Thinking Out Loud: Going Beyond Excellence

I said I’d write a lot more about this, and here I am, writing about it, a month or so later. I imagine writing this as some sort of speech (because if you don’t notice, I have a thing for public speaking) but since I don’t really have a live audience, I decided to just put it up here in my blog.

I’d like to start this by once again saying thank you. Thank you to our Lord for this blessing, thank you to the agency for the recognition.

This award may say a lot of different things, but most common of them all probably is “You were excellent during this quarter.”

Me.

Excellent.

This Quarter.

But I think it goes beyond that.

It’s not about me, it is about the people around me.

Indeed, this particular recognition is of the individual variety, awarded to singular person. My first thought wasn’t really that I am excellent or that I deserve it (not saying I’m not or I don’t, but that is besides the point). My first thought was “This wouldn’t be possible without all of you.”

Does it sound cliché? Sounds like something someone would say to their sponsors? Yes, probably, but it is still true.

This recognition wasn’t achieved on my lonesome. It never was, never is, never will be. I am not the person or employee I am today because of my own efforts only. This recognition tells much about me as much as it does for the people that surrounds me.

I’ve grown, I’ve matured, and I’ve developed, yes, mainly due to the will and effort to change. But these changes were never easy. It’s not like it something served on a silver platter or something as easy as taking a candy from a baby. It’s more like going through a hedge maze on a stormy night and all that you’ve got with you is a torch light and a really really small umbrella.

That small.

It was never easy. Dare I say, it is impossible to do it alone.

But I didn’t do it alone. 

I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by the people that are such great leaders, great mentors, and great role models. I’ve been surrounded by the most understanding, most appreciative, and most patient (extra emphasis on that one) individuals. I’ve been in the company of awesome friends, amazing officemates, and an awe-inspiring family. 

I didn’t do it alone. I was never alone.

I was recognized as the employee of the quarter, but they all should very much be recognized as well. Heck, if I may be so bold, let me say that I all of us are the Employees of the Quarter.

It’s not just Excellence, but Honor and Excellence.

Now that we are all Employees of the Quarter, we are now all the epitome of excellence. But is that all that there is to it?

For those of you who know me, all of you already know that I am a proud graduate of the University of the Philippines. And all the Isko and Iska out there know our university motto: Honor and Excellence.

In fact, let me quote Prof. Monsod and say, “Honor and Excellence. Honor first, then excellence.” What use do we have for excellence without honor?

We didn’t become employees of the quarter because we just sat on our chairs and stared at the ceilings. We became employees of the quarter because we are excellent. But why did we become excellent?

I don’t know what other people’s answer would be, and I am not saying mine is the only correct one, but one of the main reasons why I aim to excel is because of honor. I went into the government service not because it pays well, or because it is convenient, or because I had no other choice. I preferred and aimed to work for the government because I want to help our country. I want to, even in the smallest way possible, change the way the citizens of our country look at the government. Contrary to what appears to be the popular belief, government employees are not all corrupt and inefficient. Whenever I do something or decide on something at the workplace, I do not only consider how it helps me or my career, but instead, I also consider how it could affect the people around me. We accommodate clients even if it is lunch time, because who knows, maybe they are only available during that time. We help people beyond what they ask of us, because excellence means going beyond what is expected of you. And yes, we've been offered money in exchange of our services before, but we simply refused and insisted that there is no place for such. There are still a ton of good people in the government; it’s just that the bad things make for much better stories.

In short, I want to serve the country through the government with utmost honor and excellence. I hope, nay, know that I am not alone in this endeavor.

It’s not just about the present, but also about moving forward

Do you know what is the greatest enemy of being great is?

Being good.

We must always strive to improve, to be better, to become greater. This is not to say that one must live a life of being not contented – no, this is different. Why must we settle for being good when we know we can be great – heck, the greatest? Truth to be told, a good life is realistically easy to achieve, but this is precisely the reason why we don’t see many great people are around.

Winning an award or being recognized is a nice achievement and all, but above and beyond that, such things should also serve as a challenge to all of us. As employees of the quarter, we can not for one moment think that we have reached the pinnacle of public service. At the same time, we cannot afford to regress by any means. This award we got is not just a recognition, but also a responsibility.

With great recognition comes great responsibility. Heh.

When we get recognized, we feel vindicated. When we get recognized, we feel that our efforts are validated. When we get recognized, we feel that we are worth something.

But that shouldn't be the end of it.

When we get recognized, we must also feel challenged. When we get recognized, we must feel responsible to uphold the trust afforded to us. When we get recognized, we must feel an urge to get even better, to be greater, to be the best.

However, in the midst of all my talk about being better and striving to be the best, remember this: In our path to be the best, we must never forget to be good.

Often times on our aim to reach the ultimate goal of being the best, we tend to sway away from the right path. This shouldn't be the case. This should never be the case. There may be times that we unknowingly took a wrong turn, or made decisions that led us down the wrong way. Still, the important thing is to have the courage to admit that we made a mistake, and to have the will to get back on the right path. Michael Jordan, for one reason or another, got cut from his high school team - he could have given up right there and then and the world wouldn't have bared witness to the greatness of his airness. Alex Rodriguez committed mistakes that led to boos from his hometown crowd, but he got back up, focused on the task on hand, and is now regaining the cheers of the Bronx faithful. Tony Stark on his dream of world peace more or less is the source of the very problems he eventually solves (Ultron anyone?)

We may one day be the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be, but what good is that if we ain't good?



It’s not about me, it is about the people around me.

Yes, we return to that concept again. If you ask me for one thing that gives me joy, it is the chance to be able to inspire people. To make people believe in themselves. The opportunity to make a change in someone's life. In those few moments that I was able to do so, I felt like I am accomplishing one of the things I was sent in this Earth for.

I will never be the most charismatic person. I will never be the most influential talker. I'll never be the most inspirational leader. I might never be like that. But in those moments that I am? Oh boy, I'll make sure to make the best of those moments - to be able to bring change, influence, and inspire, even in the simplest way.

This is one of those moments.


Again, thank you.

"I guess it's because we all want to believe that what we do is very important, that people hang on to our every word, that they care what we think. The truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone - anyone - feel a little better. After that, it's all about the people that you've let into your life."

- J.D. / Scrubs / My Finale

- - - - -

Playing on the Background:

"One night and one more time, Thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great"

- Thnks fr th Mmrs / Fall Out Boy

" I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream "

- Breaking the Habit / Linkin Park

"My heart is yours to fill or burst, or break or bury"

- Hands Down / Dashboard Confessionals

"I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some"

- I’m Yours / Jason Mraz

"Gusto ko lang naman, yung totoo
Yung tipong ang sagot, ay di rin isang tanong"

- Migraine / Moonstar88

"And when you're weak, I'll be strongI'm gonna keep holding on"- One Call Away / Charlie Puth

(All photos used in these entry are not mine and belong to their respective owners)