Having spent ten days in Australia, I was reminded of the many good things about the Aussies:
- Good day, mate! It’s the local greeting but also an attitude of happiness and friendliness. You can only greet each other with enthusiasm if you are really happy and grateful with your life. Otherwise, it will be the usual ‘how are you?’ and ‘not bad’. That attitude is also reflected in their choice of vocabulary. It’s not ‘nice’, it’s ‘fantastic!’ or ‘awesome!’ Simply put, ‘life is good!’
- Work to live. Most Aussies don’t live to work. A standard working day for most offices is 8-4:30 and 9:30-5:30 for most shops. This means more time for life outside of work – family, socializing, sports and hobbies. Yes, many Australians actually have hobbies like gardening, woodworking etc. Do they get less work done compared to those who regularly work overtime in many other countries? I don’t think so.
- Sunday is family day. Unlike many of us, most Aussies actually have a ‘plan’ for Sundays. And the key elements of the plan are family and outdoors – beach, picnics, parks, hikes. That’s not only great bonding time for the family, but also very healthy.
- No worries, mate! That’s also more of an attitude than just another local phrase you hear often. Aussies seem to genuinely believe that no problem is big enough to worry; given some time, most situations sort themselves out; getting stressed doesn’t make things easier. I wonder if they have one of the lowest rates of stress-related illnesses in the world.
- Play to win. Aussies are clearly one of the most competitive people, and it’s not just in sports. I think they generally like to excel at whatever they do – be it making a coffee, raising a child or winning an olympic gold. This is also obvious in a higher standard of services.
I am sure some readers will have many negative things to say about the Aussies. Every one of us, every nation, every place has negatives and positives. But I find myself much happier when focusing on the good rather than the bad, particularly when I am traveling. Please share your positive thoughts about your favorite place.
[Photo taken from a boat in Sydney. You can see some more spectacular photos here.]
Mush Panjwani 
Dear Mushtaq bhai – salams
Thx for the post. Mashallah hope u enjoyed it.
If we summarize the five things, I think it boils down to a “positive attitude towards life” and I that is the key to success.
Thx and keep contributing
HJ
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totally agree, hasnain! thanks for visiting and commenting. cheers!
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From Sangita, via Facebook:
Fabulous Mush. Travel indeed makes us so multi dimensional in thinking. There is something that I learnt about Turkish business etiquettes recently.
. Turks prefer to do business with those they know and respect, therefore one needs to spend time establishing a personal relationship.
. Turks do not require as much personal space as many other cultures and will stand close to you while conversing.
. Do not back away, as this can be construed as unfriendly.
. Discussions may start slowly, with many questions that may seem irrelevant to the purpose of our visit. It is extremely rude to insist a Turk colleagues to get to the point.
. Most Turkish men love football and usually support one of three teams: Galatasaray, Beþiktaþ or Fenerbahçe. Asking after their team’s recent fortunes will always produce lively and animate responses. ( So like us Back in Bengal !)
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You may be one of the first people I have heard speak as graciously about the way of life in Australia as I do, but certainly much more eloquently put. Agree with the posting in its entirety. If there is anything that needs to be imputed into Hong Kong, it’s the second and fourth points – Live, Relax. Certainly the way to start is by doing it ourselves 🙂
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suraj, nice to see you here! and thanks for subscribing too. cheers!
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i think happiness is not coz of places…it is coz of ur attitude…i am in Lahore(pakistan) ppl here r full of life…they greet u by offering u food n thy see-off u by givn u food….lolzzz…thy liv n let liv…i think this is d bst positive thing u can do 2 any1
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tash, i love lahore – the people, the ‘chill’ attitude, the varieties of food, parks, winter, canal road…
thanks for visiting and commenting. cheers!
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AOA Mush
Glad to see u have had a great time in Australia. Im sure as I write this u r having some outdoor activity this sun-day! What better way to appreciate the blessings of nature than be one with them!
Have enjoyed the pictures…Couldnt agree with you more on the right attitude; Im sure we all have the eye to see the beauty in all there is and may we be more appreciative too!
thanks for sharing and have a Good Day!
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No, we missed the sun n nature this Sunday – though Lamma was planned 🙂
Thanks for visiting n commenting, Mona.
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Very interesting ! I like the laid back style — though no one could be more laid back than Pakistanis — start work at 11 and end before 1 !!
Take care
Love
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LOL 🙂
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I love their Attitude!
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why can’t we all be like the Aussies? Definitely about the above five.
By the way I also like to be Me!
Cheers Mush
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