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Ann, nevertheless, practices what she preaches. In 1999, she was winner of Cosmopolitans’ magazine “Fun, Fearless Female” award. She has since established herself as model, television correspondent, and actress. Ann was recently seen on the TV hit “The West Wing, “ playing a staff’s aid. But life wasn’t always so easy for Ann. She started learning about adversity 25 years ago as a six-year-old, Korean-born, polio-stricken outsider in Kansas. From the poised, athletic woman she is now, it’s difficult to imagine the earlier Ann Lim- the one who couldn’t speak English, needed leg braces to walk, and who hid, sobbing to avoid the daily torments classmates aimed at her “deformities.”
“The greatest journey is to look inside yourself and find out what makes you who you are. I have done that.” CHILDHOOD AND BACKGROUND This is an excerpt from “All men are NOT created Equal,” a true childhood story:
I will, however, concede that I got a bit of head start. Finding a husband, my mother constantly told me, should be main priority. But, when you are15 years old and standing in the deli line at the Piggly Wiggly Supermarket, and your mom encourages you to date Walter, the 34 year old, heavy set, Secretary of the local Trekkie chapter, who slices your baloney, you quickly realize that you should probably take matters into your own hands. Most people assume that Asian mothers universally encourage their children to aggressively pursue education, learn to cultivate an interest in playing a musical instrument, or, even now, as Asians are becoming more acclimated to American culture, become a sports star. While many Asian mothers certainly do want this for their children, some Asian mothers, like mine, determined that I was a lost cause at a very early age. My mother invested all her academic aspirations onto my brother and sister. My sister graduated from the top universities in the country, earning academic awards, scholarships, and ultimately landing prestigious jobs. My brother also succeeded both academically and even athletically. He won tennis tournaments in high school, earned two advanced degrees. Since I did not earn straight A’s, and was at the time fat and slightly disabled, I had to, according to my mother, find a husband. But being the only Asian family in Kansas in the 1980s made this even seem impossible. In the 7th grade when most girls depend only on the quick spin of a bottle to determine who their boyfriend “for seven minutes in heaven” would be, I was betting on more than a kiss behind a sofa. “Go out with him.” My mother would tell me, pleading me to reconsider dating Walter. “He is the only man that will ever fall in love in with you, Ann.” Now as I sit in a New York City apartment overlooking Central Park, I realize how foolish she was. But then in 1982 as the only Asian student in Topeka, Kansas, her remarks resonated with me. Entering into the lunchroom, no one would ever invite me to sit at their table. When I would muster enough courage and sit down next to the nerdy girls, who had noticeable dandruff in their greasy ponytails and wore their sisters’ lipstick, they would gawk at me and insult me when I pulled out my lunch. In 1982, when everyone else in the school cafeteria traded their peanut butter and jelly for ham and Swiss sandwiches, the smell of my lunch, which typically was Sushi—which no one in Kansas ever heard of—incited revulsion among my classmates. “Ewwww,” shrieked Judy, the girl sitting next to me, exclaimed. So, I stopped going into the cafeteria all together. I would get a note from the teacher to go to the bathroom and then I would go into one of the stalls, close the door, prop myself up on the toilet seat with my legs pushed against the walls, so no one would see me dangling from the seat. And there, I would eat my lunch. But most times, I did not eat anything. The other kids remarks and accusations made me start thinking that my mom’s specialty lunch was indeed “groody” to borrow the popular 1980s slang. I do not recount this story as a way to possibly score some airtime on Montel or some other talk show. I relay this story to let you know that I have not always been lucky in love or romance, and that I had an inauspicious start. I also tell you this story because if I could manage to have a back up boyfriend, so could you.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT ANN LIM ... "Ann's a dynamic, natural and eloquent speaker. She could insure anyone. She's also not easily intimidated, which enhances her public presence." -
Stanley Slosberg, President "Ann is one of the best motivational trainers I've ever seen. I am impressed with her ability to effectively communicate and gain the confidence and respect of those she is training." - Kate Jackson, Sales
Manager "Ann has a strong vision of the future and her integrity and business ethics are beyond reproach. Ann has brought new ideas and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and style to our meetings. We were very impressed." -
Gregory Comito, President "Ann is inspiring and to the point. She made complicated tasks seem simple. Ann was able to take center stage, make everyone feel at ease but let us know that we were there to learn cutting-edge technology." - Gladys Vargus, Merchandise Manager |
