You’ll Never Do Anything in the World Without Courage – Aristotle

I have had my fair share of rejection in life.

When I was in secondary school, our debate team only comprised of students from the express stream. Being in the “normal academic” stream, I didn’t make the cut. However, I had a burning desire to make my voice heard. I stood up for myself and fought my case to represent our school. So they let me!

You know what? I won the best debater in the region that year! Since then, the debate team has been open to anyone who wanted to participate. I realised then that it takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take “No” for an answer.

Aristotle was definitely on to something when he said we need courage to accomplish anything worthwhile in this world. Perseverance and persistence in the face of rejection are symbols of true courage, and I want to urge you to not take these “No”s as an excuse to stall your goals.

I was also a late starter in the creative space. I studied computer science for my higher studies and landed a job at Microsoft. While I should have been feeling accomplished, it left me feeling unfulfilled, knowing that there was something out there more suited for me. A year in, I decided to venture into the creative industry and enrolled at Lasalle to study communication design.

My late dad was cautious about my decision. After all, he had already paid for my education! But I was resolute this was what I was meant to be doing. At Lasalle, my first assignment was to design a Coca Cola limited edition bottle. The winner’s design was to adorn a limited edition bottle.

I put my heart and soul into creating the best design I could conjure up. I had no experience using tools such as Photoshop or Illustrator. So I stuck to good old Microsoft Paint, which was the only “design” tool I knew from working at Microsoft. Well, it worked! My design was selected amongst more than 500 others nationwide. Understandably, I was triumphant and determined.

These experiences in my life shaped my ethos to be a resolute fighter who simply refuses to conform to (most of) society’s rules.

And I want to remind you, too, to be determined to forge forward, even when circumstances hold you back. You need to be persistent to tear these roadblocks down or somehow get around them. Stay laser-focused, and don’t allow yourself to be deterred. I know that there are times we hear “No” before we even get a chance to prove ourselves.

You should be quick to learn from the rejection that comes your way and move ahead with a profound internal “YES” that refuses to be silenced!

If you come up against rejection in life and are faced with perpetual “No”s, remember, it simply means, “Not this way.” But you need to keep going forward. Adjust your crown like the queen you are.

Forge on, be unstoppable and emerge as a force to be reckoned with! Remember that persistence is going to take you far in life.