How Fouye Was Born

And if I concentrate on how bad I am or how wrong I am or
how inadequate I am, if I concentrate on what I can't do and
how there's not enough time in which to do it, isn't that
what I get every time?

And when I think about how powerful I am, and when I think
about what I have left to contribute, and when I think about
the difference I can make on this planet, then that's what I
get.

You see,

I recognize that it's not what happens to you;
it's what you do about it."

W. Mitchell
American Businessman, Mayor, Speaker

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Belfet Goes Caribbean!
A good idea will die if you keep it to yourself

The New Caribbean Events Calendar
http://www.belfet.com

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Check out the Hip Hop Version!
http://www.HipHop-Events.com

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Article by: Woodring Saint Preux

About 5 years ago in a third floor bedroom in Malden,
Massachusetts, I came up with the idea to build a Haitian
version of www.Yahoo.com

I was bored and I needed something to keep my busy for about
a month.

My wife went to Haiti with my son and they were the only two
people I was really close to.

I didn't know anyone in Boston.

Since you have to dream anyway, dream BIG! Dreams have a
funny way of becoming a reality.

I took on a project that required knowledge in CGI
programming and internet savvy and I didn't process any of
those skills.

I was just a lousy copier technician and I was really good
at cleaning copiers.

I told my cousin Jean "By the time I realize that I cannot
do it, a month will go by and Jeannette will return from
Haiti." Then I will quit.

That was the plan, my 30-day time killing plan!

I didn't set out to build www.fouye.com, I was trying to
kill time and that was the cheapest way.

What I didn't know was that my project was going to take
just two weeks to build.

Within the first two weeks I figured out how to do it. And
the other two weeks, I fell in love with it.

Thank God!

I now had something to do at home! I didn't have to look
elsewhere for entertainment.

I can do it when I am happy,
I can do it when I am sad,
I can do it when I am hungry,
I can do it when I am full.

Every time Jeannette and I got into a big argument I would
say to myself "Great! Jeannette won't talk to me for at
least a couple of days, that's plenty of time for me to
finish this project."

So…

I would work while she's mad. She won't talk to me, that
gives me time to read and figure things out.

When I'm done, I go back downstairs and do the "Begging
Ritual" that we men do when we need "The things we need".

I didn't understand the importance of what I was doing until
other people started telling me what it meant to them.

I didn't see the potential in what I was doing until other
people saw the potential.

Mr. Wilkenson Bruna, Haitian Film Producer, once told me:

"If you want to be happy in this world, then you have to
dedicate your life to doing what you love to do. But don't
stop there," he said, "you have to find someone who will pay
you to do what you love to do".

This year has been the worst financial year of my life yet
it's been the happiest moment of my life. I am doing what I
love to do. I just have to find enough people who will pay
me to keep on doing it.

When I was 14 I set my goal to retire at the age or 40. I
did it at 31.

I didn't really want to retire, I just wanted to turn off my
alarm clock for more than "One week at a time, twice a
year".

I used to wake up everyday to the sound of an alarm clock.
I unplugged my alarm clock on October 6, 2005.

It is still unplugged!

The funny thing is that I had no idea that Fouye, my little
"Time Killing Machine" was going to pay my bills one day.

So today, I have this advice for you:

You have 24 hours to live every single day, if you don't
know what to do with your spare time, someone will snatch
that spare time of yours.

There are many ways others can steal you time:

- talking on the phone,
- window shopping,
- flipping channels,
- Monday night football,
- soap operas,
- hanging out,
- chilling,
- hanging with the boys,
- getting high
- getting drunk

I call them habits that cost money. Even worse, they are
bad habits that cost time!

Try doing something constructive with your spare time.

Edward L. Bernays, an American Public Relations Expert, once
said:

"Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in
which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your
spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will
give you as much happiness as your spare time."

You can succeed in anything you do in life no matter what it
is. Find something you love to do and do it.

Whatever it is that you do, make sure it bears a positive
fruit.

Do what I did, try doing something you know you cannot do.
you might surprise yourself!

There's never enough time to do it right, but there's always
enough time to do it over.

Hmmmmmmm!

You might also like

• I would like to run for the presidency of Haiti
• Some if us live is like roosters in a cockfight - But who wins the cockfight?
• The will to win

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