Dear Oprah,
We haven't met yet, but I have a feeling that you are in every way as inspiring, impressive, and intimidating a person in real life as you are on TV. I recently watched the commencement speech you gave at your godson, Will Bumpus', graduation ceremony at Duke University. I immediately wanted to friend him on Facebook, but I figured he gets that a lot. Besides, I wanted to earn your attention the organic way. No ties, no friends... an empty slate so that I can know that if I made it, it was purely out of my own devices. All I have is my words, a beautiful story to tell, persistence, and the conviction that with enough time and effort, no dream is too big or out of reach. ... To actually be able to show everyone that nothing is impossible if we refuse to allow excuses to stand in the way? Nothing would be as empowering as being able to do this.
And this, Oprah, is why I’m in love with SABI. I don’t love it because it’s my job to love it, I don’t love it because I believe that our sushi rolls will be the best in the market (although the founders tell me that they will), I don’t love it because I believe that SABI is on the fast track to success and I want to be along for the ride, and it’s not just because although I’ve only known some of the team for two weeks now, I feel like we’ve been like a family for years. Above all else, I love it because I have seen first-hand the power that SABI has to inspire. SABI has made me a better person. I wouldn’t be here writing to you if it weren’t for the fact that their message has given me something to believe in again. Not very much in today’s cynical world has the capacity that their story does to inspire people to stop settling for mediocrity and begin living for the extraordinary. Our lives should always be lived in the pursuit of being exceptional… when was it that we stopped believing in our ability to do so? SABI’s story has that capacity. SABI’s story has power to change people lives, for the better. And for this, for the smaller stories – all nighters spent batting around ideas, the early morning coffee binges; the flash of understanding that passes around the room when we remember again how crazy this is, the second flash when we all realize that no one in the room actually sees this as crazy at all; because we know that here, wherever SABI is, our dreams, no matter how outwardly outlandish, are safe; because of all the nights where, exhausted, I crawl into bed but find myself unable to fall asleep because of all the ideas I have for SABI whirring through my head, and because all the mornings I wake up filled with joy because today I get to work on what matters – for all this and still so much more… that is why I love SABI.
Of all of the beautiful things that you said in your speech, there was one part that drew a physical reaction out of me: my heart beat faster, my stomach tightened, and a spurt of adrenaline sent chills down my spine. That's how I've always judged whether I truly believed in something, if something was the right thing to do; it's how I felt when I first entertained working with SABI and how I've felt every morning when I woken up since I've committed myself to the success of SABI. And that's how I knew, with complete certainty that I needed to find a way, any way, to contact you. Because you, of all people, exemplify all the ideals that we hold so true to our hearts while we work towards making SABI a reality.
In a recent conversation with Shaan Puri, I asked him, “Why are we doing this? Why SABI, Oprah, everything?” And without batting an eye he put into words everything that I had been struggling to say. He said, “Because I love that feeling of inspiring, or being inspired. Being a part of something that’s bigger than you. SABI is something like that. I want to make something that people want to be a part of. I want to make something that Oprah wants to be a part of. That all of her followers want to be a part of – the reason why she has such a huge following is because she is an example of what people want to be. Powerful. Independent. She sees the good in people, she sees the good in stories, she brings them to life. I want to do the same for other people once SABI becomes successful.”
Shaan put into words what I instinctively knew: that you of all people would understand the deeper significance of SABI, and only someone with your influence would be able to help us take our dream to the next level. My heart told me that despite the eons of fame and notable success that separate you and me, we would understand each other in a more fundamental way, in the way that we view important life questions on success, happiness, and meaning. That you would be able to see as I do with enough time what greatness SABI could be capable of.
So I believe you when you say, that what makes you feel successful is "being able to use [your] life in service to someone else's", and because of that, I believe that you will one day help us to "move forward... to higher ground". But I also believe that we are not ready for you yet, that we have to earn our privilege to work with you. So among the myriad other issues that I have to work on in order to get the foundations of a start-up business going, I will spend every spare minute I have convincing you that we are worth it. That four wide-eyed undergraduates have what it takes to be truly great. Together, Shaan, Trev, Dan, and I will find a way to make it, no matter what it takes; and we know that when you have an idea this great, all it takes is a little faith.
With the sincerest admiration,
Isabelle Wong
powerful.
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