What is the difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary man? The successful and the failures? The winners and the losers? The rich and the poor ones?
Recently, I read a book by Schwartz entitled the Magic of Thinking Big. The book explained why few men are winners and most of us are losers. While reading the book, I cannot but agree to the thesis of the author. I have observed this myself in my daily dealings with people.
In the classroom, I know that many of the students simply aim to get a decent grade of 85. That is their ideal grade. Some others aim to get a passing grade. At the end of the quarter, they pray the teacher will give "consideration" for them who volunteered to keep the blackboard clean. Very few aim for the 90's. They are usually the best of the class. Some teachers call them big dreamers. That of course, is an overstatement.
It is not uncommon among teachers to teach that students should get high grades in elementary to prepare themselves for high school, to get high grades in high school so that they will be accepted in a good college, to get through college so that they will get a good job. A good job is security. At first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with this. I believe, most of us are educated this way.
At second glance though, we may ask “how many have security, at least, financial security, these days?’
Thanks God, there are some people who did not allow their education dwarf their future. I had a student whose name is Erwin. One Saturday afternoon, after their CAT training he engaged me in a chitchat. He had some questions about the Philippines and the lot of the poor in this country. Most of my students know that I was a student activist. So, I explained to him the boxed answer activists mastered--that it is not the fault of the poor that they are poor--some people called politicians and capitalists keep them so. However, Erwin has another point of view. He said the poor are poor because they do not want to become rich, they are just contented with their lives and most of them are lazy. I volunteered that farmers and laborers are not lazy but they are still poor. He countered that his ancestors who belong to the first generation of Chinese in the Philippines were also poor when they set foot on this land, but they did not stay that way. There must be something wrong with the Filipinos. Foreigners are reeking profits here.
I felt that although Erwin has good points, he still does not know much about life and politics. When I asked him about his goal in studying, he told me this--"Sir, as you can see I am very interested with computers. Nevertheless, I do not excel in your subject or any other subjects. I am not bothered. To become an honor student is the least of my concerns. What I want is to have my own business even before I graduate in ADMU. Since first year high school, I have been saving a portion of my allowance so that I will have a starting capital when I decide to build my business. I want a good life. I study not for the sake of studying but for the sake of that good life."
I wonder until now how many of my students, before and after Erwin, think beyond the daily struggles of homework and quizzes. How many of them have dreams? How many of them dared to think big and started to fulfill their dreams? I hope Erwin is NOT a rare species.
Erwin is right. Most people are poor, failures, and small because they are not capable of dreaming big! Not only that, some of them do not even have their own dreams.
This happened when was in first year high. Every 5 o’ clock in the morning, I sell newspapers to one busy road in Antipolo. The place is usually crowded with commuters who work in Metro Manila and nearby towns. Many of them became my suki. Until one day, someone grab from me my monopoly of the place. He is an ugly competition. He overtook me every time someone intended to buy from me and he captured my suki by offering them something good to their ears. Puwedeng utang. They would pay only on the 15th and the 30th of the month. Eventually, he drove me away from the place.
I had to expand my market. I entered subdivisions and squatter areas to sell more. I did! Yes, and I sold twice as much. When my competition learned about it... once again, he conquered my market with his tricks.
That was more than fifteen years ago. Last year, I was buying a copy of the Inquirer when the “newspaper boy” spoke. "Buti ka pa Lito, sinuwerte ka. Buti ka pa ang layo-layo na nang narating mo." Lito. I used that name only once. That was when I was selling newspapers. Then I recognized the man. He looked very old and sickly. In his eyes, I saw sadness, a kind of pity for himself.
That man when I was small, fellow toastmasters, had only one dream: to conquer my market. When I stopped selling newspapers, he became contented with his market. On that busy road, he is the king until now, but it is very evident that he is not happy!
He attributed what I have reached to luck--pure luck. No ladies and gentlemen. What ever I am now is a product of that dream I was starting to realize even before I was selling newspapers. When he was dreaming to grab my suki, I was dreaming to create jobs for my suki. When he was dreaming to get my bigger market, the house owners in subdivisions and “house owners” in the squatters area, I was dreaming to help people build their own decent houses. When he was dreaming of a good profit, I was dreaming to profit a good life…a life of significance.
He said, ang layo layo na ng narating mo. He has a limited imagination, fellow toastmasters. I am not even halfway through my dream.
The difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary man, the successful and the failures ones, the winners and the losers, the rich and the poor is not education, race or creed. It is our ability to think big. It is our capability to dream big and our willingness to give in to that desire to fulfill it. If you have that ability, you are blessed. Share that! Be a blessing to others!
Jef Menguin
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