Tag Archives | real life
May 4, 2011

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naturalhealth.ph

Life & Health

I’ve been promoting community service and living a lifestyle of volunteerism for all of my post-college life. Helping others, along with living a naturally healthy life, are two concepts I like to encourage people to pursue. Being healthy allows us to make the most of the time we have alive, and nothing is more fulfilling than being able to help another person.

My dad, Joey Bonifacio, once said that the priorities in life are God, life (including the lives of other people), and the body (our health), secondary to these, though also important are money (which allows us many opportunities), food (which is the satisfaction of our appetites), and clothes (signifying the achievement of a high level of excellence). It’s important that we know and remember that God is the most important priority, and following it closely is life and health – not money or the things it can buy. After all if your house was on fire you wouldn’t be scrambling for things to save, you’d be saving life first. (At least this should be the case.)

I say this because we need to catch just how important life and health are so that we will appreciate them fully. Things we don’t appreciate we take for granted. Things we take for granted we lose. It’s so easy to get caught up in the familiarity of our day to day interactions that sometimes we forget to prioritize life and health.

You can be healthy naturally, and you can prioritize life in the process. I encourage you to look for a foundation to join and actively make giving a part of your lifestyle. If you don’t know where to start you can try these 3 favorites of mine:

U! Happy Events for Kids

Real LIFE Foundation

Habitat for Humanity

We have a big event on May 21 in Marikina. I’d love to see you all there!

For more health articles visit us at naturalhealth.ph.

December 9, 2010

2



What's It Worth?

Big Reminders with a Big Breakfast

Remember to Give
I’m sitting in a corner Mc Donald’s somewhere in Taytay. I’m having a not-at-all healthy breakfast and killing time here with my faithful driver, Non, before I head back to work. I haven’t eaten in McDonalds in a while. Don’t plan to come back anytime soon. My body is so used to healthier things that eating junk doesn’t appeal to me anymore.

Very early this morning, before the sun was up, I had gone to the Habitat for Humanity site in Pasig 2 for a home turnover that was featured on Umagang Kay Ganda (which happens to be the show of my sister-in-law, Carla). We’re building 416 homes in partnership with the city government of Pasig for families living in disaster risk areas, particularly those living beside the infamous Pasig River. Housing is an incredibly serious issue in the Philippines and its social impact is felt even more in urban settings. The home deficit is about 3-4,000,000, and I believe that’s only in an urban setting. That’s not hard to believe when you take into account that Metro Manila has 12,000,000 people and the whole Philippines has a population of 97,000,000.

That’s a lot of people.

Shelter is more than just building a shell, it’s about security and dignity, and part of bringing security and dignity is connecting with groups that can bring in other home necessities such as running water, sewage, electricity, livelihood, values formation, and other similar soft programs.

It’s really a huge effort. But it’s also very rewarding, which is why I don’t hesitate to invite, people to join our builds, donate their idle land, contribute in cash, or find some other creative way to take part in Habitat for Humanity or my other favorite, Real LIFE.

Don’t wait until you have more. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Don’t wait until someone’s looking. Don’t wait until you’re perfect. Don’t wait until you figure it out. Just give.

Remember to Let Go
Last night, the Real LIFE team had a thank you dinner at Tina Pamintuan’s restaurant L’incontro for Dr. Joey Castro. Doc, as we all call him, is the founder of the Real LIFE Foundation but is moving to Brunei to do ministry there.

I would count Doc to be one of most influential men in my life and I thank God for Him. I couldn’t ask for a better first boss (though he would say I did the bossing around). While many young graduates are mentored in finance, administration, sales, marketing, and other business functions, what I got was a first hand lesson in value. It was during my time with Doc at Real LIFE that I understood that more than programs and superstructures it is people that are most valuable.

I’d be the first to admit we didn’t know anything about scholarship programs, much less about building a foundation. But we saw the need and knew someone had to fill it, even if we were only going to fill it with faith. Looking at what Lynn, Sony, Rhia, Ariel and Vince are achieving at Real LIFE, I’m so grateful to God that despite our limitations when we started he honored us by blessing this work and entrusting it to capable stewards.

True to form, Doc Joey had no problems with handing over the foundation. I remember talking to him about his plans to go to Brunei and asking him how he felt about where the foundation was going, and I remember him telling me, “David, Real LIFE has reached levels beyond my wildest dreams. I know this team can take it further than we could have ever taken it.” I was amazed at how he had no ego, no founder’s complex, no entitlements, just a pure heart that knew when to let go.

