Good Working Habits We Can Learn from AlDub

When was the last time you felt kilig?

You know that sudden feeling of an inexplicable joy one gets when something romantic or wonderful occurs. Remember the first time your high school crush smiled at you? Or how about the joy you get every time you receive a love letter? Can you still recall the sweetness of your first kiss or the moment you finally said “I love you” to your special someone? It feels good, right?

This could be one of the reasons why many Filipinos are hooked on what is now known as the AlDub fever. It’s hard to resist the highly #kiligpamore moments of the good-looking charmer Alden Richards and Yaya Dub, the role being played by YouTube sensation Maine Mendoza in the popular “Kalyeserye” segment of the noontime show “Eat Bulaga.” Many people consider watching the most popular Pinoy love team today as a way to escape stress even just for an hour every day because it offers good vibes, original and impromptu Pinoy humor and surprisingly, inspiring life lessons.

As a married man in his late 30s who is starting to experience memory gap from time to time, I am not ashamed to admit that I schedule my weekend activities only after Eat Bulaga and I was part of the AlDub fans who set the record-breaking 26 million tweets in one day that rocked the social media landscape. But if you think that this semi-scripted love story is all about pabebe and just for fun, I am sharing some good working habits that Filipinos from all walks of life can learn from ALDUB:

A-lways respect our elders. Alden and Yaya Dub could have written their love story the way they wanted it to if not only for Lola Nidora (played by comedian Wally Bayola) who believes that they are too young to fall in love with each other. In our respective offices, we sometimes disagree with the thinking and ideas of senior colleagues. We may think that their concepts and philosophies sound old school but we should never forget that they are the experienced ones who have seen the ups and downs of the company through the years. We should also continue the Pinoy good value of saying “po” and “opo” even to manong guard and ate from the canteen.

L-ess talk, more action. What’s magical about the AlDub tale is that you can feel their love for each other even though we have never heard them utter a single word. They communicate through dubbing or lip-syncing songs and exchange of love notes using pens and white boards. You might be familiar with this problem many offices still experience today: too much talking and not enough doing. This happens when people have already identified what is needed to be done but instead of initiating it, they would still spend time talking about it during endless meetings, write about it, and study and restudy it until things turn to worse.

D-on’t rush things. Because of the latest Eat Bulaga hit, Filipinos now have a “universal” answer to just about anything that don’t happen the way they want it to. If it’s not today, be patient because you will realize your dream… “sa tamang panahon,” as what Lola Nidora always remind the two young lovers. At work, the quality of your output is compromised if you do not allot time in planning and preparation. Manage your time so your work will be more achievable.

U-ltimately, it’s all about love. While watching AlDub do their thing and exchange sweet nothings through split screens, we can’t help but notice that there is something beautiful happening right before our very eyes. We’re actually witnessing a real love blossoming inside our boob tubes. You can see the love in their eyes and smiles. For working people, I’m sure this is not the first time you have heard this words of wisdom from Confucius, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

B-e happy. Have you seen in the news how many households, food shops, transport terminals and other business establishments look like during mid-afternoon these days, especially during Saturdays? People are in groups and having fun, laughing and exchanging stories that they can relate with AlDub. Plus, it’s like we have the EDSA that we dream of comparable every time Manny Pacquiao has a match. Everything seems awesome when we are happy. Do you wake up every morning with a smile and zest raring to go to work? Be happy while at work and you’ll realize soon how easy things can be accomplished.

We can never tell when the AlDub fever will fade away. Things are just simply unpredictable now just like how this phenomenon started. But whether it stays for good or would last only for a few months, we can’t deny the fact that it gave us the kilig that we have never felt for a long time. For now, let’s savor the fun and keep on learning new lessons in life that we can practice in our daily activities, both at home and at the office.

This article was published in the September 20, 2015 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer: http://business.inquirer.net/199460/good-working-habits-we-can-learn-from-aldub.