Attitude Versus Personality

Don't get confused between my personality and my attitude. Attitude and personality are two different things. My personality is who I am, and my attitude depends on who you are. My personality stays within me wherever I am. My attitude depends on the people in front of me.

Different people from varying origins would perceive me differently. A commonality usually only takes place once they've interacted and compared notes with each other. What they fail to realize is that subconsciously, they have already influenced each others point of view, and would mostly agree with the majority vote to conform with their peers. An individual's perception would then be the key factor to identify his own identity if it is easily tainted or uniquely diverse.

So the next time you see me doing things that doesn't "jibe or vibe" with your personal preference. Don't tell me I have a bad attitude. Criticize and tell yourself instead that you're a failure in accepting my eccentric personality.

Office of the Secretary, DSWD

Now let's talk about a very fascinating personality.

The photo above is the entrance door to Ms. Corzaon "Dinky" Soliman's office. She is definitely fascinated with sunflowers. Even her twitter and Facebook account is adorned with the said flowers. Her twitter account is actually @dinkysunflower.

The twitter account has the following profile description:

Why dinkysunflower? because sunflowers look up to the sun for optimism and hope :) visit: www.dswd.gov.ph

Her Facebook account is equally "sunflowery".

Even the other parts of her office as well as some parts of the DSWD compound has sunflowers as decorations:

Office of the Secretary  Receiving/Releasing Area

Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU)

She must have a good reason why she chose sunflowers to illustrate or depict her personality. Read below on the probable causes.

Sunflower Meanings

The Sunflower or Helianthus Annuus (which is the Latin name) is derived from two separate Greek words: 'Helios' which was the Greek Sun God and 'Anthos' which is a Greek boy's name, meaning flower.

The way they move their massive heads to meet the sun make them a flower of spiritual attainment, flexibility, and opportunity. They are also symbolic of good luck, wealth and ambition. Their open faces symbolize the sun itself, conveying warmth and happiness, adoration and longevity.

Sunflowers can be said to hold a very spiritual meaning. The flowers appear to loyally and devoutly follow the course of the sun as it moves across the sky from the East to the West. In a spiritual sense, the sunflower is seen as a genuine follower of the sun. Just like a genuine follower of a faith or belief.

The sunflower will seek out the light, no matter how little light there is and hold their heads high in worship. Just like having a faith, these flowers are a symbol of constant, true and unswerving loyalty to something bigger and brighter than themselves.

Give sunflowers away to someone who is working toward a goal and needs a big break in their lives. They are also an excellent housewarming gift as the receiver embraces new opportunities in the form of hearth and home.

Symbol of faith, loyalty and adoration:

The idea that the sunflower follows the path of the sun all day means that it is seen as a symbol of unbending faith, loyalty and devoted love.

Symbol of happiness and optimism:

The bright, blooming sunflower heads are symbolic of the sun itself which represents warmth, happiness and all things positive. So the flowers are perfect for happy events like weddings, christenings, engagement parties and birthday celebrations.

Symbol of longevity:

In China the sunflower symbolises longevity, perhaps because of the enduring nature of the sun. Once cut, Sunflowers can last for 2-3 weeks so they also make hardy flower bouquets.

Symbol of good luck, ambition and wealth:

In dreams, the sunflower is seen as being very lucky and symbolises good fortune, wealth, opportunity and ambition. It would be a lucky charm for someone starting a new job or career path.

A Boss Who Deserves Our Respect

But what I am really interested is about her attitude. She may have a very colorful personality but her attitude is equally admirable.

I am witness to how she upholds the value of respect towards others.

During Monday morning flag ceremonies, coupled with thoughts for week, inspirational talks, announcements, and sometimes a short presentation of the employees talents at the DSWD central office in Quezon City, she would always take time to personally call the attention of noisy staff who are ignoring the people presenting in front.

She says not listening is a sign of disrespect towards others. She says we should always pay attention.

Indeed. Chaos would always be the end-result when people fail to listen.

I have heard of stories about her that she is strict and would most of the time question anyone of her Executive Committee (Execom) or Management Committee (Mancom) during their meetings. Sometimes scold them for failing to accomplish a very important tasks. But one very admirable fact about her is that she would always listen to their excuses, and not the type of boss who would just order you around, succumb you to desperation and fear, and not give you a chance to explain yourself.

Her personality may be "sunflowery", but her attitude deserves our total respect.