Secret of Success

What is the real secret of success? Well, I would think is the real secret of success is being enthusiastic. Yes, more than enthusiastic – excitement. When people get really excited, they make success of their lives.

There are also people who just wait for excitement to happen. They take a waiting approaching. For something. For someone. They sit staring at all that is around them, waiting for some factor outside of themselves to call to them and get them excited. Someday help will come remind and guide me professionally. Some good fortune will turn the school around. Some lucky event will enable my student leaders excel. My department might give me something interesting to work on.

I personally don’t think real excitement works that way. Real excitement is an inner “thing”. It starts inside me, not from outside. People released from confinement get excited about seeing the outside world. People who find a new job get excited just driving to work on the first day. Just driving to work excites them! Hence, their excitement is created by how they see things. And how they see things depends on the lens they are wearing.

Just last month in July, when the annual haze previously just a mild annoyance, climbed to record levels causing panic across our country. As the haze worsened, anti-pollutant masks and air purifiers were in short supply. Fellow Singaporeans, in groups or as individuals, many of them younger people, got excited and extended their help by giving out their own supplies of masks to family, friends and strangers. Groups such as Project Awareness, SG Haze Rescue, the Halogen Foundation and several others also began to distribute masks to senior citizens and less privileged individuals.

But there were others, like shops taking advantage of the opportunity to charge overly high prices for masks which suddenly is now the most desired. Another group of people who buys in excess which created shortages of masks. There were also people who exploited the situation to start rumours over the Internet and SMS which added on the panic.

The first situation created in my mind of the people an inspired life that served them. Whether a wind is good or bad blowing has more to do with how we react than the weather itself. Two choices were at play when the haze worsen and there were also two responses, one was with unkindness and ungraciousness, feeling ill-intent and acted with poor judgement. And the other who got excited about it and choose to act for the common good, showing kindness and graciousness. And using the excitement to turn all our lives around.