Every person strives for something in this life. On our way to happiness, we all are hungry for “recognition, companionship, understanding, love – the list is endless” (Maxwell, J. 2005, 118). However, it is almost never that a person succeeds in life without a motivation. Any step forward is a result of something that inspires us and gives us faith that everything is possible. Proper motivation is vital at any stage of a person’s way to success. It is especially necessary at the moments of discouragement or failures. So, what can serve as a motivation, especially at hard times when there is no more strength to continue your fighting for happiness? Most often it is a person that got over all the obstacles and reached the desired goal. For me, such person is Karen Lam, a talented leader, facilitator, and communications strategist that motivates me because she is a powerful woman, a multilingual person, and a persuasive speaker.
To begin with, Karen Lam inspires and motivates me, because she is a female leader and a perfect example of how successful women can be, irrespective of all the oppression and discrimination that a female leader may face. Women are often perceived as weak by society and, despite emancipation and their ardent fight for their rights, it is hard for many people to believe that a woman can be successful and, moreover, can be a leader. Karen Lam not only managed to get involved into leadership coaching, but she has also shown that femininity, success, and power can be united in one woman. This personal achievement of hers has proven to me that there is nothing impossible and that a person, either a man or a woman, can reach the desirable irrespective of what other people think. I remember about Lam’s achievement every time I face difficulties, and her success motivates me much.
Moreover, when I was learning more about Karen and her work, I discovered that she was multilingual, so, I can definitely state, that she motivated me for learning foreign languages. Karen Lam used to work all around the world starting from Northern America and ending with Africa. She speaks such languages as Cantonese Chinese, English, and Mandarin holding M.A. in Linguistics and B.A. in Literary Studies. For me, an Asian person who speaks her native language and who is fluent in two other languages so different from the native one is a perfect example to follow. Long ago, I heard a quote commonly attributed to Charles V: “As many languages as you know, so many separate individuals you are worth” (Brewer, E. 2001, 898). Since then, I have made up my mind to have at least two individuals living in me. This is why Karen’s successful acquisition of so many languages always motivates me for learning a language except of my native and proceeding in my learning regardless the difficulties.
And, finally, Karen Lam motivates me for being a better person that helps other people and evokes the best qualities in them. …