Ask Donald Trump Contest Winner: Mohamed Shedou

Today we showcase Mohamed Shedou and his winning question.

About Mohamed . . .

Mohamed is a brilliant and extremely accomplished man. His blogs are beautifully written and full of stimulating insights and opinions - many about what it means to be ambitious and new to living in the United States.

But let’s allow Mohamed to tell you about himself in his own words . . .

“I grew up in a small industrial town in northern Egypt, in a highly respected family with a reputation of solid morals and bright intelligence. We had a business and all my brothers were involved in it, so I was exposed to business tales and challenges from a very young age.

“At the age of 19, I wrote a few symbolic short stories that were published a few years later in the most widely read and respected cultural magazine all over the Arab world. I studied French in college, in an institution where I was the first and only student admitted into the program who hadn't studied in French schools, which was one of the strict rules of this advanced program.

“During my fourth and last year in college, I established a translation company with two of my professors. After only a few months, we established a business relationship with one of the major law firms in the Middle East. I also worked part-time in the French Cultural Center in Cairo for one year.

“In 2002, at the age of 26, I decided to seek more freedom and possibilities of learning and self-actualization by coming to the USA. Once in the USA, I took interest in reading about business and success. I knew Donald Trump for the first time through his mega successful show, The Apprentice. Then I happily discovered him as a writer and I read most of his books. It was even a great pleasure for me to find the Trump Blog, where I could read him more often and even comment on what he wrote, something that books don't allow.

“And that's how I participated in this contest with a few questions, which gave me the chance to speak to Mr. Trump in the form of questions, even if indirectly. It's always a pleasure to speak to a mind that you like. My participation resulted in even more beautiful fruits: Trump talked back to me, and I won a new possibility of learning. I am optimistic that this could be the start of even bigger fruits coming into my life.”

Mohaned's winning question . . .

“What is your advice as far as creating, maintaining and increasing a person’s motivation, especially at times when we are still figuring out a purpose for our whole life? I am an immigrant who is still having to work for a living, and do jobs that are far less that what I know I can do and achieve. In my home country, good jobs almost always came to me. Here I am still having difficulty even having a reasonable job for my potential, which causes frustration and down moments. What is your advice to someone who immigrated to this country for more freedom and self-actualization but who is still stuck with unsatisfying sources of income?”

And the answer from Donald J. Trump . . .

 “The first thing to realize is that there is a purpose for your life. What debilitates people is when they think they don’t have something important to contribute--and they do. If your career or job or long term goals aren’t clear to you yet, be motivated in the pursuit of finding out what they are. Focus on that end. What will happen is that you will open yourself up to a lot of knowledge and experiences that may be useful down the line.

“My father always said 'Know everything you can about what you’re doing.’ That’s great advice, but that’s easier if your goals are already set. However, there are times when people are pursuing something with great purpose when it turns out not to be right for them anyway. So do not be discouraged if you haven’t pinpointed your life course yet. Motivation can work in mysterious ways--sometimes what seems like a hobby or a side interest will turn into a great passion.

“To create, maintain and increase your motivation, always remember that your life matters and treat that fact with respect. That is motivation enough to excel and to continue to strive for excellence.

“Regarding 'Life is short, but days are long’ as a thought, it reminds me of the importance of passion in your work. That way, your days will never be long. They won’t be long enough.

“As an immigrant, your challenges are great. You will need patience, which you probably have already achieved. The rewards will be worth it, so it’s important that number one, you never give up, and number two, keep your focus on the end result. Keep your goals very clear to you and think about them daily. Your daily grind will become steps on the way to being where you want to be.”

Coming soon - more winning questions! Stay tuned.