On Unity, Liberty and Charity

Adapted from Miracles, the official publication of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Chaplaincy, West Visayas State University Medical Center, vol. II, 39.
Our life and faith challenges us to be ready to experience tough things and not just peace and tranquility. It even means quarrel and misunderstanding within our homes and families. Living a straight and dignified life demand openness to cruel encounters beyond just sweet talk and friendly communities. There is no better way to become better humans than to confront tensions that arise and learn the hard lessons in life. St. Augustine has enlightening thoughts about this reality: “In essential things unity, in nonessential things liberty, in all things charity.”
Liberty
Diversity is a fact in society. We are different from each other and since choice is the very essence of man’s dignity, oppositions and contradictions will be at the crossroads of our mission. Many will not approve of what we do and there will always be disagreements in our point of view. But St. Augustine’s words are gentle reminders that there are differences that we have to let go because they are trivial matters. According to William Coffin: “Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a society to be without.”
Unity
In the midst of divisions, where do we stand? Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” In essential things, in means we have to go beyond the petty things differences but instead focus on life changing reasons. This will never be defined by how deep the unity is but rather how noble he causes are. Thieves could be excellently united but this does not make the objective admirable. The true essence of unity means having the guts to go against the pressures of the majority and the resolution to withstand the compelling voices of the loud and the rowdy. It is about having the spirit that will awaken our commitment to hold on and keep our courage and dedication despite the high stakes and unfavorable odds. It is to confront division with truth and battle malevolence with goodness.
Charity
One adage puts that love conquers all. In all things charity means being guided by love in every decision that we make. In his book The Prophet, Khalil Gibran writes: “When you love you should not say ‘God is in my heart,’ but rather, ‘I am in the heart of  God.’” True love is all about the willingness to die for the beloved. The blindness of the lover which we casually converse about is not about poor judgment but rather a perspective that we fail to see as spectators

10 Practical Quotes to Achieve Financial Freedom

Do you feel like it's really impossible to straigthen up your finances? Is saving money really that difficult? Is planning for your future making your stressed? Don't worry. It's fine. Set your mind straight to your goals, focus on your dreams of a financially-stress free life and you'll end up achieving financial freedom. Check out our 10 practical quotes to achieve a life of bounty and financial bliss.

"A big part of financial freedom is your heart and mind free
from worry about the what-ifs of life." - Suze Orman

Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Four quotes from Warran Buffett

Money can't think and decide if it wants to be
good or evil... People do.

Start each day with a grateful heart.

Keep calm it's your payday. (It's OK to) Do
your happy dance and amp-up
your financial future!

If you don't build your dream, someone else will hire you to build theirs.

Too many people buy things they don't need with money
they  don't have trying to impress
people they don't even like.

Free yourself from debt today.

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work another day.

The Independent Contractor: It’s All About Financial Freedom and Professional and Satisfaction in Freelancing

What's inside the mind of a freelancer?
Infographic: mediameerkat.com

There are over 16 million independent workers in the US today. More than 20 million are forecast to join the freelancing workers before 2013 ends.

Alternative workers accounted for $626 billion in personal income in 2010 or about $1 in every $8 earned.

Who are these freelancers?

47 percent of them are male, 53 percent female; 48 percent or over 7.78 million are gen x-ers; 30 percent or almost 4.75 million are baby-boomers; 12 percent or nearly 1.9 million are gen y-ers; and 10 percent or roughly 1.5 million are matures.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 82 percent of independent contractors prefer an independent or alternative work arrangement to being an employee; 9.1 percent would prefer an employment arrangement.

5 Steps To Achieve Financial Freedom

Financial freedom is within your reach! Image: Ironshield.ca

Financial freedom doesn’t come easily. It comes with hard-work, discipline and the determination to break free from the trappings of materialism. Most of us are dissatisfied with our income and want to earn more.

Sure, there’s nothing wrong with working hard to earn more. But truth is, most of the time, it’s not our income that’s the problem. It’s how we actually spend it! And if we don’t know how to properly manage the money we have, then we can expect to tread the path of financial stress.

Whether you’re earning a five or six-figure sum in one month, if your lifestyle inflates together with your paycheck, you’re still in serious trouble! The key is changing the mindset.

The Faithful Servant: Inspiring Thoughts About the Employer and the Employee

Adapted from Miracles, the official publication of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Chaplaincy, West Visayas State University Medical Center, vol. II, 38.


Image: GetaCoder.com

The relationship of the master and the servant is very crucial in getting things done. In any organization many success stories could be attributed to the quality of service born out of this connection. We hear many stories of kindhearted masters and good for nothing servants or cruel bosses and faithful employees. Indeed, it is a very complex reality that demands a thorough examination and profound reflection that instead of confronting the “who’s to blame” dilemma we rather try to examine our roles because we can be both the master and the servant.

Character

Character is about doing the right things even if no else is watching. It is about the consistency in us with or without the peering eyes of others. We will be defined not in the presence of the crowd but it ins absence. The cliché about the cat and the mouse is proven in the different levels of the working environment. We want to please those who are at the upper level of the bureaucracy but climbing the corporate ladder could also be short lived because ability may get us to the top. It really takes character to keep us there.

4 Ways to Effective Web Content Writing

Image: Money Diver

There are a host of jobs available for someone who wants to parlay a career into the field of freelance online writing. If you have the creativity to weave words into thoughts, if you have at least the basic grammar skills, and eye to spot and edit errors, then, thousands of long-term jobs and short-term gigs are awaiting you. But not everyone who wants to build a career as an online writer is lucky enough to withstand the competition and the great demands of scrutinizing clients. It’s a tough world out there, too! So how do you make sure that you deliver the quality article that will wow your clients and your readers? Read on and find out.

1. Master the skills of writing

Writing isn’t for everyone. If you can speak spontaneously, that doesn’t mean you could write spontaneously as well. But don’t worry writing is a skill that you can hone. Make it a habit of scribbling words into thoughts. Start by writing an article of 300-400 words every day. Schedule a time when you feel like you’re really conditioned to do so. It’s difficult for a starter, but once you get hold of it, you’ll find it easy to compose one. Sooner or later, you’ll be surprised to know you can actually write 3, 4 or even 5 pages every day.