Attitude is Everything

For those of you who took, have taken or are taking the bus in Sri Lanka, these phrases must be very familiar. ??????? ????, ??????? ????, (move forward, move forward) ????? ????, ????? ????, (pay up, pay up), ??? ??? ???? ???, (don’t block the entrance), ??? ???? ?????? (gosh, don’t you have change?), ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? (put your bag away), ??? ???? ????? ???? ??????? (am I supposed to bring change from home?).

These are uttered by our beloved conductors who are the self appointed gods of both private and SLTB buses, whose mercy we are at as passengers and who dictate terms that are rarely questioned by anyone. There is no compassion, politeness or kindness when these words are spoken and as a result, all those riding the bus have high levels of stress over a probable verbal tirade. The conductor manages to reach an octave that is clearly audible to all passengers above the screeching breaks, the howling radio and the noises from the street – perfect candidates to discipline rowdy school children during recess. Well, needless to say, the rides in the bus leave much to be desired. With the current fuel shortages, buses are more crowded than before and it is really not a joy ride.

While this is the usual course of business in a bus, I was treated to a completely different cup of tea when I chose to take a 138 recently. The conductor was respectful to all the passengers, he was loud (therefore, he still qualifies to discipline rowdy kids in a school if required) but cheerful. There was no scorn, contempt or impoliteness in his tone or demeanour. Instead, he was positive, vibrant, helpful and kept a good eighty to hundred people happy. He said ??? ??? ?? ?? ????, ?????? ??? ???????? ?? ?????? ?? (there is hardly any space in this bus, but let’s all somehow go in this), ?? ????? ?????? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ?? ???? (let’s move around and make room for each other). He reassured everyone in the bus that they would be dropped at their halt even if they were stuck in the middle, he encouraged people at the exit to alight temporarily so that people could get off, the driver never revved the engine to make people nervous.

When people got in with big bags, the conductor helped them to place them safely on a rack or near the driver. He joked about it when taking the bag off their backs asking whether they were carrying jewellery to be so worried about letting go of the bag. When phones kept ringing, he would again kid about it and tell them to ask the caller to call back another time. When people were getting off, he would help them with their bags, ask whether they had forgotten anything and make sure that their clothes were intact when they got off.

He addressed everyone with respect and spoke to the children nicely. He got around everyone and made sure those getting off at nearby halts got to move towards the exits while others were politely moved further into the bus.?

His attitude and outlook were contagious. Soon everyone in the bus was watching out for each other. Complete strangers were talking to one another about keeping an eye on their bags, helping one another to not lose their grip, moving aside with enthusiasm and absolutely no fuss when someone had to get off, happily hopping out to give people space, supporting people who needed help and being generally cordial and pleasant to each other.

This man displayed to me the power of our attitude. He lives in the crisis hit Sri Lankan economy and probably finds it tough to put food on the table too, but he chooses to live and not grumble, he spreads good cheer and not resentment, he brings a smile to people’s faces instead of unbearable stress and discontentment, he makes the worst ride seem manageable and he brings out the best in people. If he can do this in the midst of a crisis, all of us can if we realise and value that ‘Attitude is in fact everything’.

He is not a leader by the yardsticks that we use in the corporate world or the political world, but he makes unimaginable things happen, he creates magic inside a jam packed bus and though sweaty and squashed, the bus was full of happy people who were smiling and talking to each other.

If he can create such an impact, imagine what we can do in our positions and our roles. Your attitude can change your life and the lives of those around you – a title is not needed, recognition is not needed. Bring your positive attitude and wear it on your sleeve for it is contagious!

Photo by Madison Oren on Unsplash

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash