Yesterday I had the privilege to hear an exchange student from Laos speak to my Rotary club. I was very enlightened by the things he said and by his personal history.
'Zach' began by comparing the differences between where he was born & raised for his first 13 years to his experiences in the United States. His community was mostly engaged in farming. They were mostly poor. He compared his home area to "the US 200 years ago". No plumbing, no toilets, no roads, and mostly no schools.
Zach explained that at age 13 he was separated from his parents and lived in the city. He wanted to learn math & English but could not afford the $3 per month that the classes cost. He settled on purchasing a book on how to learn English and taught himself.
In 2005 Zach became a Monk and remained a monk until he came to FGCU. He explained how, in Laos, family is your support team. You turn to your family for motivation and work together. He stated that it has been difficult here because other students can call home to talk with their families and his family does not have phones.
It reinforced my belief that life is what we make it.
This young man stood in front of 60 plus people and shared his story of determination.
Zach's purpose now is to get a good education, give 10 pecent of his salary to do something good for his people. His dream is to open a small English school in Laos to teach those still there and improve their lives.
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Today, I received an email with a message from Lou Tice that seemed to reinforce what I had heard from Zach:
Winner's Circle Network with Lou Tice - 3/24/11 - "Living a Wonderful Life"
If a Hollywood producer wanted to film the story of your life, would it be an Oscar-winning epic or a direct-to-DVD cure for insomnia?
How well has your life been going so far? Have you been living your life to the fullest and making good use of your enormous potential? Or, have you been letting other people write your story for you, telling you what you can and cannot do, what your personality is like, and what is good enough for you?
You know, your life could be a glorious thing - the kind of story Hollywood producers would love to film or novelists would love to write about. Because the truth is that living an exciting, challenging, satisfying life is not something that is reserved for people who have a special something in their genetic makeup, who are especially smart or good looking, or who were raised by wealthy parents who gave them every advantage.
Living a wonderful life is a choice you must make at some point. It is also a commitment to grow into that choice - to make yourself into a star or a hero, no matter where you are starting from, no matter how long it takes, and no matter what you have to learn to do it.
By the way, being a star doesn't necessarily mean being in a Hollywood movie, and to be a hero you don't have to break a record or save someone's life. But you do need to have the determination and courage to discover your own special talents and gifts and persist in making the most of them.
Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute
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Thank you, Zach, for reinforcing the belief that anything is possible with hope, determination, and persistance.
'Zach' began by comparing the differences between where he was born & raised for his first 13 years to his experiences in the United States. His community was mostly engaged in farming. They were mostly poor. He compared his home area to "the US 200 years ago". No plumbing, no toilets, no roads, and mostly no schools.
Zach explained that at age 13 he was separated from his parents and lived in the city. He wanted to learn math & English but could not afford the $3 per month that the classes cost. He settled on purchasing a book on how to learn English and taught himself.
In 2005 Zach became a Monk and remained a monk until he came to FGCU. He explained how, in Laos, family is your support team. You turn to your family for motivation and work together. He stated that it has been difficult here because other students can call home to talk with their families and his family does not have phones.
It reinforced my belief that life is what we make it.
This young man stood in front of 60 plus people and shared his story of determination.
Zach's purpose now is to get a good education, give 10 pecent of his salary to do something good for his people. His dream is to open a small English school in Laos to teach those still there and improve their lives.
------------------
Today, I received an email with a message from Lou Tice that seemed to reinforce what I had heard from Zach:
Winner's Circle Network with Lou Tice - 3/24/11 - "Living a Wonderful Life"
If a Hollywood producer wanted to film the story of your life, would it be an Oscar-winning epic or a direct-to-DVD cure for insomnia?
How well has your life been going so far? Have you been living your life to the fullest and making good use of your enormous potential? Or, have you been letting other people write your story for you, telling you what you can and cannot do, what your personality is like, and what is good enough for you?
You know, your life could be a glorious thing - the kind of story Hollywood producers would love to film or novelists would love to write about. Because the truth is that living an exciting, challenging, satisfying life is not something that is reserved for people who have a special something in their genetic makeup, who are especially smart or good looking, or who were raised by wealthy parents who gave them every advantage.
Living a wonderful life is a choice you must make at some point. It is also a commitment to grow into that choice - to make yourself into a star or a hero, no matter where you are starting from, no matter how long it takes, and no matter what you have to learn to do it.
By the way, being a star doesn't necessarily mean being in a Hollywood movie, and to be a hero you don't have to break a record or save someone's life. But you do need to have the determination and courage to discover your own special talents and gifts and persist in making the most of them.
Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute
------------------------------
Thank you, Zach, for reinforcing the belief that anything is possible with hope, determination, and persistance.
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