A choice of attitude.

This morning, this lady told me, "Oh, no! Time goes by too fast. Today is another working day and there's so much to do."

Thus, she faced another day with dread, knowing that work awaited her. She was, of course, not too happy with having to wake up early, to rush for her transport to take her to work and the fact that she would have to perform some kind of task before returning home tired in the evening.

As for me, I awaken each morning at 5.30 am to get myself ready for a hike up the Semarak Hill with the expectant joy of cool, fresh air and lovely scenery there besides the greetings and exchanges of messages and thoughts with the numerous friends and acquaintances that I am bound to meet there. I expect to return stronger, healthier, fitter and happier than ever.

See the difference in our attitudes towards the new day. Of course, I expect you to say it would be easy for me to have the better attitude as I am looking forward to something enjoyable and not work.

But then, who said work could not be enjoyable? When I was teaching, I woke up each morning, aware that I was still so much alive to face another beautiful day. I would smile at myself in the mirror and be delighted to have my image respond likewise. That was something I learned from some of my teachers, the ones who taught me about living and life, such greats as Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale and Dale Carnegie. I would reach the school early so that I would not have to rush but have the time to look at the beauties, nature and humans, along the way. Meeting and greeting friends each day was and still is a pleasure that lightens whatever loads and makes each day so fleetingly short that I had no alternative but to treasure almost every moment.

I loved my work and despite the numerous problems that students did cause, it was sufficiently interesting especially when results were achieved and personal satisfaction was derived from it. Perhaps it was my ego but then it was great to have such an ego when all it did was to make living such a challenge that brought a sense of achievement in the end. To this day I can still lay claim to the fact that I had 100% passes with my SPM art students every year during my teaching career. (SPM is the public examination at form five level.) It is also my pride that my gymnasts did very well through my training. Of course, it involved a lot of hard work, five days a week but then gymnasts can never be really good unless sufficient training and practice is held. Well, it was worth it as results fed the ego and that gave a wonderful feeling nothing else could have. So, ego can sometimes be a good thing although being too egoistic can be bad.

And all that wonderful joy was the result of one's attitude towards one's work. And that pleasure is for life as each time I meet an old student, his/her delight at meeting someone meaningful in his/her life gave me further happiness.

Attitude towards life and work is our choice. We can get up each morning with a happy thought of meeting wonderful friends and seeing beautiful things as well as achieving good work or we can awaken with the thought of gloomy skies, dull colourless objects on the way and having to meet lousy people throughout the day. Both choices are possible. We make it so.

When it comes to meeting beautiful people, it is easy as our friends would be around to smile, laugh and joke with us. Our way to work could be filled with lovely plants and flowers in some gardens or at the roadside. Listen and be greeted each morning by the whistling of birds, "Tweet, twee, twee, tweet!" which sounds like "Look at that girl!" or "Hi, handsome one!" Watch the butterflies as they flutter by and should there be a breeze, slow down and love its cool touch of your cheeks. And at work think of the service we can render to so many people. Think of what we can do. Not everyone has the skill or knowledge or capability that we possess. And know that God has sent us here to perform a mission.

Of course, it is just as easy to choose not to enjoy the sights on the way, not to notice the little girl digging her nose at the bus-stop or the man with a different coloured sock on each leg. It is easy to get up as late as possible, plod into the working place, flop into a chair and wonder when the day could be over, hope no one would interrupt the little shut-eye and wish that there is nothing to be done. Well, everything is possible to him/her who desires it. But which would we prefer?