Our Week Dream Achiever: Nhu Diep author of Little Ting a Children’s Book Series

To illustrate our discussion on “You are Opportunity” I would like to point to a story I read today about a woman who saw and turned her circumstances into an opportunity. Nhu Diep is a mother who wanted all the best for her child, but when she looked about for a children book that reflected the multicultural background of her child, she found nothing among the Norwegian children literature. Instead of whining and complaining, she decided to turn need and lack into opportunity. She resolved to write a book for her child and thus the Little Ting Children’s book series was born.

'The book series Little Ting is about my daughter', says Nhu Diep. 'I wrote it for her because I could not find anything in the market suitable for her multicultural background.'

The first book in the series “Lille Ting Spiser ABC” is published and selling in the market now. We congratulate Nhu Diep for her vision and call her our this week’s Dream Achiever.

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You Are Opportunity!

What is opportunity? To many people, opportunity is an advertisement or offer for a job, course, vacancy, traineeship, or apprenticeship. It is an external phenomenon – originating from without or others. Rarely do people perceive opportunity as internal – within oneself. We would like to emphasise this latter meaning here.

We start by stating that opportunity is first internal. You Are Opportunity. You create opportunity as you turn your circumstances into success. The most important circumstances are usually the ones we consider as obstacles - your crises and defeats. In reality, you create your opportunity as you turn your crises and defeats to success. Nevertheless, how often do we complain about our circumstances especially about our unfortunate past, bad luck, or other social obstacles to realize that opportunities abound and exist around us?

In truth, opportunity first takes shape in your mind. Your attitude determines your opportunities. It is an expression of how you perceive yourself as well as how you perceive your environment. It is only by first overcoming your internal limitations that success can become a reality. Dream achievers are individuals with the courage and insight to say, “Yes, I can! There is a way – and I will find it! They are those rare individual who accept life with its challenges and who work to turn those challenges into successes.

Don’t wait for opportunity make it! Put forth the effort, and practically anything you desire is yours. As Dennis Kimbro and Napoleon Hill observe, “lack of opportunity is ever the excuse of the poorly directed. Every life is full of opportunity.” They add that, “there are no open doors to the temple of success. Everyone who enters must forge his own way”. Remember, it is you who create your own opportunities - not circumstances, fate, luck, or chance. The environment is not an obstacle. It is your duty to mould it into opportunity.

Opportunity for Immigrants Resident in Troms Region

Er du innvandrer, har gode norskkunnskaper og godkjent høyere utdannelse?

Global Future Troms starter i mai og søker nå kandidater til programmet. Global Future er et karriereutviklingsprogram for innvandrere med høyere utdannelse for videre kvalifisering til relevante stillinger, lederposisjoner og styreverv i privat og offentlig sektor. Global Future skal øke tilgangen på høyt kvalifisert arbeidskraft og bidra til økt mangfold i arbeidslivet.

Hvem kan søke?

Du er i målgruppen for prosjektet hvis du er innvandrer, har gode norskkunnskaper og høyere utdanning som er godkjent i Norge. Primærmålgruppen er førstegenerasjons innvandrere. Deltakerne som søker opptak i NHO Troms Global Future-program, må være bosatt i Troms fylke.

Søknadsfrist er 21.mars

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Our Story of the Week: You Create Your World!

The following story may be old, but its message is still ahead of its time.  

It was the custom of the old man to sit outside the wall of the ancient city where he lived, watching passersby come and go. He always sat in the shade, usually surrounded by children, retelling stories which they loved to hear. Through the course of the day, many travellers would stop to chat. One hot summer day a stranger stopped for a few minutes with the old man, who was entertaining his young friends. The stranger approached the old man and asked, “I am thinking of moving to your fair city. Tell me, sir, what kind of people live here?”
 
Quickly the old man replied, “What kind of people live in the city where you’re from?”
 
“The people in my town are unkind,” said the stranger. “They cheat and steal and lie; they speak badly of each other. I am leaving that town because of the undesirable people who live there.”
 

The old man gazed sadly at the stranger and said, “I’m sorry to inform you, but you will find the same type of people in this town.” And without a word the stranger turned and walked away as the old man continued his tale to the children.
 
A short time later, another stranger came down the road towards the gate. He, too, stopped to chat.
 
He said, “My good man, I need to move to a town such as yours. Tell me, sir, what type of people live here?”
 
The old man asked the same question, “What kind of people live in the town where you’re from?”
 
The stranger replied, “The people in my town are good. They are friendly, courteous, and are always looking for an opportunity to do a good deed for someone. I truly hated to leave that town because of the warmth and kindness of its people, but my work requires that I move.”
 
The old man clasped the hand of the traveller and said, “You’ll find the same type of people here. Welcome to our fine town.” The stranger walked away happily through the gate.
 
