A continuación compartimos con ustedes una historia inspiradora, una historia real que pretende ser útil para quienes ya comenzaron o tienen una idea para empezar un emprendimiento propio. Nos encanta porque enseña, de principio a fin, a convertir un obstáculo en una oportunidad, frase que hemos escuchado hasta el hartazgo pero que siempre es bueno recordarla.

También la elegimos porque representa, en cierta manera, nuestra trayectoria, la historia de Fundación Proydesa, que surgió hace más de 30 años con la idea de un visionario, Loli García Costero, y logró abrirse camino en cambiantes contextos socioeconómicos y hoy continúa ayudando a acercar los mundos de la educación y el trabajo en el sector IT.

Mike Lowman - Graciela García Costero

Esperamos que la disfruten. Se llama “El Perdedor”:

Cuando era chico y crecía en un pueblito de Minnesota del Norte, su tío le puso a Charles el apodo de “Chispitas”, inspirado por la caricatura de un caballo de carreras llamado “Bujía” (Spark Plug). Igual que el caballo, Chispitas se convirtió muy pronto en un perdedor, un solitario, y un fracaso en la escuela, en los deportes y en la sociedad. La escuela le resultó casi imposible: reprobó Matemáticas, Latín, Física y Literatura. Le gustaba patinar en el lago en invierno y Chispitas llegó a formar parte del equipo de golf. Pero perdió desde la primera ronda, y también en la ronda consuelo.

Su mamá lo quería pero era tan tímida, que nunca fue a una reunión de padres. Su papá era el barbero del pueblo. A Chispitas nunca le hicieron bullying ni se burlaron de él; simplemente lo ignoraban todos menos su perro fiel. Así que Chispitas se resignó a vivir así. Su único escape era dibujar, de lo que estaba orgulloso, pero cuando envió sus caricaturas para el anuario de la escuela, las rechazaron a todas. Un día, su papá le preguntó a un cliente, “¿Valdrá algo Chispitas alguna vez?”

Chispitas se contentaba con vivir en la mediocridad, pero siguió dibujando. Quería convertirse en un artista. En la escuela de arte, conoció a su primer amigo verdadero, Linus, que lo alentaba. Así que envió sus dibujos a los Estudios Disney. También fueron todos rechazados. Las caricaturas populares de la época eran más realistas o complicadas; las de Charles eran demasiado simples.

Chispitas no se dio por vencido. Decidió contar su propia vida en caricaturas. Su personaje central era él mismo, un fracasado crónico. Su sonrisa optimista y feliz, acompañada por el entusiasmo de su perro, Snoopy, y el apoyo de su amigo Linus, a menudo terminaba en un suspiro de derrota. Pronto dibujó y agregó a otros amigos y conocidos que fueron apareciendo: su hermanita, Sally, la hermana mayor de Linus, Lucy, Schroeder el pianista, Patty, Pigpen, y luego Woodstock, el pajarito amarillo amigo de Snoopy.

Peanuts, la tira cómica, pronto llegó a los periódicos. La tira fue una sensación, luego un fenómeno popular. La gente de todas partes se identificaba con el querible perdedor, Charlie Brown. A través de su humanidad, todo el mundo recordaba momentos de su propio pasado.

Pronto Charlie Brown se hizo famoso mundialmente, y Charles “Chispitas” Schultz, y sus Peanuts lograron la fama. En la soleada California, Charles dibujaba Peanuts todos los días. Fue entonces que Coca-Cola le ofreció Patrocinar un Especial Navideño de televisión con la música de piano de Schroeder que sería proporcionada por el pianista de jazz Vince Guaraldi.

Un día, Charles le preguntó a su esposa, “¿Qué se siente estar casada con un millonario?”. Ella preguntó, “¿Realmente hiciste un millón de dólares este año?”. Charles replicó, “¡Cada mes!”. Hoy, ¡todos podemos comprar muñecos, rompecabezas, juegos, libros para colorear, tarjetas, caramelos, platos, ropa, cajitas felices, mochilas, accesorios para el baño, la cocina y el auto de Peanuts! Y Peanuts todavía aparece en periódicos de todo el mundo.

Charlie Brown es amado por todas las edades alrededor del mundo porque todos enfrentamos fracasos, rechazo, dolorosas vergüenzas, decepciones, desalientos, y dificultades, pero al igual que su creador, Charles Shultz, su personaje de dibujos animados Charlie Brown persiste!

¿Cuál es NUESTRA elección? Si cada uno de nosotros descubre y desarrolla el talento único que todos tenemos, no hay límites para nuestro potencial. Todos somos los perdedores que nunca abandonamos. El “perdedor” Chispitas incluso construyó una pista de patinaje para la secundaria para que los chicos puedan patinar y jugar al hockey como él lo hizo una vez. Falleció el año 2000.
¡Larga vida a Peanuts! 

