Coming from a small town called Dasol in Pangasinan, I never thought very highly of myself. My family was very poor, so I couldn’t attend school or even have food to eat during the first few years of my life. As I got older, I was always made fun of for being fat or ugly as bad diet consisting of a lot of soda. I have been working since I was 7 years old, selling bread on the street or working as a maid for rich families in the village for room and board. I felt so ashamed of myself for not having new clothes to wear in school or having time to study at school. I was called bobo (stupid) by my teacher and my classmates and would be bullied because of my family's financial situation. So, how did I go from there to where I am today?
Step 1: Develop Important Skills
The first thing I did is to put my education first. When I moved to Singapore I was only given 1 day off a month. During this day I tried to get a good education. However, due to my work permit, I was unable to enroll in school. Luckily, however, a professor agreed to teach me and I learned accounting. She would give me a month's worth of homework and then every month I would accomplish it and submit it on my day off and receive my next month’s worth of schooling.
Step 2: Read, Read, Read
On top of putting myself through school, I had also gotten very interested in self-development books. After I had read the book “Stop Worrying and Start Living” (click this link to see my analysis of the book and what I learned), I learned the steps needed to overcome my low self-esteem and constant worrying. I realized that I am the only Rebecca Bustamante in the world and I need to start acting like it. The world will not give me anything that I didn’t deserve. I need to work hard in order to achieve what it is I want.
Step 3: Put Yourself First
I realized that I need to put myself first in order to get my needs met. I started to look at how to eat properly to take care of my body. I stopped drinking soda, started eating more vegetables, and started exercising. Not to show off but walking down the street I would have men approach me with their business cards all of whom I rejected until I met my future husband Richard Mills. I only wanted the best and didn’t stop until I got the best.
Step 4: Help those around you
Just because you should put yourself first does not mean you should ignore everyone around you and just focus on becoming wealthier. We should use our time, talents, and resources to help those around us. I use my talents to help inspire many people to follow my example and build the life that they want. I use my resources to help equip many schools in rural communities utilizing both books (educaidasia.org) and with computers. If you want to find out more info on how to find meaning to help those around you check out this link.