Against all odds

We were told we would then have better career choices and a better life. Have you ever wondered why many students with good grades get nowhere? Why having good grades at school doesn't guarantee career success?
Achieving success requires basic attitudes. The reason why most people fall short of their ambitions is that they lack certain factors needed to force their efforts to succeed. But while it is true that success is achieved out of hard work and perseverance, these two factors alone might not mean much without opportunity.
Chalermsak Karnchanawarin is the youthful managing director of HazChem Logistics Management, a leading dangerous-goods logistics integrator. His is a good success story.  He proudly declares that he was a child sponsored by the World Vision Foundation of Thailand – an organisation focused on helping children – because he came from very poor family. He reveals that his success came from both potential and opportunity.
“No one knows you have potential unless you present it to them,” he says.
He began his career by studying in the evening, financed by a government loan. As a junior coordinator, he quickly earned the company owner’s trust. It took Chalermsak only nine years to climb to the top position as managing director.
He believes his achievement resulted from opportunities he was given along the way. However, he needed to prepare himself to grab those opportunities when they appeared.
From a sponsored student as a child, Chalermsak has become a giving man. These days, he donates his time to many World Vision events and sponsors two children in need through the foundation.
“Now it is my turn to pay back to the society what it has given me. Because I have been given much, I too must give,” he says.
“Your life may not begin with perfection, but the end of the story is in your hands. Just remember, everything is possible,” he says.

Sasikarn Watthanachan is a communications professional. She may be contacted at
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