Four years ago, I survived one of the worst natural disasters on record.
It was January 12th, 2010 and I was in, in a meeting with my colleagues in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when the walls of our building started to shake.
Scared and
confused, we raced to the door, only to realize that the door was jammed shut.
We were trapped.
When the shaking stopped, we unjammed the door, and we raced down the stairs.
And as I stepped over the threshold,
I was welcomed by the outstretched arm of my colleague.
And then I looked up, and he was covered in dust and white powder.
And I started to look around.
And to my left, the cultural center, vaporized.
The primary school in the far corner, collapsed.
The building I had just come out of was hanging by a thread.
And I grasped the hand of my colleague and
we looked out onto the city that we had called home.
And it was, barely recognizable.
The next day, I was completely overwhelmed by what I saw.
Collapsed homes and hospitals, families separated, a country rocked to its core.
And I had this feeling of knots in my stomach.
I wanted to do something, but the problem seemed so
much bigger than me, and I didn't know where to start.
I felt, helpless.
In that same moment on the other side of town, my colleague
Paul was emerging from the rubble of his collapsed four story building.
And instead of succumbing to the feeling of helplessness that I felt,
he was compelled to take action.
And that's what I want to talk to you about today.
I learned a profound lesson from Paul that day.
It's about what I can do, and what you can do in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Paul was a 24 year old who worked with me at
the Microfinance Bank I worked at in Haiti.
He joined our organization because he was really passionate about our
mission to deliver financial and
educational resources to some of the most vulnerable communities in Haiti.
He had been quite successful, and had been known for
developing a really strong relationship with his clients.
Paul was in his apartment building when the earthquake hit that day and
collapsed with him inside.
For 24 hours, he was trapped beneath the rubble of his home,
until his neighbors came to dig him out.
In that moment, Paul had a choice.
He could have let the situation overwhelm and paralyze him.
But instead, injured and dehydrated, he took a stick and he started walking.
And step by step, he walked to the home of his first client to see if they were okay.
And then, he walked to the home of his second client, and
then the third, and then the fourth.
And over and over, step by step, door by door, house by house,
Paul went to check on each and every one of his clients to see if they were okay.
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The steps Paul took that day had a huge impact.
For months, stories rolled in from his clients with thank yous saying how
Paul's visit that day brought them the hope they needed in
a moment of uncertainty and despair.
Because of Paul, they knew they were not alone and forgotten.
And that hope led them to take their first steps.
From finding a tarp for
their roof, to picking fruit from a nearby tree to pool with their neighbors.
Or finally just having the confidence to tell their children that everything was
going to be okay.
Paul had a ripple effect, and when the stories of him and others like him who
took small steps that day started to roll in, things started to move.
At my organization, one of our senior executives started emailing and
calling all of our 900 plus employees.
A small group of colleagues showed up to our central office building the next day
and started salvaging what they could.
And I finally showered and left my house for the first time in three days.
We went on to accomplish more than I ever could have imagined in the weeks and
months following the earthquake.
I have thought a lot about what Paul did that day.
I think about the fear and paralysis that I felt, and I think about the strength and
courage that he demonstrated.
And I wonder, what did he know that I didn't?
How did he find the strength and courage he needed to take action in that moment?
So one day I asked him, and he responded, tipa tipa, madame.
Step by step, madame.
He knew he needed to do something.
He decided on a path, and then he took it step by step.
And one door led to two, which led to three, and things started to spread.
Now this expression, tipa tipa, it,
hearing it from Paul was not the first time I heard it, actually.
Growing up with a Haitian father, I remember numerous times when I was facing
an obstacle or struggle, he would tell me, tipa tipa, Natalie, step by step.
And then, I think about my mother, who's French Canadian.
And when she was struggling with learning English.
And her mother would tell her, [FOREIGN], step by step.
And then my husband who's from Senegal,
when he was coaching his friend who was going through a difficult time.
He used an expression in his native language, [FOREIGN], or step by step.
Across continents and cultures, everywhere I've looked, I found this unifying theme
of using the concept of step by step to get through a difficult time.
So what did Paul do?
Paul took an age old notion, a universal piece of wisdom,
and he put it into practice in a powerful way.
Because Paul knew, taking things step by step is the only way to get things done.
So why is this important to us here today?
I've had conversations with many of you in this room, who want to solve problems or
change a situation, and sometimes we feel overwhelmed.
We're not sure where to start or which path to take.
We worry about the impact we'll have, and we get stuck.
So I ask you, when's the last time you felt overwhelmed by a situation?
For me, it was this past January 12th on the four year anniversary of
the earthquake.
Well I was proud of the things we accomplished through news reports and
conversations with friends,
I was made aware that there's still a lot of work left to do.
And I was wondering, what can I do from here?
And those knots in my stomach started to come back.
And then, I remembered Paul and I took my first step.
I sent an email.
And that email turned into one, then three, then five and
more of our classmates, signing up to join me on a trip to Haiti this spring break.
And this trip will be their first steps in understanding and
learning about the opportunities and obstacles that Haiti faces.
So for me, the first steps was an e-mail.
For the aspiring entrepreneur who's sitting on an idea, take your first steps.
Make that phone call.
Share your idea.
For the aspiring runner who's wanting to get ready for the next big race.
Take your first step and put on your running shoes.
For the new parents who are worried if they're gonna do a good job,
take the first step and believe that you will.
So, I ask of you, the next time you're feeling overwhelmed,
remember tipa tipa and let this wisdom of step by step take you through it.
Because, overcoming life's challenges can
be as easy as taking a single step.
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