MANILA, Philippines - Are you living the life you’ve always dreamt about, or are you merely living a life of quiet desperation?
The good news is that you can achieve anything if you believe you can. All you need to do is to change your way of thinking, learn to visualize success and learn effective time management.
Such is the core philosophy of Carl Balita — entrepreneur, business visionary, educator, nurse, broadcaster, recording artist and inspirational guru.
“But how can he wear so many hats all at the same time?,” you may very well wonder.
“Because I want to,” Carl says. “And anyone can do just the same.”
Maybe his poor and humble beginnings really pushed him to strive harder. After graduating from UST as a registered nurse, he could have chosen to work abroad, but he didn’t. On the contrary, he chose to stay in Manila and envisioned advocacy programs for public health workers, and even convinced more than 6,000 OFWs from Hong Kong to make the entrepreneurial shift and be reunited with their families. This remarkable feat, called the Balik ‘Pinas Entrepinoy Program, got a favorable full-page cover review from the Asian Wall Street Journal and was commended by the Philippine government.
Since then, he turned into a full-time entrepreneurship advocate, spreading his inspirational and motivational seeds through his Radyo Negosyo on DZMM. To date, the program is now a Catholic Mass Media Awards Hall of Fame awardee — DZMM’s very first. Carl was also named the 2009 Golden Dove awardee as Best Public Service Host.
The very backbone of his entrepreneurial advocacy is DREAM, Inc, a revolutionary micro-financing scheme. “My corporate social responsibility is my microfinancing system,” Carl explains. “Unlike traditional schemes, ours has no collateral or interest at all, and can be called the Filipino version of the Grameen concept. We have disbursed around 25 million already to more than 2,000 microentrepreneurs.”
From there, his string of social advocacies expanded even further, giving birth to the Dr. Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC), LyfCenter Beauty and Wellness, Little Lamb’s Pediatric Wellness Place, Spotlight Artists Centre, Ultimate Creatives, Ultimate Learning Series, Dream Inc., Fiorgelato (The Pure Italian Ice Cream). He also spearheads crash courses on livelihood skills training.
Carl has just finished his second doctoral degree in Education. His first one was in Humanities. He holds three professional licenses in nursing, midwifery and teaching.
But that’s not all. Carl is also a multi-faceted talent whose artistic and creative genius has seeped into the showbiz world. He produced Nars, (which starred Jennylyn Mercado, Jodi Sta. Maria, Coco Martin and Jon Avila) the very first local film about nurses. He was also the brains behind iDREAM, the compilation of inspirational songs performed by an all-star cast.
These days, Carl continues to share his time and resources by embarking on a full-scale multimedia awareness campaign in the hope of inspiring and motivating people to uncover their full potential.
As Carl celebrates his 40th birthday today, he shares his blessings fourfold by embarking on a medical mission and livelihood training seminars, hosting a party for kids with cancer, and will cap the day with an intimate cause-oriented concert with family, friends and his Retromaniacs Band (composed of lawyers and doctors) at Ratsky’s Morato.
Aside from his friends from business, nursing and the academe, his guests include Robert and Isay Alvarez-Seña, Trisha Amper-Jimenez and other colleagues in the music biz. They will sing Magsimula Ka, a musicale that will be produced this year by Spotlight Artists, Inc., their very own performing arts school.
For details, log on to www.carlbalita.com.