A Simple Life.

          "Life is simple but living isn't easy". This is the premise that I have believed in ever since I was a child. If you're family is poor, everything seems expensive. It was always not enough. I had no choice back then (of course, what can a child do other than to accept the situation he's in). Don't get me wrong, I love my parents more than anything. I'm very thankful that we have always had meals three times a day and had never have to stop school. I know how hard they worked to provide for me and my brother and I will forever be grateful for everything that they have done. Everything was because of their sacrifices. And really, I just have to say, back then, others have had it harder, even worst than me. Although as far as I know, we may have lived a simple life, still everyday was a challenge.

          "Geez, I'm dead-ass poor".... Simplest most obvious reason, it's always the lack of money. If you can say that you're income is not enough to pay for the bills, well there's a big chance you might be poor. If you're family lives below the basic line, you are poor. But financial incapacity is just the tip of the iceberg. It is just the top of mind why one is poor. We have to dig deeper and find out within ourselves, what is it that makes us poor. And you know what, a lot of times when we self-assess, the things that we find hard to accept are the real reasons why. In my opinion, that is Bad Attitude.

          A lot of people are guilty of pride and self inflicted ignorance, myself included. You can be poor because you think of yourself as superior to others, thus you do not listen. You can be poor because of lack of confidence, fear is your main ingredient ergo you get stuck. And it can also be because instead of widening your perspective, you continually ignore learning new things. There are a lot other reasons why a person is poor due to bad attitude. But because of those very reasons, opportunities are missed.

          As we adapt to change and strive for success, we should also have the audacity to face life. The real world is a harsh environment. Don't you know that's why they say "It's a jungle out there."? Failures shall always be part of our lives. And no matter how much focus you exert, there will always be that "something" that ruins the picture for you. Robert Kiyosaki, a famous author/entrepreneur/investor/educator wrote in his book Rich Dad Poor Dad:

"Life pushes all of us around. Some give up. Others fight. A few learn the lesson and move on. They welcome life pushing them around. To these few people, it means they need and want to learn something. They learn and move on." 

At first, frustration sets in. And then we vent it all out. Put up our defense mechanism... But it is what you do after braving the rain that defines the value of your efforts. (You learn that you should bring an umbrella next time.)

          So how does all of these, fits into having a Simple Life? My mentors and coaches always tell me that a simple life is not having to worry about the bills. They said that a simple life is the capacity to enjoy life to it's fullest whenever and wherever you want it. It is simple if you could just eat out with your family without minding how much. It is simple if you can support the lifestyle that you wanted. A simple life is having things done the way you want them to... And I want that kind of a Simple Life. 

          OK so now you ask, "Isn't the simple life you're talking about involves having to raise your funds sky high? So how will it be simple if it involves complicated prerequisites"? My answer: Yes, it does involves having to put on more effort at the beginning. But the good thing is, the path is already laid out for you. Already there are so many opportunities available. Generations have tested all of it. The pioneering stage was over a long time ago. Everything is already in front of us. It just requires having to have an open mind and an attitude of a winner and surely, they'll start revealing themselves to you.