The children sat in silence. Finally, one of them approached the old man and asked, “Why, sir, didn’t you tell those men the truth? You told one that our people were bad and the other that they were good.”
 
The old man begged them to sit while he explained.
 

“I did tell the truth, “he said. “You see, no matter where you go or what you do, you will find in other people just what you are looking for. If you search for the good, you will find it; but if you look for the bad, that is what you will undoubtedly see. Almost everyone has far more good qualities than bad. Always look for the best in others.”
 
We hope that the story has some meaning and lesson to you and that you will use the awareness you get from it to improve your dream and yourself. Remember also that the color of the eyeglasses you are wearing determines the color of the external world you are seeing. Change the color of your eyeglasses and the color of the external world will change.

Noelia Fourcade Our Week's Dream Achiever

Noelia Fourcade      Photo Bergensavisen

Noelia Fourcade (32)  has risen from a table waiter to a Human Resource Manager at Orange Group AS. Talking to Bergensavisen she attributes her success to determination and patience. In addition, she emphasises that learning the Norwegian language has enormously contributed to her success.

Noelia came to Norway from Argentina five years ago. She confesses that the road to her success was not easy. As a graduate in psychology from University of Buenos Aires she began, as many with higher learning qualifications from abroad, by working as a waiter in hotels and cafes. Despite feeling frustrated, she knew all the time what her goal was. She adds that, it is important not to lose focus of your goal. Language, language, language she underscores is the most important for success in a Norwegian working environment.

Noelia is in charge for recrutment and capacity building for over 400 persons in the personel hiring firm offshore- og helsenæringen.

She also highlights the importance for network in succeess. She tells how she used Bergen Næringsråd as a network to come in touch with other motivated and ambitious immigrants like her who had good jobs. She used their advice to advance herself. She is happy that today she is able to give back to others too.

Noelia Fourcade's story is full of inspiration. It demonstrates that nothing is impossible. All a person needs is a dream, goals, desire, motivation, determination, focus, will to succeed, and network of metors. We would like to emphasise the last one because it is important to associate with people who inspire you to achieve your goals. Associate with successful people and avoid negative and pessimistic persons and dream killers. 

See also story in Norwegian at siste.no

SKI VM – Oslo 2011: Where are Norway's immigrants?

Photo source DB

The absence of Norwegian immigrants’ competitors - especially those with roots in Africa, Asia and Latin America - in the ongoing SKI VM in Oslo tells volumes how these people have ignored this Niche sport. The presence of Kenya’s athlete Philip Boit should encourage immigrants living in Norway to take this sport seriously. Boit’s only close encounter with snow in Kenya may have been the ice on the top of Mount Kenya, about 5,000 meters above the sea level. Although he might retire without having won a medal, nevertheless, he has made a name for himself and Kenya in the world of Ski championships starting with the Winter Olympic games in Nagano in 1998. Boit’s main challenge has been training because of lack of snow in Kenya. As such, he often travels to Europe for training.  Yet immigrants in Norway, living in the midst of snow and superb training facilities, do not value this sport.

Photo source DB

What is the reason behind the lack of interest in skiing among the immigrants? Perhaps most believe strongly in the ‘myth’ that you have to be born with Skis on your feet to be good in the sport.  While this may be a compelling obstacle for the first-generation immigrants who may hamper apprehensions on skiing, it may not be so for the second-generation immigrants who have had a go on skiing in school or other social circumstances. Well, whatever the case may be, Boit has shattered this myth. He has demonstrated that you do not have to be born with skis on your feet to compete. 

Another excuse may be that skiing is an expensive sport and only those with plentiful money can afford to take part. This is, however, just an excuse because money is not an obstacle to anyone with interest, desire and drive for achievement. Again, Boit has overcome this obstacle through interest, desire and determination.

Lack of interest and the perception that skiing is an elite sport are the main drawbacks for immigrant participation. The lack of interest was demonstrated when the Oslo Ski VM organisers’ carried out a campaign to recruit at least 10% of the volunteers during the championship from immigrants, only a decimal 3% response was realised from immigrants of non-Western countries background.  The bulk of immigrant volunteers came from Western countries such as Germany, Sweden and USA.

Photo source DB

Without exploring into other excuses that may exist, skiing is a niche sport that any immigrant living in Norway with interest, desire and determination can excel in and enter his or her name in the annals of skiing history. Immigrants have already made a name in other sports such as football, field athletics, boxing and weight lifting. Skiing awaits to be conquered.

This blog would like to promote interest in skiing sports among immigrants living in Norway. We welcome your comments and suggestions on how to realise this noble objective.

Alternatively, you may just take the challenge as an individual and pursue skiing sport as your dream.