The Great Equalizer

A few weeks ago we posted a 10 minute fix video where one of the guys was talking about meeting a renown cartoonist who he may never had a chance to meet in Kenya. They also talked about getting the opportunity to talk to women they may not have been exposed to or meeting business men who were out of reach. They referred to America as the great Equalizer.

Many immigrants come from class societies where your lot is defined in life depending on your family name, your skin complexion, your tribe and many other factors. Immigrating to a western country is an opportunity to start over and become whatever you want to become with no limitations of tribe, family, social status and other social factors. Oprah often refers to her grandmother who cleaned houses in Mississippi. She tried to teach Oprah her craft many times but Oprah rejected the idea internally because she knew that she could be so much more. Many of us have rejected things that have been pushed on us internally because we had a greater dream.

The opportunities in the west can be a catch 22. Some immigrants often start out with great dreams and then settle into the daily grind of making a daily living. It is easy to get comfortable with just making a living and forget to make the life you know you can have. If you have not given this some thought lately. Ask yourself the following questions
1. What do I know I can achieve?
2. Have I achieved it?
3. Why have I not achieved it?
4. How do I overcome my obstacles?

Do not sell your dream to the latest theater room and big screen TV just because you can afford it. Pay the price to pursue a life that brings you fulfillment. Glance back at Red Jade's article on 8 Immigrant contributions to the American economy and be inspired. Are you making your greatest contribution?

Passion

I am sitting in my living room watching Larry King. His interview is based on a new movie called Conviction. The story surrounds a woman who went to law school to fight for her brother's freedom. It brings me back to something I think about very often.... Passion.

The word has become a buzzword for our times and I am not sure if I know what it really means. Whatever it means, I know that I need it. I think we all need it. We all need something to live for and having something to live for can change our whole life. I came from a culture where people do the right things and do what they need to do. I think as important as that is, we all need to spend some time thinking about what really sparks something in us and why?

I look back at my life in the US and I see how much it would have helped me to have really considered my passion instead of just going after what I had already been exposed to or what would make me money. Over the next couple of weeks I will interview some of my friends who love what they do and feel that they have something to live for and others who make a lot of money yet feel like they are dying inside. It is possible to have both so keep reading.

Check out this article to help you take the first step to picking your college major.