The option of not working hard was just unavailable in Shaolin.
In each household, hard work was required and all children understood that
there was no guarantee of opportunity. My parents and grandmother used to work
long hours, which taught me a lesson of making an appearance even when things
were not right. The work ethic was integrated into my personality whether I was
working on callaloo, selling snacks, or cutting hair into the late hours of the
night. Further on, in college (sports, school, and finances), the training that
I received as a child helped me out.
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That learning came in very handy when I had to face one of
my most difficult times in life, my motorbike accident, in the course of my
university life. It required the physical and mental strength to recuperate. It
demanded time and dedication. It needed the kind of determination that I had
cultivated in Shaolin in hustling. I used my hard work-induced resilience to
overcome the accident instead of letting it destroy my dreams.
These initial lessons proved useful even when I emigrated,
Jamaica to Trinidad to London, and, lastly, the United States. When I entered
professional circles, where the number of people who aided my background was
very few, I knew that my bizarre skills were my competitive edge. The process
of barbering also taught me how to deal with various personalities in a
confident manner. Hustling made me realize that you have to grab a chance and
be flexible. Working hard has taught me the importance of being accountable,
consistent, and not giving up even when the doors are closed or when things get
tough.
When I developed as an engineer and became a leader in some
of the largest companies all over the world, I applied the principles that I
was taught in Shaolin and that is how I dealt with my teamwork, mentoring, and
decisions. I acquired that I should be a good listener, be resourceful in my
thinking and appreciate the human face of leadership. I knew that you can be
more successful with titles, but it is service, which barbering taught me well
before I first stepped into my first office.
My circle was further increased at St. Augustine. The
multiculturalism in the Caribbean within the campus exposed me to diversity in
terms of culture, personality and worldview. Through these friendships I
learned how to relate with people irrespective of their backgrounds- something
which, later, enabled me to command teams in the United States where
cross-cultural cooperation is of paramount importance. UWI brotherhood was made
of loyalty, unity, and ambition. It enhanced my emotional intelligence, which no
lecture would help me to acquire.
It was academicians who spearheaded my life in UWI and
required a new level of discipline. The work in the field of engineering was
intensive, long hours of reading, difficult work, lab work. Combining academics
and sports and economic concerns made me learn how to manage time and be tough
in mind.
My motorbike accident was one of the most important ones of
my UWI years. It was a life changing experience that gave me every discipline
that I had developed a test. The suffering, process of healing, and
apprehension of lagging in studies was too much. However, it was my strength
which I gained during sports, the help I received with the brotherhood, the
discipline built by the studies, which helped me through.
UWI lessons have remained with me many years after
graduating. They helped me through my immigration to Trinidad, London and
finally United States. They assisted me to adjust to new settings, get over the
culture shock, and emerge as a leader in corporate engineering.
When I look back today, I realize that UWI did not merely
teach me, but got me ready. It developed the profession that brought me out of
campus fields and lecture halls to boardrooms and the world leadership. And
when I tell my tale in From Grit to Glory, I want the young people to
understand that their own be it how lowly, can be the stepping-stone to
something magnificent.
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