I started life washing cars in Canada before moving on to

The words of Shiv Khera — “I started life washing cars in Canada before moving on to selling life insurance and vacuum cleaners. Later, I went through a programme by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, which literally changed my life. It was the turning point.” — are not merely a tale of personal struggle, but a parable of transformation, of rising from humble labor to the heights of purpose. His confession rings like the song of the ancients, reminding us that greatness is not given but forged, and that the lowliest of beginnings may be the seed of the highest destinies.

In speaking of washing cars, Khera evokes the humility of toil, the kind of work often overlooked and dismissed. Yet it is in such work that discipline is born, in the long hours, in the bending of the back, in the quiet perseverance of the spirit. To begin with menial tasks is no dishonor; it is the foundation upon which honor is later built. The ancients often said: “He who has not served cannot lead.” Khera’s journey begins in obscurity so that his later light might shine brighter.

His moving on to selling life insurance and vacuum cleaners reveals another truth: that life is a journey of steps, each one a lesson, each one a stone upon the path. These trades are not glamorous, but they demand courage, resilience, and the ability to speak to the human heart. For what is selling, if not the art of persuasion and the building of trust? These experiences, seemingly small, were in fact sharpening his mind and tempering his will. Just as the blacksmith strikes iron again and again until it is strong, so too life struck Khera until he was prepared for transformation.

And then came Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the great voice of positive thinking. Here lies the sacred turning point: the moment when inspiration awakens the sleeping giant within. Peale’s teachings ignited Khera’s spirit, showing him that he was not bound by circumstance, but could shape destiny through faith, vision, and determination. Every life has such a turning point — a moment when the soul hears a new truth and chooses to rise. The ancients might call it revelation; today we call it awakening.

History is filled with men and women whose lives turned in such a way. Consider the story of St. Augustine, once lost in indulgence and doubt, who upon reading the words of scripture found a fire that changed his path forever, leading him to become one of the great lights of Christian thought. Or think of Abraham Lincoln, who after a string of personal and professional failures discovered in perseverance and self-education the turning point that would one day carry him to the presidency. Each great life has its moment of awakening, when the road divides and the heart chooses the higher way.

Khera’s words remind us that no beginning is too humble, no struggle too ordinary, to lead to greatness. The washing of cars, the selling of goods, the listening to another’s wisdom — all these are steps upon the sacred path. What matters is not where one starts, but whether one listens for the turning point when it arrives, and whether one has the courage to seize it. The turning point is a gift, but it is also a choice.

The lesson is clear: honor your beginnings, however small. Seek wisdom, as Khera did in the words of Peale. Be ready for the moment when life offers you a chance to rise. And when it comes, do not shrink back in fear or doubt — step forward boldly, for that step may mark the division between obscurity and destiny. Write your own story of transformation, for the world is filled with unseen giants waiting to awaken.

Practical wisdom follows. Begin today by reflecting on your own life: where were your humble beginnings? What have you learned from them? Seek out voices of wisdom — books, mentors, teachers — that may spark your own turning point. And most importantly, when your moment comes, when you feel the stir of destiny within, do not hesitate. Act. For your turning point, like Khera’s, may become the story that inspires generations yet unborn.