Our finances are the main issue today in the family. We
are buried in debts and our savings are constantly depleting. Real talk here:
I, myself, have nothing left in my bank account but a few hundred pesos; and to
be honest, it scares me. The threat of emergencies which I would need to spend
on haunts me.
That’s why I decided to brave the possibilities and stray
away from my comfort zone. I have chosen to take the path of a freelance person
long ago; and I thought that it’s about time that I begin to put more emphasis
on it. So to cut the story short, I decided to work on three jobs at a time.
This is suicide, you say? No. I see it more as a
blessing.
I am a writer. I am a layout designer. I am a business
woman. That means I’m working on my three dreams all at the same time. What’s
better is that I’m earning because of it, and nothing beats that.
Let’s be frank. My regular salary from my main job is not
that small. It’s quite at par with typical office employees in the Philippines.
From it alone, I can pay the bills and give my mom enough to get us through
the whole month. Sometimes, I can even manage to buy myself some treats from my
favorite restaurants or from Nature Republic.
But you see… I don’t want to get contented with that. Am
I getting ironic? Just a few days ago, I have written about the Art of Contentment and now I’m saying I don’t want to stick with my salary. Hmm. How
do I explain this without sounding so obscure and stupid?
My salary is enough, yes. But I have bigger dreams which
I need to fulfill. To do so, I need to earn more. Funny how they say money can’t
buy you happiness, right? But the thing is - it can bring you there. Yes, I’m
speaking about my lifetime dream of going to South Korea. In order to obtain a
visa, I need proofs that I can support myself there financially and that I’ll
come back to the Philippines and not hide there for good. That’s why I have
decided to venture into a business which I hope we could register soon. That’s
also why I’m eager to meet people who I can work for officially here in the
country.
I bet you’re all now thinking that it was such a childish
dream. Well as much as I want to disagree, I won’t; because that’s your
opinion. So let’s just move on. Haha.
Aside from the ‘Korean dream’, I have always wanted to
give gifts to my family. And having ‘just enough’ salary won’t let me do that.
I want to buy them whatever they want. I want to bring them to places. I want
to show them, particularly my parents, that they did their parenting jobs well
on me. I want to be someone they can be proud of – not because I buy them
stuff, but because I have managed to get to the position I dream of without
help from people who expect me to beg them for assistance.
This is pride talking, perhaps; but I think everybody
really does resort to the hidden pain inside their hearts to keep themselves
motivated. I have my fair share of it, of course, and I am using that positively
to succeed in life.
Having several jobs at the same time is not easy. I have
to begin work at 8AM and finish everything by 6. I give myself two hours (at
most) so I can go back to my computer and work on another set of tasks from
another employer. In between those writing sessions, I will rest my mind by
facing Photoshop for my design tasks. Sometimes, I manage the blogs which I
handle for additional revenues.
During weekends, I would either spend the whole day in
front of the PC and work like it’s an ordinary weekday; or I would be out with
my team mates, doing the business we were contracted to do. If I’m lucky,
everything will be finished by Saturday and I’ll have my Sundays for rest.
It’s tiring, I know. But it’s fulfilling for me. Maybe it’s
just how I look at things? But it really does allow me to expand my boundaries.
I’m never comfortable with getting out of my comfort zone; so the only thing
left to do is to turn all places I go to into my sanctuary.
I’ve always loved learning new things and having three
jobs at a time lets me experience that. I get to understand the techniques and
importance of the different values of life; and that’s probably the second best
thing that this set up gives.
I’ve mentioned it before. Life isn’t easy for me, but I’ve
learned to cope up against its challenges. And frankly speaking, though I stand
no chance, I am determined to win.
