Yesterday during my presentation I met someone from Central Asia after 20 years. The last time I met him he was just a child. I knew his dad well. When his Dad moved to Canada, he had nothing – no job, broken English and young kids. No one gave him hope to make it in Canada – I admit I had my doubts as well.
When I met his son Waleed yesterday I saw a young, polished, smart pharmacist who articulated as well as any well-spoken Canadian born I know! Of course I had no idea that it was the same boy I had known twenty years ago! This gave me immense hope for the future and pride for Canada! Today I received this email from him, which moved me to tears especially because of the source from which it came:
“Through school, work, and volunteer commitments, I have had the blessings of listening to a few presentations on goal-setting and motivation, but I can say unequivocally that yours was the most inspiring one. It may be because you are authentic; it may be because you are eloquent; it may be because you quote Rumi; and it may be because you draw inspiration from Sufism. But I believe that they are complementary pieces and it is these that make the ensemble effective and powerful.
Today, you reaffirmed my faith in our innate capacity to overcome obstacles by searching the solutions from in and within ourselves. Rumi captures this philosophy beautifully:”
You wander from room to room.
Hunting for the diamond necklace.
That is already around your neck!
“I am immensely grateful for your time, energy, and effort in inspiring us and our mentors through such powerful presentation. We are looking forward, with great anticipation, to your next presentation in March.”
My reply to Waleed was:
“Thank you, Waleed. It is all God’s grace!
My highlight was meeting you and seeing how far you have come. This gives me great hope! Your dad was a visionary and you are the product! My love to Dad and please share with him the joy I got seeing your progress – almost unmatched.”
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