Day 78: Paul Reth

December 17, 2009 at 12:01 am, Category: Featured, Inspiration

“I found out one very important that inspires me every day, that I get up in the morning, go to work without getting tired, without getting bored.  I can be by myself all day long because it’s me.  It’s myself.  I inspire myself.  I found out in order for me to inspire or get inspired, I have to have a purpose of what I’m doing rather than a reason.”

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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Paul, for agreeing to take part in the project, and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?

Paul Reth: Yes, ma’am.   My name Paul Reth.  I’m originally from Cambodia.  Now I’m living in the state of Minnesota.

Toni: Okay, and what do you do, Paul?

Paul: I have a full-time job presently.  I work as a sheet metal fabricator, and I’m a filmmaker.

Toni: You’re a filmmaker?

Paul: Yes, ma’am.

Toni: Oh, okay.  Well, let’s go into the very first question then.  When you think about the word inspiration, who do you think you inspire, Paul, and how do you think you do that?

Paul: Yes.  Since I was young, I have always inspired people around me.  Even back then I did not know what inspired me.  I learned to have a smile, a positive attitude for my common man.  My great determination that I have in any given job or project, that is my people.

I influence people with vision and hope, then implement the plan, reaction to delivery of the result.  At the present time, I have more than 100 people including my older brother, my family, my son and my daughter, in the feature film project.

Toni: They’re all part of your film project?

Paul: Yes, ma’am.

Toni: I see.  So, I just want to make sure that I understand.  You believe that you inspire people that you meet by showing determination, a vision, a hope, but then also action, correct?

Paul: Yes, ma’am.

Toni: You said you have over 100 people in your film right now?

Paul: Yes, because in 2005 I went back to Cambodia, so I completed so many aspects in my film project, the casting or the crew, scout location, and all the people they belong there to be in the project without getting paid because they hope, they believe in what I’m doing, the history of Cambodia.

Toni: So your film will be about Cambodia, and the history of Cambodia?

Paul: Yes, ma’am.

Toni: Now, when you are inspiring others by … really it sounds as though the motivation of bringing this vision to life as well, how do you think that that’s going to help others explore their potential?

Paul: Yes, I have learned from my own experience.  I motivate people to recognize their talent.

Toni: And how do you do that?

Paul: Because through my experience, some people they do not understand that they are capable to do what they think, so I point out and I lead them and Iet them take action so they can have their own experiences themselves.  They are capable to do the things that they didn’t ever think of before.

Like for example, I had one great gentleman.  He looked so good, so handsome, and he never thought that he could act at all.  Then I showed him, and I led him until now he is one of the best actors in Cambodia.

Toni: That’s fantastic!  So really, you basically light the way and provide them with the opportunity that it’s possible.

Paul: Yes, ma’am.

Toni: Do you find people coming to you for that sort of motivation, Paul?

Paul: To be honest with you, everybody that I come in contact with, they always ask for advice.  They always ask for my ideas so they can do a better job of what they’re doing every day.

Toni: Let me ask you this, now.  When you think of the word inspiration for yourself, what do you need to be inspired?

Paul: So many factors that inspire me, but I found out one very important that inspires me every day, that I get up in the morning, go to work without getting tired, without getting bored.  I can be by myself all day long because it’s me.  It’s myself.  I inspire myself.  I found out in order for me to inspire or get inspired, I have to have a purpose of what I’m doing rather than a reason.

Toni: Can you please, I really like that – a purpose for what you’re doing rather than a reason – and can you please clarify that for us, because that’s incredibly powerful.

Paul: I’d love to do that.  About 10 years ago, I was involved with network.  I heard people, they always talk about purpose and reason.  So I asked so many people to explain to me what is in between reason and purpose because, by then, I felt both were the same thing.

No one could give me the right answer until two years later, I found out myself what is it that means so much between purpose and reason that suddenly I became to be somebody else, that I can do anything I want to do.

Okay.   What I understand about purpose – purpose is you’re willing to do something voluntarily.  That means you want it.  There’s no reason whatsoever; because you want it, you do it.

But a reason – sometimes you do something you don’t want, but because you always say “I do this because of, because this, because that.”  That’s a reason because you don’t want to do it, but the reason for you to do it.

But when you have purpose behind it, it doesn’t matter how hard or how difficult.  You will find a way to get the job done because you want it.  Nobody forced you to do it.

Toni: So you didn’t realize the difference between those two words until two years ago.  Was it something that happened?  Was it an experience that you went through that made you …

Paul: About 10 years ago, I involved in network and I did so many things, but I couldn’t do anything better because nobody can ever explain to me what’s the difference between purpose and reason until I started to find out if I had purpose to do something, I will do my best because nobody is behind me to do it.

