One of my favorite joys in life is discovering what makes a person do the things he or she does. Yesterday I chatted with a teammate who inspires others simply by sharing how he changed his mindset.
Enrique shared that he was taught to hate Americans. His government potrayed our society as evil. When he turned twenty he began to question the validity of his leader's portrayal of Americans. If we were so bad then why were others who came to our country able to send money back to his country?
Enrique decided to find out for himself. He went to a culvert, gathered some timber, built a makeshift raft, mounted a small motor and left Cuba with several friends.
I asked Enrique how long the journey lasted.
"Eleven days," he answered. "We couldn't go direct because we would have been turned back so we headed for Honduras. We ate one sardine each day and drank no more than a cup of water per day on our 500 mile journey to Honduras. When we landed we walked the rest of the way. Eleven days later I presented my papers at the border and became free."
I asked my manager who hired Enrique why he chose Enrique and he answered, "There is no way this guy is ever going to give up. Watch him. He will be a manager for us one day."
I looked at Enrique's badge while he was sharing his story. Enrique is a manager now. Now he helps others look at life with a new perspective. Think about Enrique the next time you hear someone spreading messages of hate. Have a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment