The Time to Quit

https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/challenge-isn-getting-teachers-into-classroom-keeping-them/

Quitting is not always giving up. Quitting is also changing everything. Quitting is pivoting to a new role. They say quitter never wins. What is the best thing to do when you quit a certain job or career, from a person in your life,  because of stress, anxiety, and abuse? What are you quitting at?

Four years ago I made a decision to quit someone. Being a single Mom and a teacher is stressful enough but don't get me wrong, these roles give me fulfillment in my being. Quitting on someone to do his obligations and responsibilities gave me relief. I don't have to ask or beg to care for his children if he is that responsible. You won't expect, you won't ask, you won't talk. Quit on him as a father of your kids, yet within yourself, he would puff out because there are connections. But at least taunting him to do his responsibilities is an absent thing, you won't have to always ask for anything. If you are an independent woman, think about these things.. does it make a difference if he helps or not? If you say no, then quit talking to him else let him know more about you and the kids.

Quitting on a job or career that is your bread and butter, one that you are equipped with needs a lot of thinking. It somehow affected my decisions. In quitting a job, you need to examine factors, especially if you have kids depending on you. It has been years since I wanted to quit as a teacher, but a turn of events made me finally decide on this. Last year was the tough decisive decision I have ever had. Too much stress from work, health factors, and peace of mind are the factors against the uncertainty of finding a new job or venturing into business. And I made it. I quit a job that I had stayed on for years. My bread and butter. Yes..12 long years and finally decided on it. 

Teaching tied you up for long hours, not the teaching per se but the preparation for it. The thin line between having your personal time mixed with your work and other extra things to do. The good thing that happens to me? I was able to find earning opportunities, and I was able to rest after work. Unmindful of the things that I needed to do after my working hours, I can sleep soundly and eat properly. I can do things that I have planned before, the renovation of my house. Quitting on my part is pivoting to a new role that would give me peace of mind, and a less stressful environment which is my home.

To sum it up, there are questions you need to answer before you quit on something. 

• What are the pros and cons of the decision to make?
• What is the value or the importance of these pros and cons?
• Is the decision urgent? - does it affect your physical and mental health?
• Is it feasible for you to quit now? - alternatives for pivoting to a new challenge.

7 Signs To Become An Entrepreneur

   

🖌image credit to jobcreatorsnetwork.com

     Entrepreneurship is the capacity and willingness to develop, organize, and manage a business venture along with any of its risks to make a profit. So, the individual who creates this business and willing to take the risks is an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is usually seen as the innovator and source of new ideas for goods and services as well as for business operations. 

     Being an entrepreneur is stressful and the success rate is not all that encouraging. But why do people want to become entrepreneurs or wanted to have their own businesses? It could either be that working a job is not enough in terms of financial, time constraints and challenges, or personal fulfillment. Some sorted to home-based business to be with family and to avoid traffic problems in their area.

     What could be the signs that it is time to make a transition from being an employee to becoming an entrepreneur?

1) You have a passion for work but not a job.

A specific business that can give you enjoyment and personal rewards or satisfaction. Have your own ideas on how this specific business should work without setting a particular schedule and workload.

2) You have thought a lot about that specific business.

You are sick and tired of thinking about it. Dreaming enough of it about how you would take charge, lead people and follow your own set of rules. 

3) You have that virtue of helping others.

A desire to create jobs and to give someone an opportunity or job. There is an indescribable feeling of helping others.

4) You have backup support.

There are people around you supporting your ideas and willing to have your back while you are risking out to accomplish your goals. You have these people that will ensure your food and shelter and a shoulder to cry on while you are trying a different route.

5) You have that One Great Big Idea for ventures.

You have that great idea to sell something that has an improvement on what is already available in the market. You have that obsession for a new idea to build a better product or service.

6) You have got a Marketing Plan or Feasibility Study.

To achieve that dream venture you should have a plan based on market research, budgeting, financing, and projected income. This plan serves as a guide to making your vision a reality.

7) You have a strong backup plan.

There should be a strong backup plan to pursue if your first venture failed. This plan should keep you afloat until you could try again. Never put all your eggs in one basket. If you have this backup plan you will not be afraid of failures with your business venture.

Make a list of all these signs and determine if you are ready to become an entrepreneur.

The Perfect Progressive Tenses of The Verb (series 1.C6)

       

          

          After discussing simple tenses of the verb, perfect tenses, and continuous tenses. Next are the Perfect Progressive or Perfect Continuous Tenses of the verb.
          Remember when we say, perfect, it means 'complete'(the action has been completed), and progressive means 'unfinished' (the action is not yet finished and continues in the present, and may continue in the future).

