-Upjit Singh Sachdeva challenges AMEZU graduates
India’s immediate past honorary consul general to Liberia Mr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva (Jetty) has told the 30th graduating class of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (AMEZU) to be fearless in taking risks in the pursuit of their dreams, saying some great men took risks to get to where they are.
“Remember, the people you admire today for their success took risk to get to where they are, so do not be afraid to be fearless Risk takers,” the Indian businessman said Thursday, 22 April during AMEZU’s commencement convocation on the university’s main campus in Po River, Vincent Town, Bomi County.
In his commencement address which he built around two golden rules – Risk and Imagination, Mr. Sachdeva explains that risk also makes you to emerge wiser and allows you to be truly satisfied since you are following your heart and doing what you love to do.
“By taking Risk, I learned about things I might have not learned. It made me discover my personality – that I had a strong business mind and skill than I had suspected,” he says. Following the commencement address, AMEZU awarded Mr. Sachdeva an honorary Doctor of Humanities.
Mr. Sachdeva reflects that when he let go of his fear and took the risk of quitting college for a business opportunity in Liberia, he was set free mentally, and full of courage and zeal to build his life as a successful businessman.
“Had I refused to take Risk back then because of fear, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the arena I truly belonged – business,” he continues.
He indicates that everyone has goals and fears, but how you handle those fears will determine how quickly you reach your goals.
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At the same time Mr. Sachdeva cautions that not every risk ends up as a success, saying when it is not successful, learn from the mistakes made and take the necessary remedial actions through your next moves.
To acquaint the graduating class of what some great men of thought, leadership, business, innovation, science, technology and industry had to say about the issues of risk and success, Mr. Sachdeva notes that social media platform Facebook Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co – founder Mark Zuckerberg says “The biggest risk is not taking any risk.”
He adds that Arianna Huffington, Co-founder and Editor – in – Chief of the Huffington Post postulated that: “If you are not in touch with your intuition, you cannot be successful. Data is great. But sometimes even when you have all the data in the world, if you do not follow your gut, you won’t discover the true potential and be able to recognize critical opportunities.”
Regarding the second golden rule which is Imagination, Mr. Sachdeva suggests that you must take the risk and follow imagination, adding that you cannot take risk just because you want to do so.
“It must be backed by imagination. In my case, I had an imagination of becoming a business tycoon, and I took the Risk to implement such,” he says.
According to him, the graduates’ education gives them unique status and responsibilities, but notes that it is imagination that will set many of them apart.
“Imagination is the greatest gift of mankind, so do not disregard it and behave like many who do not exercise it at all,” says Mr. Sachdeva.
According to him, there are many University graduates like the ones from AMEZU – smart and intelligent – but they are nowhere in the society because they choose to remain comfortably within their bounds, and not troubled about how it would feel to have been born other than they are.
For such people, Mr. Sachdeva says, they strangulate their imaginations and close their minds and hearts from exercising it, adding that they do not realize that in imaginations, people carry all the power to change the world and their lives.
Mr. Sachdeva admonishes the graduates that the world they are about to enter can be exciting, sometimes chaotic and always prone to problems, obstacles, difficulties, disappointments and hard luck.
However, he notes that the world is open to anyone ready to carve his or her own path for either success or failure, noting that the graduates have to keep their heads up high and face the greater challenges to reach their academic peak.
“Use your skills, your knowledge, and everything you have learned, to make real and meaningful change with them – and become your own problem – solvers,” he says.
According to Mr. Sachdeva, you may not be able to solve or fix all of your problems, but, you can surely fix some because you have been placed in the position through the education received to do so.
By Winston W. Parley
