By Christopher Cervantes, RFP

“The season that feels like it’s breaking you is the one shaping you.”

I know that truth — because I lived it.

I grew up poor. So poor that as a kid, I was literally a “basurero“. Habang ibang bata naglalaro, ako nagbubuhat ng basura. And deep inside, I was frustrated. I didn’t know what would happen to my future. The only thing running in my mind was: “Ganito na lang ba ako forever?”

But that question… that was the beginning. Because when you don’t have the answers, you start with the right question.

That question pushed me to work harder, to dream bigger, until I became a seafarer.

And I thought that was it — success at last. The money was good, life on board was good, gastos dito, padala doon. Pero here’s the trap: kapag nasa barko ako, life was great. But every time I came home, and the salary stopped — boom, balik sa hirap. Rich at sea, broke at home. The cycle was killing me.

Until one day, I asked myself a different question:

“How can I be financially free — not just when I’m onboard, but all the time?”

And that’s when everything shifted. That’s when Financial Planning for the Fast Changing World was born. At first it was my personal technique, then it became my system, and now it’s my lifestyle. And it’s the reason why I am where I am today.

Here’s what I realized:

• If you ask, “Why am I poor?” you’ll only find excuses.
• But if you ask, “How can I break free?” you’ll start to find strategies.

That’s the power of asking the right question.

So if you feel stuck right now, trapped in the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle… if you’re tired of always starting over — remember, you don’t have to stay there.

All it takes is one new question.

Because the right question creates clarity.
Clarity creates power.
And power creates freedom.

So let me ask you today:

What’s the one question you need to ask, that could change your life forever?