Present Perfect Progressive > also known as the perfect present continuous, an action that started in the past and is continuing at the present time. This is formed using

     has/have been + verb with -ing

Examples:
                  She has been reading the novel for two weeks now.
                  You have been playing that game since last year.
                   I have not been seeing Julie lately.
                   Susie has been playing piano since she was a child.

Past Perfect Progressive > also known as the past perfect continuous, an action that started in the past but continued up to another time in the past. This is formed using

      had been + verb with -ing

Examples:
                  I had been telling you to stop smoking since last year.
                  They had been creating unrest in the neighborhood for 3 years.
                  We had not been cleaning our home since last month.
                   Patrick and Liza had been dancing until Patrick died a year ago.       


Future Perfect Progressive > also known as the future perfect continuous, an action that begins sometimes in the past but is expected to continue up until a point in the future. This is formed using

       will have been + verb with -ing

Examples:
                  In January, I will have been teaching at my school for ten years.
                  He will have been waiting for two hours by the time his girlfriend arrives.
                  You will not have been working in the office for 3 months.
                  Even though the TV show will have been airing for another year, it will continue with its new time slot.


** Progressive tenses use action verbs only and not stative verbs. Stative verbs are state of being that does not show qualities of change. It includes emotions, possessions, and thoughts.

Setting Up A Business in the Philippines

📷 image credit to indiamart.com

Thinking of starting a business in the Philippines? 

First, you have to register your business name with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for a single proprietorship business, or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a Partnership or Corporation. After that, you have to secure the permits below from your local government or the city/region where your business is located.

1. Barangay clearance

Where to get it: Barangay hall

Requirements:

Registration certificate from the DTI or SEC and valid/government-issued identification cards. You should also have fire safety and electrical inspection certificates and present the Lease of the Contract of Site. 

Fee: P1,500 (may vary for each municipality or city)

2. Mayor’s permit (also known as business permit)

Where to get it: Municipal or city hall in the place where you will set up your business

Requirements:

Barangay clearance, registration certificate from DTI or SEC, valid IDs, and location map/sketch of your place of business. You will also need to secure a community tax certificate

3. Tax Registration Number (or TIN) 

Where to get it: Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)

Requirements:

Accomplished BIR forms 1901 or 1903, valid IDs, location sketch of your place of business, a copy of your mayor’s permit or municipal license, and registration certificate from the DTI or SEC

Fee: P500 plus 1% of subscribed capital for the documentary stamp

4. Special Permits

Depending on the nature of your business, you may also need to obtain special permits. If your business, for example, will be dealing with food, chemicals,  i.e., cosmetics, medicines; or any health-related product or service, a permit from the Department of Health’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be needed. 

5. Social Security

If you are hiring employees, you are required to register them for Social Security protection. Of course, you should get one for yourself as well. 

Where to get it: Social Security System (SSS) office

Requirements:

Accomplished SSS Form R-1 for employer registration, accomplished SSS Form R-1A that lists the names of your employees, and Articles of Partnership or Incorporation for partnerships or corporations.

6. You should also provide your employees with memberships in PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) and PAG-IBIG (home development mutual fund), as mandated by the labor law. 

For more info click here.: Department of Trade & Industry

Depression Kills

     Depression is not just a mere sadness or loneliness, but if not controlled can lead to a depressive state. Frequent emotional ups and downs will lead to depression. These emotional shadows may be brought by pressures from work or family, stress from too much work, anxiety in everyday lives, painful and traumatic experiences, too many expectations that lead to discouragement and low self-esteem, and the list goes on. 

     Once a person has it, he seems helpless, with nowhere to go, and no one to turn to. He is withdrawn from all the routine activities of his daily life. Losing interest in those things he was interested in and fond of. Nobody among his colleagues or friends could see the dark shadow one is having. No one beside him could feel the turmoil within.

  Depression is a mental state. Depression kills. Depression leads to someone killing himself to stop all the worries and pain. Believing no one cares, believing no one can help, believing no one hears, believing one is helpless. Depression is a serious matter that should not be ignored. Depression kills and for anyone who has it or knows that someone is having it, it is always too late for them to reach out.

      If someone you know you think is experiencing depression, don't leave her alone. Talk. These links can help.

Symptoms and Treatment

Take This Depression Test

English 101: The Continous Tenses of the Verb (series 1.C5)

          *image credit www.tes.com

     Previously, I have written here the simple tenses of the verb then followed by the perfect tenses of the verb, now we will proceed to continuous tenses also known as progressive tenses of the verb.  Continuous tenses of the verb show an action that is in progress was in progress or will be in progress at a certain period. Continuous tenses are formed by the 'be'-verb + -ing form of the verb. 

