Harry Potter had Dumbeldore, and I had Ram Lin. Ram was my class teacher and my sports teacher at high school. He was an officer in some elite unit, he also practiced an obscure martial art.
So, naturally, I did not trust him at all. One day when I was about 15 he suggested I learn Karate and sent me to look at a class. The next day he asked for my impressions.
“It was stupid” I said. “I’d like to learn the martial art you’re doing”.
“It’s too far” He said.
”I’ll take enough money with me to get a taxi back home if I miss the bus”.
“This martial art is too difficult, it’s not for kids”.
“Let me try. If it’s too hard, I’ll do the karate”, I promised.
He gave up and gave a telephone number and an address.
I called the teacher and took three buses to my first class in the martial art I have been doing since and which had changed my life. But that is already a different story…
When it came to choosing a subject for the maturita I wanted biology and chemistry. Ram was against:
“You can choose whatever you choose. But why don’t you make things a bit easier for yourself? You know, you’re results aren’t very good, your grades are hardly sufficient for biology and chemistry. Only the best students pass the exams”.
“I like nature” I told him.
“Why don’t you take sociology or study a profession? There is lot of math in chemistry and it will be too difficult for you”.
“I want to try”, I said.
“OK, you try one semester and if you don’t succeed than you’ll chose something else. Do you agree?”
“Agreed”, I said.
I worked hard. It was the first time in life that I actually studied. I took notes, I prepared for testes, I even did homework. At the end of the semester I came first in class.
It was not by chance that these incidents are so similar. Ram knew how to motivate me. He trusted me and gave me a chance to prove I was worthy of his trust. Most important I proved to myself that I was able to set goals and reach them.
Ram did not give me instructions, he just showed me a direction and gave me courage to walk.