More and more I’m realizing that just as important as taking something and making it better, is being able to let go and release something or someone into something greater.

Remember to be Childlike
I watch the kids just outside the glass panes playing on a dusty sidewalk. I can’t tell what they’re doing. To me, it seems all they’re doing is playing with dirt, and I remember a time when I used to make mud pies in our backyard and, like these kids, I would be having the time of my life. I didn’t need a buffer of three months worth of living expenses. I didn’t need a title, or a position, or to prove myself. I didn’t need to live up to anyone’s expectations.

I was just playing with mud and I was having a lot of fun.

I’m reminded of something Seth Godin wrote about staying childlike (versus being childish):

“Childlike makes a great scientist.
Childish produces tantrums.
Childlike brings fresh eyes to marketing opportunities.
Childish rarely shows up as promised.
Childlike is fearless and powerful and willing to fail.
Childish is annoying.
Childlike inquires with a pure heart.
Childish is merely ignored.”

As I end my thoughts and my time in McDonalds, I signal to Non to get the car. I’ll have to switch my mind back to work, but let me leave you with this:

Remember to give for it is in giving that we receive. Remember to let go for it is in releasing that others can fly. And remember to be like a child, always curious, always fearless, and always discovering.

November 26, 2010

4



What's It Worth?

Beautifully Unfair

Burning the Midnight Oil
It’s 1:56am in the morning, and I really should be getting ready for bed. There’s just too much to finish before the week ends. Besides, even if I did try to sleep I wouldn’t be able to. My brain would stay wide awake thinking of how to make things work.

I’m taking a break to write this before I start reading the notes for tomorrow’s Habitat for Humanity executive committee meeting. I serve on the national board of Habitat for Humanity and chair the membership committee. Next year, we’ll be rolling out some membership programs to get more people involved. I’d really appreciate if all of you would come support us. You can even get involved now by scheduling to build some homes with your friends at one of our sites. Email us at info@habitat.org.ph for more information.

Before this I was checking the analytics of my sites and I’m quite pleased with the performance of this blog (davidbonifacio.com) and naturalhealth.ph. We will be launching our new store soon which includes our new Cash on Delivery (COD) service for people who don’t have or don’t want to use their credit cards. So you can now order online, we put your order together, deliver the products to you and collect the payment. It’s just another way we’re adding to help make naturally healthy living more convenient and accessible to more people. Christmas is coming up fast, and if you’re like me with so much to do on a daily basis, I really like this option of being able to give healthy presents without the hassle of traffic.

Anyway, like I said, I’m using this break to write.

The Real Life of Real LIFE
Some of you have probably already seen this month’s issue of Metro Society that features Lynn Nawata and I, and the work of Real LIFE. I’m very grateful to the people at the magazine for the media exposure the foundation received. I was able to read the article and, like in almost every feature of me, I felt like I needed to clarify a few things. When I clarify this way it’s only because I don’t ever want people to think that it’s about personal publicity or getting people’s respect. It’s not. I actually cringe sometimes when I read what people write about me. It’s the same cringing feeling I get when I read some of your questions on formspring. The motivation for Lynn and I to participate in these interviews is to raise awareness for Real LIFE and to encourage people to take part in giving to LIFE. Just so that I can sleep knowing you get the right message here are my clarifications:

1. It is all by God’s grace – I don’t say this in a religious way or as a cliche’ Christian expression but as someone who has taken stock of his own capabilities and knows he is wanting. It’s easy to look good in an article – simply because they take the good stuff about you and add-on other good stuff that may or may not really be you. Hehe. But if you were to follow me 24/7 there’s really no way you’d be impressed. No way. But by God’s grace we are included in something greater than ourselves. By God’s grace we are able to participate in the work of serving others.

2. Things are achieved by teams of people in the trenches – When I look at the success of organizations and efforts I have been a part of, I can never say that it succeeded because of me. I actually sometimes wonder why I was included in the first place. The credit belongs to the people in the trenches, unsung, under-appreciated, but directly facing the many different broken situations of society. A perfect example of this is Dr. Joey Castro who quietly served students in Pasig. His work would grow into Real LIFE, and we’re excited to now have Vince Bitana and Ariel Domingo blazing new trails in our programs division. Doc, Vince, and Ariel (along with the rest of the team) have visited home after home and directly invest their lives into the lives of students. Their work is tedious and unglamorous but the impact is great – even if the media will never pick their story up.

