Edition #116
It’s been almost two weeks since I wrote the last edition of Eric’s Tips. I’ve been feeling lately that it’s time for something different, so I decided to stop writing altogether until I came up with something inspirational.
Last week I found the inspiration that I was looking for.
I want to tell you about a young woman who has overcome some extreme obstacles on her brief but challenging journey to internet marketing success.
Her name is Ladan Lashkari, and when I say she’s a young woman, that’s an understatement. At just 20 years old, she has a youthful look that defies the maturity she’s developed in such a short time.
Ladan Lashkari
I suppose in the online world, youthful success is not entirely unusual (I met a couple of 21-year-old internet millionaires last month in New York), but this story hasn’t even begun yet.
The fact that she’s a girl making money on the internet becomes much more significant when you realize where she comes from.
She lives in Iran.
When I came across that tidbit of information on one of her sites I was like, “are you serious?”
Make no mistake! like most Americans I’m ignorant in many ways! but I have heard a few things about Iran and its culture.
I know just barely enough to understand that a girl becoming a successful internet marketer in Iran is about the same as the Denver Nuggets winning the Superbowl! and yeah I know those are two different sports.
So I had to find out if it was true.
After several email exchanges, and some online investigation on my part, it became apparent that she is indeed the real deal. As I’ve gotten to know her a little bit over the past week, an incredible story has unraveled that needs to be told.
Maybe you’ll watch her life story in a movie some day, or see her on the front cover of Time magazine! either way just remember that you saw it on Eric’s Tips first 😉
Ladan was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and lives there to this day.
There are political, economical, and religious obstacles that make it difficult for anyone to be a successful internet marketer in Iran, and in most cases even more difficult for a woman to do so.
With respect for Ladan, I’m not going to get into the details of the specific political and religious barriers that many women face in Iran, but just be aware that this story runs even deeper than I’m able to write about.
If internet marketing was a wrestling match, she’s starting the competition with one hand tied behind her back simply because of the place she was born into the world.
Next obstacle: the language barrier.
Although you wouldn’t know it from her articles and sales letters, Ladan was not born into an English-speaking family. She started learning the language at eight years of age, and devoured every English book she could get her hands on.
Even at such a young age, she began to realize that her fluency in English would open up more doors of opportunity throughout her life. Throughout her teen years, this fervor grew as she tackled the language head-on.
A true entrepreneur, she decided that she wanted to become independent and produce her own income. When her family bought a computer, she quickly began experimenting with ways she could turn it into an income stream. She tried all kinds of business; teaching Windows, graphic designing with PhotoShop, website design, and even learned C++ programming.
Even though she was able to make money through those avenues, she knew that there was a bigger opportunity out there.
At sixteen years of age, she discovered the world of internet marketing through the late Cory Rudl’s website. She bought and studied his internet marketing course, along with other ebooks and resources.
She knew right away that THIS was the business she wanted to be in.
Her friends and family tried to convince her that becoming a successful internet marketer in Iran would be IMPOSSIBLE, and that she shouldn’t continue to waste her money. If you’ve ever faced the negative energy of friends and family, you’ll understand that it’s a powerful force that can quench your enthusiasm and ultimately abort the launch of a new business.
Fortunately, her father believed in her, and the resistance of others made her more determined than ever to find success.
After about a year of learning and studying the business, she launched her first website, and the rest–as they say–is history. But that history has not been without its fair share of bumps and valleys.
Jumping into business forced her to take her English proficiency to a new level. For a long time it was difficult to read and comprehend the many technically-oriented ebooks that she acquired.
And if reading comprehension was a challenge, writing was an even bigger issue.
It would take her six hours to write and proofread an article, but her determination paid off. Today if you search for her name on a search engine, you’ll find a slew of her articles indexed all over the internet.
And as if writing weren’t enough, she wanted to write her own sales copy. Anyone who’s ever successfully written a sales letter will concur that being a good writer doesn’t make someone a good copywriter.
