About Liu Wei

Before I came to know of his name, i have no clue that an armless feet pianist is abuzz of fame in China. Liu Wei, is the 2010 winner of the talent show, China's Got Talent, adopted from the famous Britain's Got Talent. At the age of 10, Liu Wei had an accident and lost his arms. He first dreamed of becoming an athlete but from one barrier to another, he found a new dream in music.

I had a chance to be up close with Liu Wei during our Asia PS Summit in Guangzhou where he was invited to speak to a crowd of 400+ Product Supply managers of Procter &Gamble. BTW, P&G sponsored China's Got Talent, which is a runaway success and increased market share of some of our brands. When he was introduced, I initially felt it was an odd choice to have him as the guest speaker -- I was expecting someone from the Supply Chain industry since the crowd is a bunch of Proctoids eager to hear from external perspective how we could manage and achieve the "next Peak".

He was speaking in Mandarin and a P&G colleague graciously translated his message to the audience. He is not one of those usual speaker profile, he is soft spoken, sometimes shy, but what impressed me most is his big maturity about Life. And then suddenly, i found myself glued to every word he is saying, as if my inner antenna has been fine tuned in order for me to understand what this young 23-year old have to advise. And then I'm beginning to feel star strucked with his determination in Life after overcoming many challenges, for having such wisdom that I have not heard from any other youth I've encountered so far, the strength he projects in pursuing a dream and never giving up.

Here are some of the scribbles in my notes as I listen to his life story intently:
* Be clear what you want in Life. Have a dream and pursue it!
* Maximize and leverage your strengths.
* Don't fall short of your determination to succeed no matter what obstacles come your way
* Find a mentor. You cannot be successful without someone enabling you along the way.
* Everything can be learned, you only need the right attitude!
* Demonstrate small successes one step at a time until you make it big!
* Have the gratitude to give back especially to those who have helped you
* There are only two choices in Life: to die or to live a splendid Life!

One of the questions asked of him from the audience goes something like, " How do you feel after winning China's Got Talent, what has changed in your life?". He answered back saying, nothing much has changed about him but he is now much more recognizable and he is using this to influence great causes. In fact, Liu Wei is planning (or has already done so) to set-up a foundation of his own.

To me, Liu Wei has provided a different lens of Life and he has touched my inner thoughts in a way that I appreciate more what I have. I have shared this to my 6-year old son and i can tell from my son's eyes his admiration for Liu Wei's story.

If a 23-year-old armless feet pianist can achieve his dreams and become inspirational, what more can i do and give back to others?