Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. Good afternoon everyone. I hope you're all very well today. Thank you very much to Ms Evelyn Balmeo Salire, Ms. Rowena Tomeldan, and the Philippine Retailers Association for the kind invitation to be part of this conference. Thank you too to JV Wong for being very instrumental in my being here today.

Before we redefine the bottom line, let's define it. What is the bottom line? What do we mean when we say bottom line?

I think we all agree that the traditional definition of the ‘bottom line' is Money. Income. or Revenue.

The traditional concept of the bottom line means: "Making Money." Why? What is the bottom line for you? What is the bottom of the bottom line? Why do we want to make money?

Apart from "The essence of a job is that we need to eat." Beyond the food and the roof and the schooling. Why do we want to make money? To buy more clothes? To travel? To entertain ourselves? Why? Why do we want to get these, what is the end goal? "To be happy."

We've been programmed to think that happiness will come IN THE END. That we're all always looking for and working for our Happily Ever After. That we'll only be happy after we get out, get married, get rich, or get to the end. (That's the traditional story book) But here's the idea. What about living?

HAPPILY EVER SINCE?

Why don't we all re-write our storybook with "living happily ever since we were born?"

Being born is already the top reason to be happy. It's a miracle that we born, because as my father said, the chance of each of us being born, as ourselves, scientifically based on sperms and eggs, is one in millions. It's like going into the ocean on your own, and finding and catching ONE tire in the ocean. And so being born is already the greatest gift ever. Being born should already be more than enough to make us happy.

And so, I always have this mantra in mind: "No matter what you do to me, I will still be happy." If plan A doesn't work, there's always plan B or C or Z.

So now we that we have that out of the way, now that we resolved to live happily ever since we were born...

Some of us may have been born rich, some may have been born poor. That's the "injustice" in the world. But, not only money counts. What else counts? TIME.

We forget that we were all born with the same number of hours in a day, same 7 days in a week and same 12 months in a year. We are all in the same playing field in terms of that resource ever since the day we were born. It's just HOW WE DECIDE TO SPEND OUR TIME THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

As they say, "Anything that takes up your time, takes up your life." Or "How we spend our time, is how we spend our lives."

With the help of the other speakers, we've already answered the most often asked question: How do we make and spend our money? Maybe we should also be asking "How do we make and spend our time?"

This brings me to an essay I wrote in my book, which I called "Time is Gold, Money is Paper."

Money is refillable. Time is irretrievable. No matter how empty our pocket or bank account is, it will always somehow be replenished, with crisp cash. The fifteenth of the month always comes. We can even get an unexpected bonus. Or if we really need the cash, donations are common.

There are however, only exactly 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 seconds in a minute, no more no less. We don't even know if this is our one last hour or day, or year.

Money however, could be so unlimited that we don't know how to spend it anymore. That explains the existence of too much luxury. But, we can not borrow time from anyone, except from God. At the end of the day, or of our lives, we never ask for more money, but for more time.

This brings me to another essay of musings I wrote in my book which I called "Our 5-to-9 Lives."

Nobody likes a slacker at work, but have we ever wondered whether we are slackers in our personal life? Do we all strain to climb the corporate ladder to become Employee of the Year, or are those people we've stepped on donning brighter stars for parent of the year?

Just as we take our 9-to-5 jobs seriously, we have a 5-to-9 duty to our family, our friends and ourselves. And in the grand scheme of life, that's not any less important.

Another thought I wanted to share with you is something that was rooted from a recent experience when...I realized that "Worth is Relative."

When I was in Washington DC this past April to July, I had friends who worked on Capitol Hill. They would let me know of receptions and events to go to, and one event that caught my attention was an Ice Cream Social Fundraiser for a US Senator.

I am not into ice cream, but I have not yet been to an Ice Cream Social, so it would be a new experience, and I value every new experience that gives me insight, so I wanted to go.

Then my friend emailed me when he found out that non-congressional staffers were required to donate, whether it's $50, or another amount. He then told me, if it's not free, "It's not worth it."

