Martina Buchal, hasn't had the brilliant childhood like all of us might tend to think, an achiever like her, would generally have. She has that story which belongs to fairy tales - "A SUPER TOUGH START and a future full of brilliance and glory". Her story makes her recall times that haven't given her the best schooling or environment in childhood, which would generally empower an individual; Instead, her friends who tagged along with her into her adulthood, were inferiority and low self-esteem. In her own words she shares her story in a way that would leave even a dead soul with a belief to breathe again.

The following unedited excerpt is from an eMail she wrote to IUeMagazine "Born in the Czech Republic, my family immigrated to Canada when I was 5. We had big dreams of a shiny, shimmering future. But beginnings were difficult. We lived in a tiny home with no heating during one of Canada's worst winters; struggled to purchase food; and clothing was always second-hand. Eventually, the harshness around us got to my father, who turned to alcohol for comfort.

I went from a disempowering school to a violent and disempowering home. I grew up feeling inferior to my peers, to my family, to the world around me. It didn't take me long to realize that this was not a life I wanted to myself...or for anyone else.

I decided to make a change.

You see, I view life like this: when we are born, we are dealt a certain hand of cards. That hand is our circumstances - our gender, social economic class, location. But eventually, we have opportunities to see past our hand. There, is a deck filled with many more cards; cards like chance, opportunity, network. Those are the cards in life that we can choose to pick up and to have them ultimately define who we are. I have chosen to draw from that deck.

I have decided to stand up for human rights, to promote conflict resolution, and build peace; to collaborate and always work towards a balance of power. It's a big task, but I know it starts with me. It starts with me embodying that change, and sharing with others."

The eMail window never shut itself, for, the inspiration was truly unlimited and left the editorial team thrilled and in a state of ecstacy. The above excerpt was followed by a statement which said, "World Merit is exactly enabling me do all that I stated." The statement conveys with tremendous depth the impact World Merit has created. World Merit is a platform for MERITorious people from across the globe to come together and unite towards sending a change wave across the globe. The founder of world MERIT is Chris Arnold, who is also the president of Smaller Earth and Founder of YOUR BIG YEAR. How his ideas could transform Martina's life and how much is what follows.
What she believes WORLD MERIT meant to her, what she believes Your BIG Year meant to her, the work she has done this far and much more to follow in Part 2 of World MERIT - A WORLD full of MERIT & A Year full of TRAVEL.

Stay tuned and share your words with Martina Buchal here: