When I first started reading the book, I was not at all interested because I got the impressions as if I were just reading one of my Philosophy handouts way back in college. Nonetheless, I motivated myself to at least finish the book by the end of the week. While reading Jocano’s book, I realized that the saying “Positive view of work and optimism in handling problems” [1]will help you succeed your dreams and ambition. When I read this statement of Jocano, I began to think of myself as a clear example of his statement.
Ever since I was a kid, I dreamt of being almost anything and everything I could think of. I remember dreaming of becoming a doctor. Afterwards I dreamt I would be a teacher. Upon entering grade school, I realized I wanted to become a veterinarian. At this point in time, it never entered my mind that someday I would dream of becoming a chef. It was not until I was in my 4th year of high school wherein I decided I really wanted to take up culinary arts. Unfortunately, my parents disapproved and insisted I take up business management majoring in economics instead. I took that road and no matter how hard I worked, even if I passed all my subjects, I was not passionate of what I was doing. I enjoyed the company of my peers and group of friends which is probably the reason why I stayed for three years, yet I was not contented with what I was doing. I was in awe and I couldn’t handle the pressure of solving for endless numerical problems anymore. Ever since the first day I entered college, I always dreamt of entering the kitchen. In between semesteral and Christmas breaks, I would always bake and cook for my family and friends. I found contentment and happiness in what I was doing. Hearing people say I should take up culinary arts instead made my passion for food and cooking burn even more. It was my birthday in 2010 wherein I knew that it was my destiny to be in the kitchen. I took the risk of leaving my graduating year in college to pursue my passion and love for in life. I didn’t know and I didn’t plan what would happen next, but all I knew at that point in time was to go after my dream, to become a chef.
“Determination, hard work, discipline, obedience, and frugality”[2], Jocano states, are the source of success of most successful people.
I believe indeed that determination is one, because without determination, what else would you be achieving it for? It would be useless for you to work if you are not determined by something, such as the simple determination for survival.
Hard work, on the other hand does not necessarily mean extending working hours. To me, hard work means finishing ones task on or before the required due date. It can also mean taking time to start on work ahead of time. Studying and passing quizzes,long tests, reports, etc. is already hard work.
Discipline, in my opinion, is a very important factor when it comes to work and success. Being an adult already, I know that discipline is a value that every person must possess. “Discipline encompasses the moral parameters of honesty and integrity”. [3]Take for instance excess ingredients. If there is a whole chicken left that has not been touched or distributed, we should be disciplined and honest enough not to take it and bring it home for personal consumption and benefits. We must be disciplined enough to restrain ourselves from doing things that can cause us to be in trouble. A more basic understanding could simply be studying. Whenever there is an exam, quiz, etc, we should have the discipline to study because nobody wants fail during the exams itself. We should also be disciplined enough not to cheat or copy answers because we know it is morally wrong, and at the same time stealing as well. Honesty is a very important trait a person must have because the foundation of trust and reputation begins there.
Obedience, I believe, is the basic trait one must possess, especially if you are the leader. I believe that one cannot be a good leader if he is not a good follower. Obedience simply means following instructions. We must obey whatever our bosses and advisers asks us to do, because they know what is best for us. We must also obey the basic rules of our school and work environment because if not, we can be expelled or suspended for simply disobeying rules. After all, “Obedience is an act of acknowledging the legitimacy of existing social order”. [4]
Lastly, frugality is necessary because one will never earn nor will be able to buy any personal assets without being a little thrifty. Times now are hard; Economies all over the world are at stake. Being thrifty does not necessarily mean to not spend anything at all. It just simply means budgeting and saving up for emergencies and other personal uses. After all, “planning and budgeting are twin sisters of successful businesses”. [5]
In the book, I find the chapter on “Illustrative Cases”[6], the fourth chapter, the highlight of the book because not only does it summarize the important traits of being a successful person, but it also shares to us the real-life stories of three successful people, and how they managed to be on top from being janitors, street children, etc. One thing that the three successful people share in common is they managed to stay positive despite the unfortunate situation they were once in. They were also passionate and determined with what they were doing, all for the same simple reason of survival. By survival I mean being able to put food on the table three times a day, placing a roof over their heads, having enough clothes to keep them dry, and all other basic necessities that man must possess. Being junk collectors, janitors, fish vendors, etc. are not easy jobs, yet they managed to do well with what they were doing because they thought positive. They knew they would get places because eventually, hard work pays its price in the end. “High performers have positive attitudes and are happy with their jobs, while low performers have negative work attitudes and are unhappy with their jobs”.[7] I guess a part of me once knew this saying already when I was in college because I know that I would not have achieved nor succeeded if I stayed as an economic student. As an economic student, I saw my work as a chore. I use to complain a lot when I had classes at 7 in the evening or later. Now, being a chef student, I see my course as a source of self-satisfaction first. I get involved with all kinds of tasks and work without questions. I no longer complain even if I stay up to 9 in the evening in school, or even when I have tasks during the weekends. I no longer saw work as a burden but as a learning tool in order to enhance not only my knowledge but my skills as well. I saw it as “little accomplishments along the way”. [8]