I’m amazed to say that Ladan is a good copywriter. Being a copywriter myself, I wouldn’t say that if it weren’t true. She applied the same vigor to learning the craft, as she applied to learning the language itself.
She studied articles and courses from the top copywriters, and practiced until she had developed her own style. While there is obviously some innate talent at work here, I’d say that she is also a testament that copywriting CAN be learned.
Starting her business was the beginning of a long uphill battle.
Because of the US embargo on Iran, she faces obstacles that most of us wouldn’t imagine. As I mentioned, her culture has already tied one hand behind her back. The language barrier effectively tied the other one. And the following problems essentially tied her feet!a situation that would cripple most marketers and paralyze them from moving forward in business.
Most people wouldn’t jump into a new business with their hands and feet tied. It’s impossible, right? Just don’t use the word “impossible” around Ladan!
To start with, she couldn’t get a credit card. That makes it pretty tough to buy anything online, wouldn’t you say?
My business relies on my credit cards for many things. Not a day goes by without several business-related charges to my credit card.
As I think about it, many of the products and services that I use come from sites that ONLY accept credit cards.
She can’t open a PayPal account. Again, this limits her ability to make online purchases. It also rules her out of participating in a large number of affiliate programs that only pay commissions via PayPal.
Of course probably the biggest disadvantage of not having a PayPal account is not being able to accept PayPal payments. She estimates that this one issue is costing her many thousands of dollars in lost sales.
She can’t get a merchant account, so it becomes very difficult to sell anything online.
She can’t have a bank account in US dollars. So that rules out another possibility of making or receiving payments.
To make matters worse, she can’t have any bank account that accepts wire transfers. This cripples her ability to receive payments from affiliate programs to her bank account, or from merchant services for her own products. So even if she can find a way to sell a product online, getting that money into her own hands is a huge obstacle.
She can’t cash any USD checks. That rules out most of the other affiliate programs.
She can’t travel. It’s almost impossible for her to get a visa to travel outside of Iran. This means that she has not been able to go abroad to attempt to open up accounts, and she can not attend any internet marketing seminars.
Those are just some of the barriers created by the embargo. There are many more limitations imposed by the Iranian government.
On top of these physical barriers, she also faces another kind of discrimination that continues to this day.
In a business built upon online image and perceived trust, she has been severely disadvantaged by the way much of the world views Iranians.
As she puts it, “the reactions are not very pleasant.”
She thinks it’s mainly due to the way the media has portrayed Iran and Islam. This has made it difficult to be open and build relationships online, as she has found that even her own subscribers, customers, and business associates look at her differently when they discover she is from Iran.
She says, “some people even act like I am a terrorist”.
She has received “hate” emails through her websites and also on forums.
“I know who I am and where I stand,” says Ladan, “but what the media shows the world and what my country’s government does has nothing to do with me. So I just wish people in the west – especially the United States – would understand this difference.”
Let me ask you a few questions!
Do you have a credit card?
Do you have a PayPal account?
Can you open a US bank account?
Can you receive US checks?
Do you have the freedom to travel?
Could you go to an internet marketing seminar?
Maybe you didn’t answer “Yes” to ALL of those questions, but for EACH question you answered “yes” to, you are starting one step ahead of Ladan.
Let me ask you a couple more questions!
Are you fluent in English?
If you said “Yes”, take two more steps ahead.
Do people view you as a terrorist?
No? Take three more steps ahead.
If this girl can do it, so can YOU. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are!it doesn’t matter where you live in the world! it doesn’t matter what other internal and external factors are trying to hold you down.
You CAN succeed.
In spite of all her challenges, Ladan views internet marketing as an easy opportunity to take advantage of, and she encourages others to do as she has done!
“I think there’s nothing hard about it. It’s the perfect kind of business for people who want to be independent and work for themselves in a business that there’s no limit to your success.”
