G is for Gratitude

As i type this, i am sitting under a tree on a very beautiful boulevard. It’s 7:56 p.m. A gentle breeze blows refreshingly, i can hear the dry leaves as the wind increases its tempo, albeit softly. As i listen intently, i also hear the distant chatter of young women as they walk their children. On a bench not too far from me are two lovers (or so they seem), huddled close to each other. I look up to the sky and notice that there are very few stars in sight. I think about where i have been…where i’m coming from…and i smile, why do i smile?…cos i have a mental picture of where i’m going. As i ponder on these things and many more, only four words escape from my mouth. ” Father, i thank You.”

F is for Friendship

Friends. In present day vocabulary, i think the true meaning of the word has been lost. I hear people introducing someone they met 3 minutes ago, saying “Hi Fola, meet my friend, we just met 3 minutes ago”. Although i smile as i shake hands with the person, deep within, i ask a question, ” Is he/she really your friend?“

There is a quote by George Washington that i love:

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.”

E is for Excellence

“From time to time there appear on the face of the earth men and women of rare and consummate excellence, who dazzle us by their virtue, and whose outstanding qualities shed a stupendous light. Like those extraordinary stars of whose origins we are ignorant, and of whose fate, once they have vanished, we know even less, such people have neither forebears nor descendants: they are the whole of their race” – Jean de La Bruyère

What is excellence?

In my honest opinion, i think excellence is simply a state of superior quality. This could refer to a product, service or behavioural patterns. However, this write-up will focus more on the behavioural context. I decided to do a google search . Although it is not exhaustive, the list below are tit-bits of things we can do consciously to develop an excellent attitude.

D is for Determination

Let me give you a little insight into what happened earlier this week. Although, it may sound a little mundane to some of you, it really was a BIG step for me. Ok, let me shoot. From the first day i came to this Island, i decided to visit the swimming pool everyday. There was just one tweeny lil’ problem, i didn’t know how to swim. lol…err..well, all those times we went to the pool when we were much younger, it was basically to play volley ball and all other pranks, but swim..like swimming in the deep end…you gotta be kidding me!. I know the fishes reading this,lol, probably have that cocky smile on their faces..yeah, yeah, yeah…lol..ok back to my story!