​In my blog I stay away from politics and religion, but after watching the rise of an abusive, bigoted, presidential candidate, I can no longer stay silent. 
 
_A Letter to Trump:
 
As a Latino immigrant and an American citizen, married to a Muslim Jordanian-American, it’s difficult to understand how you, the leading Republican candidate is using xenophobia to win votes.
 
I recognize that you have an irrational fear of people from different countries, cultures, and religions, but it is our vote that you must earn if you intend to be considered for the job.
 
Yes, you are applying to serve 321 million people made up of white, black, Asian, Latino, gay, straight, and they are all Americans living in one nation; the United States of America. 
 
Understand that mainly immigrants built America.  Recognize that immigrants are an asset and not a liability for this country. Instead, emphasize on creating a legal system to allow the right people to enter the country while consciously making an effort to better integrate them within our society.
 
In short, Mr. Trump, in order for you to become the President of this great country as a world leader, you must understand that you will be working for all of us. The ability to listen and accept different opinions; to inspire, motivate and unite are requirements for the position of President.  There is no tolerance to destroy, divide and hatred. 
 
Most importantly, stop your xenophobic speeches that promote hate to win votes. This country is called the United States of America for a reason: to unite!
 
_"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind" _Mahatma Gandhi
​

This morning a lady was getting into the elevator, she was huffing and puffing...

I asked her, “tough day?”

“You won’t believe”, she replied in a complaining tone. “I was walking here and this happened and that happened…”

With a feeling good attitude, I responded by giving her advice from a Tony Robbins’ talk, “you know, It takes only 90 seconds to change your mindset, just like that” while snapping my fingers.

She gave me a confused look and did not reply.
 
By the time we were getting off the elevator she turned around and said to me, “thank you, have a great day,” with a twinkle in her eyes and a face of relief.
 
Wow, it worked like magic. The elevator lady understood what I was trying to convey.
 
Attitude is how we think about ourselves and how others see us; it is visible and contagious. Attitude is how we respond to challenges and change.
 
During those few seconds in the elevator, she understood that her thoughts, her mindset, will determine how good or bad of a day she will have. It only takes a snap of a finger to change your mindset!

​We were on vacation walking by the boardwalk; a homeless man was sleeping under the shade of a tree trying to protect himself from the heat. The gentleman did not have shoes, and was wearing socks with holes. Gabriel, our son, without thinking twice, took his shoes off and left them next to the sleeping homeless man. His Mother said, “but Gabriel, how are you going to walk barefoot, there is glass and all kind of garbage that can get in your feet.” He replied, “don’t worry mom, I have a shorter distance than this homeless man does, I think I can make it.” He had no issues walking barefooted.
 
As it happened, it made me think of an event from my early childhood. When I was 6 years old, I was walking out of Sunday night mass with my grandfather where we saw a mentally handicapped man standing outside. It was drizzling and cold but this particular homeless man always recognized us and greeted us with a cordial hello. That night, while walking next to my ‘abuelito’ (grandfather), I saw him taking out a 100 Sucres bill (at that time almost $100) from his pocket and placing it in the hand of this old man. This simple, polite man bowed in appreciation with a great grin on his face. Abuelito smiled back and kept walking. No one noticed except me; an event that had touched me so deeply that I periodically recite it to my kids.
 
True generosity, is when you are willing to offer your time, your effort, your words, your feelings, your possessions without expecting something in return; You offer openly, honestly and full of joy.
 
− I looked at Gabriel, I felt so proud of him. He was willing to help without expecting anything in return... What a great feeling, to know that my grandparent’s generosity was passed on to my kids.
 
True generosity is a silent gesture! - Isabela Fraga-Abaza

Today, I was invited to give a talk about the meaning of entrepreneurship. My kids Gabriel and Daniela, and some of their schoolmates have created a club called "Future Entrepreneurs", a club dedicated to promote leadership, independence and courage by being an entrepreneur. A great club where I was to be the first "acclaimed speaker"; In the invitation I was promoted as a "serial entrepreneur". 

I was determined to make my kids look good and make them proud of their father.  I woke up early, shaved my bald head, reviewed my notes and even wrote an essay for the event; I was all pumped-up and ready to go!
 
Before leaving the house, I emailed a copy to my son, who is the president of the club, so he can have a better understanding of what I was going to cover.

−What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?
By Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld
 
The dictionary defines entrepreneur as a person who organizes and operates businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
 
Well, this definition is partly right, yet to be an entrepreneur is a lot more than Webster’s definition.
 
An entrepreneur is someone that constantly recognizes opportunities to improve people’s life, one that has the ability to create propositions around these opportunities, and has the willingness to continually experiment to prove these assumptions.
 
An entrepreneur is someone that has the courage to take action and believes in change, someone that is willing to embrace challenges, accept failure and have the ability to bounce back.
 
An entrepreneur is like a magician, creates something out of nothing; is someone that conceives an idea and makes it happen.
 
An entrepreneur is someone that practices entrepreneurship as a lifestyle. It is a mindset that allows seeing opportunities, always looking for solutions. It means to be committed to an idea, to have the creativity to question and the courage to move. 
 
An entrepreneur is a person who looks at failures completely different than the rest; failures are just outlines that constantly need to be redrawn until he or she gets it right. 
An entrepreneur is someone that is excited about life! −
 
−While driving to school, I got a text message from my son:
“Pops, I don’t think that you need to come”
​
“What?” I thought, “What is he talking about?”

−Immediately, I got a phone call:
“Mauchy (my nickname), I already got your essay, I think I can read it on your behalf…
I was thinking that a lot of new members are coming for the first time to today’s meeting, and you may be a little too intense for them…
They might get a little scared”
 
−I laughed in my head “son of a gun, he got my presentation and now he doesn’t need me anymore…”
“No problem, I agree with you” I said.

We talked for 5 minutes about how he was going to handle the meeting and that was it! I was booted out just like that!
 
So, what did I learn from this episode?

First, I am pleased to see that my son has the guts to stand up for what he believes is right, he is not afraid to speak up, and the best part, is that he could rearrange his life in a moment’s notice; the sign of a true entrepreneur.

Then, this anecdote reminded me that I should not take life too seriously... so I laughed at myself.