caution: low-flying fish

In Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, the fish are flying, and the customers are having the time of their lives trying to catch them. The fishmongers go around with wide smiles on their faces and friendly greetings for everybody. Workers on their lunch break flock to Pike Place just to watch them sell fish.

Fishy scenario? Not really. More like the Fish Philosophy in action.

The Fish Philosophy has nothing to do with fish. But it is the driving force behind this store's employees and managament to turn their store into a world-famous fish market. Instead of being just another fish market in Washington, these people have made their store one that the customers want to keep going back to.

In 18 simple steps.

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Just kidding. There're four, actually. And they are:

PLAY.
MAKE THEIR DAY.
BE THERE.
CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE.

First, PLAY. It's possible to take your job seriously, and still make working fun. Today is Hat Day, and we have a chef, a cowboy, and a pirate in residence aside from the usual assortment of homies, baseball players, partygoers, and... bank robbers? ^_^ Lani-sensei swears that one Hawaiian Friday, this guy was on the floor (taking calls) wearing a grass skirt.... wearing ONLY a grass skirt, and she has the pictures to prove it. Of course, we didn't ask if he wore anything underneath. *_grins_*

Second, MAKE THEIR DAY. If you get to interact with your clients, it's a nice idea to get them involved in the spirit of livening up their day. Put yourself in your client's shoes and think: How can my day be made better? Everybody loves being treated well. Going the extra mile is always certain to pay in the long run, aside from making you feel better about how you do your job.

Third, BE THERE. Focus all of your energies on what you're doing, and who you're helping at the moment. People can spot those who aren't really "there."

Last, CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE. Let's face it: You. Have. To. Go. To. Work. That's one thing you cannot change, and the sooner you stop worrying about it the better. What you CAN change, though, is how you act and feel at work. There will always be times that you'll be on the job with less than a hundred percent. It can be due to lack of sleep, a personal problem nagging at you, or something else. Instead of letting it ruin your chances of having fun turning in a decent day's work, you can CHOOSE your mood, and turn your day around.

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Makes a lot of sense, in my book. The thing about it is, you don't even have to be working to make use of it. The Fish Philosophy is as sound as any to live your life by.

harangan man ng sibat

Those who go about their jobs unstintingly, without fail, rain or shine. Dedicated and committed. If you'll have a go at guessing who these people are, you'll probably say mailmen, right? Or some other equally devoted people. Well, as of today, let us all add call center agents to that illustrious list. The whole forking Philippines doesn't have school, there's no MRT service, for crying out loud, but here we are (born to be kings?), still immersed in the complexities of the systems that will be our lifeline when we hit the floor fielding calls for real.

*twinkles*

It's somewhat difficult to refrain from smiling when you're happy.

I'll even go as far as to say that even if you don't smile, you still look happy.