday, I asked if they can take care of the delivery in case I donate money to order food packs for frontliners. I live in Tarlac City and I have never used the Grab app. It is also my way of helping their business during this pandemic. My friend replied with a grateful yes and even told me that the total amount I will be donating will be used for the food, and that they will shoulder the delivery expenses. Wow! That was a definite win - win - win situation for everyone.
Why?
1. We get to help feed the frontliners.
2. Additional sales for their business.
3. I get to donate hassle-free!
Last Monday, around 11:00 in the morning, I messaged my friend saying, "Ikaw na bahala sa deliveries today, okay?" He replied, "Deliveries done." Wow again! He later sent me the photos below. What happened that day was a simple gesture, yet filled with a lot of "THANK YOU's," and honestly, I cannot be happier. My friend is happy, too, because we were able to help. I even told him that I need to work harder so that we can do this again, and do it more often.
Final Word
Let me share with you one of my favorite key messages from a book I read before, "Hey, Is That Really, Really You, Lord" by Rey Ortega.
It says, "When one surrenders his life totally to God, the calendar loses its significance. I know. The calendar is now irrelevant to me. Retirement in winter? Not for me. Retiring is an insult to God who has blessed me with a heart that keeps on beating for the dreams and hopes of others."
Being on lockdown literally makes us lose track of what day it is. But aside from that, may this lockdwon also remind us to enjoy the simple things in life that we used to overlook in the past -- like spending time with friends and family, being able to hug them, being close to them (no social distancing required), among many others. More importantly, may this lockdown teach us that there are a lot of people who needs our help, and we can reach out to them even in small ways.
As a line from a prayer song played this morning in another meeting says,
"What if trials in this life are Your mercies in disguise."
Be very blessed!
P.S. If you may want to consider donating food for frontliners in Pasig, you may visit the Senor Paco FB page by clicking the link.
P.S. If you may want to consider donating food for frontliners in Pasig, you may visit the Senor Paco FB page by clicking the link.