If you’re just getting started, she has more advice,
“When you are just getting started, you should know it might take some time to make the amount of money you expect, and you should keep on and don’t give up – no matter how people around you try to disappoint you. I think this is the most important and difficult part… it’s where most people give up.”
In the three short years that she’s been in business, she’s worked hard and implemented many strategies that she’s learned by studying other successful marketers.
Out of everything she’s tried, she deems list-building as the most important component of her business,
“Nothing is more powerful than building a targeted responsive list and building a relationship with that list.”
While her income may not yet be on par with the internet marketing superstars, she’s earning a living online that would impress even those of us living in a more generous economy (she recently earned $6300 USD in a month).
The thing that must be kept in mind is that she is making more money than about 95% of the people in her country, and bringing home more income than her countrymen who have 30+ years of experience in their careers.
I’d love to see what she’d be capable of achieving outside the restraints of her county, and so would she, which is one reason she is considering a move to a locale more conducive of her business–such as Canada or Australia.
She says the biggest key to success is, “Believing in yourself, and promising yourself that you WILL reach your goals and won’t let anything or anyone stop you.”
When I asked her what makes her different from those who fail, she said that her success is derived from her persistence in facing and overcoming challenges and obstacles.
She points out one of her favorite quotes from Ross Perot,
“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.”
When she’s not working on her business, she enjoys reading self-improvement books (who would have guessed?), dancing, watching movies, spending time in nature, and going out with friends.
In other words, she’s just a normal girl with big plans and an indomitable positive attitude.
Today she has more than 20 websites, and she hopes to expand her business by 400% while continuing to help others find their own success.
You can learn more about Ladan and her business at these sites:
Ladan’s blog
Newsletter templates
Product ideas
List profit club
As Ladan says,
“If a young girl who got started when she was only 16 years old, with no previous business experience, with English being her second language, with less than $30 to her name, in a country where you can’t have a credit card or PayPal account and is under a strict embargo from United States, and so much more limitations…
If such a girl can succeed, how is it possible that YOU can’t succeed – while you may not even have one of these limitations?”
Ladan will never give up.
I hope you don’t either.
As always, you can leave your comments here in the blog.
Have a great day!
=====
Update: This article was published 03/10/2007. In the years since then, Ladan moved to Malaysia, and continues to succeed in her business ventures.
Despite all the barriers of distances and politics and religions, with one click the Internet brings us together…. and I think that is a marvelous thing!
I was so thrilled with Ladan’s story! She inspires me to persist in my IM efforts, and I am grateful for that.
I sincerely wish the best for her, her family, and her country.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that inspiring story, Eric.
In more than one way (sans the political issues) it reminds me of how things were in 1995 when I started working online. One message stands out clearly – ‘Quitting simply is NOT an option’.
Ladan, you ROCK! Good luck and all success.
Dr.Mani
You should Digg this story and let all those quitter to read this!!! Damn good story!!
I love your work, Eric – as much for helping to humanise our perception of the people of Tehran as anything else. Great stuff!
Ladan’s story is truly an inspiration. I wonder how she did it without ever thinking of giving up? This woman is indeed made up of such tough stuff.
I, too, am facing some of the challenges that she faced and only recently found the will to strive. Been in this business, well to be more accurate, tried to be in the business for more than 7 years and just had $10 to show for it. This business plunged me deeper in debt that maxed out my credit cards. So now I’m where Ladan was when she started — no credit card, can spend just $30, can’t open a PayPal account, can’t travel outside my country, etc.
Her story truly inspired me to hang on to my dream of earning online. As they say here in my country (translated in English, of course): “If you really want to have something, there are a lot of ways on how to achieve it; if you really don’t want it, you will always find excuses not to do anything.”
Kudos to you, Eric for writing Ladan’s story!
Hi Eric,
Many people in many countries face daily obstacles more because of their situation, rather than the country they live in. Laden has learnt to overcome obstacles and that should be the lesson to everyone else, there are always ways to overcome any obstacle, perhaps the hardest task is finding the way around, over or through those obstacles.
