What advice can you give to young generation?

How to be successful in life? This was my beaming question when I was growing up.  That is why I wrote this article  hoping to reach the young people in this challenging times.  

During the early phase of my life, it was hard for me just like for everyone else in the world. I knew that I had to make a change and decided to shift gears and make a difference. 

Below are just some of the things I can come up, but there are a lot more to tackle.  Here are some of my advice:

Study Hard

We grew up poor.  But its not the reason for us to become poor all our lives. My parents don't have a 9-5 job.  We live by how much we earn from our small store.  My mother would always remind us that the only heritage she could give us was a good schooling diploma.  And so we did, even if we did not have huge money in the bank, all of us 5 siblings finished college degrees.  Hats off to my mom. I want to encourage you to study hard and do your best to achieve your goals, even if it is not easy. If you want to be successful in life, then you must learn to find the greatest why you want to be successful.  The biggest why is that will propel your guts to do what it takes no matter what happens. 

Choose your wife wisely

My wife and I are not perfect, not even close.  We had the worst fight in the early years of our marriage and I can not say that we had graduated on this fight.  But it makes a difference who you live with forever.  I mean for life.  Choose a woman who will be your best friend. A good wife is not only someone to share your bed but also to share your life with. She should be someone you can confide in and trust, and she should have the same values as you. I wrote the 10 reasons why I married my wife here. 

A good wife should make you a better person by encouraging you to do good things for the world around you, such as volunteering at a homeless shelter or helping out at an orphanage once in a while (or more often).  I met my wife while we attend the same group of single men and women in a discipleship group of CCF(Christ Commission Fellowship).  Then she volunteered in a Sunday school handling SPED(special needs kids).  

She should also motivate us to achieve our goals by showing us how important they are in our lives so that we won't ever forget them again!

A good wife is someone who will never let you down. She should be a person you can rely on in times of need and one who will always be there for you when things get tough. 

A good wife should be someone who will support you no matter what and never give up on you. She should be a person with whom you can share anything and everything because she is your best friend in the world and always will be. Even if things get rough between the two of you, don't ever think that it's over for good.

A good wife should be someone who makes you feel like you can do anything in this world. She's the one who will always be there for you when no one else will, and she'll always have a smile on her face even when things aren't going so well. A good wife is someone who will love and support you no matter what happens, and she'll never leave your side.

You need guidance from godly mentors

Mentors are great. They can give you guidance and help you overcome the challenges in life.  I wrote some of these from my previous blog.   The circle of influence that can tell you are doing wrong without getting offended. 

But not everyone is a good mentor. The Bible says bad company corrupts good morals. In other words, if you spend time with people who don't have good morals, they will influence you to do things that are not right.

If you want to be a godly person and follow Jesus, then find someone who loves Jesus and has a strong relationship with Him. This person should be able to give you advice when you need it and help guide your life in the right direction!

Be financially stable

A good job, a good investment plan, and a good retirement plan are the three pillars of financial stability. I wrote something about this on another blog.  Check it out here.  You need to have these things in order to have a secure future and not worry about money anymore.

A good job: You should have at least one source of income that can support your needs and wants. A lot of people work two jobs just to make ends meet. But what they don't realize is that they are wasting time and energy by doing so. You should only work one job that allows you to earn enough money for your needs and wants, then save some for investments and retirement.

A good investment plan: People who invest their money wisely are able to retire early without worrying about how they are going to spend their days when they no longer have to work for money anymore. You should start investing as soon as you get your first paycheck from your job because it's never too early or too late to start investing. It's always better late than never when it comes to saving for retirement!

A good retirement plan: Your retirement plan includes how much you will need every month after you retire in order to maintain your current lifestyle (your housing expenses, transportation expenses etc). If you want

What is your legacy?

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "you can't take it with you." Well, it's true. Your money and possessions won't be around forever--but what about your reputation?

Your legacy is what people will remember about you after death or retirement. It's not just the stuff in your bank account, but also how people feel about themselves because of their interactions with you. Your legacy includes:

• Your children and grandchildren (if any)

• The work that comes from your hands (e.g., art or writing)

• What others say about you after your passing

What people think about what you leave behind (e.g., your business or art) Your legacy can be a very powerful thing, and it's something that's worth investing in. How do you do this? By surrounding yourself with the right people--those who lift you up instead of bringing you down. It's also important to make sure that everything you put out into the world is positive and of value.

The more positive you are, the more positive things will come back to you. What do you want people to say about you? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

What would people remember about you when they think about your business, your art, or even what you did for fun? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

I would like to give some advice to the young generation. First of all, be yourself. Don't try to fit in with others or follow in their footsteps because they might not lead you where you want to go. You should focus on what God wants for your life.  Don't follow the world, or you will regret it in the end. 

About the author 

Jack Marbida is a husband to his wife Wene and a father of 2 little boys Isaac and Israel, he is a financial advisor, speaker, and writer who helps families be financially stable and grow their relationships. He works with families to help them reach their goals by teaching them about financial literacy and helping them develop a healthy relationship with money.

He has been featured in Sun Life Financials and others for his work as a financial coach. He is also the founder of Online Advisors Financial Education, which provides free educational content through blogs and videos.

Jack speaks at conferences across the Philippines on topics such as family finances, and personal and professional growth.  

You can contact Jack Marbida through his social media accounts or email him at papajackph@gmail.com.

Cheers!