What this country needs most to succeed

I imagine a nation, a community, where every citizen is afforded security regardless of status, race, religion, age, or political persuasion; a nation where institutions are fully optimized to enable everyone to be productive, to be healthy and to live full lives.

But this is only possible in a community that has at its leadership people who have a vision for equality and relentless progress, good heads and good hearts. And citizens fully engaged in that same vision.

I imagine a Philippines like that. Why? Because in order for us to take action, we must first see what we would be working toward, what’s possible, what must be, what will be, if only we act. Vision inspires action.

“Live out your imagination, not your history” (Stephen Covey).

And that is what this country needs to succeed. A people who can imagine better things than what is. Then have the courage to take responsibility and act. A people who will not be content in doing things as we have always done in the past, but a people willing—better yet, passionate about innovation, about bettering our processes, about optimizing our systems.

How can we make this happen?

1. Problem-solving. You know what is driving start-ups in developed countries? What is making billionaires? Problem-solving.

2. Education. The world’s most productive countries spend most on education. That should tell us something about its importance.

Yes, we need problem-solvers, we need an educated citizenry. But it starts with us now seeing better things than what we have right here. Vision, that’s what we need.

MARIA GLORY FE GALLETO, [email protected]