Tim
Sounds made up. I’m calling BS on this one.
Eric,
Your newsletter is one of the few that I actually read, word for word.
While I hope you don’t put your business on “pause” too terribly often as you await inspiration (I wouldn’t read your blog if it didn’t inspire me!), the wait was worth it this time.
Best regards,
Tom
I know Ladan for quite some time now.
We’ve spoken to each other on Skype.
Perfect English, great ideas, very innovative and a clear view of what she wants.
Given the circumstances, that’s an amazing accomplishment!
However ….
‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’.
Ladan will get there.
Her attitude will be responsible for that.
She’s simply amazing.
Honestly, I really love this young woman.
Case Stevens
Dear Mr Eric,
YOU are doing something wonderful to this genaration. Iam challenged by this girl’s story becouse most of her limitations are similar to mine ,except for religious intorrorance.
Keep on with your good work for humanity.Show me way to get involve in coming out of poverty.
cheers,
David
Thanks so much for this- as I am working hard myself to make it online and you helped me alot.
I hope this page will not get her in trouble with her government.
Blessings on you and your family Ladan !
Steve
Thank you Eric for such an amazing and inspiring story. There are many people in many “third world” countries who are facing many obstacles in pursuing their dream of internet marketing. Ladan’s story would surely inspire all of them to not give up and take step forward no matter how difficult it would be.
Thanks again, Eric.
God Bless You, Ladan.
Very inspiratonal. I have web in my language and want to do business with english speaking area but I know that my written english is not good so i was always reluctant to start with it.But now I see a very brave young lady and must say that give me boost to start trying harder beacouse it can be done.Thank You Eric and Ladan.
I have nothing but respect for Ladan, I know of the hardships people face in Iran as my friend and her mother are from Iran (funny that my friends mother is called Ladan also). I believe this to be a true story of endeavour and strength over adversity.
While I appreciate what Brian is saying, you do have to look at this from the angle that Ladan has not asked for the embargo put on her nation, and like most Iranians has not got any relationship with the politics suppressing them. What sets Ladan apart from the majority is that we know a HUGE 95% of people fail in building an online business….and thats with the Paypal accounts, credit cards, English as their first language etc.
Eric, you have truly hit the mark in my eyes, and Ladan if you read this I truly wish you the best in everything you do, you are a real inspiration to all who wish to start online. It may not seem like much but you have gained my full respect, and I hope the respect of others that read this great story.
Truly one of the most inspirational stories I’ve read! What determination! Thanks, Eric, for sharing Ladan’s story and encouraging us to not only stay the course, but to realize how many blessings and advantages we do have.
Eric & Laden,
Very inspiring.
It brings to mind, that maybe the most difficult challenges ARE NOT those which are imposed by ones circumstances, but rather those imposed by/in ones own mind.
Regards
Well done Ladan!
Her blog looks great as well as some of her salesletters. This is sheer motivation!
I was thinking about giving up, before I read this article
Very inspiring indeed!
Way to go Ladan, and thanks for sharing this great story Eric 😉
Eric
That was a good post indeed.
And Ladan reserves it 100%.
And more…
An example for everybody.
I am wondering… how many of the readers of this
post will be motivated THAT much to overcome
their own barriers and create their own star in
the Internet Marketing’s Sky…
What else do people need… ?
Very inspirational story.
Regardless of whether an American doesn’t like her because she’s from Iran, or some Iranians don’t like people from America, the real message of this post is that anyone can get up off their behind and do something to change their circumstances. The trick, of course, is to keep doing things until it starts working.
Every one of us can find enough excuses not to do things. The achievers in life just get on with it.
Wow! This is truly an inspiring story!
I just started my journey in the internet marketing world & this is just the kind of story that I need to boost my spirit. 🙂
I’ll keep myself posted to Ladan’s journey for sure!