3. There is no value in being the popular member of a losing team – Every time I see an article featuring me, I am reminded of the scenes I’m greeted when I go through our city: the homeless sprawled on sidewalks, naked babies, exploited children, corrupt cops waiting to pounce, and just broken people existing without any knowledge of their value. I really cringe at the thought that I’m being recognized as a star player in a losing team. Because even as we trump up the good that we’ve done, there are more people who need homes, more students needing to be educated, more values needing to be taught, and it’s growing at a faster rate than our successes. Even as we pat ourselves on the back are problems are getting worse.

There is no value in being the star player of a losing team. There is value in winning, and by winning I mean fixing the brokenness and restoring societies relationships. That can only be achieved collaboratively and multi-generationally, which means it’s not about having star players. It’s about everyone getting involved.

Buying Fake
In a culture like ours that worships celebrities, it’s easy to understand why people would be attracted to someone who chooses to live a remarkably different life. But don’t be easily impressed when other people put other people on pedestals. Society has never been good at assigning the right value to things.

Think about it.

We go crazy over actors, people whose job is to pretend, and we take for granted the people who do the actual work. We’re willing to pay more to watch an action star pretend to dodge pretend-bad guys shoot pretend-bullets at him. We’re so impressed that we drink what he’s drinking, we wear what he’s wearing, and we drive what he’s driving. We let our preferences, what we think is worth something, be defined by pretenders.

And what about our real soldiers who face real enemies and are hit with real bullets? Underpaid, under-appreciated, and unknown. I’m very grateful that my parents didn’t allow us to watch TV as kids. Growing-up our heroes were leaders like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Churchill, of course Andres Bonifacio, generals like Patton and l McArthur, scientists like Edison and Einstein, and renaissance men Davinci and Michaelangelo. We grew up looking up to martyrs and our namesakes, and that’s why our paradigm is so different, because we were taught to admire people who were excellent in who they really were and what they really did. No make-up, no lights, no takes, just real life.

Here’s another thing to think about.

Why do so many women feel a need to be a complete woman of beauty brains and a great body? Even if you had all three there’s still so much missing. What about kindness? What about humility? What about wisdom? What about a craft? What about your story? What about the thousands of small and big things that make a person unique?

As I type these, I ask myself these questions, because I can be just as shallow as the shallowest Hal. I don’t want to be a pretender on a magazine, which is why I stay involved. I want to use this post to pass the credit on to the people who deserve it.

Beautifully Unfair
When I think about these things, I realize how shallow I am. I realize how dumb I am for wanting the acceptance of a society that can’t really tell what real valuable things are. Sometimes I start feeling down when I realize how crazy our value-systems are, and I ask myself “Isn’t it unfair that some people get the credit and the people doing the real work don’t?” And the answer is YES. If you’re looking at yourself and to the world for recognition, and no one recognizes your value, YES, you’ll always feel that the situation is unfair.

But then I’m reminded, and I realize it’s not so bad, it’s actually great, because if you’re looking up to a Father who sees everything, even the things that disqualify us, and still He includes us in His blessings, then the answer is still YES, it’s unfair. It’s unfair that we get what we don’t deserve. Besides, to rest in His love is to know that no injustice will defeat you. This is something I wrestle with a lot.

But I’m not complaining. Because now I see things as beautifully unfair. Beautifully unfair in our favor. It’s our role to take that and help the least and greatest of us realize that life is beautifully unfair in their favor too.

September 7, 2010

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What's It Worth?

Clarifications

Some of you have probably seen the articles on the newspaper featuring me as an “MVP”. This is part of Pharmaton’s campaign to encourage more people to make valuable contributions to society. I liked the campaign because I’ve always believed that private institutions can and should use their resources to help the public good in a way that also makes sense from a marketing perspective. I say this because I believe that for any relationship to work, whether it’s a marriage, a friendship, for work, or even for inter-organizational or inter-sectoral areas, it has to be a win-win situation. You cannot sustain a relationship when one party is always winning and the other is always losing. This is something we’ve always realized and respected in the foundations we are a part of: collaborate and look for a win-win. Based on the feedback and participation of people in the Pharmaton MVP campaign, I would say this is a good example of big business serving the public good as well as their private bottom-line – which isn’t a bad thing since they’re a business after all.

There are two things I want to say though regarding the campaign, two things I want to clarify. Sometimes, well actually, many times, media makes things bigger than they really are and more amazing than reality and that’s why I’m writing this.

