The Winners in Life
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I have been fortunate to be involved in a very meaningful industry - education and training. The kind of work we do is of tremendous value to society and transforms lives. This belief keeps me going strong after having been an educator for twenty years.
A few days ago I attended a dinner function, the CEO’s Night, organised by the Malaysian Retail Chain Association, of which Erican has been a member of for many years. The special guest speaker for that night was none other than the incredible and charismatic founder of Air Asia, Dato Seri Tony Fernandes. But it is not he that I want to talk about here. Rather, I wish to write about someone else; someone who touched me deeply that night with his success story.
I had arrived at One World Hotel early that evening so that I could catch up with old friends and meet some new acquaintances.
While I was busily mingling with friends, I was introduced to a man from Termeloh, a man who was described as 'the most successful local property developer', Alan Lim.
Alan shook my hand enthusiastically and thanked me profusely for changing his life and the lives of many others.
When I asked him what he meant, Alan sipped his wine, cleared his throat, and told me his story.
"I was brought up in a very poor family. I worked as a petty trader in the night market and I could not speak a word of English. And you know, Eric, without English I found myself trapped in a very small world; it was difficult for me to reach out and do better things."
"One day, I attended a seminar that changed my life. And you know what? It was a motivational seminar you conducted in Mentakab. I remember that you did not just speak that night; you even sang and danced!" He winked at me.
I was a bit embarrassed about that 'song and dance' bit. When I was younger, I did indeed compose a song entitled 'Let's Learn Good English'. It was the one and only song I have ever composed in my entire life, and the only one I ever will do.
I would do anything to encourage Malaysians to take up the learning of English as I firmly believed that the one thing that Malaysia as a country needed to take in order to move up to the next level was a massive English learning movement.
Yes, I would even sing and dance if that was what it would take to motivate the masses to take up the learning of this important language. That’s how much it mattered to me.
Alan continued to tell his story.
"You really got me fired up. When I heard you say it was never too late to learn English, I made that life changing decision." His eyes glowed as he said that.
As it turned out, Alan could not speak a word of English at all then. Unlike many others, however, he did not just sit around and feel bad for himself; he took action. He signed up with Erican immediately and started learning English, one word at a time.
"Erican was a fantastic language learning centre. I improved really fast. After a while, I was able to communicate with people in simple English. That changed my life and lifted me out of my poverty. I found opportunities that had not been available to me before."
"I saved up some money and eventually got into property development. My life was never the same again - thanks to you." He spoke sincerely to me in decent English and shook my hands passionately yet again.
I was really touched by his story. I told him I would share his story on my blog as I was sure it would inspire others.
Alan is a winner in life. He has become a successful property developer in Termeloh despite all the odds that were piled up against him. He was given nothing to begin with - no proper education, no English, and no money.
Alan is, of course, not alone. There are many other winners in this game of Life out there who have moving stories of their own to tell - how they defied the conventional rules and achieved extraordinary success.
These rags to riches stories should not be treated like fairy tales - something that we simply listen to and forget. These stories are quite real and much can be learned from them. They can be a great source of inspiration for all.
To all the winners out there - I salute you!
“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong
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| Alan Lim and I share a few laughs and thoughts together. |
I have been fortunate to be involved in a very meaningful industry - education and training. The kind of work we do is of tremendous value to society and transforms lives. This belief keeps me going strong after having been an educator for twenty years.
A few days ago I attended a dinner function, the CEO’s Night, organised by the Malaysian Retail Chain Association, of which Erican has been a member of for many years. The special guest speaker for that night was none other than the incredible and charismatic founder of Air Asia, Dato Seri Tony Fernandes. But it is not he that I want to talk about here. Rather, I wish to write about someone else; someone who touched me deeply that night with his success story.
I had arrived at One World Hotel early that evening so that I could catch up with old friends and meet some new acquaintances.
While I was busily mingling with friends, I was introduced to a man from Termeloh, a man who was described as 'the most successful local property developer', Alan Lim.
Alan shook my hand enthusiastically and thanked me profusely for changing his life and the lives of many others.
When I asked him what he meant, Alan sipped his wine, cleared his throat, and told me his story.
"I was brought up in a very poor family. I worked as a petty trader in the night market and I could not speak a word of English. And you know, Eric, without English I found myself trapped in a very small world; it was difficult for me to reach out and do better things."
"One day, I attended a seminar that changed my life. And you know what? It was a motivational seminar you conducted in Mentakab. I remember that you did not just speak that night; you even sang and danced!" He winked at me.
I was a bit embarrassed about that 'song and dance' bit. When I was younger, I did indeed compose a song entitled 'Let's Learn Good English'. It was the one and only song I have ever composed in my entire life, and the only one I ever will do.
I would do anything to encourage Malaysians to take up the learning of English as I firmly believed that the one thing that Malaysia as a country needed to take in order to move up to the next level was a massive English learning movement.
Yes, I would even sing and dance if that was what it would take to motivate the masses to take up the learning of this important language. That’s how much it mattered to me.
Alan continued to tell his story.
"You really got me fired up. When I heard you say it was never too late to learn English, I made that life changing decision." His eyes glowed as he said that.
As it turned out, Alan could not speak a word of English at all then. Unlike many others, however, he did not just sit around and feel bad for himself; he took action. He signed up with Erican immediately and started learning English, one word at a time.
"Erican was a fantastic language learning centre. I improved really fast. After a while, I was able to communicate with people in simple English. That changed my life and lifted me out of my poverty. I found opportunities that had not been available to me before."
"I saved up some money and eventually got into property development. My life was never the same again - thanks to you." He spoke sincerely to me in decent English and shook my hands passionately yet again.
I was really touched by his story. I told him I would share his story on my blog as I was sure it would inspire others.
Alan is a winner in life. He has become a successful property developer in Termeloh despite all the odds that were piled up against him. He was given nothing to begin with - no proper education, no English, and no money.
Alan is, of course, not alone. There are many other winners in this game of Life out there who have moving stories of their own to tell - how they defied the conventional rules and achieved extraordinary success.
These rags to riches stories should not be treated like fairy tales - something that we simply listen to and forget. These stories are quite real and much can be learned from them. They can be a great source of inspiration for all.
To all the winners out there - I salute you!
“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong
Congratulations to all the winners out there who took early action upon the inspiration received.
ReplyDeleteWell done to our Founder & CEO who provided & contributed this inspiration.
pc of KLU
Education is the most powerful weapon.
ReplyDelete"Always be cautious with those you meet throughout the travels throughout this roadway we call life. Always lend a hand to those stumbling along the path, for one never knows when one may walk along side them once again."
ReplyDelete- Anonymous
hope all will win in life. hurray!
ReplyDelete