SOCIETY sets standards of how we people, define “rich”. Old school definition of the rich is when you have things money can’t buy.
This is true because having love, fulfillment and goal are just some of those things that money can’t buy and that what make you rich as a person.
But what society really tells us is the rich doesn’t suffer queuing on a long line at dawn because they own a car or can afford to book a ride from Grab or Uber. You’re rich if you’re prioritized in membership of the “what-is-trendy-to-buy” club only because you have a gold or platinum credit card. A list of a lot of privileges await the rich.
In contrast, those who aren’t are members of the generation who regularly ask parents for their daily allowance. We overly rely on our parents financially to finish school so that we can find a stable job. We must earn well so we can pay back our parents for all the sacrifices and support they gave us all through these years.
Is this just as easy as it seems? No.
I am part of the Y generation who lacks privileges but I am rich. I never use being “kapos” (short) as an excuse that has nothing to do but hinder my goals in life.
Goals are free; you have to set them with no limit. The secret there is you have to know yourself because for sure deep, deep down in your inner core you have this powerful “You” who can move mountains when you’re focused. That’s the kind of a person this generation is rooting for.
I became rich by giving people the same treatment whether they have money or not. Likewise, being kind to others will never get you wrong. Pity are those who need to boast of their power just for them to receive VIP treatment. In my entire life from my toddler days, I was thought to be kind to people. And as I start my life as an adult, being genuinely kind to others brought me to VIP treatments I have never demanded.
I’m not saying you have to expect good things will happen when you try to be kind. Eventually all the good things you gave to the world will gravitate back to you for sure.
Think about it this way: living each day with purpose is a a life of fulfillment.
Also, ask yourself: How do I want people to remember me? Do you want to be remembered as the one who always have what’s trendy or as one who touched lives? I’ve chosen mine; it’s time to rethink yours.
****
CM Yaneza, 21, is a child and youth advocate of the local operations of nongovernment group Plan International Inc. The views in Yaneza’s edited column do not necessarily reflect those of the BusinessMirror’s.