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Tony Dallas
South Africa
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Faces of South Africa
Somewhere along the way, I let go of my dreams. I think I talked myself out of them by saying they weren’t really feasible, perhaps largely because I was afraid of what my friends would think of me if I did not succeed. Then I participated in The Landmark Forum and rekindled the dreams that had always been close to my heart. I began to act on them. Acting on my dreams lead me back to South Africa, my country of origin, and I am now heading up the Landmark leadership training programme here. Just to give you a sense of what my life is like and the difference that Landmark’s programs are making with the people here, I will share with you the following three stories from people in a recent leadership training weekend I led.
A young black woman, Zukie, shared how restricted she has been in her life, thinking that she was not good enough to have the kind of success that she saw others having. She would cover up, pretending everything was fine when in fact it was not. This is the story of so many black South African women. She has now realised that she can cause anything that she wants, that she is good enough, and that she does not have to apologise for who she is. She recently stepped out and got herself a new job with greater responsibility, interesting people, and a significant pay increase. Her co-workers respect and appreciate her.
A young white man, Nik, shared how he was on his way to completing a business science degree when he realised through his participation in The Landmark Forum that that career path no longer inspired him. He had a deep passion for performance and entertainment but was too scared to step into that world, fearing that he would be a failure and disappoint those around him. He is now, just a few months later, working in a variety of performance capacities. I went to see him perform the other night and, from the audience response, I would say he’s on the fast track to success.
A middle-aged Muslim woman named Bahaa shared how fearful she was about stepping out into the possibility of a new relationship. She had experienced a difficult marriage and had built strong walls of protection around herself that resulted in her being lonely, distant, and a bit righteous. Recognizing the enormous cost of operating that way and seeing how she was blaming others for how her life was working out had her stop herself in her tracks. She saw that her future did not have to be a mirror of her past and that there was an exciting future for herself in being authentic and vulnerable. She is soon to be married.
These three remarkable people are only a small representation of the amazing stories I hear every day. Out of the difference Landmark’s programs have made in their lives, these wonderful people and others like them have asked to be trained in leadership roles. I have the privilege of representing Landmark Education in training and developing them.
Read more about Grads' Breakthrough Stories and Grads Making a Difference.