I realized I was irked because that was not his call. It was going to be my call where I choose to spend my time and money, and decide what's worth it or not for me. Worth is relative to each person and no one can dictate worth, because they're relative to people's hierarchy of values. Or maybe sometimes we may just want to spend time with those friends, and it doesn't matter what we do.

If some people want to spend $1000 for a Hampton party, $2000 on travel expenses for a football game in Texas, $6000 for an Hermes Bag or $45M for a Picasso Painting, let them. It's valuable to them.

When I found out the value of a Picasso painting is $45M or P2.2B, I realize that some people may not even pay a million for it because it's not valuable to them. They would rather spend that money on something, of more value to them, because worth is relative.

In line with our own value systems, I thought of this exercise: VALUE PRICING EXERCISE.

Instead of pricing only things, why don't we price our values too.

Diagram/Slide 1:
Spend money on house: P5M
Spend money on car: P800K
Spend money on food: P100K/yr
Spend money on clothes: P50K/yr
Spend money on travel: P200K/yr
Spend money on entertainment: P50K/yr

Diagram/Slide 2:
Was trying to put a price on these 4:
Spend time with family: P1B?
Spend time on career: P1M?
Spend time on self: P5M?
Spend time with God: P1B?

Come to think of it... They're all PRICELESS, PRICELESS, PRICELESS, PRICELESS. You decide.

This exercise brings me to the story of "The fisherman and the banker" which I saw on the internet, so it may be familiar to some of you.

A banker was on vacation on a small island in Mexico when he saw a fisherman, relaxing alone on his boat. The banker approached the fisherman and asked, "what are you doing here with just a pole and a bait?"

The fisherman replies: "I am fishing for my family."

The banker says: "Why don't you get a net so you can catch more fish?"

The fisherman asks: "What for?"

The banker says, "Well, if you catch more fish you can sell them at the market and make a profit."

The fisherman replies: "And then what?"

The banker says: "Well if you make a profit, you can export the fish to the city and maybe build your own company."

The fisherman replies: "And then what?"

The banker says: "Well, can't you see, you can have more profit and then lots of branches and companies, and then you can finally retire into a small fishing village and just fish, relax and spend time with your family."

The fisherman answers: "Well, isn't that what I'm already doing now?"

Our next topic will be what I call "Retail Therapy." A moment is a retail of time.Our challenge is to make the moment count.

It only takes a moment, to make, or break an impression. It's not only about the peso counter, but also about the personal encounter. From the onstage impression to the offstage experience... MAKE THAT ENCOUNTER COUNT.

So that when we are with someone, speaking with someone, it's as if nothing else matters, the whole world fades away.Taking time to listen is the easiest and most important thing. All you need is time and empathy. (We can relate this to businesses through Customer Service. For example a one-on-one response to emails, or a human being taking phone calls on your Customer Service lines.)

There is nothing more therapeutic than talking, and all you have to do is listen. That's actually doing nothing - but your attention is with the other. And it could save a life, or many.

That to me, is retail therapy. One on one therapy. One where you say, you matter to me. And then seeing what we can do to help.

"Pete's Story"

I wanted to share with you a letter which my dad received, last February 19, 2009. It had no return address on the envelope, just a simple note inside which said,"Hector, napulot ko ang Senior Citizens Card mo dito sa may Boni Avenue. Alam ko importante sa iyo ‘to. Kasi ako man at Senior Citizen din. --Pete"

There was no return address or phone number, or any way for my dad to reach Pete to thank him. But, Pete took a moment and empathized with my dad, and it made a world of a difference to him, and to me. That was a single act of kindness that was not asking for anything in return. Until now, we keep that letter with us.

Not everything is important, but everyone is important. Let's try switching from the mind frame of "Every penny counts" - to "Every person counts."

This leads me to what I call "In-Kind Contributions."

It only takes a minute, to think of what we can do for one person. Especially since the theme of this conference is "Opportunities in Crisis," there are still a lot of opportunities to give.

There's much that we can give that doesn't have anything to do with money, and sometimes they count more and go a longer distance.

So if you know of something or someone, an opportunity or a connection, be generous with it. Make an introduction. Because even if we don't have a penny in our pocket, we can still help.

