I was not born from a rich family nor a jobless set of parents.

But, I grew up in a neighborhood surrounded by poverty. When I was a kid I still ate 3 times a week and even attended a private school. I did not know poverty back then. Then, my family hit rock bottom in terms of finances just before my 11th birthday.

I experienced poverty. I had to walk an hour to go to school. I could not afford the food my classmates buy in the cafeteria. I mostly had thrifted or hand-me-down stuff. We could not afford to get our house fixed – and in a country that gets typhoons with heavy rains, every year we would have dripping water inside our house, get anxiety because the typhoon may destroy our house or we would have to evacuate somewhere because of flood.

And then I wrote in my journal: I wanted to own a new house for my family that is at least not situated in a flood-prone area. A goal I thought I could get with a simple job after college.

I studied because admittedly I believed the classic saying that it will give you good fortune.

I worked while I was studying so I can have extra money to help my family’s finances. But, we were still struggling a lot. Always anxious whenever a family member got sick.

If you grew up in a place surrounded by extreme poverty, your mindset will be simple. You will just want to eat in a day and not get sick. My goal was to finish school and get a job. Because my thinking was we struggled and survived long enough so why do I have to raise the bar and struggle for more? I did not dream big back then. I became scared of making a mistake because I could not afford to lose my job.

I graduated. I got a job enough to pay the bills and help my parents. But I grew up scared of going out of my comfort zone and make mistakes because I could not afford to not have a job even for a week especially that we pay a lot of medical bills every week and my parents stopped working already! I feel like at that point I was contented being able to help in the bills and provide our basic needs.

Then, my contract in my job was about to end. There was an internship offer abroad but no assurance of me having a job after 8 months there nor in the Philippines. It was both scary and exciting because for the longest time a tiny speck of dust like me would be able to experience the vastness of the universe.

That time I had to make a decision – to jump off the cliff without a parachute. It was a move without any back up plan nor someone to pick me up if I get to crash myself into pieces. I had zero savings and an ounce of optimism in my heart.

But, that jump was the decision that CHANGED MY LIFE drastically. It gave me an opportunity that I never thought I could possibly have. It was not easy though. I still need to work hard on myself to have a better mindset and get things done very well.

Although I am not rich yet, I can say that I am now in a better place as well as my family.

I am debt free. I have my own car. I can buy food I crave. I have stuff that I bought brand new. Although I do not own a house, my apartment is located in a place that is not flood prone and has no dripping roof and can thrive strong winds. I am experiencing a new life I never imagined in my wildest dreams possible.

I still have a long way but I am confident now that all the decisions I made brought me to where I am now ,and it is truly fascinating to see the growth I have made and I will make in the future.

Going out of our comfort zone is never easy but it will be worth it in the long run.