The fourth chapter, too, inspired me in terms of working even harder because I should consider myself blessed to have been sent to good educational institutions since kindergarten. The cases of Ben the lawyer who was once a junk collector, Frank the Senior Vice President of Operations who was once a security guard and janitor, Aling Carmen the famours meat vendor who was once a street vendor, and Aling Rosing the famous fish vendor who was once a street child, are all cases of people who once did the dirty work for the simple reason of survival. Some of them also saw education as a necessity in order to succeed. Nonetheless, despite their once unfortunate situation, they knew that work was not only a moral responsibility, but as an obligation as well. They viewed work as an economic activity, a responsibility to the family, a source of social status and prestige, a definer of gender roles and the use of power, influence and authority, and as an important source of psychological motivation such as self-esteem and self-fulfillment. [9] They didn’t give up nor did they just beg on the streets. They did not complain because they knew that would get them nowhere. They wanted change, so they worked for it. After a few years, hard work eventually started to pay off.
After reading this book, I realized that I was one of those Filipinos who once saw work as a burden and as a source of income. I realized that I once had a negative attitude towards it because I was unhappy. I complained about it a lot. If I did pursue economics, I would have fallen under the “low performers” category. Thankfully, instead of graduating last 2010, I left it and pursued my one true passion, culinary arts. I began to notice the sudden changes of my attitude towards work such as being happy, no longer being bothered to stay after hours, I got involved with all kinds of tasks, and I began to see problems as challenges. I regarded work as a stepping stone to higher goals. There was a point in time wherein I began to think if what I did was wrong. But after reading Jocano’s inspirational book, I now know that I did the right thing on taking up culinary arts. I went after my dream despite not knowing where I would be in the near future. I took the risk and just told myself “bahala na” because a part of knew that one day, I will make it to the top. It was thru this book wherein I learned that I should not rush success because if I do rush it, I will be forced to take all the necessary short cuts and cheat on the challenges just to get it over and done with. Instead, I will take my time and cherish the short time I have left to spend in school, because after a few months I will enter the real world already. In less than a year, I will no longer have any of my instructors to ask or to tell me what to do. I will be on my own. Now is the time for me to learn every little step along the way, every little detail carved in a single recipe. Reading this book not only honed my passion for culinary arts, but it, too, allowed me to see the room for improvement I have yet to possess in terms of attitude and work towards myself and the people around me. I admit that I am one of those who is hard to get along with, considering I grew up in a very different environment compared to my classmates. At one point, I began to think that I didn’t really need them in order to succeed. Reading this book proved me otherwise; I realized that I need to possess the sense of “pakikisama” because I need my classmates for future purposes- connections, business partners, etc. I have to be a part of the class and a team-player, not self-centered. After all, he saying “no man is an island” applies to all successful people.
Like I said earlier, I was not at all interested at the start when I started reading this book, thinking it was like one of my handouts way back in college. But then again I was proved wrong once again; this book is very inspirational and noteworthy because not only did I realize my mistakes in life, but I realized that there will always be room for improvement and hope. There are a lot of possibilities for success and achievement, so long as I work hard for it and I am determined. I will not stop dreaming or aiming high, because I know I will get there someday in the near future. I should just remember to possess the important and positive traits of attitude towards work. I am determined and persevered to be a successful chef. I am focused and committed to finish my course. I will not rush to be on top otherwise I will also be the one to suffer then, not knowing what to do or how to handle situations and problems. I will start from the bottom and work my way up the ladder in order for me to know all the strategies and work of all the employees I will have once I get on top. My dreams and ambitions will be met through my hard work, positive attitude, and simply by doing my best every day.
To finalize, I would like to end my report with the short quotation of Jocano that made the most impact on me, “To succeed, you should have a clear vision of what you want and the determination to achieve it”. [10]
[1] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 01
[2] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 05
[3] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 05
[4] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 06
[5] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 07
[6] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 35-44
[7] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 18
[8] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 20
[9] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 16
[10] Jocano, F. Work Values of Successful Filipinos. Punlad Publishing House, Quezon City, 2006. Pp. 47.
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