I learned something new today. That is to be kind.
We always have this predisposition that those people out there cannot be trusted. That is if we are not careful they will intentionally or unintentionally going to hurt us.
Perhaps we had been hurt before and therefore we are weary that if we let our guards down we will be hurt again.
And so we [] (go) on living our lives with one foot in the water and the other foot firmly on the solid ground. But by doing this we are never truly living. We are merely existing. At the first sign of distress, we will quickly pull out foot our of the water and run for safety.
Our thoughts have always been that the water is dangerous and the land is safe. But how will [] (we) ever find new land if we are afraid to leave the shore?
During this MCO I did something unprecedented. I contacted one of my long time associates from my training days via WhatsApp. This was a person who with my business partner at that time took away my clients when I was mentally ill and they both became millionaires within a year.
Of course I was bitter at that time. I was betrayed by people whom I trusted. Not just by anybody but by those who suppose to unhold the right values that they teach to the clients of ours.
I didn't expect much but this guy said he call me later. So I waited. By the promised time he didn't call. So [] (I) figured that this guy is just giving me an excuse. Then 20 minutes before my iftar he called. Initially it was all the big talk about his children and his successes.
Then I said, "I went to your website. I saw your face as the cofounder but what happen to Sazali?"
Sazali was my previous business partner who later became his partner.
Then his voices started to crack. "Oh you don't know that Sazali and I split up? It was not a pleasant split."
Only then he started talking about how painful the experience was.
We had to stop for iftar when the story started to pick up. He promised to call me after that.
One hour after the iftar we spoke again. Soon all the skeleton came out. It was a gory story about betrayal and injustice. The long and short of it, Sazali took away half the staff and a million dollar contract, leaving this guy with no cash and a two million dollar debt.
He was crying when he related the story to me. Gone were all the power talks about his past successes (he was a RM120 k per hour speaker).
The phone call lasted for FIVE hours. He really spilled his guts on me. I was listening, lending him a shoulder to lean on.
That's when I found out that I inspired him in his early days as a trainer. He remembered the RM3,600 check I gave him on his first session with me. That was the turnaround point for him.
As a kind gesture he offered me a contract that is a part of a multimillion dollar deal he is working on with the Ministry of Finance. I turned down the offer. I told him that money doesn't excite me anymore. I am happy doing my Online Management Coaching pro bono.
Still he wanted to do something nice to me. And so he invited me to his studio for a podcast. That podcast is to reminisce our glory days when we were the "Jangoes" without any care for the world. I said I'll do it provided he allows me to talk about Bipolar Affective Disorder to his audience. That he obliged.
I would not have done what I did if not because the "If you cannot find a kind person, be the kind person" credo. I had learned to forgive, forget and forgo. Now with that wisdom I am helping another person do the same thing.
As for me, this is a miracle that I received for this Ramadan. Who would have expected; the dog who had bitten you hand is also man's best friend?
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As I adopt your "If you can't find a kind person, be the kind person" credo, I experience a miracle this Ramadan. I emailed that story to you. I wrote it off the cuff while I was doing my Online Management Coaching. I hope you like it...
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