First things first, I didn’t found or co-found Real LIFE. Dr. Joey Castro did when he started helping the students in Pasig. It wasn’t called Real LIFE yet. It wasn’t called anything. But the spirit of what would become Real LIFE began with him back then, and it’s the spirit where seeds are planted. My involvement started when I graduated from the Ateneo and joined Dr. Joey to help “organize” (if that’s what you call organizing) his program into a foundation that was named Real LIFE. I guess this is where the mixup happens, because not many people knew about what Dr. Joey was doing before the whole Real LIFE “institutionalizing” and “branding” took effect and had Doc and I closely associated. I want to be clear about this, not because this matters to Doc, the guy is the humblest man I know and doesn’t care about these things, but because it matters to me that Doc gets the credit he deserves.

Second, aside from Doc’s work, Real LIFE has grown as fast as it has thanks to the leadership of Lynn Nawata and our very hardworking team Sony, Vince, Rhia (who was our first team member), and Ariel. I recently had lunch with Doc and we were talking about how proud we are of this team, and how they’ve taken Real LIFE to a level of organizational excellence the two of us could never have brought it to. The Real LIFE Center stands today because of their handwork, as well as the dedication of Mailleen Hern who recently passed away. We have more scholars than ever because of them too. The LIFE Program exists because of their research and execution. Again, this doesn’t matter to them, but it matters to me that they get the credit.

Some of you might ask, “So what was your part?” Well, I was the big-haired guy in the video. Seriously, the way I see it, Doc lit a candle, which I took and set a few hearts on fire, which Lynn and the team took and turned it into a flamethrower.

I’m writing this so that we won’t miss the essence of the Pharmaton MVP campaign, which is all about celebrating the contributions of everybody and highlighting that each of us in our own way can make a difference. You don’t have to do something big, you can start small. You don’t have to be special, you’re already a valuable part of the mix. I’m also writing this so that people don’t start thinking I’m this super guy – which is an expectation I’m bound to let down. I’m just blessed to have worked with good people and to be a part of things greater than me. Other than that there really is nothing big about me.

Well, maybe except my hair.

April 24, 2010

0



What's It Worth?

Before She Goes Away / Simple Rules to Live By

Before She Goes Away
Every day all of us move one step closer to our inevitable end. With each hour, minute, and second that passes, we are another hour, another minute, another second nearer to death.

Every time I think about the end, I think about the time in between birth and death because that’s the portion that matters. And when you look at the facts you’ll find that the current generations live longer than the people who lived in the past. The world average today is at 67.2 years which is much longer than that of the early 20th century (30-45 years), medieval times (30-35 years), or the historical Greeks and Romans (28 years). In other words, you and I have more time to enjoy life, to make a contribution, and to leave a legacy – that lasting representation we pass on to the next generation. So make the most of it. Like the girl that got away, time is impossible to replace.

Now you’re wondering, “Who got away from you David?”

… If you really have to know, her name is Cording, and she was an incredible cook.

Simple Rules to Live By
Saturday morning is my time for the kids at the Real LIFE Center in Pasig. For those of you who haven’t volunteered yet, visit this site: www.igivetolife.com and start converting your earthly resources into real treasures. (See my last post on How to Make Your Money Last Forever) If you can’t make it donate something. (Like a nice sound system) Haha! Shameless plug – but for a good cause!

The past few months, I’ve been privileged to meet with some of the older kids at the corner McDonalds to talk to them about God. I’ve had to adjust my non-existent budget to accommodate the appetites of 10 kids but it’s worth it. Besides, I’d rather treat kids than a date since they’re more grateful and not so expensive.

Because they are kids, I’ve had to simplify the communication of the Biblical principles we talk about. Sometimes we forget that a principle is a seed, and it’s only when it is planted can it one day give birth to proper action. If you’re wondering why people aren’t acting right check these three things: is the right seed/principle planted? Was it planted/communicated correctly? Has it been given time to grow? The goal with these kids is that someday they’ll outdo, outrun, outbuild, outdream, outgrow, and outshine me, so I really work on the seeds and the planting, trusting that God will help the principles bear fruit in their lives.

So I’d like to share 3 of the simple lessons we’ve talked about (on the days we are actually discussing something and not playing basketball or Counterstrike). Who knows? They may turn out to be fruitful seeds.

1. Parating magpasalamt sa Diyos (Always be grateful to God) – I wanted this to be the foundation of their outlook in life, that they always recognize that God is good.

2. Ibato sa Diyos (Throw it to God) – This is an alternate title for the only thing this mistake-riddled person can preach about: Run to God. Whatever you’re facing, however you’re feeling, run to God.

3. Magtanim ng pagmamahal (Sow love) – Spend every chance you can to sow love into someone’s life through kindness, generosity, and even discipline and perseverance. What you love you will value and protect, and when you sow love you tell others that you will value and protect them.

