Ever since I was a little boy I always remember my mom saying this three phrases. ¨You have a purpose for being here¨, ¨Always have faith¨, and ¨Don´t do anything because of money.¨ At the time I had no clue what those phrases meant, back then all I wanted to do was to be play tennis.
Time went by, I moved to the United States to played tennis in college, I graduated with a degree in International business and got my first job as a debt collector at the largest collection company in the United States. To be honest I hated my job but I made a point to give my best, plus I needed the money because I was planning on competing in triathlons around the world. I had discovered the world of triathlons a few months before graduating.
A couple of months after starting my job one day my boss asked me why I ran so much. Every day during lunch while everyone was eating I would go workout and afterwards would eat at my desk. I told her that I was a triathlete and that I wanted to compete around the world. She asked me for my sports resume and told me that she wanted to give it to the owner of the company. I had no idea who the owner was but I thought it was a great idea.
A couple of days later I gave it to her and didn´t think much about it. One day while working my phone rang and it was the VP of the company asking me how much money I needed to compete that summer.
Wow! The VIP of the company caling an unkown 24 year old employe! It caught me by surprise! I told him that I needed $5,000 dollars, he said nice to meet you and hung up!
A couple of months went by and I didn´t hear anything back, at some point I thought I had asked for too much money. To be honest there were many times where I almost quit my job there, but that voice inside of me kept telling me to continue.
Christmas was approaching and the company was having their christmas party. Over 3,000 people were invited to a hotel to celebrate the event. I arrived with a friend of mine from India and we sat in the back. After dinner the owner got up and started giving awards. After a few minutes we heard through the microphone, Juan de Lascurain if you are here please come forward. I was surprised that they were calling my name.
I went to the stage and the owner in front of the entire company introduced me and told them that they were going to sponsor me as a triathlete. Wow! I was shocked, I couldn´t believe it! Then he handed me a check for $5,000 dollars. He handed me the microphone and all I could say was ¨Thank you.¨
A few months later I was competing regionally in the United States with my eyes set on the international races and the Hawaii Ironman.
What really changed my life was an email I received from the owner a few months after he had decided to sponsor me. I had emailed him to thank him for helping me accomplish my dream and how I had finished in some races.
His response was – Juan, I don´t care about your sports; all I care is that you use your talents to inspire others to follow their dreams. The owner and CEO of that company named Bill Bartmann thaught me a lot about purpose, inspiration and looking after your employees. He not only gave me those $5,000 dollars.
A few months after that I gave him a detailed budget of my plan to compete around the world and he approved the entire plan. He payed me my salary plus all my expenses for training and competing around the world.
Today my mom´s influence and his influence continue to drive my passion to inspire others to also follow their dreams.
What are you doing to inspire others?
This are 5 things I have learned about helping others so that they can accomplish their dreams:
-Discover your talent
-Dream Big
-Have Faith
-Work Hard
-Give Back
In my other posts I will be talking about this 5 things and will also be getting insight from inspiring people around the world to inspire you and help you navigate through this time of opportunity we are living in today!
Juan de Lascurain