Changing the way he thinks

Leaving his home country, Ray always knew he wanted to pursue a career as a trainer but wasn’t sure how to navigate onto the right path.

After a long career as an instructor in the special forces and a team building facilitator in Taiwan, in 2014 Ray moved to Australia with his wife.

Looking to better his English skills, he enrolled in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) at TAFE Queensland, which offers free and basic English language classes to help people settle into your new life in Australia.

“I spent the first five years studying English and became a volunteer tutor. I think it’s great that immigrants are given support as they build their lives in Australia.”

Ray knows all too well what it’s like to overcome the challenges of starting a new life in a new culture and country. Having climbed that mountain, he found his calling: helping others overcome life’s challenges and roadblocks through developing a growth mindset.

“A growth mindset is looking at failure and setback as opportunities for growth and development,” Ray says.

“Nothing is a failure because you learn from it.”

Ray’s passion for living life with growth in mind has shaped his last few years so much that he decided to write a book on the subject: Change the way you think.

“Writing the book was something one of my teachers helped me decided to do. She said, ‘Why not? If you want to write a book, just do it.’ So, I did!”

“It’s now in the National Library.” Ray smiles proudly.

“And the TAFE library!” he winks as a proud TAFE Queensland graduate.

At the same time as having his book printed and published, Ray came back to TAFE Queensland and began studying a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment TAE40116.

“I want to train people, to help them reach their potential but I wasn’t sure I could even finish the course,” he laughs.

“I had people tell me I was a good instructor in Taiwan but that if I want to train people here in Australia I need to study. So, I started the course and was glad to find teachers who would support me to get my qualification.”

“My teachers were a part of giving me the confidence to do the things I want to do,” Ray smiles.

“My English isn’t perfect so I worried I wouldn’t be able to complete the course. But they helped and supported me to complete the course.”

Full of good advice, Ray is an encouragement to everyone he meets. We asked him to coach us through how to develop a growth mindset. His advice:

Keep going, despite how you feel.

“You’re not going to feel good every day. Especially when things get hard. For me, the language barrier is a roadblock. But you have to carry on to get where you’re going.” Ray says.

Just give it a go.

“If you want to do something, give it a go and you might surprise yourself. And If you fail, so what? You learn.”

Believe in yourself, even if no one else does.

“If you are going to do something scary, people around you are probably going to say you can’t do it. You don’t have enough time; your skills aren’t good enough… The hardest thing in life is believing you can achieve your goals no matter what, but it is possible. Remind yourself of what you’re capable of.”

The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs. In Queensland, the AMEP is delivered by TAFE Queensland.