Accomplishing Your Parent’s Dream
It’s been a while since I’ve written a personal blog. You can say that Facebook and Twitter have made it easier and faster to communicate so I’ve had less time to write. But, today I have an exciting moment to share with you as part of my life’s journey.
Twenty-Three years ago when my parents first came to America – they had a strict agenda in mind for me. No surprise here, but they wanted for me to either be a doctor or engineer. They arrived with $25 in their pockets but their hearts were full of dreams. “Education is the key that opens all the locks to all the doors in the world. My four children will become doctors and engineers. Maybe even both!” my father would say. That didn’t necessarily happen – but with God’s blessings– we all became very successful.
When I was 10 – my Dad even made a “janampatri” (astrological life story) of my life. And when he had it read, he wasn’t too happy. The first question he had asked was, what will my son be when he grows up? The reply wasn’t what he hoped for. The person reading it said, “He’s not really an academic so he won’t do well in school. His options will be limited but he can always just start a business” Shortly after that reading, my dad stopped believing in this form of astrology.
As many of you know, I dropped out of high school at 16 to embark on my journey as an entrepreneur. And the rest, as you know is history.
After BlueLithium, I actually got involved with Pace University – one of the most prestigious universities in New York. Even though my career path didn’t include education, I’ve always been a big proponent of it. Life’s a journey, we all have different paths – and if I can inspire others to find their passion earlier through my lessons, I’ll consider myself rewarded.
Last year, I also served as a Pace Entrepreneur in Residence, where I encouraged students’ entrepreneurial spirit and motivated many of our future business leaders. Through my time spent there, I’m happy to announce that they will be honoring me at their 47th Annual Leaders in Management Award Dinner – on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at Cipriani Wall Street. I am truly honored to be chosen and receive the Leaders in Management Award this year, which includes an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Commercial Science. Previous Pace University honorary doctorate recipients include: Hillary Clinton (former First Lady and Senator of New York), Ivan G. Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO, Verizon Communications, and Indra Nooyi CEO of PepsiCo.
I think out of all of my accomplishments, my parents will be the most proud about this one. My mother kept the law of attraction alive on this. While, I can’t say I was able to make her original dream come true by becoming a doctor, this was probably the closest I could ever get in reaching it.
As part of my tie with Pace, I’m also now setting up the “Gurbaksh Chahal Entrepreneurial Scholarship Program.” If you’d like to help and make a small contribution to this scholarship and help future aspiring entrepreneurs reach for their dreams, you can do so via online by clicking here. 100% of the proceeds will go to Pace University as part of the new “Gurbaksh Chahal Entrepreneurial Scholarship Program.” To learn more about making a donation, you can contact: Christine M. Meola, Pace’s Vice President for Philanthropy, at (212) 346-1095 or email her at cmeola@pace.edu.
As I mentioned in my book, everything starts with a Dream. I was blessed to realize my dreams early on in my life. I’m using every chance I can get in the hopes of enriching the lives of many others that also choose to dream…