Since then, I started to do anything to put purpose behind.  Even when I go to work every day right now, I have purpose to be in my work, and I can do better than ever before.  You know why?  Because I love it.  I want it.  I want to be the best at my work.  I want to be the best at what I’m doing.

Toni: That’s really something.  So to answer the question the way that you did as far as what do you need to be inspired, and you said that you need to know what your purpose is; you need to be you.

Paul: Exactly.  To find purpose behind anything you do.  If you know that, you will go without stopping.  You know why?  Because you want it.

Toni: What else do you seek for inspiration, Paul?

Paul: I still need a lot of inspiration from other people, that’s why I read a lot of books.  I take a lot of advice from people.  I look at all the events that happened in history.  All of those still help me to inspire, but the bottom line is that it is myself that can make so much of a difference.  Let me give you, if you don’t mind, a little example, okay?

Toni: No, go ahead.

Paul: Okay.  You talk about a book or motivation from other people; just like outside, the siding on your house.  It can look good, but inside the house is the structure of yourself.  If you have good structure, it doesn’t matter what happens.  Your house will be standing still all the time because you inspire yourself.  So everybody needs it, but also you are most important to inspire yourself.

Toni: Are there tools or methodologies that you reach for?  You did mention books that you like to read.  Are there other examples of tools that you might reach for to be inspired?

Paul: Yes.  I have a book.   A book I bought about 10 years ago called The Executive’s … have you ever heard …

Toni: What is it called?

Paul: It’s called The Executive’s  (The Executive’s Book of Quotes – volume one and two) because all the book has is quotes, all of the people in the world including Oprah Winfrey, they put their mind into the book in terms of their quotations.  It’s all about that, and that book inspired me a lot because everyone says the same thing; you’re the only one who can make a difference.  Somebody else can help you, but no one can make you successful.  You’re the only one who can do that.

So every time when I’m on the down side when I’m so flustered or any reason that I’m not so happy, I grab the book.  I read it, and that inspires me again.

Toni: How does all of that help you to explore your own potential?

Paul: Yes, okay.  The same thing I do to myself, the same I do for other people, because I take an action.  I have a vision.  I have a plan.  See, I motivate people to recognize their potential.  That’s also what I do myself.  I don’t only do that for other people.

Toni: So by you having that vision and that plan really the step has to be taking the action.

Paul: Absolutely.  You know, on my feature film project, if I know from the very beginning — I might have a new one now — but when I have a vision, I can see end result before I take action.  Then I go back, start to plan, and then take one step at a time.

I don’t have to look over all what happened, but if I plan and I follow my plan exactly as I planned — and I can make a different plan when I have trouble — so I can keep moving forward.

So I have a vision first, and then I start a plan.  When I have a plan … and I found out there is no certain way that has a bad plan or a good plan until your action, until you take an action.

Toni: And then that’s when you find out whether or not the plan that you originally put in place would work, but you can always readjust because you are taking that action.

Paul: Absolutely.  Because to my experience, I never have a perfect plan, but I will get a result when I take an action.

Toni: I’ll tell you, it’s been really interesting listening to you just with such honesty to say that you do inspire others and help them explore their potential by providing and leading them with vision and hope into action, and having all of these people, these 100 people want to be part of your film because they want to be part of history, and I think that’s just amazing, I really do.

Then for you to mention that where you need to be inspired is with yourself, and the difference between purpose and reason, and Paul, I will tell you that the learning that people are going to take away just with those nuggets of information are going to be huge.  So for you to be as honest as you were in this interview, we thank you incredibly for that.

Paul: And I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to share my idea, because it’s all about … when I talk to you, not just only try to get other people inspired, but I also inspire myself.

Also, this will make an impact for me.  How can I do better?  Because some of the people listening are people I know that wanted to see a result.  How can I lift my feature film project into a great result?  How can all 100 people who put hope on me, how I can deliver the result, as right now I put myself under a lot of pressure, but I love to do that.

Toni: But you know what?  You’ve said it!  You’ve said it already.  You’ve said that you will know.  When you take that action and you move forward, if it’s not right you’re going to know it.  But you’re going to move forward, and you will not let those people down because you’re working very hard on your behalf and on their behalf, and I wish you the best success with this film.

Paul: Thank you so much.  I will.

Toni: Thank you so much, and we will be looking forward to it.  And we will post at the bottom of your interview how people can learn about you and what you’re doing.  Thank you again for taking part in the Get Inspired! Project.

Paul: It was my pleasure.

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For more information about Paul Reth:  newpaulreth@hotmail.com

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