Goodwill can get you a long way

I googled the definition of "goodwill" and this is what I got.

1. An attitude of kindness or friendliness; benevolence.
2. Cheerful acquiescence or willingness.
3. A good relationship, as of a business with its customers or a nation with other nations.
4. The positive reputation of a business viewed as an asset, equal to the excess cost required to acquire the business over the fair market value of all other assets.

A while back, I read an article on Steve Pavlina's site (I highly recommend reading his articles. A lot of interesting reads. All about personal development.) stating that money is not the only widely used form of exchange. Instead, there is also goodwill. His example: When you're traveling to Europe, you can either use money (stay at hotels and pay the rates) or use goodwill (look for a friend who's willing to have you as their guest for a couple of days). When I read this, I found the idea quite intriguing. For somebody who's always broke, investing on goodwill sounded like an interesting way to save money.

I was reminded of this whole idea while I was walking home from the LRT station yesterday after a delicious day of Peking Duck and Bubble Tea (I hardly ate dinner!). As I was passing through the guard house, the guard on duty greeted me "Good evening sir!" Tangina kinilig ako. LULZ. I would always come across this guard (I have yet to get his name) when walking home and I would always give him a salute or a nod as I would pass by his station. He hardly ever acknowledged my gestures. (I would just assume that he couldn't see me) But yesterday, I got the affirmation I so desperately wanted from him! My immediate thought was "ayos puwede na kami dumaan sa gate na 'to pag magpapahatid ako sa bahay" as this gate was nearest to my house, but would not allow cars without stickers to pass through. Goodwill. By having established a good relationship with the village guard, the need for buying stickers for my friends' convenience was eliminated.

Other examples:

1. Borrowing a book from Jappy instead of buying it from him. The book carried a much too hefty price tag. He tried selling to us before. Pineperahan mga kaibigan amphf. HAHAHA

2. Riding with a friend instead of commuting. I take advantage of this because I still do not drive. Oh yes 17-year olds all over the world would put me to shame. Thank you driver-friends :)

3. "May barya ka?" - Sounds familiar I bet. And we always readily give our coins only to find out moments later that we needed 'em. So the cycle continues. Thanks fons for sponsoring my train ride home!

4. Flirting with the guards who man the parking area. Carla Lee so proudly proclaims that she no longer pays for her parking right outside our school. She saves 40 pesos a day. True story. LAKAS.

5. Being friendly to Aling Nena so that when you ask for a bigger piece of pork chop, or little extra tocino pieces, or dinuguan sauce (I'm getting hungry), she would gladly oblige. Sayang lang wala na half-ulam :( Or maybe through goodwill, exceptions can be made :)

Of course the list doesn't stop at 5. Like lamb chop's song, it can go on and on. And as future physicians, I bet goodwill would come in very handy, unlike ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife. So guys, let's stock up on goodwill! :) Start by always reading my blog =))