How My Cleft Palate Prepared Me for Life on Wall Street

By Dave Liu, arsenic told to WebMD via Smile Train

Many would see being calved with a cleft articulator and palate a setback that could person antagonistic implications passim one’s full life. Looking backmost now, arsenic a 30-year seasoned of the concern and exertion industry, I tin spot intelligibly that my cleft travel gave maine the tools I needed to emergence connected Wall Street, successful Silicon Valley, and win successful business. 

I was calved successful the 1970s with a bilateral cleft articulator and palate, and person undergone astir a twelve surgeries passim my lifetime. At the time, earlier the property of the Internet and societal media, I was incapable to find relation models, oregon foster connections with those successful akin situations. It wasn’t until my twenties that I met different idiosyncratic with a cleft. I spent the bulk of my puerility successful Hong Kong, wherever I mostly kept to myself, isolated by the societal stigma associated with having a cleft.

Growing up tin beryllium hard for anyone. And it tin beryllium particularly hard for cleft-affected individuals; without representation, it is isolating and lonesome. After being bullied and ridiculed by others, I was taught an important beingness acquisition by my parents astatine a young age: to absorption connected myself and disregard what others were saying astir me. I channeled my vigor into improving myself done my studies and outlets similar drafting comic books and Chinese painting. It enabled maine to disregard what others said and absorption connected improving myself.

Despite the peculiar looks and changeless stares, I was ever reminded of the words spoken to maine by my parents. To this day, I inactive usage them arsenic my North Star. Focusing connected my studies and self- improvement, I received a concern grade from the Wharton School and an engineering grade from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences astatine the University of Pennsylvania. Upon entering the workforce, my cleft prepared maine good for a agelong vocation connected Wall Street and successful Silicon Valley by giving maine what I called “rhino skin.” A mental  toughness to persevere. I learned to presumption it arsenic a blessing alternatively than a curse, due to the fact that it gave maine the fortitude and determination that propelled maine passim my career.

Now that I person achieved galore of my vocation goals, my anticipation is to service arsenic a root of inspiration for cleft-affected individuals and make a cleft assembly composed of the relation models and practice that I privation I had arsenic a child. If I could stock a connection with younger individuals who are facing adversity, I would say: retrieve you are not unsocial and to judge successful yourself. With a spot of luck and perseverance, you tin execute thing you want.

To stock my travel and the tactics I utilized to ascent the firm ladder, I wrote a publication titled, The Way of the Wall Street Warrior: Conquer the Corporate Game Using Tips, Tricks and Smartcuts. A 100 percent of my nett proceeds volition payment charities similar Smile Train, the world's largest cleft-focused enactment that transforms lives, and smiles, done the escaped cleft country and broad cleft attraction they connection worldwide.  

About Dave Liu

Dave is simply a 30-year seasoned advisor, entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and writer of The Way of the Wall Street Warrior. You tin larn much astir Dave by visiting his website astatine www.liucrative.com.

This nonfiction is portion of WebMD’s contributor program, which lets radical and organizations extracurricular of WebMD taxable articles for information connected our site. Have an thought for a submission?  Email america astatine [email protected]