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6 years ago, I was the lousiest person I've ever known:
I was the last in my class
Failed GCE 'O' levels terribly
Dropped out of polytechnic
Today:
I secured a Diploma
Worked as an engineer
Experienced multiple job and project experiences
Though the failures were beneficial for me, I wish I could have done things differently.
In today's newsletter, I'll share what I would do if I could turn back time.
So that you could relate and apply it to improve your future.
According to Reliable Plant, just 20% of people make plans for themselves, but the sad reality is that only 30% of this group is successful.
If you do the calculation, that is only 6% of all people.
And the number one reason for this is the fear of failure.
That was what I used to fear, which led to some regret.
If I had the chance to relive my youth, here's what I would do:
1) Experiment and fail often
I was afraid of failure because of the shame it would bring me.
Based on a study, 3 in 4 Singaporean students fear failure which is higher than the global average.
I was one of them.
I stopped myself from experimenting because I was too afraid to fail.
But in a society that values perfection and success, those who fail early often learn and stand out the most.
“This is not to suggest that Israelis are immune from the universally high failure rate of start-ups. But Israeli culture and regulations reflect a unique attitude to failure, one that has managed to repeatedly bring failed entrepreneurs back into the system to constructively use their experience to try again, rather than leave them permanently stigmatized and marginalized”
― Dan Senor, Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle
If I had the chance to relive my youth, I’d fail often and be proud of it.
2) Explore my leisure
My secondary school teacher stopped my hobby of painting figurines as it was affecting my grades.
I remember vividly the exact words she said: “You should stop wasting your time on these useless figurines that don’t bring you a future.”
Because of that, I lost interest in my leisure and got nothing in the end.
My grades on my 'O' Levels today are still a fail with 3 E8s.
If I had the chance to relive my youth, I'd be more defiant to my teacher and focused on my leisure.
Here's a video of me painting a figurine when I was 14 years old (pardon me for the poor selection of music and video quality 😂)
Sometimes I wonder how would this turn out if I continued it.
3) Quit doing the things I hate
I was doing things I hated, trying to cramp every info of the textbook and memorising the periodic table.
I didn't want to end up in the technical college (ITE), it was an embarrassing place to be in because that’s where most failed students go.
Turns out, my life in ITE was the best part of my education.
I discovered my interest in mechanical design from there.
As an intern at St Luke's Hospital, I designed a mechanical prototype for healthcare workers to push wheelchairs with ease.
I could have never discovered this interest if I avoided ITE to save myself from embarrassment.
If I had the chance to relive my youth, I’d quit doing what I hate.
"Instead of going to therapy, I quit doing the things I hate."
— Daniel Vassallo
Conclusion
To wrap up, here's what I'll do differently:
Push myself to fail early and often
Focus on my leisure instead of seeing it as a distraction
Quit doing the things I hate and more of what I like
What about you?
What would you have done differently?
What changes do you wish to see in your future self?
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