In the game of life, we are all participants. While most of us are just regular players of
the sports; however a few are definitely game changers. After spending a week talking to over a
hundred young adults in Saigon, I started to see a pattern of characteristics
that strikingly differentiated one group from the other. If you have a moment to reflect, see how you respond
to this Quick Quiz and eventually your future:
1.
Do you think ahead of what will happen in 3-5 years?
2.
Do you act decisively now to guide your life to a different path
in 3-5 years?
3.
Do you clearly live life with a purpose beyond your own
happiness?
If you answered “yes” to all three questions, then
congratulations… you are a game changer!
Let’s examine three case studies and see how much you can relate to
these individuals. Ready?
Case 1: Vision
Let’s begin with Hai Nguyen who quit after first year at the
University of Economics (UEH) and attempted to take his study abroad. In our conversation, Hai confined not wanting
to repeat the trend of his two older brothers who graduated in consecutive
years at the same university with no employment offer. According to Hai, 60-70% of Vietnam graduates
are unemployed, and he didn’t see any reason to believe his fate would be
improved. With this clear vision, he
made a bold move to quit school and pursue a better education overseas. Keep in mind he has neither offer nor
guaranty from the alternative. To beat
the odd of being unemployed 2:1 upon graduation, he changed the way he plays
the game.
Case 2: Action
I first met Tom Le in November of 2013 when I spoke at his
Saigon Toastmasters Club. Later he
shared that my “D.R.E.A.M” speech gave him a stronger belief of what a
Vietnamese can do. So, he quit an engineering firm and pursued his dream job. When we met again last month, his first
remark to me was, “Like you, I quit my job.”
All I know is now he seems much happier, and isn’t that what we're all striving
to achieve: happiness? Note the
similarity in Tom and Hai’s decision in Case 1, they both quit what was not working
for them. This action set them apart from
the majority of folks that I conversed – most of them did nothing.
Case 3: Purpose
The most fascinating person I met on this trip was Cuc “Cu”
Nguyen who quit UEH in favor of the University of Architecture. I was invited to be a judge in a Toastmasters
humorous speech contest, and Cuc easily rose above other four contestants. While others were hilarious with the typical
college-life conundrum of “Boys from Mars and Girls are Diva” plot, Cuc made us
laughed so hard with her “Cuc-cu-pedia” of being true to herself. Her body language is so natural for her
carefree personality that the thought of her having Attention Deficit Disorder (not
true) crossed my mind. Once I had a
chance to interview her for this blog, and learned her desire to become an Art teacher and
use creative thinking to educate kids; I knew this gal is special as a game
changer under proper mentorship and with the right opportunity.
In conclusion, should you rush out of college or quit your job now? Maybe if it doesn't fit in with your “Vision – Action – Purpose”. I know we aren't Bill Gates or Steve Job, but we don't know that if we don't even try. Once you find the courage to do what Hai, Tom, and Cuc did, you will never look back. I also talked at length with many working
professionals on the subject of change, and three persons helped me seeing
three more virtues in their thought process and daily actions: Leadership
with Phong Huy Tran of Intel, Passion with Chau Hong Anh of Choson.com.vn, and Compassion
with Lan Pham of Bayer.
Action
Plan: You can focus on the Vision-Action-Purpose in
your late teen/early 20’s, then develop Leadership-Passion-Compassion in late 20’s/early 30’s, and you will change the
game in VN soon. Best of luck.
Blogger Bio
Jimmy Thai, DTM
founded the Leadership Foundation Academy to develop future leaders with
passion and compassion. He speaks and
coaches Fortune500 companies to re-infuse the American Pride in corporate
America and the American Dream to the world.
He went to prison twice before
turning 17, and today lives in American Finest City – San Diego, California. Jimmy earned 2 Master’s degrees MBA and MSEE
from California State University, and BSEE degree from the 20th best
university in the world - University of California San Diego. He welcomes your comments and loves to
collaborate with you on Change
Leadership, Motivational Management, Decision Analysis, the ABC Secrets of
Appearance - Body language - Conversation, and Asian Business Development.
In 2015, Leadership Foundation Academy has donated over $10K
USD to its Build a School – Leave a Legacy program, which built 2
kindergarten schools in Ha Giang and Yen Bai provinces. Our 3rd project is to construct a
30-m bridge in Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau to save little students from
drowning on their way to school.