Be-verbs: 

am,  is, are + -ing form of the verb = for present tense

was, were + -ing form of the verb = for past tense

will be + -ing form of the verb = for future tense

Past Continuous Tense > it indicates a continuing action that was happening at some period in the past.

Examples:
     1) I was playing mobile games when I heard the sad news.
     2) At the stroke of the clock, they were singing joyously in the place.
     3) She was laughing hard until she fell off the stage.
     4) You were sleeping when she arrived.


Present Continuous Tense > it indicates that an action is still happening now, always happening, and may continue to happen in the future.

Examples:

     1) Eejay is washing the dishes while he plays music from his mobile phone.
     2) I am thinking of what to prepare for today's lunch.
     3) The PlanetShakers are going to perform live at Araneta Coliseum.
     4) Are we taking this jacket on our way to Baguio City?


Future Continuous Tense > indicates an action that will happen in the future and will continue to happen at the expected length of time.

Examples:
     1) He will be sleeping the whole day after all his tasks.
     2) I will be talking at a conference this Friday.
     3) We will be taking Diane and Joan to the party.
     4) Susan and Peter will be joining us later this afternoon.

** Present and Future Continuous use action verbs only and not stative verbs. Stative verbs are state of being that does not show qualities of change. It includes emotions, possessions, and thoughts.

Break Free

image credit to interprizegroup.com

🎶"I want to break free. I want to break free from your lies, you're so self-satisfied I don't need you. I've got to break free. God knows I want to break free..."🎶

     This is the famous song of the equally famous band, The Queen. But no, I am not thwarting a romance nor wanting to break free from a lost love. It is something else. It is what I have been contemplating doing for years, maybe three years to be exact. But to no avail, it has been three long years and I'm still stuck with it.
     I love to talk, I love to impart knowledge, I wanted to share, I wanted to encourage especially those who did think that life is harder and seems to be no way out. In those days when I was in a different field, how I long wanted to become one of the so-called noble professions. Those were the days when the name of the profession speaks for what it is. Now being here, I have become one, in spirit and in its supposed ideals. But being on it, I have to embrace everything.. from the extra hours we put to deliver to the extra effort and fare we go through making a visit that could also endanger our lives (I have almost experienced one but my intuition got it), as well as to the extra money we put forth to make this profession adhere to its purpose.

     As years went by, the concept that once defined this profession is no longer reliable. The extra hours used up by this profession yet being underpaid added another insult to injury. Paper works, i.e., reports, documentation, forms to fill up, and an online system which to use, should come from our pocket. These reports are to be sent to higher up for budget allocation, performance evaluation, promotion, ranking, program evaluation, results, etc. All of these are being printed out and submitted on specific due dates at the hype of a cashless and paperless society brought about by information technology. Imagine the access to an online system yet it has more papers than you can imagine. The pressure and tension it gives for the additional burden to beat the deadline, and the inconsistencies of the rule in preparing forms, reports, and documents are inevitable. 

     The main responsibility of this profession is not a problem, but the additional burden of painting the system effectively plus the caprices of some people around in the hierarchy makes this profession famous for its suicidal news.
     So now as the song goes.."I want to break free.." Yes, I wanted to break myself free from all the tensions and stress it caused me. I wanted to go beyond what I am capable of. My value and principle do not adhere anymore to the profession I have chosen and I have stayed for almost 8 years. I need to do things that I should have done 3 years ago. I know myself more than anyone else, my ingenuity and resourcefulness will do it, with my touch of sensitivity and generosity, and my God.
     "I want to break free from your lies, you're so self-satisfied I don't need you." Yes, I wanted to break free from its lies, from its make-believe world. The fantasies of changing lives. The tedious paper works that need to be done in due time. All sorts of activities are related to students and schools but unrelated to the quality they may bring to the very core of their professional existence. The cover-up by each of us for the school, leaders, and system advocates to create a positive image for them just for mere financial rewards and for some who want to be promoted from their ranks (well some of them are well-deserving as we know them yet some are not, due to 'add & subtract' scheme of documents presented to earn points). The assertiveness of my spirit to stop things but I can't. Voices must be heard.
     Yes, I need it that is why I am still here because of the stability it gives but I don't need it if it causes a lot of stress and quality time for family. If worrying, anxiety, and stress can give us joy and earnings, I would be happier and richer by now. If I don't do it now, when could it be? I don't wanna have regrets later on if I won't break free. Just let me end the school year with grace and passion.. because.."I've got to break free." God knows I want to break free..."