From a Painful No to a Pleasant Yes!

Have you ever worked so hard on something but you didn’t get it?

When I was in my early 20s,?I wanted to pursue MBA.

I checked the best graduate schools in the Philippines, Singapore, and Japan.

My top choices were :

1. Asian Institute of Management (AIM) – Philippines

2. International University of Japan (IUJ) – Japan

3. National University of Singapore (NUS) – Singapore

When I checked the tuition fees in these schools, I realized the only way for me to pursue MBA was if I got a scholarship.

IUJ offered an ADB scholarship, so I applied for IUJ and for an ADB scholarship.

I went thru the rigorous process of applying for an MBA at IUJ and thank God I got accepted.

I clearly remember that day when I excitedly opened the email about my ADB scholarship application.

The email said:

“We thank you for your application for ADB scholarship. We regret to inform you that…”

Everything went blank. I rushed to the Adoration Chapel (a little prayer room in the church).

I cried so hard like a child who was denied of her favorite toy. I cried non-stop for probably one to two hours.

When my tears ran dry, I got out of the little prayer room and called up my parents.

My parents were so supportive, they took turns comforting me. I felt much better.

I then walked to the convenience store right in front of the church to buy myself chocolate ice cream.

I was enjoying the ice cream until I forgot about the scholarship.

I spent the rest of the day like any normal day. I guess I was able to fully recover.

The Unexpected Discovery

In the process of applying for an MBA abroad, I had to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

The GMAT had two essays called Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument.

I got perfect scores in the essay portion of the exam! Whoa! I never really thought I was good at writing.?(Note: This was way before I wrote my first book).

I might not have gotten an MBA scholarship but I got something much better – I discovered that I have a talent in writing.

Fast forward to today…

More than a decade ago, I dreamed of being part of Asian Institute of Management as a?graduate student.

It didn’t materialize then.

This time around, I got a more beautiful version of my dream.

I am joining Asian Institute of Management as an?adjunct faculty!

As an?adjunct faculty, I’ll use my more than a decade of experience as an author and a professional global speaker to design and deliver programs to help entrepreneurs and corporate leaders communicate their vision and messages effectively. I so love this flexibility and freedom to create programs that are practical, fun, and that deliver results! It’s going to be a beautiful adventure! This is a part-time stint which means I still get to write books, teach people how to write books, and travel to speak, among others.

When I visited the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) campus a couple of days ago, Prof. Albert introduced me to the AIM professors who were having lunch. He said,

“Meet Prof. Sha Nacino. She will join us as an adjunct faculty.”

That was the first time someone addressed me as Prof. Sha. Waaaahhhh!!! (Thank you, Prof. Albert!)

(My Papa was a former college professor and college dean and I got used to people calling him Prof. Nacino.

My Mama was an elementary teacher. I got my passion for learning and teaching from my parents.)

One more thing…

I didn’t get the ADB scholarship for myself, but years later, I was part of a training company that trained over a thousand out-of-school youth with life skills training so they can be job-ready. Guess who funded the training program? ADB!

HIGHLIGHTS/Lessons

“A painful NO today can turn into a pleasant and perfect YES tomorrow.”?– Sha Nacino

This can apply to failure in business, relationships, finances, or dreams.

Are you on Twitter??Click this link to tweet the quote above.?

If you’re on Facebook, you can share the quote by?clicking this link.?

Call to ACTION

Have you failed recently?

What are the?unexpected blessings that that pain or failure gifted you with?

I wish you fearless possibilities!

Sha Nacino

Keynote Speaker l Author l Adjunct Faculty, Asian Institute of Management

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