“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
"You’ll never make it."
I’ve heard that same line too many times growing up, but never once succumbed to it. I started competitive tennis late at the age of 12 but trained hard to eventually become the top ranked player in Singapore. I failed Physics in Grade 10 but studied tirelessly to top my class the next year. I lost four teammates during a military jungle exercise but persevered until I made it out alive.
Many see what I’ve accomplished, but few know what I’ve gone through. There have been instances when I came close to giving up, but my mother never allowed me to. She’d always say, “Success is a journey and not an end point. Keep believing in yourself and you will ultimately forge your own destiny.” Those wise words are the bedrock of my resilience.
Fast forward two decades, I find myself relying on that same resilience as I break out of my comfort zone and pursue a path less travelled – entrepreneurship. For the first time in my career, I face maximum uncertainty with no fall back option.
“90% of startups fail.” I seem to have heard a variation of that before. I am scared, but that’s not stopping me. My mother has always believed in me, and I owe it to her to keep fighting for my dreams.
— Sylvester Wee