I SAY THOSE CRAZY ONES, ARE THE ONES WHO EMBRACE ALL THE POSSIBILITIES
In my imagined, perfect world there is
zero poverty,
Zero illness
Zero illiteracy
All the people in my world have potential, kindness, creativity, exuberance and instill service to others.
In Professor Muhammad Yunas imagined, perfect, world
There is zero poverty,
zero unemployment
and zero carbon emissions.
He’s an Economist, Fulbright scholar and recipient of the 2006 noble peace prize.
A native of Bangladesh he embarked on a journey to discover the real-life economics of the poor.
In the villages, He met many entrepreneurs with no resources to purchase materials or supplies.
With 27.00 dollars, he provided 14 loans. Little did he know his journey initiated microlending and social entrepreneurship.
He went on and in 1983 founded The Grameen bank where he pioneered the concepts of microcredit to help people escape poverty unleashing the entrepreneurial capabilities of over 300 million poor people around the world.
And that’s not all,
Grameen Bank, operates in Puerto Rico since 2013, has helped over 3000 women improve their families lives. From Bangladesh all the way to Puerto Rico, Imagination is Power.
Professor Yunas was crazy enough to think he could change the world and he did.
Little did I know that I would also be embarking on a life changing journey.
In 2018 my office was commissioned to expedite three community projects in low income neighborhoods of Vieques, Santa Isabel and San Juan. The scope to interview 12,000 families and identify the needs of their communities. Concluding with a written report, that resulted in approval of funds and new projects currently being developed. A total Success.
impactful moments,
- women in their early 60’s retired and desperate to do something valuable with their lives.
- Higher education not readily accessible to everyone.
- Elderlies in their 90’s living alone and still fill of energy and hope.
- Working single mothers begging for recreation for their teenagers to avoid future mishaps.
- Youngsters left alone while parents are at work.
The list goes on,
This experience has transformed part of who I am, I learned that circumstances shape humanity.
How was I authentically going to change the world?
Imagination is power, by
- using my voice, work ethics and energy to instill in people simple yet effective financial wisdom would add value to people’s lives. Vison & Purpose
- Providing guidance for families to create micro businesses that would increase their financial wellbeing. Entrepreneurship.
- Always being informed. Policy not Politics
April 2020, Covid19, the lockdown, the fear of the unknown.
In the middle of chaos, I had an Aha moment,
Calling and informing people about
the incentives available to them , I did it, I am changing the world one step at a time, over 300,000 dollars in approved funds for individuals and small businesses, being informed allowed me to use my voice, work ethics and energy to provide peace of mind and change circumstances in the lives of 14 individuals even if only for a moment.
I learned another valuable lesson; the essence of communication is
Inspiring people to take action.
We are fortunate enough to have access to great possibilities, amazing technologies and information.
Have you ever asked yourself, What your imagined, perfect, world looks like?
How do we make a difference,
Together,
Let’s all be the crazy ones, lets change the world let’s embrace all the possibilities
Thank you, Good Evening, Toastmasters