Tone your tummy

I read from Inquirer.net two weeks ago regarding the recent survey conducted by the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB) on what makes the Filipinos happy.

According to the survey, the factors are the following: family life – 88.5%; friends – 83.6%; religion -79.8%; love life – 79.4%; sex life -  72.6% and financial security – 68.8%. The survey shows that we are a family-oriented and friends-loving people. Unlike in America  where financial security is the no. 1 source of happiness, for us, it’s the least of all which means that we are happy despite financial difficulties. Sex life is also a source of happiness in America but for us, it’s not reallly that important compared to religion.

In terms of World Happiness Index (WHI), we are in the median compared to other countries. Our index is 6.4. The other poor country India is 6.2. Religious countries like Poland is 6.0 and South Korea is 5.8. The country with the highest WHI is Denmark at 8.2

Isn’t these interesting?

There’s always a saying that  life gives us the test first, the lessons later.  By the time, i was in my middle forties, i had experienced so many tests and survived them all. I’d taken risks,  the most of which was marriage and having children. But to really be what I want to be, I have to take even more. I have to embrace risk. The greatest risk I took was when  i decided together with my husband to retire from our stable jobs, leave our children in the Philippines and stayed here. At first, my heart  was weary and my thoughts full of “what ifs”. What if my children can’t survive without me?, what if we can”t adjust the life and weather here? what if i can’t find a job? what if we’ll be forced to go home? and many more. But risk is a funny thing. Each time you risk, it becomes easier to do. That’s because each time you go for it, it further reinforces your self-esteem and offers concrete evidence that you can indeed succeed.

Right now, our lives are at risks. My children are living their lives without parents. My husband’s job is quite risky for he works alone at night. My job is risky too because my 92 years old employer might  not wake up tomorrow. But we’re living one day at a time. I enjoined my family to believe in God’s promise in Psalm 23:6 ” Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever“. There is no turning back. We have to embrace risk knowing and believing in our hearts that risks allow us to become what we were meant to be.

Only the future will tell.