6 New Year’s Resolutions for Overseas Filipino Workers

1. Make saving a habit
Be able to save something first before spending on anything. It’s not necessarily how big or small the amount we save, it’s the habit of setting aside for the future. Let us learn when to spend and when not to. Sure we are homesick and sometimes need to spend to get entertained, but there are many ways we can get rid of boredom or loneliness without spending much.

Shoppers flock at the World Bazaar at World Trade Center
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravemastershun

2. Stay grounded
Even if OFWs earn more than what they used to back home, we should continue to stay humble and live simple lives as opposed to being too showy. Those who think they’re on top of the world and brandish luxury items during unnecessary times might attract robbers and burglars. Besides, we can’t predict what the future holds. Therefore it is important to stay grounded.

3. Avoid insecurity
If you have a friend who has a better paying job, working on a better looking office, on a better working terms, don’t fret and avoid being insecure. Be contented with what you have and be thankful for it. It’s not bad to aim higher but not at the expense of alienating friends or colleagues in the process. In life, we can never achieve true happiness if we bear grudges and insecurity.

4. Continue communication
Let us not forget our friends and family back home, who may have helped us achieve our dreams of working abroad in one way or another. Spend consistent amount of time weekly to talk to parents, children, wives or husbands. Call charges are not as expensive as before and there are many ways to communicate: SMS (text messages), instant messaging (Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger), Internet call (Yahoo! Messenger, Skype), in addition to traditional snail mail and telephone calls.

5. Health comes first
We only have one body and there is no replacement if in case something goes wrong. That’s why it’s a wise idea to invest on maintaining a healthy living. Take time to undergo medical check up to ensure we are in tip-top shape, regularly exercise and dump that unhealthy lifestyle (excessive drinking, smoking, unhealthy food, lack of personal hygiene).

6. Be less vulnerable to fraud
In 2010, let us be more alert to prevent being duped by unscrupulous people. This can be manifested by doing background checks before making any commitment, verify the facts and not easily falling for false pretenses. As responsible OFWs we should also be vigilant in exposing nefarious activities that in return will help others avoid becoming the next victims.

It’s hard to come up with a New Year’s resolution, let alone fulfill one. Hopefully, the resolutions proposed above would be embraced or become sources of inspiration for a more specific set of 2010 resolutions.

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