One String: Attitude is Everything!

This was my talk on the topic OPTIMISM for the SM City San Jose del Monte mall administration employees.

I’m starting my discussion with a story. This story is about a music prodigy named Niccolo Paganini. I’m not sure if the comb brand was named after him. But, going back… Paganini was a famous violinist in the nineteenth century. This is a true story. There was one time he was performing before a large crowd, playing a complex piece with his violin, when suddenly one of its strings snapped. But he continued his performance. Then, another string popped. So, I can just imagine the sweat of Paganini. But still, he continued playing with his violin. And then, poof, another string snapped leaving him with only one string left. Paganini paused and exclaimed to the vast crowd, “And now, Paganini…and one string!” And so, the crowd cheered him loudly. When he finally finished his performance, he received a standing ovation from the audience.

I was one of you. As I’ve said, I have been a part of this largest mall chain in the country. And I can relate with the kind of stresses that you’re going through. At sasabayan pa yan ng iba pang mga isipin sa pamilya, sa lovelife, sa financial struggles, and many more. Sa araw-araw, maraming mga bagay o pangyayari na makakapagpapatid sa strings o sa pisi natin. Andyan yung tinanghali ka ng gising, nagmamadali ka. Pero ayos, kasi nakasakay ka agad ng jeep. Kaso si manong driver, matakaw sa pasahero. Hinto nang hinto. Napuno yung jeep, umaasa ka pa na aabot ka sa 9:00 in. BIglang nagpa-gas si manong. Nakakagigil diba? It happens! Tuloy natin yung kwento. Kaunti na lang, malapit ka nang bumaba, iniisip mo muna kung gaano kabilis ang gagawin mong takbo. Lahat ng madaanan mo sinisagawan mo ng, “Tabi! Tabi!” Ayan na, malapit ka na sa iGuard. Tooot! Shocks! 9:01! Badtrip! Tama ba? Nangyayari yan. Naranasan ko rin yan. Umaga palang, parang pagod ka na. Sira na ang araw mo.

But one lesson we would learn from Paganini’s story is that, bad things do happen unexpectedly but you shouldn’t let them ruin your performance and even your day. If Paganini stopped the moment one string snapped, obviously he wouldn’t finish his performance. The crowd would be disappointed. He wouldn’t receive standing ovation. And we wouldn’t even bother talking about him right now. But Paganini continued until only one string was left! He finished well. And it’s because of his positive attitude.

I entitled this discussion as One String: Attitude is everything!

This afternoon, I would like to share to you five practical tips on having a positive attitude or being, as they say, optimistic. For you to recall these easily, just remember OPQRST!

O is for Optimism. Optimism is PQRST!

So for our first point, P. Optimism is planting seeds of goodness.

I believe you have tried at least once in your life to help random persons you have met along the way. Even through simple ways like giving alms to the less fortunate at side streets, help old person to cross the road. Have you tried that? Anything of that sort? What did you feel when you did those? Diba, masarap sa pakiramdam? Especially when you have done it with those people who can never pay you back and you might never see again. Pero, diba, it makes you feel light. It gives you sense of accomplishment. It makes your day bright! Parang ang saya-saya ng araw kapag nagagawa mo yun. And you don’t even have to announce to other people that you have helped.

Planting seeds of goodness can also be done with those who are around you, those you know. Try to write a note of appreciation to your colleagues, to your spouses, to your parents or siblings. Thank them for any favor they have given you. Encourage them to be happy, to smile, to keep going. Compliment someone for his/her job well done. You see, these little things could mean a lot to somebody. Making people happy will make you happy. If you do any of these each day, you’ll see how it would change or improve your perspective in life.

Next point, Q! Optimism is quitting being quick-tempered.

Ano’ng nangyayari kapag mainitin ang ulo mo? You’d get mad even with petty stuff. Maliit na issue, lumalaki kasi pinalalaki. You’re easily annoyed with a lot of things. Pati minsan, pag-tik tak ng orasan, kinaiinisan. Pati panahon, “Ang init!” “Ang lamig naman!” “Ang hangin naman! Kakainis!”

Nabalitaan niyo ba yung mga pulis na nag-away-away dahil lang sa toothpick? It happened September of last year sa Caloocan. Dalawang pulis kumakain sa karederya pero hindi sila magkakilala o magkasama. Tapos yung isang pulis, kumuha siya ng toothpick dun sa mesa nung isa. Dun na nagkainitan. Nabastusan daw siya sa ginawang pagkuha ng toothpick sa mesa niya. Nagtalo sila. Yung napag-initan, nagsumbong sa kasamahan niyang pulis na mainitin din ang ulo at sumugod agad at namaril. Nagkapalitan sila ng putok. Sugatan yung sumugod. See? At dahil lang yun sa toothpick!

