The beginning of every year signifies the closing of a chapter and entering a new one. January 1 – the start of a new year, the start of fresh beginnings, the “reset button.” It is like hitting a reset button back to the starting point.
Most people see every first of January as the time to redeem themselves. It is viewed as an opportunity to start anew and improve upon previous shortcomings. “New year, new me” as the famous line says.
One common practice during this time is creating a New Year’s resolution list, where people write down the things they want to improve about themselves.
Save more, work hard, and have a healthy lifestyle – these are the top three New Year’s resolutions that came out from the online poll posted by The Filipino Times.
New Year’s Resolution #1: SAVE MORE
Luzminda Taran – a mother, a breadwinner, and an Overseas Filipina worker for 12 years –shared that she wants to save more money in order to sustain the needs of her family – especially the education of her child.
She is planning to open a business in their province so she will be able to save up and go home for good. She shared that the child was still 6 months old when she left the Philippines. Now, the child is already a teenager.
“Mahirap pero kailangan tiisin ang pangungulila dahil ako ang tumutulong sa parents ko,” she shared in an interview with The Filipino Times.
This 2024, Luzminda vows to be more thrifty.
“As much as possible, iwasan mangutang. Mag budget at unahin lang ang mga pangangailangan para makapag ipon,” she added.
One of the users commented that it’s good to have savings while still working in the UAE.
“We will not work here forever,” he said.
“Nasa huli palagi ang sisi, marami na akong nakita ditong mga dating OFWs na walang naipon kahit isang singkong duling, iyakan talaga sila kasi their future is dim in the Philippines,” he added.
Another user, who identified herself as an OFW for 7 years, mentioned having no savings.
She said, “Sa sobrang kabaitan ko, inaabuso na at umuwing walang dala at walang ipon kundi puro resibo. Kaya nasa Pinas na walang-wala at namulubi.”
New Year’s Resolution #2: WORK HARD
Living and earning money in a foreign country can surely be challenging at times. Most of the users in the comment section of the poll shared that in 2024, they will work harder.
OFWs are often praised for their hard work. See this article for example, wherein a Filipina was awarded with the prestigious Emirates Labour Market Award by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), along with AED100,000.
This hardworking Filipina persevered which led her to receiving a prestigious award from her host country. Just like her, other OFWs can also seize different opportunities and/or awards through hard work.
Aside from working harder, the OFWs also strive to “focus on their goals.”
New Year’s Resolution #:3 HAVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
One of the goals of the OFWs this 2024 would be to have a healthy lifestyle. As the famous line goes: “Health is wealth.”
At 40 years old, Luzminda shared that she needs to be health conscious in the coming year as she is already in the age where she experiences different kinds of pain in her body.
“Maging maingat na sa mga kakainin at importante talalga yung may sapat na tulog, iinom nga maraming tubig daily, kakain ng prutas, veggies at sabayan ng exercise,” she shared.
She added that she needs to lose fat because of her hypertension as she has been consistently taking medication for over seven years to manage the condition.
“Kailangan fit ang katawan di para maging sexy lang but para maging healthy and strong kasi katulad sa nature ng work ko, bilang housemaid need talaga maging strong and healthy palagi, lalo na at may anak at pamilya akong naghihintay sa akin sa Pinas,” she concluded.
Another user shared that he wants a healthy mind and body “para magampanan ang dapat magampanan.”
“Manalig lang palagi sa poong Maykapal na lagi niya tayong gabayan sa lahat ng ninanais pa natin sa Buhay habang nandito pa tayo sa ibang bansa,” he commented on a post by The Filipino Times.
