This Is Why I Listen To A 10-Year Old.
I was gripped by a 10-minute YouTube clip this morning. It was a speech made by a 10-year old. Her level of maturity and clarity of speech impressed me. Most importantly, her message made me emotional. Her name is Sabrina Cardone.
It was just like any morning for me. I was out for a walk, clearing my mind before starting work. I tuned in to YouTube and found this YouTube clip about 10X. It was a recent video uploaded by Grant Cardone’s team. I have attached that video at the bottom of this story.
To my surprise, it wasn’t a speech made by Mr. 10X himself. It was a speech delivered by his elder daughter, Sabrina Cardone. She made a simple 10-minute speech that moved me. She got me thinking as well.
I will not parrot what she spoke. You can watch the clip attached right at the bottom of this story. I will focus on my takeaways instead. She hit me straight in my heart.
She delivered her speech at a 10X conference. It was a conference in a 360 stadium, filled with people spending 5 digits for their personal growth. There were giant screens everywhere, focusing on the stage.
It was my kind of thing. It was my kind of dream.
She spoke about her embarrassment being a 10-year old where people spoke about her to her parents, not to her. She went on about her attitude towards work. She cannot wait to start working because she finds value when she contributes, not consume.
This was her personal reflection. It was her takeaway while spending her time on her smartphone. Then the hook came.
“I am the happiest when I work on my phone. I mean, yeah yeah, I could play with my phone that whole day. But unless I contribute, I don’t feel anything. Work makes me happy. Do you love to work? If you do, say 10X.” — Sabrina Cardone.
I sniffed.
Her message brought me back to my 10-year old. My Aunt was still alive. She schooled me on the realism of life. It was tough. Try telling your 10-year old niece/nephew to work harder. They get drowsy without Panadol.
My Aunt once shared that she made a pact with herself to be successful at 10-year old. I mean, the odds are stacked against her. She was born in the 1950s. It was the pre-internet era.
She was born into a pig-rearing family. She was unhappy with the circumstances that she was dealt with. She decided to make changes to her own life.
I remembered asking why my mum didn’t have the same light-bulb moment. Was it because she didn’t share with my mum?
In a light-hearted manner, she told me that my mum was fixated on keeping the house in order alongside their mum. She was happy. Looking at my mum 30 years since that conversation — I think my Aunt is right.
My Aunt shaped my thinking when I was 10-years old. She told me that she studied through the night when she was in secondary school. She was the only one in the family of 9 siblings taking national exams for Calculus and Physics. She excelled and went to Junior College without tuition.
That is because she couldn’t afford any tuition. That didn’t stop her. She studied in school and outside of school.
Not only that.
She was out there working when she was 12-years old. There were no MacDonald’s in the 1960s, people. She didn’t have the opportunity to flip burgers for a minimum wage.
She went out to work. She worked in grocery stalls, packing and managing the cashier tills. She learned the ropes of inventory management, cash accounting, accounts receivables, and payables.
She put herself in the center of her World. Her dreams of owning a business stayed close to her mind and heart. She didn’t allow family naysayers to distract her. She ignored all of them.
Me: Did you say you ignored all of them, Aunt?
Aunt: Yes.
A Confused Me: How is that possible? They are all around you?
Aunt: I fill my mind with my ambitions. I pump out all my doubts and criticisms through my ears.
A Very Confused Me: What Do You Mean?
Aunt: I don’t listen to others. I am confident of myself. I listened to myself.
That was it.
I was confused then. Now, I have clarity. I never forgot her teachings.
I knew she didn’t have it easy. When I was growing up, many of her siblings (my mum included) didn’t appreciate her selfish mentality. They said she refused to help out with the housework when she was a teenager.
This complaint was used as a lesson for the next generation (my cousins and me). While my cousins nodded their heads, I kept mum. That is because I saw how my uncles and aunties went to my Aunt for business and financial help to stay afloat.
In short, my Aunt was their Go-To. Their family lifeline.
Henceforth, I rejected their lesson. The Truth was right in front of me. I listened to every single thing my Aunt said.
That includes “Work Hard for yourself. No one owes you a living, Punk.”.
I believed her 100%. I acted on her advice and replicated every single thing she mentioned in different ways.
At 10-years old, I went around selling sweets, tending comic book shops and flipped burgers in MacDonald’s. It is weird to say I am happy working for a minimum wage. I was. I was grateful for that. I meant it.
I loved working. I still do. I am the happiest when I contribute.
This is why … I find it hard to carry a conversation with the 40-year olds. They hate what they do. I mean, this is a World where the majority rules. Exceptions are few.
I am baffled by how much people hate their jobs. I am bewildered why they never left the jobs they hate. The universal answer has got to do with paying their bills.
I get it.
I get it.
We have bills to pay.
At the same time, there is really no point working on a meaningless job. Do you agree?
I am saying this because our ability to work — not consume — makes us happy. I am happy writing on Medium even though it pays me peanuts. Having readers to consume my stories makes me proud. It sends me on an improvement spiral.
As with Sabrina Cardone, let’s make a pact with ourselves.
- We will work harder this year.
- We will work more, not less.
- We will learn more, not less.
- We will earn more, not less.
- We will live more, not less.
- We will experiment more, not less.
- We will respect ourselves more, not less.
Yes, this is my reflection after listening to a 10-year old. She blew me away, the same way my Aunt did.
I am happy knowing people are doing their best to make their life count. I want to be part of this tribe.
This is every meaning of working as hard as we should be. There is every meaning in living a life that we want to, working hard for our goals.
In a world where it is normal to relax, retire, and doing nothing is the norm, I seek to go the other way.
Work hard. Contribute.
The more we contribute, the happier we become.
P.S.: This is the YouTube clip I mentioned at the beginning of the story. Enjoy!
Inject Meaning Into Our Lives!
Aldric
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About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.
Because simplicity adds value.
And with clarity — We grow.
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