Motivational speaker Juan Ortiz told Sycamore Rotarians “Anything is possible if you are willing to change.” Ortiz described the hardships he faced starting out in life but explained how he has been able to move from welfare to millionaire. Now at age 60, he pieced together the different stages of his life experiences and said that family and friends helped him overcome obstacles to achieve success. Ortiz has authored two books to help others in their life journey.
Ortiz spoke about the different decades of his life experiences. He said from birth to age 20 he survived abuse from a father who was an alcoholic and frequently high on drugs. Ortiz even survived a period of separation from his parents and siblings. His father ended up spending 18 years in prison while his family lived in poverty. Ironically, his father came from a well-off family in Mexico but was cut off from support for his lack of responsibility when he married Juan’s mother who was 16 and went to the U.S. He credits his mother as the stabilizing influence in his life in those growth years and for instilling in him to “always learn”. He said his bilingual skills in reading and speaking became an asset as he entered the workforce. He described the period from ages 20 to 40 as learning to live life. He met and married his ever-supportive wife and they began to raise a family in a way far different from his own childhood. As he approached 40, Ortiz said he began his path to tremendous financial success. He joined a company and was mentored by the owner, eventually becoming part-owner. The sale of the company made him a millionaire.
Ortiz said the examples from his life’s journey show you do not take steps to success all by yourself. He concluded by quoting scripture from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10…”Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”