Your core, your center
We often have been told that having a strong core is largely responsible for physical strength and balance. To achieve it requires focus, discipline, and consistency. The process is quite similar to how we work at improving ourselves. This is on the premise that we have fulfilled the most basic prerequisite: having sufficient knowledge of who we are and what truly motivates us.
I am sure that all of us have been asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. I was born in that era when the more common answers were: to be a doctor, a nurse, an engineer, an architect, or a policeman. I have always thought that having a vision of what one wanted to be came naturally. I have been proven wrong, especially on the notion that reaching a certain age will eventually bring answers, or that being older meant having it all together. To get to that point involves a great deal of self-awareness and courage to be yourself. It doesn’t always come easy, but moving in an ever-expanding circle, I am beginning to realize that the people who have earned deeper respect are not necessarily the individuals who have a kilometer-long list of academic and personal achievements but the ones who have been brave enough to expose both their strengths and their vulnerabilities and who go about their work silently.
Late last year, my good friend and colleague called to tell me that she had been chosen to be a plenary speaker for our annual pediatric convention. Being the unassuming person that she is, her first question was, “Why me?” My immediate reply: “Why not?” She proceeded to share that she was having second thoughts about accepting the invite. Applying a firm tone, I said, “It’s about time to let people know what you have been working so hard at in the last couple of years.” She had been tasked by the organizing committee to share her work in Mindanao, including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to address the problem of low vaccination rates, which has translated into several outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in their communities. While most of the members in our subspecialty society were aware of the work that she has been doing, the majority of the pediatric community didn’t know. Our ensuing conversation was both funny and serious, the kind that only true friends can afford to engage in. What made her accept the invite was when I told her, “Think about the people you can inspire to do what they can from your story. It’s not about boasting about what you achieved, but about how, by example, you show that finding where one’s heart and motivation lie gives deeper meaning to their work.” When one asks why we pursue certain areas in our life, the answer will always be reflective of one’s moral compass. I know hers.
In these yearly conventions, you get updated about scientific advances as well as a review of general pediatrics. The speakers are chosen because of their expertise and their credentials, and rightly so. But from a personal standpoint, the more memorable talks have come from people who were not necessarily big names, but who did what they could on a small scale, oblivious to the wider impact and far-reaching effects of their efforts. At the end of their sessions, there was no question that they deserved standing ovations. This was the simplest but the most profound way to show our heartfelt appreciation.
Oftentimes, we have a tendency to use the word “lang” when we introduce ourselves and what we do. Maybe it’s when meeting with people whom we perceive as being higher in stature that this becomes part of one’s vocabulary. “Hindi ako boss, simpleng empleyado lang. Hindi ako doctor, nurse lang. Hindi ako subspecialist, general pediatrician lang.” In recent years, I have learned how to be more intentional about giving affirmations and graciously receiving them as well. It goes a long way in helping make this world a kinder place to be.
Each and every one of us has a role to play in validating another person’s existence no matter what level in life we find ourselves in. We should never undervalue what we do because every effort we make counts. For people who are or consider themselves successful, remember that you wouldn’t be where you are without the people around you. To foolishly think that you are more of a person than another is a reflection of how little you truly know yourself.
It’s not a crime to aim high nor work toward achieving success, but be sure to use that drive and your purpose for good. There is only One who truly sees and knows. It is to Him alone that we are answerable.
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