Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category
How to succeed as International Students in the USA?
Friday, August 27th, 2010Good-bye, summer — hello, school! The 2010-11 academic school year kicks off this week for most area schools.
Thousands of you from across the globe are traveling or returning to America in order to attend college or do internships. Congratulations on your achievements and first steps.
In the weeks and months to come, you will experience a wide variety of both encouraging and negative feelings, such as excitement, surprise, happiness, loss of identity, anxiety, disorientation and confusion, while facing language, academic and integration challenges. You will even sometimes feel like children.
Don’t worry. These feelings are normal. They don’t come to Stay. They come to Pass.
Be patient; your dreams will not come true overnight. But start now, and go with love and courage and confidence. It’s up to you what comes to pass, and if you keep your thoughts positive and strong: your dreams will come true. It’s just a Matter of Time.
As you might know, in 2006, I left my corporate job at HP France to move to Los Angeles as an international student. I wanted to improve my English language skills, learn about the American way of doing business and eventually start my own. More importantly, I was in search of making meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.
My life in Los Angeles has been full of challenges, the biggest of which have been dealing with the unexpected, adjusting to my new environment and getting everything done within a time frame.
Thankfully, some great people both from my university, UCLA, and off campus taught me the skills that I needed, showed me around, helped me adjust to the American culture, and inspired me. Some also provided me knowledge and methods for a better understanding of the ins- and- outs of running a business in this country, encouraged me to challenge the conventional thinking, and helped me discover and articulate my greater purpose.
I am here today to share with you some my insights.
To reach your goals in the United States, I believe it’s important to:
- Believe in yourself
- Discover your driving motivation for action (purpose, cause or belief)
- Be disciplined and Stay on your chosen path
- Remain active
- Stay focused than to sit around complaining
- Speak up and Take Actions
- Take risks and be willing to lose yourself before reaping the fruits of your efforts
- Build your Network. “Your Network Determines Your Net Worth”
- Have an insatiable thirst for knowledge
- Be able to articulate clearly your value proposition
- Sharpen your personal brand to achieve career success
- Get out of your comfort zone
-Master Team working skills
- Familiarize yourself with the American business environment
- Challenge others and yourself to get results
- Don’t settle for anything less than your best
- Develop and master your capacity to think critically and independently
- Develop and master your ability to understand how people of different cultures and values think and behave
- Develop your communication skills
- Develop a global mindset
- Immerse yourself into the American Culture
- Volunteer into your communities
- Think out of the box
- Learn how to understand the greater context of problems
- Be intensely curious
- Accept others as they come
- Look at everything as an amazing learning experience
- See the opportunity in every difficulty
- Share your experience with others
- Be concerned with time limitations
- Listen up
- Read as much as you can –pick up books that you like, books you don’t like and books you never pictured yourself reading.
- Gain control over all the tasks and commitments that you need or want to get done
- Keep track of your goals
- Be accountable for your actions
- Have a stubborn insistence on pursuing our dreams.
Over all, it’s about maintaining a good life balance with the seven following building blocks :
1-Peace of Mind
2- Health and Fitness
3- Loving relationship
4- Control of my finance
5- Career goals that fit my personality
6- Pursuing my ultimate life goals
7- Life Balance (Career, Personal relationship, Friends and Family, Spiritual, Continuing education, Rest, Health and Fitness, Relaxation, Fun)
Finally, I will leave you with this quote that I learned from my mentor, Les Brown.
“If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it, to give up your time, your peace and your sleep for it … if all that you dream and scheme is about it, and life seems useless and worthless without it … if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it and lose all your terror of the opposition for it … if you simply go after that thing you want with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith, hope and confidence and stern pertinacity … if neither cold, poverty, famine, nor gout, sickness nor pain, of body and brain, can keep you away from thing that you want … if dogged and grim you beseech and beset it, with the help of God, you WILL get it!” Written by author Berton Braley
Source : Les Brown – Live your Dreams. Click here to Listen to Les Brown.
Best Wishes,
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
contact us here.
Who Do You Compete Against?
Saturday, August 14th, 2010Who Do You Compete Against? is the title of an enlightening and truly inspiring post written by one my mentors, Simon Sinek.
As Simon said, most people compete to beat others. This is true in businesses and for individuals. And as valuable as a competitive spirit may be, perhaps there is a better way.
