The Idiot Hiding Inside of Me

• How smart do you think you are?
• Do you think you are the smartest person in the world?
• Do you think you're so smart that nobody can take you for a ride?

That's what I thought...

Oh! How wrong I was!

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you would do anything to get it?

Let me tell you something, slow down a little bit and think about it especially when the road to getting what you want seems very easy.

Your wants and your desires are the number one things in your life that make you very vulnerable.

When you are vulnerable, anyone, even a little kid, can take advantage of you.

Like they say in Haitian Creole:
"lè-w gade nan mont ou, l-ap fè trèz è"
(When you check your watch, it will be 13 O'clock)

I know it's important to you, I know that sometimes it is a life and death situation, I know you are impatient and you cannot wait your turn, but you should always keep your head on your shoulders and think before you act.

A small chapter in the amazing life of Woodring Saint Preux:

When my older brother, Dior Saint Preux, died at the age of 37, I felt a rush to get everything done as soon as possible.

It was a wake up call for me. I quickly realized that this life is very short.

Soon after his death, I fell in love with the woman of my dreams (that's another chapter!).

I had a baby in a way.

I could not marry her because I did not have a green card.

Stress was piling up in my corner.

I went to Orlando, Florida, to spend a week with my family members and I met a young man who promised to give me my green card in 90 days, no charge.

90 days, no charge!

That was a risk worth taking. After all it was not going to cost me anything.

That's what I thought!

I didn't ask any questions. I needed a green card and I needed it now!

In 90 days, I can marry my girlfriend before my son is born.

In 90 days, I can see my grandmother whom I had been away from for sixteen years.

The last time I spoke to her she told me "I left Maissade and came to Hinche because of you and your mother, now I am going to die without seeing neither one of you".

Stress was piling up in my corner.

Do you understand why nothing could stop me? I was hungry!

In 90 days, the sky is the limit. That's what I thought!

Everyone was warning me:

"This guy is not what he says he is!"

Even my girlfriend told me:

"He's not a lawyer, Woody, he is taking you for a ride and you are too blind to see it!"

I went for it anyway, I was vulnerable.

I really wanted to see my grandmother before she died. I really wanted to marry my wife and I knew that marring her without a green card means waiting in line again.

I was vulnerable.

Be very careful, if you are going all over the place looking for help, help will come from all over the place. Even those who are not qualified will offer to help you. It's a trap!

If you're going to make a mistake, try not to make a little cheesy mistake that you can hide, make a big mistake.

The lesson you learn from making a BIG mistake will be a life changing experience.

This guy went through my wants in order to get to me. In a simple conversation, he found out exactly what was the most important thing that I needed and did not have.

He promised to give it to me and I was too blind to see that he was a liar and a con man.

He did not give me my green card but he gave me something much bigger and much greater than what he had promised me.

He opened my eyes; he made me realize how stupid I was.

That was the biggest present I ever received in my life.

He made me realize that I knew nothing at all when I thought I knew everything.

He made me realize that I was just an accident waiting to happen.

When people use and abuse you and they will, never forget to look at the other side of the coin.

Sometimes, the experience that you get out of it will be worth more than your college education.

If I had to list everything in my life that made me a man today, my encounter with my lawyer friend in Orlando Florida would be on the top ten.

How smart do you think you are?

Before you go around beating your chest (that's what we Haitians do when we are sure of ourselves) saying "I know what I'm talking about", think for a minute.

Are you sure?

The next time you want something really bad and somebody comes along and promises it to you, don't just run and grab it. it could be cheese in your mousetrap.

Think for a minute!

The next time you set out for a journey, and suddenly you realize that the coast is clear without your own doing, don't just start the car and step on it.

Think for a minute!

Do you want to know how the green card story ended?

By the time I realize he was a con man, I was 4 thousand dollars in debt, I quit my job, I moved to Orlando, and my first born child was ready to come out to meet "B. Diddy / Broke Daddy".

I thought I was smart, Now I know I am not. That's why I always listen when people are talking.

You can be the smartest person in the world but if you do not know your weakness, if you are driven by your wants and your desires, you are just an accident waiting to happen.

Think for a minute!

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