*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
Recently, I was listening to a self-proclaimed financial guru discussing what a person should do when expenses become greater than income.
His advice was simple: Find your financial leaks first.
I listened. And for a few seconds, I found myself nodding.
May punto naman siya.
If you are earning ₱50,000 a month but spending ₱70,000, obviously there is a problem. You need to examine your expenses. You need to know where your money is going. Baka may unnecessary subscriptions. Baka sobra ang pagkain sa labas. Baka maraming impulsive purchases. Perhaps you have become accustomed to a lifestyle your present income can no longer support.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with finding financial leaks.
But habang nakikinig ako, a question kept bothering me.
Why should I focus on the leak first when the real problem is that I don’t have enough income?
Perhaps this is where my thinking differs.
If I suddenly realize that my income is becoming less than my expenses, my first instinct is not to spend the entire day with a calculator asking, “Ano pa ang puwede kong tanggalin sa buhay ko?”
My first question is simpler.
Where can I earn more money?
Saan ako puwedeng kumita?
What opportunity can I explore? What can I do today, tomorrow, or this week that can produce additional legitimate income?
Because for me, during a financial crisis, the mind must focus on the solution.
And if insufficient income is the problem, then one direct solution is to find more income.
Simple.
I know financial experts may disagree with me. They may say that I should first establish a strict budget, categorize every peso, identify every leak, and cut aggressively.
Again, I am not saying they are wrong.
Ang sinasabi ko lang, I don’t want my mind to live there.
I don’t want to wake up every morning thinking only about what I can no longer afford.
Huwag magkape.
Huwag lumabas.
Huwag bumiyahe.
Huwag bumili.
Huwag gumastos.
Huwag.
Huwag.
Huwag.
Imagine the energy of living every day with the word “huwag” constantly playing inside your head.
It is stressful.
Slowly, perhaps without realizing it, you begin looking at life entirely from the perspective of scarcity. You count what is disappearing instead of looking for what can still come.
So I prefer to ask myself a different question.
“Doki John, saan ka kikita?”
That question changes my energy.
Suddenly, my mind starts moving.
Can I write something? Can I teach? Can I develop a seminar? Can I provide consultancy? Can I create a project? Can I explore a business opportunity? Can I use my knowledge, experience, network, or skills to create something of value?
Who should I talk to?
What problem can I solve?
What do people need?
How can I legitimately earn by providing that need?
These questions give me hope because I am no longer staring at the problem.
I am searching for the solution.
The truth is, kapag wala kang pera, natural kang magtitipid.
You don’t need a financial guru to tell you that.
Kung ₱500 na lang ang laman ng wallet mo, hindi ka naman basta-basta pupunta sa an expensive restaurant and order a ₱5,000 dinner, unless you are willing to borrow or use credit irresponsibly.
Reality itself will teach you to adjust.
Kapag kaunti ang pera, mapapaisip ka bago bumili. Kapag mababa ang income, naturally you postpone unnecessary expenses. Kapag alam mong kakaunti ang pumapasok, magiging maingat ka sa lumalabas.
Pagtitipid often becomes a natural reaction to having less money.
But finding income?
That requires intention.
That requires energy.
That requires movement.
Hindi kusang kakatok sa pinto mo ang opportunity at sasabihin, “Sir, good morning. Narito po ang additional income ninyo.”
You have to look.
You have to explore.
You have to ask.
Sometimes, you have to swallow your pride. Sometimes, you have to do something you have never done before. Sometimes, you need a side hustle. Sometimes, you need to learn another skill.
Sometimes, you have to call someone and ask, “May project ka ba? Maybe I can help.”
And sometimes, when no opportunity appears, you create one yourself.
This is why I believe that during a financial crisis, the drive to earn must be stronger than the obsession to cut.
Because there is a limit to pagtitipid.
Let’s say you spend ₱100,000 a month.
You cut it to ₱80,000.
Then ₱60,000.
Then ₱40,000.
Congratulations. You have reduced your expenses.
But what if your income is still ₱20,000?
May problema ka pa rin.
So you cut again.
You remove this. You sacrifice that. You surrender another comfort.
Until one day, you are no longer cutting luxuries.
You are cutting necessities.
And that is where I ask:
Hanggang saan ka magtitipid?
There is a floor to how much a human being can reduce.
But income has a different possibility.
From ₱20,000, perhaps you can earn another ₱5,000. Then another ₱10,000 from a side hustle. Maybe a project gives you ₱15,000. Perhaps your knowledge can become a consultancy opportunity. Maybe your hobby can become a small business.
Maybe the person you meet today will introduce you to an opportunity six months from now.
I am not saying it is easy.
But I prefer to tell my mind:
“It is possible.”
Some may call that excessive positivity.
Fine.
But I would rather wake up believing that an opportunity exists somewhere than wake up convinced that my only future is to continuously reduce my life.
Because I believe that positivity attracts positivity.
No, I am not talking about magic.
Hindi ito iyong uupo ka sa kama, pipikit, at sasabihin mong, “Money, come to me,” then suddenly may bundle of cash na mahuhulog mula sa kisame.
That is foolishness.
For me, positivity means telling your mind:
“There is an opportunity. Find it.”
And because you believe it exists, you begin looking.
You talk to people.
You observe.
You learn.
You propose.
You create.
You fail.
You adjust.
Then you try again.
A negative mind sees a closed door and says, “Wala na.”
A positive mind sees the same closed door and asks, “May ibang pinto ba?”
And if there is no other door?
Perhaps you build one.
That is the energy I want during a financial crisis.
There is also another reason why I am careful about the philosophy of cutting everything.
