Everyday is a new adventure for me. My life today is so different from my life last year. I guess you can say that I ‘re-engineered’ my life, really.

As I was sifting through my messages, I was reminded of the changes I made in life by an article written by Nido Qubein.  Here’s an excerpt: “When corporate leaders decide to re-engineer the corporation, they don’t just set out to improve the present system. They set out to create an entirely new system. When you set out to re-engineer your life, you’re not just improving your present circumstances. You’re creating a whole new set of circumstances, in keeping with your vision of what life should be. Harvard Business Review compares it with the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.”

Leaving the corporate world was not an easy decision for me, it took me a long time consulting a lot of people and a lot of prayer before I was able to make such a big change in my life. I wrote about that life-changing process in a blog months ago, just in case you want to read it, click here.

Things have really changed for me and constantly changing for me. Being an independent has both advantages and disadvantages bu but I chose to focus on the advantages. I’d like to think that my jump was a natural evolution for me and I have no regrets for making that decision. I must admit that there are times that I am a bit anxious especially when it comes to money issues, I suppose that comes with the territory as a free-lance person. However, I just need to remember myself that I am plugged into the source of hope, the source of prosperity and the source of life itself — then the feeling of anxiety becomes a feeling of excitement.

Let me tell you about the pros and cons of my ‘re-engineering’.

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CONS :

1) Income flow — not all weeks are the same, there are good and not so good weeks. There are weeks that I get a lot of work while thre are weeks that I got no work, paid work at least.

2) Corporate benefits — this is something I probably miss the most. Medical insurance, allowances, bonuses, etc.

3) Co-workers — I miss my colleagues a lot. I’ve forged very good relationships with my colleagues and not seeing them as often is something that I miss. The chatting over coffee, strategic meetings, consultations — ahhh, great memories.

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PROS:

1) Time — do I need to elaborate further? I love the freedom to have more liberated approach to time management. These are small enjoyments that I relish — not getting up too early is one of them!

2) Opportunities — my being an independent opened up a lot of new doors for me to consider, particularly business. With partners, I find myself getting into more diversified endeavors. I’m into many things now like marine aquarium store, laminate distributorship, hologram projection business, and more. Further, I am seeing more opportunities for me in my main line of work, Personal Finance — this blog site is a testament to that. I also got to do more work for the Registered Financial Planner Institute and opened up more doors for them as well. There’s a cable talk show in the works for me; a road-show for OFWs; new websites (earn.ph, scholltalk.ph, etc.) and then some more… all blessings from above indeed.

3) Income — this is a direct result of time and opportunity. I am really excited for this — goals have timelines and ‘dreams have deadlines’ (originally heard from Rex Mendoza of Ayala Land).

4) Family — I really enjoy my family more and more. Erly De Mesa (of Sun Life), a mentor of mine once told me that when in comes to family, quality is equivalent to quantity. I find enjoyment in my increased role in the lives of my children — picking the girls from school, reading the bible with the boys, preparing dinner for them, running errands for my wife… and yes, even laundry! I now have more time to not only date my  wife but to also date my kids! I just hope my teeanaged kids will have time to date their Dad, haha!

5) Relationship with God — this is perhaps the biggest advantage of all. When I left corporate, I also left the security it brings. I have learned to trust God more and more  be reliant of His grace. After forging a personal relationship with Christ, I needed to let Him take control of my life… and I am sure glad I did.

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This blog is not a call for people to leave their job and be an independent. We all have our calling and regardless of where we are, we can live a victorious life if we are connected to the source of life. However, this is a challenge for us to look at change in a different light. Let us not be afraid to re-engineer our life, make a new you… a better you. I like to look at life in the context of a caterpillar. When a caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis, he becomes a butterfly — a butterfly is not an improved caterpillar, a butterfly is a totally new creature!

Apostle Paul probably best described what re-engineering is really about… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” — 2 Corinthian 5:17

Maybe it’s time we ‘re-engineer’ our life.