Truly an inspiring story for us. Once you believe in yourself nothing or no one can stop you.
Thank you for sharing her story Eric. I think
everyone who feels like giving up should
read this article over and over again, I know
I will. This is motivation and inspiration x 1,000.
Dan here from Germany, sorry for my lousy Kraut-English …
After all these “blind sheep” following the “bellwether” comments, there must be ONE more disagreement than from this pseudo patriotic Brian K. Shoemake guy, to make Eric even more glad.
(I use to provoke to get attention …)
Erics Allegation: “If this girl can succeed – so can you!”
Sorry Eric, but this allegation is obviously meant encouraging, but in fact very misleading.
Comment Quote (John Michael): “It truly goes to show that we can do anything we put our minds to and have our heart in.”
IS THAT TRUE?
When you are really good at something, no matter what, it appears very easy, natural and self evident FOR YOU. But that does NOT mean, that everybody could do the same, only because it’s (easy learnable) achievable for YOU. That is not my opinion, but fact. Sitting inside looking out is very different to sitting outside looking in on the same thing.
I’m not talking about mindset, attitude, heart, effort, diligence, persistence and all these virtues, that are prerequisites for any success. I talk about ABILITY and TALENT.
Abilities and Talents can’t be learned, they are given, like an arm or a leg. You can develop and facilitate Abilities and Talents like you can train an arm or a leg, making it stronger, skillful and better performing, but you only can work with, what is potentially there.
Abilities and Talents are very randomly allocated in our brains.
Some people are potentially good Sportsmen, some are good Musicians, Internet Marketers or whatever, or not good in anything at all.
Now everybody can learn anything to a certain degree, from poor to perfect, depending on natural given Ablility and Talent. Nobody can act beyond the natural given borders. Examples:
Everybody can learn to play Golf, but earn a living on the PGA Tour?
Everybody can learn to play the Piano, but earn a living giving Concerts?
Everybody can learn to market (struggle) on the Internet, but earn a living as an IM?
As a Golf and Tennis Teaching Pro I know a lot about how people move, think and learn.
(BTW: I run my own Public Golf Resort here in Germany: http://www.pro-golf.de)
(After 3 hours of writing I decided to go back and break at this point for a short version and write an ebook in German and English about this topic, thanks Eric for this inspiration)
Erics Allegation: “If this girl can succeed – so can you!”
You know what, you can’t, because you don’t have her Personality, not her Abilities and not her Talent. Talents of this caliber never cared about any obstacles, as well as Eric or the very few other guys I use to listen to in this arena. They go their way, no matter if in Iran, Northpole, Timbktu, on Moon or Mars.
I don’t know about my Abilities and Talents in IM yet (newbie-uah), but I will find out. Certainly not by following 10 step patented systems to wealth, or kiss the ass of any blood sucking “GURUS”, making money not with their Abilities, but with your hopes and desires. People never buy what they need, but what they want, they say. Sell them, what they want and get rich, ok? This is as bad or worse than selling cocaine.
I’m waffling now, but one last thought:
Salesletter: Follow these 10 easy Steps and succeed … blahblah. Do it like me and get rich … blahblah.
Obviously many wannabe IM buy this crap, making the “GURUS” rich.
My Golf lesson: I’ll show you 10 steps of a perfect golfswing. If you do it like me, you can earn your living on the PGA Tour and defeat Tiger Woods. Funny.
Depending on the students Abilities and Talents I will have very different results, from poor to ???
Do you really think, that if you walk a mile in the shoes of Eric or Ladan or me, you will gain similar results?
Dan
Great sales letter Eric! Your affiliate commission on this one should be huge! 🙂
Inspiring story.
Thanx for sharing the wonderfully inspiring story Eric.
I love the way you write these stories in your blog…
Ladan, your story made me feel even stronger in my belief that
my countrymen/women in the Philippines can really make it with
enough hard/smart work and determination.
Would it be okay if I share your story to my people when I go visit and do a seminar there in June?