Not all expenses are financial leaks.
Some expenses are investments.
Pamasahe papunta sa isang importanteng meeting is an expense.
Internet is an expense.
A laptop is an expense.
Education is an expense.
Developing a proposal may cost money.
Starting a small venture requires capital.
Meeting people requires transportation, time, and sometimes a cup of coffee.
Technically, these are expenses.
But perhaps the better question is:
What is the potential return?
If you become obsessed with cutting every expense, you may accidentally cut the bridge leading to your next income opportunity.
Imagine refusing to attend an important meeting because you want to save ₱500 in transportation.
You saved ₱500.
Congratulations.
But what if that meeting could have led to a legitimate ₱50,000 project?
Of course, there are no guarantees. That is why judgment remains important.
But my point is simple.
Not every peso going out is a leak.
Sometimes, money going out is planting a seed.
The challenge is knowing the difference between spending and investing.
A financial leak continuously drains you without producing necessity, value, or a reasonable potential return.
An investment, when properly evaluated, may temporarily reduce your cash but increase your capacity to produce future value.
That is why my financial philosophy is not simply:
Cut. Cut. Cut.
My philosophy is:
Earn. Control. Invest. Earn Again.
Yes, find the leaks.
Yes, remove unnecessary expenses.
Yes, live within your means.
But please, do not spend your entire day staring at your expenses while your earning capacity remains asleep.
If your income is less than your expenses, wake up your ability to earn.
Use your brain.
Use your hands.
Use your experience.
Use your education.
Use your skills.
Use your creativity.
Use your network ethically.
Look for opportunities.
Do a side hustle.
Create something.
Solve a problem.
Offer value.
Earn.
Then earn again.
Because sometimes, the greatest financial leak is not the ₱200 you spent on coffee.
Sometimes, the greatest financial leak is the opportunity you failed to pursue because you were too busy being afraid to spend, afraid to move, and afraid to try.
And now, let me speak to the person who may be reading this with almost nothing left in his wallet.
Maybe you are afraid.
Maybe you have already checked your bank account five times today, hoping that somehow the numbers will change.
Maybe there is a bill on the table that you don’t know how to pay.
Perhaps tuition is coming.
The rent is due.
The electricity bill is waiting.
Maybe someone in your family needs something, and you smiled at them because you don’t want them to know that deep inside, you are already worried.
I know that feeling of looking at an expense and silently calculating how many days are left before the money completely disappears.
At that moment, people will tell you:
Magtipid ka.
And yes, magtipid ka.
But please, do not allow fear to paralyze your ability to earn.
Do not spend the entire day staring at the last ₱1,000 in your wallet.
That ₱1,000 is not your future.
Your empty wallet is not a prophecy.
The number in your bank account today is a financial condition at this particular moment. It is not necessarily the final measurement of your capacity to create value tomorrow.
Stand up.
Look around.
Ask yourself what you can do.
Maybe you have a skill that somebody needs.
Maybe you know something that somebody is willing to learn.
Maybe you can cook.
Maybe you can repair.
Maybe you can teach.
Maybe you can write.
Maybe you can sell.
Maybe you can drive.
Maybe you can design.
Maybe you can organize.
Maybe you can assist someone who is too busy to do something themselves.
Do not be ashamed of a side hustle.
Do not be ashamed to start small.
Do not be ashamed if the opportunity is not connected to the title written before or after your name.
There is dignity in legitimate earning.
Sometimes, pride is more expensive than the bill you are trying to pay.
Call someone.
Ask.
Explore.
Offer your service.
Create something.
And if they say no?
Masakit.
But a no did not reduce the money in your wallet.
You still have the same problem.
So ask another person.
Try another idea.
Look at another opportunity.
Move.
Because when you move, you give opportunity a chance to find you halfway.
I cannot promise you that money will immediately come tomorrow.
I cannot promise that every side hustle will succeed.
I cannot tell you that positivity alone will pay your bills.
But I can tell you this:
Giving up will not increase your income.
Fear will not create an opportunity.
Staring at your expenses for twelve hours will not automatically produce another peso.
At some point, you must lift your eyes from the calculator and look at the world again.
There are problems out there.
And wherever there is a problem, there may be a need.
Where there is a need, there may be value you can provide.
And where you can legitimately provide value, perhaps there is an opportunity to earn.
So tomorrow morning, if you wake up worried about money, acknowledge the problem.
Check your expenses.
Be responsible.
But after that, ask yourself:
“What can I do today to legitimately earn more?”
Not next year.
Not when the economy improves.
Not when somebody rescues you.
Today.
Maybe the answer will only give you ₱500.
Earn it.
Maybe tomorrow it is ₱1,000.
Earn it.
Maybe the first project fails.
Learn.
Maybe the second person rejects you.
Move.
Maybe the third door remains closed.
Knock on the fourth.
And if all the doors are closed?
Perhaps it is time to build your own door.
I don’t want you to become an expert in having less.
I want you to discover how creative you can become when life forces you to produce more.
Magtipid kung kailangan.
Cut the leaks.
Control your expenses.
But never allow scarcity to control your imagination.
Never allow an empty wallet to empty your hope.
Never allow today’s lack of income to convince you that tomorrow has no opportunity.
If income is the problem, find income.
Think income.
Create income.
Explore income.
Move toward income.
And always remember:
Positivity without action is merely a wish.
But positivity with movement?
Perhaps it begins with one small opportunity.
One small income.
One small victory.
And sometimes, my friend, that one small victory is all you need to remind yourself that you can rise again.
#DJOT
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Dear friends,
*About the author:
