We can get so caught up in the everyday “busy-ness” of life that we forget to sit back and actually enjoy it once in awhile. We work so hard to give our kids the best, yet we fail to give them the best of ourselves. We stress and stress over what we don’t have instead of being truly grateful for what we do have. We slave away to “ensure” our future while forgetting to enjoy the present. And before we know it, we are living to work instead of working to live.
One reason I became an entrepreneur was to have more control over my time. True, being my own boss doesn’t mean that I don’t work, but it does mean I have the freedom to choose where and how I work. And while the financial stability of a regular paycheck would be nice, I can not put a price on the time I get to spend with my girls because I am not in a corporate office. As every parent knows, the time you have with your kids when they are this young is so short and it flies by so quickly, and I am absolutely blessed that I can spend as much time with them as I do now.
Leaving Manila a couple of years ago and settling in our new home in the beautiful city of Davao was another unexpected blessing. While Manila will always be home to me, I am fortunate that I can now also call Davao home. The development in this city is extensive (perfect for a city boy like myself!) but, at least for now, a certain “small town” charm remains. And another huge advantage that Davao has over Manila? The proximity to nature. Here, we can get to a beautiful beach within 30 minutes or a mountain top resort within 45 minutes. In Manila, we would have to brave the infamous Manila traffic for hours to enjoy such natural beauty.
So I will continue to work hard for my family, but I will not sacrifice precious time and moments with them just to accumulate more things. Afterall, when it’s all said and done, it’s the experiences with loved ones that are cherished most, and not the things that come wrapped up, no matter how pretty the wrapping paper may be.