Somewhere in the midst of Central Asia, there lies a country called Kyrgyzstan.
A small country that has endured financial, political and social collapse. In the midst of all of this upheaval, there lives a population of people whose lives were completely disrupted. The Kyrgyz Republic is one of the six independent Turkic states together with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and People’s Republic of China to the east.
“Kyrgyz”, is believed to have been derived from the Turkic word for “forty”, in reference to the forty clans of Manas, a legendary hero who united forty regional clans against the Uyghers. At the time, in the early 9th century AD, the Uyghers dominated much of Central Asia (including Kyrgyzstan), Mongolia, and parts of Russia and China. Krgyz is also thought to mean “unconquerable” or “undefeatable”.
Many years ago, I travelled to the country of Kyrgyzstan to teach seminars for a number of weeks on the topics of employment and entrepreneurship to women. The experience was life changing for me. The term “undefeatable” definitely comes to mind as I spent time with hundreds of individuals who had a desire to build a better life and a hope for a brighter future.
The entrepreneurial dream for most was a reality and a necessity to survive as the unemployment rate at the time was upwards of 90%. For many of them, the dream was to have a retail space in the market. You see, because others had been successful doing this, why shouldn’t they? We often get our inspiration, our guidance and make our decisions based on what someone else is doing. Why?
Venturing into the unknown is often scary and met with trepidation. I have to tell you that although I was excited about the adventure, I was also so nervous to travel to this country as it was shortly after 911 happened in the US when security was tight and tensions were high, especially with international travel. I also had to teach hundreds of people using a Russian and a Kyrgyz interpretter and was uncertain about the effectiveness of what was going to be delivered.
Pressing through the fear and embracing the adventure proved to be an impactful experience that gave me resolve about my mission to increase human potential and to bring hope to those who are lost. I have learned in my travels that hope crosses all language barriers and that the human spirit endures. So in knowing that the human spirit endures, there are so many adventures and opportunities available to us.
We have but one journey to live and even though the mountains may be vast and high and neverending, they are your mountains to climb. I now look for my next mountain to summit because I have learned that the view from the top is amazing.
Go live the adventure called life. The only way it will disappoint you is if you let it.
Paula Morand is a dedicated wife, mother and lover of life. She is the Founder and CEO of JumpStart 720, an award winning leadership coaching company that is committed to powering life by engaging individuals, companies and communities to more intentional living. For more information: www.jumpstart720.com