A Glimmer of Gold
Many times after meeting, I notice the kids still holding on to uneaten hamburgers, saving it for their siblings who don’t share their fortune of eating in a fastfood. And when I see this I know, I know for sure, that the seeds planted will grow into something amazing. It’s a scene that makes my morning and my day. It’s a good reminder that life is full of these golden moments. Sometimes, all it costs is a box of chicken nuggets.

February 2, 2009

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What's It Worth?

Remembering a Good Man

Last Saturday I attended the memorial service of Mr. Joe Orosa. He was many things to many people, a banker, a builder, a statesman, a father, a husband, and a lot more, as he was always making himself available. To me, he was a mentor, someone who counseled and guided me, and helped me navigate my early years after university. We only really worked together for about 2 years, about as long as his battle with cancer, but my experience with him has benefited me so much and I would like to honor his memory.

Our interaction started when we worked together at the Real LIFE Foundation. Our founding board, Joe Orosa, Pastor Steve Murrell, Dr. Jun Escosar, Lynn Nawata (current executive director), and Joey Castro the founder of Real had just organized the foundation with Tito Joe (as he was known to us) serving as the first chairman, and I as executive director. I didn’t know anything about running a scholarship program, much less a foundation. Fortunately, I found a lot of resources, both published and human, and I had available to me a supportive board. As chairman, Tito Joe wanted to be actively involved and would ask to see the plans and discuss it before presenting to the other members. One thing he stressed over and over again was the sustainability of our programs. Everything we were planning had to endure. Today, Tito Joe’s contribution continues to live on through the Real LIFE Foundation. Only on its second fiscal year as a foundation, Real LIFE has assisted more than 150 scholars and is well positioned to continue to grow and help more people as it builds its first community center in Pasig and rolls out the LIFE Program. (LIFE stands for Leadership, Integrity, Faith, and Excellence).

Tito Joe was also in charge of the building program that built the Every Nation Building in Fort Bonifacio. Since they had upcoming projects that would also deal with donations, he would ask me to join meetings with donors, architectects, and contractors. Again, I knew I really would not be contributing much, if at all, but I understood my job was to learn and was grateful to him for opening the door.

Tito Joe continued to meet with me even after Real LIFE. I had taken over what was once a very successful company that had been weighed down by the consequences of bad decisions. A complete restructuring was required, and I found myself in a familiar situation, again I found myself having to work on something I knew next to nothing about. I remember our first meeting, I was informing him that I would have to resign from Real LIFE to focus and needed advice regarding what to do with the banks. He quietly listened to the situation, digesting each fact, then proceeded to walk me through what had to be done. When he was satisfied that I had learned what he had to teach, he then talked to me about Real LIFE, the baby that had captured his heart. He talked about the career path public service offered someone like me, and he talked about the need to defeat poverty, and the need for people to rise up to serve. That’s a good description of who Joe Orosa was, someone who rose by the sharpness of his mind and the excellence of his work but also someone who stooped to serve with a purity of heart so rare for a man with so much reason to be jaded.

The amazing thing was, as he did all of this, work on the foundation and building, his work with Studio 5, and even making time for me, Tito Joe had cancer. The cancer could not stop him though, it would only try to slow his body down. Even then, his mind was still running much faster than the rest.

He was an accountant so he understood the financial implication of everything, but he didn’t value life using a calculator. More than the businesses, buildings, and organizations, Tito Joe was a builder of people.  Mentoring is not a series of lessons but a time of impartation. I thank God for people like Tito Joe, along with many others, who not only gave me their opinions, but set aside time for me. Growing up, I was always interacting with people much older than I am, and I have seen the contrast between seniors who are quick to load the next in line with rules and expectations and men like Tito Joe who understand that a cultivated person will surpass all goals and targets.

Looking back I realize his not so secret keys to success: a love for God and an unshakable faith. His love for God led him to love life and love people. His faith gave him the strength to live life fully and to show this love in different ways to hundreds of people.

Some people live for money, and amass fortunes they’ll leave behind.
Some live for power, only to be swallowed whole.
Some live for fame, and rise simply to peak.
Some live for achievement, and wake up regretting the price they paid.
Some live to fall in love, over and over again, until they can no longer recognize what true love is.
Others live for adventure, which lasts only as long as the last thrill.
People live for a million things that mean temporary at best, for death ends all things.
But men like Tito Joe will live forever, in eternity and in our hearts, the people he’s touched.