Paying the Price of Security for A Shot at Freedom

So hey guys.... it has been AGES since I last updated my blog. I am still working at Forte Organisation as a salesperson and trainer, and I am still learning as much as when I first started. Although I lost my opportunity of being an IC and a Forte Leader due to too much pressure and stress on myself, but I am now fighting extremely hard for it, and I know that it is coming to me by next week when I transit  to a new campaign.




Anyway for these past few months, those who follow me on Facebook will know that I got two university offers, from SMU social sciences and NTU Sociology respectively.

Then I got faced with the biggest decision I would ever make in my teen life:

Accept the university offer, or give it up to stay in my company to work.




No one really understands why I would give up the university offer to work, but the amount of learning that I am having in Forte is incomparable to whatever school has taught me over the past 18 years. I have learnt how to be fearless in making mistakes, I have learnt how to balance stress, I have learnt communication skills, I have learnt how to be responsible and accountable for my own actions, and I have learnt to keep on constantly improve myself and to keep looking forward. All these, I never learnt in school.

And you can imagine the amount of family and peer rejection that I got when I had the intention of giving up my university offer. My family would hound me very single week when I go out for dinner with them and either scold, cry, beg, reason with me for me to change my mind and go to the university like any other normal 18/19 year old would. Even my long time friend of 18 years kept on calling me to tell me about her own university experiences and what she has overheard from her friends regarding university admissions and all the 'worst-case scenarios' if I were to give up my uni placings.

Initially, I completely disregarded their opinions due to sheer stubbornness, but then their words inevitably made me feel extremely insecure about my decision. My mind was in a really fragile state, and was pushed even further into despair when my sales crashed. What the fuck was the point of me staying in Forte if I couldn't even perform? Even Allison addressed it in front of everyone. She told me that I was determined, but it will be stupid that I stayed if I was only being stubborn (in a harsh tone, she's not one to mince her words). If I were to continue having lousy sales, there wasnt any point in me staying and I might as well go back to the university.



I was in the same 'ai-mai' state for 3 months, and even in 2nd June when I had to accept the university offer, I still couldnt make up my mind. I went to the SMU admission office to speak to the administrator regarding what I should do, and she recommended that I studied first because I was 'extremely lucky to be one of the 2000 people amongst the 14000 applicants to be accepted into the university'. According to her, if I were to own a huge business that were to be eventually publicly listed on the stock exchange, I would need a good university degree so that other people will have a better opinion of me and that I will be deemed as more 'reliable' compared to someone who didnt have a degree.

I then accepted the university offer out of fear, then went directly to Allison the next day.

When I told her I was accepted into social sciences, she burst out laughing. What was I going to do with that degree? There was absolutely no where I could go, and employers such as herself feel turned off even looking at it. She then recommended me to reapply next year and that she would help me get into the course that I wanted, which was SMU's business management course. She never said it directly, but it was as if she was asking me to place my faith in her.



I went home to think for one final time. Who should I trust? Should I listen to Allison, the ambitious woman who is the managing director of an extremely successful sales team, who makes tons of income, and who is so knowledgeable about the ruthless business world at a mere age of 24, or should I listen to the administrator at the SMU admissions office, who sits behind the computer every day, doing the same job of handling all the students' admissions to the school, picking up calls and addressing tiny matters, along with a steady income that never drops nor grows?

It all came down to something that I have learnt over the past few months (not only from my company, but from the NAC 2014 and various inspirational books): The people who I should follow aren't those around me nor below me, but those who are already at where I wish to be. If I listen to the administrator, I would end up exactly like her 10 years down the road. What exactly did she know about BUSINESS if she isn't even owning one herself? She was still having a JOB, and I don't know how satisfying that is for her, but that DEFINITELY isnt for me.

I want to fly with those with big dreams, those who have already made it happen for themselves and those who are always hungry for more. Many people tend to shun and despise rich and successful people, saying that they are that way due to talent, luck etc etc when what they dont know is the amount of effort that these people put in to get to the stage where they are at. Allison happens to be one of these people, and thus I place my trust in her. Of course, my family and friends are the ones who care for me the most, but they aren't at the place where I see myself 10 years down the road. (Some might mistaken my thoughts as looking down on my peers, but that isnt the case.)


So on the 5th of June 2014, I decided to take the leap of faith that no one else would dare take (especially with my shitty A level results) and withdrew my university place so that I can work at Forte.


My sales has started to pick up and I am almost back to my usual standard, and it is only going to get even better, now that there are no more distractions. As Ronnie's team name and tag line goes: Inspiration - Beyond Limitations!, there are no boundaries as to how far I can go, as long as I believe that I can.