thursdays with cc: the hunger

apologies to steve jobs fans out there, for my belated posthumous..err post.

Steve Jobs: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

the value of this statement never rang more true to me than when i reflected about my teacher.

he has undoubtedly an amazing voice. he graduated at the conservatory with top honors. and hearing him sing would just sweep you off your feet.

but you won't catch him top-billing any opera, any concert, not anytime soon. why? because he is not hungry enough.

he sings for the love of it. wonderful. and he continues to study and perfect his craft. but he is not hungry for anything beyond that. not recognition. not wealth. he is perfectly happy the way he is right now. he is not pressured to take in more work, more students, because he literally does not need the money. so he just keeps on singing. and while he auditions for roles, or gets invited to some, he wouldn't be caught dead trying too hard to make it.

so that should be a good thing, right? to be content with what you have.

yes.

and no. steve jobs was right in wishing those stanford graduates to continue to be hungry. because hunger is the most powerful motivation to achieve excellence. 'blessed discontent' as i've blogged before.

my middle-class upbringing made me 'hungry'. made me keep on aspiring. and i still do. maybe not for the same things as before. but i still hunger, nevertheless.

i continue to challenge myself, to achieve better results at work, to reach for the higher note, to lose the additional flab. and lately, i hunger to do something that will really, truly achieve better health outcomes for all Filipinos, not just some.

hunger. it is a good thing.