#Covid19: Realizations and Hopes

Family, Life, & Marriage

By the time this post is live, it is already the middle of the week. I still live the dream that I will be able to write consistently, but as usual, life happens. 

Just two weeks ago, the world was shaken by a Pandemic. Everyone thought it’ll be only in one country, but all of a sudden, the patients multiplied globally. 

By the time it reached the country, we didn’t have enough test kits to validate whether a patient is infected or not. 

With the thoughts of being healthy and business, as usual, we just went to our lives and continued. 

And then an announcement

Metro Manila will be on a community quarantine, what does it mean? Stay indoors to avoid catching or spreading the virus. When this announced, a lot of people traveled back to their provinces. 

It was crazy seeing it on the news. Twenty-four hours later, it was Luzon wide. 

All mass transportation was canceled, stores are close, and only food establishment is allowed to operate. There are even checkpoints per city. 

The news is just crazy

LGU’s are alike in a crazy competition, almost everyone on social media signed up for Tiktok, my feed is full of memes. And it’s funny, it made me laugh and scroll endlessly. 

When companies were forced to send their employees home, the new problem began. Not all businesses can afford to pay their employees when there is no actual work. 

We started panicking and who knows what will happen next week or next month. I can even predict whether we will have food to eat. We are coping as if it is still safe, and it is still okay. 

Which made me realize so many things in life…

Cash Flow predictions are important

If you a solopreneur, it is essential to anticipate when is the next inflow or outflow of money. If you know this, you’ll be able to prepare in between. 

For an event professional like me, and if it is my only bread and butter, I need to know how much I need and to save if I will not have clients over the next coming months. 

Thankfully, I only booked events until February because I want to focus on my digital work. It was a good move. I was on time, I was lucky. 

Emergency Fund is a must-have

If you are a full-time employee, saving up for emergency funds can save you months in times of crisis like this. Some companies already let go of their employees. If you were one of them, having an emergency fund can help you sustain the daily expenses until you a new job. 

I was told to have at least nine months’ worth of my salary as an emergency fund. 

Gosh, I don’t have it. It’s a sad realization because although I have kept my job, geez, for how long? 

Multiple income streams will save you

It’s not a full-blown trend to have various jobs because we have a strict eight to five positions in the Philippines. Unless your side hustle is on retail, you can do it after a shift or on the weekends. 

This is where freelancing comes in handy, you’ll have different sources of income, and you’ll learn how to hustle the hustle. 

If you are employed, follow what Robert Kiyosaki said, find a side business, not a side job. 

Technology is a lifesaver

If this is the 1500’s where we do not have internet or stable electricity. The situation will be crazy. Now even if you are living far away, your family is one dial away. It’s unlimited that you can just leave the call open and watch each other lives. 

With technology, it is faster to invent vaccines and send medicines across the globe. We are the lucky generation where everything is accessible. 

Don’t take your loved ones for granted

When it was easy to travel to see your parents, we don’t really schedule a time to see them. So when it was announced that you may no longer go, you wanted to drive all the way somewhere to see them. 

Also, when we spend most of our time just working when this happened, everything slowed down. 

You can eat together, laugh together, watch Netflix together; all this wouldn’t happen if we weren’t forced to stay indoors. 

You are blessed

The fact that you still able to eat and have shelter, you have the upper hand. A lot of our fellow citizens cannot do this, and it sad. No matter how much we want to help them, our help is not enough to really sustain their lives. 

Life is beautiful 

It always has been. Breathing is a gift, and mother nature is our paradise. I am sure the modern world will be able to surpass this crisis. I am hoping that after this, may we not go back to our old routine where we take everything for granted. 

After this crisis, may we always find time to slow down, do our hobbies, laugh with loved ones, talk to a friend, save up for the future, and preserve nature. 

It’s not a call to be a changed person after a month of a lockdown but a more mindful you. 

Please stay safe. 

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