Are you born poor?
- Does born a Dayak doom you to discrimination and marginalization?
- Does poverty doom you to failure?
- Does being “rural people” doom you to become undereducated, underserved, underprivileged and underdeveloped?
If you grew up poor, like I did, you may have taken on beliefs that are limiting. You may feel that you are lacking in some way, or that there are not enough of the things that you need. While that may have been true in the past, it doesn't need to define who you are now.
Many of the world's greatest leaders, teachers, business people and healers once led lives of poverty or faced enormous challenges, yet they overcame all of them to achieve goals beyond what anyone expected of them. You can, too.
While this would come as a surprise to many people who know me now, I grew up poor in the heartland of the richest state in Malaysia. Our family moved more than 5 times before I was 11 years old; during those years we had weeks on end where all we had to eat was rice and “kicap”, and we were grateful to have that.
I wore hand-me-down clothing, torn recycle shoes, rubber-bend as pencil eraser, home cook food, home coffee bottle until the secondary school years.
My little story: During Form 3 break, I worked as an ‘underage fisherman’ at Sungei Merah, Sibu boating in the sea for 2 weeks with monthly pay of RM140.00 and some extra catch to bring back home to feed my little brothers. At Form 5 break, I work as a daily paid laborer; RM4.50 per day in a small housing construction company earning extra income for my family. Other - helping my parent farming at our little farm at Sg. Aup, Sibu; planting and harvest paddy.
I endured the ridicule of my peers, and the shame that lack brings. Needless to say, those years were extremely challenging and sickening. Life those days isn’t easy like “KFC”, “MacDonald”, “Kenny Rogers”, "Fish & Chips" lifestyle, etc today.
Nevertheless, I was a little smart and did well in school. I became determined that one day I would live as I chose. As I was maturing, I kept my eye always on the life I one day wanted to lead, regardless of where I might be along the way towards it.
Now I live a life I could never have dreamed possible as a youngster. So have others whose beginnings were humble or even more challenging.
You do not have to be "born with a silver spoon in your mouth" to become wildly successful. You just need a few ingredients that are available to anyone:
Many of the world's greatest leaders, teachers, business people and healers once led lives of poverty or faced enormous challenges, yet they overcame all of them to achieve goals beyond what anyone expected of them. You can, too.
While this would come as a surprise to many people who know me now, I grew up poor in the heartland of the richest state in Malaysia. Our family moved more than 5 times before I was 11 years old; during those years we had weeks on end where all we had to eat was rice and “kicap”, and we were grateful to have that.
I wore hand-me-down clothing, torn recycle shoes, rubber-bend as pencil eraser, home cook food, home coffee bottle until the secondary school years.
My little story: During Form 3 break, I worked as an ‘underage fisherman’ at Sungei Merah, Sibu boating in the sea for 2 weeks with monthly pay of RM140.00 and some extra catch to bring back home to feed my little brothers. At Form 5 break, I work as a daily paid laborer; RM4.50 per day in a small housing construction company earning extra income for my family. Other - helping my parent farming at our little farm at Sg. Aup, Sibu; planting and harvest paddy.
I endured the ridicule of my peers, and the shame that lack brings. Needless to say, those years were extremely challenging and sickening. Life those days isn’t easy like “KFC”, “MacDonald”, “Kenny Rogers”, "Fish & Chips" lifestyle, etc today.
Nevertheless, I was a little smart and did well in school. I became determined that one day I would live as I chose. As I was maturing, I kept my eye always on the life I one day wanted to lead, regardless of where I might be along the way towards it.
Now I live a life I could never have dreamed possible as a youngster. So have others whose beginnings were humble or even more challenging.
You do not have to be "born with a silver spoon in your mouth" to become wildly successful. You just need a few ingredients that are available to anyone:
- Clear vision about what you want. Make it shine and sing!
- Determination. Never give up.
- Objectivity. Get a new perspective; look from a different angle; try stuff out.
- Get over your fear of failure. Use everything that happens as a way to improve.
- Have complete faith in your own ability to transcend each and every "obstacle" that appears; there are solutions for all of them. Your job is to discover and use them.
Your beginnings do not determine your endings; that is within your power and obligation to perfect. Take steps right now to make your life exactly the way you want it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
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