Why do Good Intentions Deepen or Disappear?
Some intentions begin with pure kindness. But over time, they can lose their warmth, their clarity. When our goodwill no longer feels whole, what does it reveal? What do we learn?
The EShare scholarship has now reached its ninth year. It has supported many students, helping them stay grounded and confident as they complete the first major chapter of their lives—graduating from high school. And through these nine years of walking alongside EShare, I’ve come to understand a lesson that runs deep.
In 2016, my son and I arrived in Canada to study. I enrolled in International Business, and he entered Grade 7. That season of life was filled with quiet blessings—support from family and friends that gave me the strength to travel far, all the way to North America, to begin understanding myself anew.
A personal upheaval had stirred something inside me—a need to reclaim my sense of self. I wanted my loved ones to believe I hadn’t collapsed, that I was still resilient. Still worthy of the name Hải Đăng (Lighthouse) my grandfather gave me. I carried the spirit of someone who had once worked in leading Vietnamese media companies and global corporations in management roles. My professional profile was strong—enough for people to believe that after studying in Canada, a bright future awaited me.
Two friends—one I met during my time as Head of Marketing Services at Bayer CropScience, the other a partner from that same journey—became kindred spirits. Together, we quietly built EShare, hoping to create something meaningful for the world. Later, another sister from Australia joined us. The three of us shared everything: fundraising, selling, operations, communications, recruiting volunteers, and finding students in need. We worked like bees gathering nectar for life, holding onto a dream that felt both big and beautiful.
Then one day, I asked my two friends for permission to step back. Something inside me felt misaligned with the work I was doing for EShare. The years 2019–2021, marked by the global pandemic, were also years when my emotions froze. My role at EShare felt distant. The scholarship program paused—no one was there to remind students to submit their annual academic results, which were required to continue receiving support.
I kept asking myself: Why had I lost connection with EShare?
In 2022, I found the answer. It was the word “ambition”—specifically, ambition for recognition. When I founded EShare, I secretly hoped the world would honor me as a kind person. I lulled myself with the image of a Hải Đăng still shining after hardship.
Once I saw that truth, I began to shift. I adjusted my thinking, balanced my emotions, and chose to act with clarity.
There’s a saying in Eastern medicine: “Where there is flow, there is no pain. Where there is pain, there is no flow.” By the end of 2022, I had found my flow again—and the mindset to return to EShare.
That was also when my grandfather left behind a quiet wish: to help children in our hometown pursue education, using the savings he had gathered over a lifetime as a traditional healer. His fund could support 30–50 students each year.
The universe also sent me a passionate volunteer. And I finally completed a rigorous management process so EShare could grow and reach even more students.
In the first half of 2023, the EShare team resolved all pending scholarship cases from 2019–2022. We resumed annual sponsorships for students until they graduate from high school. One sweet milestone in 2025: a student who received EShare support since Grade 9 in 2017 graduated from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City—with a degree in Nutrition.
Now, I continue to serve EShare with a clear and gentle heart. My wish is to support even more students—so they can stand strong, strive forward, and embrace the beautiful experiences life has to offer.
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