Saturdays are my busiest day! It starts very early in the morning spending time with my leadership, reviewing their performance, their lessons, goal setting, setting new bench mark and than going on endless conference calls with my global leaders, talking to them on their progress and performance... By evening I like to wind down and spend some moment with myself... My personal review :) I decided long ago, I must be my toughest coach... :) This particular Saturday, I sat at Starbucks, with my hot mint tea... It was packed with people catching up or just chilling on Saturday evening or just chatting away...
When I am into my own world, I can block out any noise which surrounds me and totally stay focused on my work and that's my 'special skill'! This particular evening, I was awaken from my world by a young mother and her kid. She asked if they could share the table with me as the whole place was packed and I said sure! I don't know why the little girl was excited to sit at my table... She probably at most 2 1/2 years old... Maybe it's my curly hair :) or just my friendly smile :)) kids tend to get friendly with me! The little girl was trying to have conversation with me but sadly I couldn't understand her words as she spoke in a language I am not familiar with... But some how we were having good time. What puzzled me was, her mother was just the opposite of the Kid. Refused to smile, refused to even say anything or even answer any of my questions... She sat opposite of me, facing outside so she doesn't have too look at me... This continued for an hour till the kids grandmother walked in and she smiled and pulled a chair and sat... Now I have a grandmother, mother and daughter at my table... Total strangers :)
Not even 5 mins at the table, the grandmother took her business card and placed in front of me! She said she does business and that's her card... I took the card looked at it... While I was looking at it, she
continued talking, she said, " My granddaughter was very weak, so I bought her this milk powder and she likes it and now she is much stronger and I decided to share and run my own business"! I was speechless, this grandmother is 70 years old, speaks broken Malaysian language yet found courage to talk to a stranger in less that 5 mins and promote her business. She continued to say that she has been doing this for 3 months, she can make some pocket money and if tomorrow she is no longer around, her granddaughter will benefit from her efforts today...
continued talking, she said, " My granddaughter was very weak, so I bought her this milk powder and she likes it and now she is much stronger and I decided to share and run my own business"! I was speechless, this grandmother is 70 years old, speaks broken Malaysian language yet found courage to talk to a stranger in less that 5 mins and promote her business. She continued to say that she has been doing this for 3 months, she can make some pocket money and if tomorrow she is no longer around, her granddaughter will benefit from her efforts today...
Than she asked if she could write on the paper in front of me, I gave it to her. She drew for me how I can benefit and make money too and she continued by saying, it's not worth to sit at office for a pay cheque as no matter how much we take home, it's not enough today and the world is stressful. She also told me how she put some hard earned savings into some investment plans in the bank and after 10 years she got nothing much and instead of keeping in the bank she could have done something with it. What really caught me was, she said... If I can do this for another 1 1/2 years, I can buy my
own car, she continued by saying, I don't want a big car but just a Malaysian made car will do and I will pay cash for it!
own car, she continued by saying, I don't want a big car but just a Malaysian made car will do and I will pay cash for it!
Woww!! Let me remind you, this is a 70 years old woman and she is inspired to be all she could be!! On the other hand, her daughter-in-law sat there the whole hour looking at the outside world pass by... Sadly there are more people today like the daughter-in-law rather than the grandmother!
Than I looked at the little kid and I said to myself, you are blessed... You have a grandmother who is a warrior! Grow up and be like her... Fight to be the best till the last day and only live to Be All You Could Be...
My moment with a great warrior.... May you live to blow 100 candles!
