I hope today, June 7, the website of The Global Filipino Magazine (TGFM) is back as my last column has been posted only on the TGFM Facebook page. The title was ‘Supporting an entrepreneurial couple and seeing friends in Abu Dhabi’.
Thank you dear TGFM readers for accompanying me in my 51 weekly columns and today, my 52nd. I thank God for giving me the will to write every week and to the Editorial Team led by the Editor-in-Chie Ryan Namia for always accommodating my contributions.
My goal in column writing is straightforward: to inspire, encourage and empower people. I am therefore sharing some key messages from various columns:
- Be prepared with your 30-second elevator pitch. You will never know that one day when, literally, you will be inside the elevator or lift and the only one inside is the person you have been wanting to meet to achieve your dreams, may it be personal, professional, or business.
- If you are planning to get married, then prepare yourself for a life that you will need to give a lot of yourself to your spouse. If you are already married, then continue the journey of intimacy with a lot of understanding and forgiveness.
- Think of the people who have hurt you. Think also of the people you have hurt. Forgive the first set and ask forgiveness from the second set. It will be very liberating dear readers. By the way, don’t neglect to forgive yourself, too. Blessings, small and big, will eventually come your way.
- We should be safe drivers on the road. Just think of the innocent passengers and even bystanders who can become victims of reckless driving and road traffic accidents. Think of them as your loved ones. Drive safe everyone not only this Ramadan but every day.
- I treat my wife and women as having the same intellect, competencies, and potential as men. I therefore would like to declare that March 8 is not the only International Women’s Day, but it is every day.
- Be part of any Catholic or religious group wherever you are or while you are here in the UAE/Middle East. It helps a lot to have someone, a brother or sister, to talk to and to pray with and worship together. After all, prayers are always answered: Yes. Wait. No (there is something better).
- My own understanding about Integrity is that it is related to Legacy. We can only be branded as a person with Integrity once we have crossed over the afterlife. It is like the saying that ‘Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future’. How about you? How do you define Integrity as a leader and as an individual?
- Travelling is good as you have more time for yourself while at the airport and on the plane. It also gives you a broader perspective in life as you contemplate on your future while 25,000 to 35,000 feet up in the air. Happy traveling dear readers.
- “Keep the faith and entrust your journey to God. Once you get past your first few months, you’ll be fine. Once you’ve created the life you want by God’s design, you won’t even think of going back to the UAE to work anymore. You are now your own boss. It’s your chance to give back all that you’ve learned abroad and make the Philippines a better place to live in,” Jaja summarizes their reintegration journey which could also be your own story dear readers. Keep the faith, indeed.
- The journeys of these three ex-expats show that staying and working overseas do not have to be very long. All it takes is a firm decision to say ‘it’s about time’ without any hesitation or regret. Again, as I mentioned in last week’s column that it’s never too late nor too early to start preparing and saving for our eventual reintegration. All the best everyone.
- As a PR consultant, I always recommend that a press release be issued first to the mainstream media if there is no formal launching of a product, service or even a campaign. This applies, too, for a grand opening of a facility or an outlet like a fine dining restaurant. Once the press release is posted online as most newspapers and magazines have digital versions, you may then share the link on your social media platforms and corporate website. By combining these tactics, you will be able to reach the Baby Boomers, Generation X where I belong, the Millennials and Generation Z. Each generation has its own preferred platform. For me I still love to hold and read a newspaper and magazine.
- We, too, dear readers of The Global Filipino Magazine can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by taking the efficient public transport system of the UAE, specifically in Dubai. And rather than drive our own vehicles alone we can share rides or take the company-provided shuttles. There are a hundred more things we can do to protect our environment. One small act will be a giant leap to preserve Mother Earth.
I would also like to thank my wife, Rachel Salinel, for inspiring, encouraging and empowering me to write my column every week. I just wanted to contribute to TGFM whenever I feel writing, but she insisted to do it regularly which is similar with her advocacy which is ‘Journaling to Heal and Succeed’. Rachel said we need to jot down our thoughts regularly because one day when we review them, we will realize how we were able to overcome the challenges, frustrations, or disappointments which we had experienced. We will, too, realize that there is a Supreme Being guiding and helping us accomplish our dreams and aspirations.