Packed trains filled to capacity, delays, engineering works and expensive fares – the journey to and from work is probably the least favourite part of the day for any commuter. But in the midst of all this, one man has been recognised for lifting the spirits of Londoners making their way around the capital.
Leon Tsui, a 30-year-old tube worker from South London, was crowned the winner of Heart Radio's Tube's Got Talent competition. Nominated by colleagues and commuters because of his morning motivation and cheery disposition during a period when the station he works at, Walthamstow Central, was undergoing escalator works. He's even coined the term 'Walthamflow', a play on the station name which also refers to the flow of "commuter traffic" that he's responsible for keeping moving.
It's no surprise that Leon was nominated, when you witness him in action, but how does he remain so positive in a work environment where it's so easy to be negative?
"The way I see it is, I really need to give my job, my work, my best effort and there's no other way about it. I think that's the only way to have my eyes on the bigger picture, basically. And faith factors in a lot into that. I'm a really encouraging person and I think that has been shaped by the years where I've been in difficult situations and looking ahead there is always hope."
So, by his own admission, his faith plays a major part in forming his positive mentality. What particular biblical inspiration does he draw upon to be so visibly and infectiously joyful at work?
"The most recent verse that I've been drawing a massive amount of encouragement from is actually Galatians 2:19 ("For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God"). And verse 20: 'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me'.
"To me that really speaks of how my life and what I feel isn't mine. I no longer belong to myself. My life is just so much more precious and meaningful. And it's inspirational not because of what I've done but someone gave their life for me...Nothing of my personal self is gonna be that great but God himself will live through me and shine through me. I think that's massively inspirational for me."
We all have our morning routines which we use to help us prepare for the working day ahead - a healthy breakfast, a morning run, a brief scan of our emails - but there's an aspect to Tsui's that sets it apart from the average commuter's.
"In terms of my actual routine, before I actually go out to the escalator and I'm just preparing myself inside the staffroom. Before I go out I always, always say a prayer. And I just fix my eyes on something which is bigger than me. And I always say that this day isn't mine, it's yours God and everything I do, I don't want it to be just all my actions. I want it to be every word, every handshake, every high-five to be for you and because of you, and I really hope that my life would encourage people to see there is something bigger than their situation, something more than what they see in front of them."
Tsui's pre-shift prayer is just one of the ways he brings his faith to work but he doesn't leave it behind the closed doors of the Transport For London staffroom. Sharing his faith in his working environment is something that Leon's committed to doing, and not just with his words, but through his actions too. He shared with us how he approaches doing this in the workplace.
"My faith guides me in a massive way. I see it that I'm not just serving or just working for a boss but there's an even bigger boss out there. Someone much higher, someone much bigger and that for me is God, it's Christ.
"I think, obviously being positive is one [way I display my faith at work] but I'm encouraging. I listen, I also care for my colleagues. I don't just care about how they are in terms of their work at the station, I really care about what happens in their lives as well. Anything that I can possibly encourage them in, if I can pray for them. I don't necessarily tell them a lot of the times you know: 'I wanna pray for you' but I do offer and say: 'You know what? Is it ok if I do pray for you once in a while about the situation?' It might be out of their control."
With such a public-facing job, Tsui has the capacity to impact the days of a great number of people. This is something that he's aware of, and he's considered his approach to suit.
"I think that's where my frontline is, where I can actually speak out about my faith or at least let my actions speak about my faith so much more than if I suddenly went in and just quoted John 3:16 to them."
Today Tsui might come across as being very confident in sharing his faith in the workplace but being this open about his beliefs in this context hasn't always been something that came naturally to him.
"It actually hasn't always been comfortable and I think for now I've still got to exercise a lot of wisdom in speaking boldly about my faith. Obviously people with different backgrounds, they may have their own beliefs as well. I need to be sensitive to their backgrounds as well what they have experienced so it hasn't always been easy.
"But I think God's growing that aspect of me in sharing my beliefs on the frontline. I think a lot of people think I'm doing it already but I see that God wants to possibly continue to grow that within me, especially in Transport for London, especially my role where it's very public, it's very front-facing. It hasn't always been easy but it's continually growing and I really thank God for that."
One thing that you'll notice about Tsui is his genuine and vocal appreciation for the opportunities that have come his way. During our daily commutes, and even more generally throughout our life journeys, we can find ourselves focusing on the negative and taking for granted the many things we have to be thankful for. How does he remain so appreciative of the opportunities that have comes his way?
"If you asked me for a sort of like a step-by-step I'm not too sure how it's done but I think God has put me in situations or in tough situations for a reason. And there is something there. There's always something precious in the tough stuff."
So, he tries to find the positives in the negatives, but this can be almost impossible for some people.
"I've got to be sensitive about this because people around the world they're being persecuted for their faith but I think that God can use anything and I think that suffering is just another opportunity. I remember in my previous job someone said this and it's not drawn directly from above or anything but I think the Christian mentality is very much like this. He basically said: 'whenever there's a challenge it equals to an opportunity'.
"I think challenges are just waiting for us to overcome them and I think as believers we've got more than enough grace for situations that we're put into. So, I guess that's where I see things differently. Whenever there's a challenge, whenever there's difficulty, there's also an opportunity there to grow, to become more Christ-like and to also influence a situation in the way that God has a will and plans for and you're that person or I'm that person or for the reader, they're that person to make that difference."
