8 Secrets of the Truly Rich - Chapter 7

8 Secrets of the Truly Rich

By: Bo Sanchez

Buy your own copy at any National Bookstore Outlet

You Can Create a New Pattern
of
Success

Man is not the creature of circumstances;
Circumstances are the creatures of men.
-Benjamin Disraeli

Let me tell you my story.
When I was growing up, I felt I was the most ungifted kid in the entire world.
Honest! I had four thing going against me.
First, my grades were bad.
As early as Grade 2, I failed in Math and Pilipino - two subjects I abhorred like amplaya (bitter gourd) juice concentrate or an antibiotic capsule that accidentally breaks open on your tongue. Yuck.
I felt I was dumb exponentially exponentially raised to the power of three. My academic goal in life was to reach the high grade of 75. One day, one of my subjects reached 82 and I almost collapsed in shock. I went to my teacher and asked f she made a mistake.
Today, I'm guessing I probably had some form of mild dyslexia, but during my time, they just called it bobo (stupid).
Second, I was bad in sports.
Some Kids were dumb but at least they were good in sports.
But I was bano (physically uncoordinated).
I dreaded P.E. It was pure social torture.
For example, the teacher would ask me to dribble the ball - and while everyone would watch - I'd lose the ball, chase after it, manage to step on it, slip and splatter myself on the floor. And everyone would burst out laughing for five minutes straight. Yep, even the teacher would laugh. (Do you notice my deep resentments coming out here?)

Obviously, no team wanted me. I was left standing alone until one teacher forced one of the teams to get me. So I'd enter the game and make them lose 10 points in 10 seconds. )I did the impossible.) And they'd hate me to bitss.
Third, I was poor.
My allowance was 50 centavos a day when the prevailing rate was two pesos.
I remember going to the canteen clutching my 50 centavos in my hand. "Coke please," I asked. The saleslady looked at my coin and said, "Coke is 60." I looked at the other goodies and asked again," Cheeze Curls please." She shook her head, "That's 60 too." I finally asked, "What can I buy with 50 centavos?" She looked around and fished out something tiny. "Marie (a biscuit)," she said.
At the precise moment, my classmate stood beside me with five peso bill and said, "Coke, Cheese Curls and hotdog sandwhich please".
Triple ouch.
Fourth, I was ugly.
Yes I was. (I know it's hard to imagine that now...)
They called me refugee and tipaklong (grasshopper).
Let me say this again: I felt I was the most ungifted person God ever created.
But today, I write books, compose songs, publish magazines, produce concerts, lead organizations, speak on radio and TV, run small business...just to name a few things I do today.
II didn't become Albert Einstein, did you know he was dumb in school? Here are three actual quotes from his school teachers...

No matter what you do, you will never amount to anything.

- Albert Einstein's first teacher

Your mere presence spoils the respect of the class for me.
- Albert Einstein's second teacher

It doesn't matter; he'll never make a success of anything.
- The response of Albert Einstein's teacher to his father's question on what profession Einstein should pursue.

They were almost right. Because at age 16, Albert Einstein failed an entrance exam to polytechnic college in Zurich.
What happened to that dumb kid? Why did he come to be one of the greatest scientists of the world?

You can create a new pattern of success.