Giving ACCESS and letting people know of opportunities are priceless. Also, attention, advice, skills, talent, words of encouragement. We don't lose anything when we give or share these.

Of course, I've also been a lucky recipient of these and I am always grateful. These are the reasons why I am here, so thank you to everyone who encouraged, connected and endorsed me ever so kindly. I will not be here, on this spot, if not for them, if not for you.

This brings me to the Cinderella-Fairy Godmother concept.

Everybody wants to be Cinderella, but they're not always successful, because they want it for themselves. My suggestion is that we all become Fairy Godmothers to each other -We can introduce them to prince charming, make them a dress and take them to the ball. Because only when we are all Fairy Godmothers to each other, can we all become Cinderellas too - our dreams come true.

And so the BOTTOM LINE is NOT THE SUM THAT WE MAKE, it's the DIFFERENCE THAT WE MAKE.

What else can make a difference? Words can make a difference, and they don't cost a thing. Words have the power to change minds, and then lives. Words of encouragement count: Three very strong words are KAYA MO YAN! or in English, the three words "Go for it!" have the same message.

"Kaya Mo ‘Yan" is easier to say than "Kaya Ko ‘To" Hearing someone else tell you these words can uplift your spirits and give you the confidence and strength to go for the goal.

Also so priceless, are words of forgiveness, of understanding, of empathy. The right words can even mean life or death, in the life of one or many.

This brings me to an article I wrote after hearing so many positive stories about Filipinos I was abroad, I called it: 86 Million Tourist Spots.

In many conversations I have with foreigners, they can only say great things about the Filipinos they know. Granted, stories are said and heard about Boracay, Palawan and Bohol. But the more resounding chatter covers the amazing qualities they found in Filipinos they met on ships, at home, at work or through friends. Certainly, the tourist spots of the Philippines are the Filipinos.

We are the Philippines' walking and talking tourist spots, and are our country's greatest assets. Filipinos are an amazing race to see and experience. And they've spread out around the world in not just seven wonders, but in eighty six million spots.

Let's all be our best selves because we're a reflection of our country and our people.

Let's all be a good story to tell. How many dreams have been sparked by the lives of Lea Salonga, Rafe Totengco and Monique Lhuiller? How many of us have been motivated by the successes of our fellow Filipinos? We can harness our individual successes towards our collective empowerment.

BUT THERE IS NO NEED FOR HEADLINES.

In the end, we realize that our being Filipino affects everything we do, and everything we do affects our being Filipino. And if every day, we do our work with integrity, passion, and responsibility, we give honor to ourselves, our company and our country, even if it doesn't make the headline.

In this time and age of globalization, we really never know where our feet will take us. We don't know who our spouses will be and where we will live. We don't know where our jobs will take us or what opportunity will open to us. But one thing's for sure: we will always be connected. It is not only our duty as Christians and humans to be selfless, it is our duty to help others be less selfish too. And wherever in the world we are, we can help the Philippines - and convince others to help the Philippines. By being connected to the Philippines via web, balikbayan boxes or by heart, we will be able to make sure our heads and hearts are turned back, wherever the wind takes us.

And so, my final point this afternoon is that THE ESSENCE OF LIVING, THE ESSENCE OF GIVING IS WHAT WE CAN GIVE UP. The essence of giving, is what we can LET GO of, what we can live without.

Simple living makes a big difference. Not extreme simple living but knowing when things are becoming too ostentatious, too much for one person.

If we have both time and money, that's a deadly combination, especially if we don't give some of it to others. We'll probably want to travel a lot and be creative with how to spend that money on one person - on ourselves. We will buy everything, go everywhere that we can, that we might start becoming bored with ourselves or with life, which going back to how we started this talk, is a gift. Being born is a gift.

So the bottom of the bottom line is not how much we make, but how much we give, and giving doesn't have to have anything to do with money, because even if we have nothing, we can always give something: Time. Attention. Opportunities. Advice. Access. Talent. Words of encouragement. THOSE THINGS COUNT, and we don't even need a calculator.

Thank you PRA for your In-Kind contributions. Thank you for your authentic endorsements. Thank you everyone for your attention, and most especially for spending your precious time with me today. I wish you and yours all the best always.