It’s been a while since I last published something. Maybe I got swept away by life’s current, or perhaps I simply wanted to do other things. But something happened today that moved me in such a way that I can’t help but write. :) Let’s talk about digging, stepping out of your comfort zone, and becoming a champion.

In an attempt to give back to society and make the world we live in a better place, I began, together with Mircea Ungureanu, a Craiova-based entrepreneur with vast professional experience, a series of meetings with high school students from Balcesti—a small town in Valcea County. After an initial meeting in the conference hall, we planned a more personal meeting with three of the high school classes. This allowed us to spend more time with specific students, giving them questions and answers.

At one point, I asked the group who liked money. Naturally, all hands went up. That was the easy question. Then came the challenge: “Who has earned money through their own work?” We were in a class with 22-25 twelfth graders, aged 17-18. Six or seven hands slowly went up. Curious, I asked how they had earned their money. Hairdressing, doing nails, DJing at events, bartending, etc., were the answers. In the back, near a wall with faded paint, a small, blonde, delicate young girl raised her hand and said in a shy voice, “I worked in agriculture.” “What do you mean by agriculture?” I asked. “I went to the fields and worked,” she replied.

For two seconds, I didn’t know what to say. Then I gave myself a moral wake-up call and gathered my thoughts. :) Initially, I felt sadness, thinking about how some are less fortunate (or perhaps much luckier, depending on how you look at it) and have to work in the fields to support themselves. But then I felt immense joy. Joy that I saw in front of me a possible future champion. Or maybe I saw a part of my younger self.

Many in the room started to chuckle and nudge each other. And it’s natural for that to happen. People around you will nudge and laugh when they don’t understand you, when they don’t understand what you’re doing, or when they think you are far from what they see as “the truth”—their truth. The ones who laugh are those waiting to finish high school or college before they think about where to work. They’re the ones who know they can rely on their parents’ money. The ones who laugh are those waiting for the government, the boss, others to solve their problems. Those who are too weak to be serious and accept reality. Yes, it sounds a bit harsh, and you may condemn my judgment, but this is reality. When I was young, I didn’t think this way either. But it would be wonderful if you learned from others’ experiences and became better than us, better than me.

The idea I shared with them is relatively simple: the one who tried to do something instead of sitting and waiting (to finish high school, college, an internship, for the government to change, for the Americans to come, or whatever else is expected these days) is the one who has a far greater chance of becoming a champion (whether or not they become an entrepreneur). Friends, the power is within US, within YOU, not in some external source (mom, dad, government, country, friends, connections, etc.). Sure, these things help, but only if you have a solid foundation already built. The one who tries learns what work is like (easier or harder), how to collaborate with others, how to communicate with others, how to manage finances, how to follow a schedule, learns to appreciate money and control it—and here’s the key, considering that most end up controlled by money, instead of achieving financial control themselves.

Since Ana-Maria (our possible champion) added me on Facebook, I decided to check it out and see if my instincts were wrong. Guess what I found? She listens to French music, loves little sparrows, posts Nichita Stanescu’s poetry, and encourages reading. And I think that’s enough; I can stop here. Yes, this is the same person who picked up a hoe and worked in the fields (well, I’m not sure if a hoe was exactly the tool used, but you get the idea). Personally, I think it’s brilliant!

Ana-Maria, I don’t know you well enough to know what you have in mind, how you think, how you live your life, what dreams and goals you have. But if you’re digging and aren’t ashamed to admit it publicly (and I don’t see why anyone should be ashamed—honest work is always commendable), if you read books, learn and grow, choose quality people around you to support your growth, dream, and are ready to put passion into realizing those dreams… you have every chance of becoming a champion, to ask for and receive from life what you desire. Bravo!

And the rest of us would do well to learn from Ana-Maria not to be ashamed or afraid to pick up the hoe when needed and do what has to be done. As an old friend of mine (a.k.a. Henry Ford) used to say, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!”