It is amazing to think that I have been away from my native country for more than eight years now. I feel like it was only yesterday when I stepped onto the Thai Airways plane bound for Muscat, my first ever international flight.

The last time I visited the Philippines was May last year. I only stayed for a week, but I could not help noticing that so much has changed. And yet, for some odd reason, it all feels strangely the same.

People have aged and grown, come and gone. Places have been built and destroyed, beautified and left to the mercy of time and decay. Money ebbs and flows, most of it moving away from our grasp so quickly as prices have all gone up. There are little victories and small defeats, glorious milestones and ugly consequences.

I am sure the above will still apply when I come back again in the future.

One of the things I noticed in my parents’ home was the addition of a small wooden rectangle mounted to the wall of my old bedroom. Inside the frame was a motivational poster of some kind, one I have not seen before. I took the liberty of getting these words down so I could share them with others.

Winners or Losers

The winner is always a part of the answer
The loser is always a part of the problem

The winner always has a program
The loser always has an excuse

The winner says, “Let me do it for you.”
The loser says, “That’s not my job.”

The winner sees an answer for every problem
The loser sees a problem in every answer

The winner says, “It may be difficult but it’s possible.”
The loser says, “It may be possible but it’s too difficult.”

Whether or not you agree, this gives you something to think about.

For instance, what if it’s really not your job, and getting involved would only result to disaster? What if the winner has a wrong answer to begin with, and the loser wasn’t around to point it out?

Image credits: Pixabay