Then we share with you an inspiring story, a real story that is intended to be useful for those who have already started or have an idea to start an entrepreneurship of their own. We love it because it teaches, from start to finish, to turn an obstacle into an opportunity, a phrase we have heard before but it is always good to remember it.

We also chose it because it represents, in a way, our trajectory, the history of Fundación Proydesa, which emerged more than 30 years ago with the idea of a visionary, Loli García Costero, and managed to make its way in changing socioeconomic contexts and today it continues to help bring the worlds of education and work closer to the IT sector.

Mike Lowman - Graciela García Costero

We hope you enjoy it. It's called "The Loser":

As a young boy, growing up in a small town in the North of Minnesota, Charles got his nickname “Sparky” from his uncle after a cartoon racehorse named “Spark Plug.”Like the horse with high hopes, Sparky soon became a complete loser, a loner, and the epitome of failure in school, in sports, and in society. School was nearly impossible: he flunked Algebra, Latin, Physics, and English. In sports, he enjoyed skating on the lake in winter and Sparky made the golf team. But he lost the first tournament. In the consolation round, he lost too.

His mom loved him but was socially awkward and so shy, she never even attended a Parent-Teacher’s meeting. Dad was the town barber. Sparky was never bullied or teased; he was just ignored, except by his loyal dog.The boy was a loser, and everyone knew it. So Sparky just learned to live with it. He escaped to the one thing he cared about, his drawing, of which he was proud, but when he submitted several cartoons to his senior high school yearbook, they were all rejected. One day, his dad asked a customer, “Will Sparky ever amount to anything ?”

Sparky was content to live with inescapable mediocrity. If things were meant to work out, they would, so he just kept drawing. He wanted to become an artist. At art school,he met his first real friend whose name was Linus. Linus encouraged him. Thus, one day he wrote Disney Studios who invited him to submit his drawings. These too were all rejected. The popular cartoons of the day were more artistically realistic or complicated; those of Charles were just too simple.

Sparky still didn’t give up. He decided to tell his own life in cartoons. His main character symbolized the perpetual loser, himself, a chronic underachiever. His optimistic and happy smile, accompanied with the enthusiasm of his dog, Snoopy, and the support of his fiend Linus, usually ended in a disappointed “sigh” of failure.Soon, however, he drew and added other “friends,” and acquaintances whos howed up: his little sister, Sally, Linus’s big sister, Lucy, Schroeder the pianist, Patty who liked peppermint, even an always dirty little boy, Pigpen, and then Woodstock, the yellow birdie who was Snoopy’s friend.

Peanuts the comic strip soon arrived in the newspapers every day and in color for the Sunday editions. The comic became a sensation, then a cultural phenomenon. People everywhere identified with the lovable loser, Charlie Brown. Through his humanity, both hopefulness and disappointment, everyone remembered similar moments from their own past.

Soon Charlie Brown became world famous, and Charles “Sparky” Schultz, whose many failures never kept him from trying, and his Peanuts achieved fame. After the move to sunny California, his devoted wife designed their home and gardens, cooked, cleaned, and cared for their kids, while Charles drew Peanuts every day. After Coca-Cola offered to sponsor a TV Christmas Special, Charles approved it with additions and deletions: the real Christmas story must be included, no laugh track, no adults, and Schroeder’s piano music would be provided by Vince Guaraldi, the jazz pianist who also became famous. After a host of awards, there followed Halloween and Easter Specials, all which were shown on television and have been every year since.

One day Charles asked his wife, “How would you like to be married to a millionare?” She asked, “Did you actually make a million dollars, this year?” Charles replied, “Every month!” Today, anyone can purchase Peanuts characters’ toys, puzzles, games, coloring books, cards, candy, dishes, puppets, clothes, McDonald’s meals, backpacks, bathroom, kitchen, and car accessories! And Peanuts still appears in newspapers around the world.

Charlie Brown is loved by all ages around the world because we all face failures, rejection, painful embarrassments, disappointments, discouragements, and difficulties, but just like his creator, Charles Shultz, his cartoon character Charlie Brown persists!

What is OUR choice? If each of us holds on, to discover and develop whatever unique talent we all have, then there is no limit to our potential. In the end, there are the losers who never give up, but maybe just take longer to develop, and Life finds a way, even for them. The “loser” Sparky even built an ice rink for the local high school in memory of his own childhood so the kids there could skate and play hockey like he once did. He died in the year 2000.
Thank you and R.I.P., Charles.
Long live Peanuts!