Joel Christopher R.
“The MasterListBuilder”
http://www.MasterListBuilder.com
I am real discouraged since I just took down my site that has been up for two years, got hits but no sales, but this girl is a real inspiration. I am going to give it another go.
Thanks for letting me sound off.
Wow I am impressed.
Thanks for sharing this story. We all think that we have it rough. I am so impressed when I hear stories like this. I grew up a very poor hill billy child, complete with hand me downs. But I live in the USA and have the freedoms that our men and women have and are fighting for. I love the fact that she never gave up when people told her to.
I will read this over and over when I feel sorry for me. I will also share it with others
Thanks again
Great story, Eric, and Ladan, we will see and hear more from you! Looking through all these comments to this point I see no mention of another famous and super-successful Iranian woman, Ellie Drake. Although she immigrated to the USA with her family when times were not as tense politically, she overcame many of the same barriers Ladan is passing through right now. Now Ellie spends all her time speaking and motivating others, knowing the same thing Ladan knows, that anyone can succeed and reach their goals with perseverance. Best wishes, Ladan, never give up!
Well said, Frank Dale.
With that attitude you will never achieve, and complain about all those that do succeed.
Even if her story is not true, it is what you can take away from the story that counts. Learn to think for your self rather than have people do the thinking for you.
And Ladan, “You go Girl”
Am impressed about your sales letter performance Eric too.
You make most copywriters look clumsy. 5 Stars from me.
Ladan that’s a mind-blowing life story!
like Dr.Mani.. it reminds me of how i got started online (at the age of 18).. and had to face almost the same challenges (living in saudi arabia – a more strict country than iran)
but don’t want to steal your spotlight 🙂
you worked damn hard and deserve a LOT more and bigger success..
i was about to go to sleep.. but you inspired me so much – am getting back to go that extra mile 🙂
God bless ya and just keep rockin’!
Shariq.
Eric,
What a bunch of blubbering sheeple! Get a grip people…Do you have to wait for someone to hold your hand before you stop crying and do something yourself??? Geeez. Yes from what Eric is telling us, (and I have no reason to doubt his facts,) she is a very talented and intelligent person who has set her mind to something, and by God has accomplished what she set out to accomplish! She no doubt would have been great at whatever she set her mind to…But good grief you bunch of blubbering cry babies act like you’re in prison somewhere in a salt mine with no way of escaping to ever see the light of day without someone handing you tissues to wipe your snotty noses on! This is not the United States I know and love…If you need someone to create some bleeding heart story before you can wake your silly a**es up and do something, I pity you…! You may as well turn the boob tube to Dateline NBC and rip the knob off! There you can spend the rest of your lives lanquishing in self pity, doubt and despair….What a bunch of downers. Now I see how these IM guys make so much money! Baah! Baaaah!
As far as your article Eric, there’s not much left to say, other than I never meant to disparage the young lady in any way nor to discount the challenges she endured and overcame to get to where she is today….My comments were in no way criticizing you for your political views either. I am also a solid Republican (Reagan Republican that is..) and a proud capitalist. Im not yet successful in this IM business, but I assure you that I eventually will be…And it will be of my own accord, my own sheer determination, inner fortitude, and strength from God Allmighty. All my best to you my friend, and keep the messages coming! You’re a great American Capitalist, and I applaud that! =:]
Hi Eric,
Thank you for the inspiring story. I would very much like to express my admiration to such a couragous girl. I completely understand her story because I come from a similar backgroung though a different close country to hers. I grew up in a family ruled by males and for me to go to university in the first place was a challenge, a great one. My father dared my hometown people to send me to a city which was more than 2000 km away to ener university. I went and studied English to graduate and work as a teacher. Just the next month after graduation, I got married . I was lucky enough to get a husband who motivated me to move on.
