Michael says that learning to communicate, a skill he refined as a student of Arabic, has proven to be essential for achieving things “in every single job in every part of the world where I’ve lived.”
That packs a punch coming from someone who’s lived in over 20 countries. Michael also sees his Arabic learning experience, including his time studying in Egypt, as seminal to developing critical thinking and other skills that have opened horizons he never imagined. He has become adept at finding ways to understand local culture and appropriately adapt tech to address pressing problems, which allowed him to create businesses in Kenya and Nigeria, where he worked for five years, that have provided much needed employment and saved many from becoming casualties of severe drought. He is now applying these skills and experience to overseeing the creation of culturally appropriate apps for Africa at Family Search and loving it.
Despite a self-described rough start with Arabic, Michael knows from experience that if you “just keep trying, all of a sudden you have that ‘aha’ moment where you understand.”
Click the links below to hear more of Michael’s advice on:
- combating perfectionism
- the benefits of language learning
- the products of perseverance
- …or watch the full interview below to hear how Michael got from Egypt to Kenya