Keep Moving Forward

Image from Unsplash by Maria Teneva

Having been involved in business for 30-some years, working in several major corporations, I’ve found that most people have had an amazing and positive impact on me, the work I do, and all the members of the team.

Occasionally, though, you run into bad apples — or at least bad or unethical behaviors.

The first time it happened to me was the first transaction I ever made. This man said he would buy my car. He wrote a bad check (which I still have!) and took off. That car was the only thing I owned at a time when I was homeless. This experience left a bitter taste — in dealing with people in general — for quite a while.

But growing up as a Palestinian refugee and thus being oppressed from every direction, my grandparents and parents taught me to not let life shape who you are — you shape your life the way you want it to be!

I had to learn to move beyond the past.

A few years later, I agreed to give money to a friend so we could take a trip together. He chose to keep my money, and disappeared!

These things seemed to happen in my life every 3–5 years.

And most times, it happened with the people from whom I least expected it — just as you provide the best opportunities for them, you open doors for them, they find ways to bite you harder.