When you’re quick-tempered, you’re so annoyed to the point that it already clouds your mind. It’s hard to think straight. You would say harsh words that could hurt people, or worse, could make them hurt you.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s not worth it. Napakainam na wala kang kaaway, hindi nyo aalalahanin na baka may naoffend kayo.

You should quit being quick-tempered. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you would not speak up; but you should wisely choose your battles. Hindi lahat dapat patulan. Learn the art of deadma. Ignore those who are just trying to taunt and provoke you. If you would keep on ignoring them, eventually, they would get tired doing it. And you have saved your reputation.

Third point, R. Optimism is resisting worry.

This is quite an old illustration. Have you watched a hamster running inside a wheel? What do you notice? As it runs faster, the wheel also goes round faster; but the hamster still doesn’t go anywhere. It remains inside the wheel. That’s what happens when you worry. You fill your mind with anxious thoughts; you will run as much as you can trying hard to do things to prevent non-existing problem. It keeps you busy but it doesn’t make you go anywhere.

Worry distracts you and hinders you to become peaceful and productive. Your priorities get affected.

Now, just to make it clear, worrying is different from being concerned. Of course, you need to be responsible and prepared for your future. But thinking things would go wrong is something else. Being concerned makes you reflect thoroughly and it prompts you to come up with decisions that are sound and effective. While worrying makes you nervous, emotional, and even sleepless. Just like anger, worry clouds your mind. Worrying is counterproductive.

The question is: how will you resist worrying? Determine what makes you worry. It could be a traumatic past, negative environment, or difficult experiences of other people. From there, guard your heart on dwelling with those thoughts. This doesn’t mean that you would force yourself to forget those anxious thoughts; rather, you just have to fill your mind with good stuff. We’ll talk more about this later.

Also, look beyond those circumstances that trigger your anxiety. Sometimes, we’re too focused on the difficult situations that we forget the One who can truly help us. Pray. Pray your blues away.

Next point, S. Optimism is sleeping or resting soundly at night.

I understand the workload of an employee in a huge company. It is accompanied by the demand of doing overtime, working on weekends, or even taking work home with you. But remember this, if you want to keep a positive attitude at work or in your life, find time to rest.

Don’t ignore the most basic needs: healthy food, good sleep, and fun workout. The reason why sometimes you’re wallowing yourself with negative thoughts is because you’re burnout. Pagod na pagod ka na. Hindi ka makakain sa tamang oras o kaya naman, puro junk foods ang kinakain mo. Ang tulog mo apat na oras na lang gabi-gabi. Hindi ka na makapag-exercise. You can’t even spend time with your loved ones. When you’re restless and burnout, you would catch yourself complaining a lot.

Refresh your mind by eating healthy food, sleeping well during days off, and exercising. Schedule your vacations. Kahit staycation lang; make time to recover from stressful days and sleepless nights.

Now, we’re down to our last point, T. Optimism is thinking about great things.

When I have learned that the topic for this session is about optimism, this Bible verse flashed instantly in my mind.

Philippians 4:8 says, “..whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

While others say that you are what you eat; I say you are what you think. These are six specific ideas that we should think about.

• Things that are true: Valid, honest, realistic thoughts; not lies nor deception. If you’re living a dishonest life, there wouldn’t be peace in you.

• Things that are noble: Live a life of dignity and worthy of respect. And it’s not really acquired by having a high position in a company or possessing so many riches in this world. It’s about having a good name and good reputation.

• Things that are right: Always choose to do the right thing. Be fair.

• Things that are pure: Not filthy and unwholesome thoughts, but ones that are morally pure and sensible.

• Things that are lovely: Not arguments nor complains that will make you angry, but pleasing and attractive thoughts that will make you happy.

• Things that are admirable: Not gossips, slanders, nor discouraging words about others; but encouraging ones pointing out the best in other people. Avoid being critical and fault-finding; rather, be appreciative and affirmative.

I’m ending this session with a quotation from my favorite author, Charles Swindoll:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

So, as you get back to your daily lives, keep in mind that you always have a choice between being positive and being negative in ALL situations.

I hope you have learned something from this session. Thank you for the opportunity to share these to you. I appreciate you, guys.

Have your minds dwell about these things.