In my 70 summers, the most important lesson I learned is that I should have been in business a lot earlier.
Being in business, no matter what the size of your venture, is liberating. In so many ways and from so many shackles. From petty financial worries. From stress that leads of sickness. And yes, from tyrants and assholes in the management totem pole that look down on you when you are in the lower rung of the ladder.
This must be the reason why even immensely successful professionals end up putting up their own business enterprises. The satisfaction that one gets from one’s own business is a lot more fulfilling than all the performance and loyalty awards one gets from being just an employee.
The smartest guys I met in my life were not the PHDs, but the businessmen who are practical people. They’re quick in springing to action if the situation calls for it, instead of wasting time in trying to arrive at so-called rational decisions. Procrastination is not in the vocabulary of successful businessmen.
And yet, they can be the most patient of men. They don’t quit after failing, as they regard failure as opportunity to learn and an inspiration to do better next time.
It is said that Col. Harland Sanders, founder of the delicious Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), failed 2,000 times before succeeding. Too bad, I chickened out from a scheduled hospital bedside interview with the Colonel when I was with the Louisville Courier Journal in August, 1980. I could have clarified the many myths about him.
In the local scene, I think most of the above are personified by Ferdie Maranon of Sagrex, Boni Tan, past president of the Davao City Chamber, and Vic Lao of the Mindanao Business Council, to name just a few I know.
One other thing about successful businessmen is that most of them are health-conscious. That’s why they live longer than those who are given to vices. Most of my childhood buddies and colleagues in work who smoked, drank like a fish and savored the good life in the day and night clubs like there was no tomorrow expired before reaching 60.
In contrast, many of the past presidents of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. died in their late 70’s, mid-eighties, or early nineties –Ed Madrazo, Joe Sevilla, Aster Uybuco, Pete Durano, Manuel “Nonoy” Garcia are some of them.
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Philamlife, the country’s leading insurance company in net income, net worth and assets, has come up with a cool advocacy –healthy lifestyle.
One doesn’t have to be a Philam Life client to avail himself of the fun and opportunity get rewards involved in the advocacy.
Ms Charito Haosen Azarias, unit manager in the sales agency force of Philam Life in Davao, healthy lifestyle is promoted in addition to the firm’s earlier advocacy on savings- and investment- consciousness.
“We want to tell the people that there is a correlation between financial wealth and physical health,” said Ms Azarias who has been with Philam Life for close to 20 years now.
An individual needs discipline and planning to achieve both, and that one is not truly financially well-off if all the money he accumulates in work, business or practice of a profession, only goes to medicine and management of his life-threatening diseases.
And yet achieving one’s health and wellness is not necessarily expensive. No need to enroll in a gym or purchase costly exercise equipment, says Chato.
One who wants to remove and extra pound earned from overeating last Christmas actually have a lot of choices.
“Like eating camote instead of French fires and other junk food; walking instead of riding a car if the destination is near; or scaling the stairs instead of using the elevator,” she said.
Indeed, we are empowered to make healthy choices in our daily activities and food intake without extra cost on our pocket. Yes, choices between starchy food and fibrous food, whole wheat and brown bread.
To make acceptance of the advocacy more fun and rewarding, the company has launched Philam Life Vitality app, which anybody can download and use for free.
The app would track one’s health activities and then he gets rewarded like a movie pass for a milestone of 250 points in one week and other perks offered in the Philippines and other parts of the world where Philam Life’s sister companies operate.
Ms Azarias said that the app is even capable of knowing one’s vitality age, by asking his or her activities. You might just be 40 years old, but your vitality age is 60, if you’re not moving enough or not eating the right food.
Of all what Chato said, I like the following the most:
“There are five things that we should be very mindful everyday. First is our food intake. Second is enough water intake. Third is enough amount of sleep. Fourth is physical activities. And five is financial wellness.
People should manage their finances well to avoid stress which is usually the beginning of many kinds of sickness.
