Kalah Takpa, Gaya Mau Ada

The story goes back to 15 years ago, on a nice afternoon, me and 5 other friends were playing "sepak takraw".

At that young age, we hardly utilizes all the 3 steps allowed, known as "botoi", means reply a serve directly on one go.

Looking at us playing is a man who is in his late 20's, physically thin and on a first glance would be normally being labelled a drug-addict.

After watching us playing for a while, he then approached us, and said:

"Kalah Takpa, Gaya Mau Ada" (play in style even if you are losing / will lose).

Then, he quietly stepped back, and continues watching us playing. Then after, knowing that he is watching, we tend to utilizes all the 3 steps allowed. It wasn't that long for us to realize that, in that way, sepak takraw is more fun and it increases the spirit of team work.

Fast forward to 4th of August 2013, when I recall that incident, isn't that we often missed out the opportunity to see the positive side of things happened / happening to us? 

Two lessons can be extracted.

1. Taking Advice

In my opinion, to take advice only from someone higher in status and knowledge is a wrong perception. Advice means life experience, and a personal insight. Advice can be given by anybody, either on positive note, or even negative.

Example of negative note:

A chain smoker can give a public awareness talk (a.k.a. advice) on how they became chain smokers.

A wise man once said, "Do not look upon who is saying, rather, look upon (i.e. listen) to what is being said".

  

2. Excellence

Sometimes, we fail to see the big pictures. We tend to focus too much on winning (or, afraid to lose) that we do not focus on excellence anymore (i.e. in style). It is always the line between winning and losing, or right and wrong. But in reality, the focus should be towards excellence. I strongly believe that, only then, we can be creative and innovative.

The word “excellence” comes from “excel” which means “to be exceptionally good at something”.   Excellence also means “the quality of being extremely good or outstanding”.  It is “the state of excelling; surpassing merit or quality” and “the activity etc. in which a person excels”.

(From Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary and the New Oxford Dictionary of Modern English)