Arts and Culture

4 times in your life when 'pwede na' will never work

September 19, 2016 | 12:13pm

MANILA, Philippines – The “pwede na” mentality of Filipinos is often associated with mediocrity. According to some members of the academe, this is rooted in the collective influence of our colonizers which somehow made our culture seem quite inferior to that of more advanced societies.

And this, along with other possible reasons that are yet to be proven, is why we usually settle for “pwede na,” even if it’s “bitin” or substandard.

But there are significant moments in our daily lives when we shouldn’t let this “pwede na” attitude prevail, especially if we never want to miss out on the best things in life. Time to do some self-examination:

1) Spending time with your loved ones

When you’re too busy and you think two hours of lunch or dinner date with the special person in your life is good enough to catch up, you might be wrong. You might want to consider spending more time with your loved ones.

A recent Harvard study found that people who aged healthier and happier were the ones who had strong relationships.

“Our study has shown that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned into relationships with family, with friends and with community,”Dr. Robert Waldinger, a psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School and the director of the study (which, by the way, was 75 years in the making), said in a TED Talk.

So, make sure to carve out from your schedule ample time for the special people in your life. This is one of those real circumstances where the motto “time is gold” proves to be true.

2) Getting quality sleep

Do you usually get six hours (or less) of sleep and think it’s “pwede na”? Be careful.

While you think you’re still functioning well with those few hours of sleep, a recent study shows that your cognitive performance, whether you like it or not, is actually declining. It also says that six hours of sleep is as bad as not having any sleep at all.

Moreover, the National Sleep Foundation in the US recommends seven to nine hours of sleep for adults aged 18 to 64.

It pays to have complete sleep every day. You also wouldn’t want to suffer from more diseases than you should and struggle with unproductivity each day, would you?

3) Building your career

A brainstorming session is set at 10 a.m. on a Monday, and you’re thinking arriving 15 to 30 minutes late is “pwede na” since a lot often don’t make it on time also. Did you know that this attitude is a sign that you might be a mediocre employee?

Mediocrity is a no-no if you want to build an excellent career. So, give your best. Report to work on time. Don’t just meet the minimum required output but go beyond expectations. Improve your skill set. Learn to work well with your colleagues. Contribute to business growth by coming up with fresh ideas.

Just don’t be a so-so employee to achieve your career goals.

4) Putting up with limited mobile data

In this digital age where everyone’s giving so much importance on their digital lifestyle, a lot of people have decided they can’t live without their smartphones. But admit it: There’s nothing much to do on your smartphone unless you can access the internet with it.

Unfortunately, mobile data can be so limited (even with free Wi-Fi) that you can’t comfortably do everything you want to do online like stream music, watch videos, send important emails, read blogs, share photos and catch up on social media. And with a lot of offers from telcos these days, you might find that choosing the best deal is not actually that simple.

This is why Smart has introduced its All Out Surf promo where you can have a complete mobile experience with not just data allowance but also call and text credits.

The All Out Surf 30 promo packs 300 MB of mobile data, free access to Facebook, 30 minutes of calls to Smart, Sun and TNT, and unlimited texts to all networks—all at P30, valid for two days. It’s a great way to get connected without feeling restricted.

So, never miss out on the best things in life by going all out not just with your digital lifestyle but also with your relationships, well-being and work, as discussed earlier, because just like what Smart says, #IbaTalagaPagKumpleto.

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