The Mindset of An Optimist and A Pessimist...

I met a Filipino this evening when I was doing my social service. It was not difficult for me to immediately recognise from his look that he is a Filipino. That was partly due to the fact that I have stayed in the Philippines for 9 months. He was so warm towards me and without hesitation, he wanted to open the door for me to go into his home, unlike most Singaporeans. We chatted for about 10 minutes.

When I was in the Philippines, I spoke to many Filipinos. There was a clear contrast in the response to a certain question, between Singaporeans and Filipinos.

When asked, "Are you interested to start a business?", Singaporeans would reply, "No, I have no time, no money, no experience, no interest etc....." whereas Filipinos would reply positively and say, "Yes, Sir. What business is that? Can you please tell me more?".

Singaporeans would think, "What if I can't make it?" - negative thinking, whereas Filipinos would think, "What if I make it?" - positive thinking.

This reflects the difference in the mindsets and attitudes of people from the two countries. You might have heard this before, "An optimist sees opportunity in every calamity, while a pessimist sees calamity in every opportunity."

Think positively. Change the mindset and change the world. Change the mind and change your destiny. "What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." - quote from Napoleon Hills.