MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shared that the weight of making decisions that impact millions of Filipinos helps him stay focused on his work, even when dealing with personal worries or distractions.
Speaking in an episode of the podcast “Unshaken with Gary V,” hosted by singer Gary Valenciano and released online on Monday, October 5, Marcos explained that he has trained himself to set aside personal concerns to fulfill his official duties effectively.
“What I do, what I decide to do, affects many other people, sometimes millions of people,” he said during the interview.
“So you have to be very careful about getting it right,” he added, noting that making sound choices requires taking his responsibilities seriously and thinking through necessary actions carefully.
The Chief Executive noted that directing his full attention toward a task serves as his way of managing underlying stress or anxieties.
“I find that, you know, I’m walking around, I have something in my head, and it’s very, I’m worried, really worried about it or it’s getting me down or whatever,” he shared.
“Once I shift and I’m doing something else and I start concentrating, then that goes away,” he explained.
Marcos emphasized that remaining effective in leadership depends on the ability to compartmentalize and dedicate undivided focus to immediate challenges.
“You have to have the ability to just put other things aside and take care of what’s in front of you and what needs to get done and what you have to figure out the problem that you have to solve,” he noted.
He stressed that adopting this mindset is essential for the presidency, where executive decisions carry far-reaching consequences across the country.
“You take responsibility for everything. And once you do that, you function, you’re able to function,” Marcos concluded.