I am writing now from my small apartment in Scotland that I have occupied lately, why?,because now I am doing my MSc degree in Management and Leadership in Education that I have to finish within one year only.I received a semi schoolarship that came when I was already seven months pregnant but couldn’t say no to such a chance. I moved to UK alone last September with my three kids and gave birth to the fourth ,the youngest which is now four months old , here in Scotland . My country conditions are very much the same as Iran (In the Gulf Area) and for me to come all by myself and do this is a dream.
The best part is that I have come to know about the internet business only within the last three months and now I have started my first blog a few days ago and working my way through. I think now after knowing about this girl, all my suspecions about my abilities are gone and there is no going back for me as well.
Thanks a lot Eric.
What a wonderful inspiration for all of us! I wish Ladan all the best and you for the detective work so as you could share her story. I too will support her in my own way and pass Ladan’s story on.
Cheers and God Bless!
Frank Dale Says:
March 11th, 2007 at 3:12 am
Sounds made up. I’m calling BS on this one.
In response to comment as quoted above, I just want to say,
Who cares if it’s BS or not?
As one of her customers, I’d just like to say…she is one of the most helpful, kind persons out there. She knows her craft VERY well, and amazed me with some of the work she creates and sells. She is very VERY knowledgeable, and that kind of stick-to-it-ness gets you where you want to go no matter WHERE you are in this world. At the time when we did business I had NO idea she was 16 years old, just that she is good at what she does and professional in her work. And her customer service goes above and beyond.
To hear that she has had to contend with the above kind of obstacles just amazes me even more.
Joel,
>> Would it be okay if I share your story to my people when I go visit and do a seminar there in June?
Sure, I’ll be happy if this story can help some people in Philippines see how it’s very possible for them to become successful too, because I truly believe everyone in any country can become successful in Internet marketing.
They just need to learn how, and the meantime, don’t give up.
Ladan
>> In reply to Dan Krueger’s comments that said “talent” is the key to success:
Dan,
To add more controversy to Eric’s blog, here’s what I believe…
There is NO such a thing as “talent” or “intelligence”.
Quite controversial, isn’t it? OK, let me explain why I think it’s true…
You see, a few years ago, one day I got an interest in learning to play piano. But I knew I couldn’t afford the expensive piano classes to learn it, so I decided to learn in myself.
Early in the morning the next day, I went to Google and searched for free piano lessons, articles, sheet music, and so on. I found several good websites and started reading the material. Since I didn’t know even the smallest thing about reading sheet music, I had to learn all it all from scratch what those “cute” symbols meant.
To make a long story short, I learned how to play some basic piano notes by the end of the day. So I could slowly play some music from Yanni (the great musician) with my small synthesizer that night.
So do you think I was talented in music?
No, definitely not. I hadn’t played piano in my whole life.
I was just an ordinary person – just like you and people who commented here – who just believed in myself and knew I could do it. And I really believe you and everyone else can do it too – only if you believe you can.
That’s why I say there is NO such a thing as “talent” or “intelligence”.
It’s YOU who choose how “talented” or “intelligent” you want to be.
It’s just a matter of choice. If you think you are talented in marketing, you will be. If you think you are talented in singing, you will be. The same goes for playing piano, dancing, acting, playing golf, and so on.
I understand and respect your thoughts about talent and intelligence and their effect on a person’s success. On the other hand, do you really think “talent” is what makes a person successful?
If so, you are really limiting your success by putting this “not-talented-enough” label on you.
When we look at highly successful people throughout the history, how many of them have reached there because they were just “talented”? Really, how many?
Wasn’t their success all because of their determination and their desire to reach their goals?
Actually when I think about people around me, I see many of them are very talented in specific things, but they are rarely successful because they don’t try enough and give up way soon.
Some people may say Ladan has been successful because she was intelligent. I could go on and say, “Yes, I am the most intelligent person in the world and no one could reach my level of success.”
But I DON’T.
I do belive I am intelligent and talented, but so is every single one of you who are reading this article, and also are those billions of other people around the world.