To illustrate his point, he selected a video about Ben Comen that ESPN produced a few years
Ben Comen is a cross country runner who has run on the TL Hanna High School cross country team for five years, completing his senior season in 2004. Ben has cerebral palsy that affects his balance, so he has to work a little harder than his teammates. He typically finishes last in his races. Ben inspires.
His lesson is more valuable than perseverance. His lesson is more important that never quitting.
Ben shows us, that when you decide to compete against others, no one will help you. But when you decide to compete against yourself…everyone will help you.
More:
Ben Comen: Truly Living Without Limits here
What do you think? so, who do you compete against?
Why I do What I do?
Monday, July 26th, 2010In 2006, I left my corporate job at HP France to move to Los Angeles as an international student. I wanted to improve my English language skills, learn about the American way of doing business and eventually start my own. More importantly, I was in search of making meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.
Not only was coming to the U.S. difficult, but once I arrived, I experienced a wide variety of both encouraging and negative feelings, such as excitement, surprise, happiness, loss of identity, anxiety, disorientation and confusion, while facing language, academic and integration challenges. I sometimes felt like a child.
Thankfully, some great people both from my university, UCLA, and off campus taught me the skills that I needed, showed me around, helped me adjust to the American culture, and inspired me. Some also provided me knowledge and methods for a better understanding of the ins- and- outs of running a business in this country, encouraged me to challenge the conventional thinking, and helped me discover and articulate my greater purpose.
I believe that the majority of international students and foreign exchange visitors to the United States face the same challenges. However, not all of them are lucky enough to receive the same attention, care and consideration — helping them to improve their experience, develops a better understanding of people of different backgrounds, or even get the tools needed to realize their dreams. For those people, I founded “U in the USA”.
In brief, our mission is to simplify international students’ and foreign exchange visitors’ lives, to help them interact more effectively with Americans, and to assist them in achieving their goals. We also try to encourage them to take advantage of this program to create connections and even make lifelong friends.
To learn more about what we do, and how we do it, please visit us www.uintheusa.com or contact us at www.facebook.com/uintheusa
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
President and Founder of U in the USA
Tel : 1-800-464-7681
Creativity comes from curiosity.
Friday, July 9th, 2010“Creativity comes from curiosity. The more curious you are about the world, the more you experience and learn.” Simon Sinek
Want a little more?
Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.
Reading a newspaper, Jarbas Agnelli saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. He cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). He knew it wasn’t the most original idea in the universe. He was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.
Also check his live presentation of Birds on the Wires at TEDx São Paulo: here
God Building Cultural Bridges
Saturday, June 12th, 2010I wanted to introduce you to a 7 year old Gospel Sensation from Carrollton, Texas.
Her name is Rhema Marvanne, and she sings to glorify God. This is her calling and ministry.
Rhema lost her mother to ovarian cancer on 11/08/08, and she was baptized on October 18, 2009.
I was tremendously impressed and touched by her recent performance in Korea. She introduced herself in Korean, sang part of Amazing Grace in Korean and I Love the Lord. This is a unique and lasting way to Bridge the Gap between Cultures.
God Bless You. Thank you.
Learn more about Rhema Marvanne here
Why we do what we do?
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010Tony Robbins discusses the “invisible forces” that motivate everyone’s actions — and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.
13-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Friday, June 4th, 201013-year-old Jordan Romero of California became the youngest climber to reach the top of Mt. Everest. Some in the media are asking the question: how young is too young? Read transcript >>
Wyclef Jean’s Commencement Speech – His American Dream
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010Thanks to Missy Gluckmann, Founder of Melibee Global, who shared this inspiring and enlightening video with us.
As you’ll see in the following video clip, Wyclef Jean’s “real talk” and humor inspired Western Connecticut State University‘s students to think about their futures despite the rough economy. He asked the hard questions: “What do you see?” and “What are you going to do when you get it?”
And if you haven’t heard Wyclef Jean’s music, you must check out this beautiful video from the 2009 Nobel Peace Price performance in Norway.
Steve Jobs: How to live before you die
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010At his Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself.
22 Little Known Ways to Make a Name for Yourself
Friday, January 8th, 2010If you don’t make a name for yourself, someone will make one for you. And it might not be the one you want. Who’s making a name for YOU?
Consider these twenty-two little known ways to do so: continue here.
Source : Under 30 CEO / Scott Ginsberg
