Yes, I suffered the blows of poverty; and I endured the pain of sickness and loneliness—but the highest mountain I had to climb was dealing with the teasing and ridiculing of the people in the village. They made fun of my swollen tummy and my skeletal body. Some villagers belittled me.

They called me Kokobay and Souyan. Kokobay is an actual Creole word, which means crippled. I found out that there was an actual person named Souyan. He was crippled with a flat behind. He, too, had to put up with teasing and name-calling.

When the strong tropical wind blew in the village, I ran and braced my feeble body against trees in order to avoid being blown away. My condition had deteriorated so much that some people predicted I would not survive to adulthood. They even told me so, but God proved them wrong. I made it. Do you remember the cigarette commercial for Virginia Slims? That’s the way I feel: I have come a long way baby!

What I went through is only my experience. While my family was living on the edge, there were those living a good life. Some were driving expensive cars, living in hilltop mansions, and traveling the world. These people can’t identify with my story, but they are not the majority.

What about you? How long have you traveled to get where you are today? Where did you start in life? Some people, particularly Haitians, often ask if I’m embarrassed to share so much of my early life with strangers. Why should I be embarrassed? It doesn’t matter where you start; what matters is where you finish. Society does not evaluate me based on my past.

A Fortune 500 company never looks at my past before hiring me to speak to their employees. Instead, they hire me because of what I have accomplished. It is who I am today that earns me respect and admiration.

Regardless of where we start—whether it’s the ghetto or a tiny village in Haiti—with a strong vision, solid goals, and a sense of direction, we can have a great finish.

Where we come from is not as relevant as where we are going. When I stand on a platform staring at three thousand souls waiting for me to boost their batteries, to touch their souls—they are interested in one thing: what I can offer them in that moment!

Popularity: 1%