To the day that everyone really sees what a gigantic power people have inside – just if they believe in themselves,
Ladan
Hi,
What a great article! What a great story! It annoys me so much when we make opinions on countries and their people based on what OUR media and governments wants us to think (to enable their own agendas). At the end of the day, all people are just people, regardless of creed, color, race or religion. We all have the same trials and tribulations in our day to day lives. Lennon was right when he asked us to imagine. Good on ya Ladan!
All the very best, Allen
Having spent over 50 successful years in busines, her story proves a point I have tried to make for years …
Being an entrepreneur isn’t about making money. Its about overcoming obstacles to achieve personal freedom.
Real entrepreneurs do not focus on making money. They focus on achieving personal freedom. Making money is only one way to achieve that freedom.
Welcome to my world Ladan Lashkari.
Jim
WOW, what more can I say to that….
I am deeply insipired and I believe this was a wake up call for me especially. I admire Ladan and her tenacity to resist failure. Thanx Eric for this letter and more of best wishes to Ladan
It may be inspirational but it is pure fabrication and a fraud plain and simple. That is the case with 99.99% of the grand tailes of success via the Internet. Fluff and lies meant to separate people from their money.
Appeal to their emotions and tell them they can succed if they just devote sufficent time. The part that is left off is 99.999% of the people who spend any money on any of these schemes simply part with their money.
Internet marketers are like politicians if you want to know if the are lying simple look at what they have said or written
What a wonderful article and a great tribute to your dedication, skill and enthusiasim. I understand the reaction as my name is Joy in spanish alegria. It is remarkable the number of people to confuse that with algeria and think we are in that country and refuse to communicate. Yes, you have done well and I wonder how far you can go and Australia would be a wonderful place for you. I still call Australia home, from a true blue Aussie.
Ralph and other skeptics— it’s really ignorant of you to write this off as fraudulent. A little skepticism is always healthy, but I’m leaving your comments as an example to show how some people’s skepticism (such as yours) is actually unhealthy to the point that it will keep you away from success. Your skepticism is really rooted in fear. If you’re afraid to trust the experts who are truly successful, and if you’re afraid to tackle new opportunities head-on, then you won’t succeed in this business.
Hmm……
No one should have no excuse for failing in life.
This is a story of overcoming all odds.
Ladan, more power to your elbow
Thanks Eric for this piece.
A sage once said ‘ It is not a crime to be born poor but it is
sedicious to remain poor in face of many opportunites that abound ‘.
I say Ladan you are a gold in an earthen vessel that is worthy
for the master ‘s use.
To the unlimited you have no excuse not to succeed.
Hey Ralph…Everybody’s good at something and some aren’t good at IM. Perhaps this career path doesn’t fit your particular skillset. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not helping anyone to make such a blanket statement simply out of pure frustration. Where’s your empathy man? It’s a real person you’re talking about here…There really are lots of people making money at all levels in this business. If it’s not for you, so be it. You’ll find your success somewhere else…BTW, could you please reveal your reliable source for this little jewel of scientifically calculated trivia?:
…”The part that is left off is 99.999% of the people who spend any money on any of these schemes simply part with their money.”…
That statement couldn’t be……”Pure fabrication and fraud plain and simple.”….Could it?
I am completely blown away.
I want to say that I had a former boss that grew up in Iran and left when he was in his teens and has never returned. Through him I learned about what Iran used to be like and what it is now (he still has relatives there). I was lucky to have learned about growing up in Iran from him. It was a wonderful country where women were educated, held political positions and everyone was safe no matter the time of night. Now of course it is different, but they are not the uneducated violent savages protrayed by media. Not by a long shot.
Dear Eric,
What a great story. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could sincerely wish her the best in her own country? However, most of us will probably wish that she could live and work in a less stressful and oppressive environment. I can’t wait to read all the responses. I hope she gets to enjoy her work and life – for a LONG time. I also hope that she finds English a great language. I am not language proficient. English is it for me.