My Journey To Dreams
by Iris Cheah
Winning speech for BVTMC Chapter Meeting on Monday, 19 Aug 2019
Pathways Manual, L1P1 The Ice Breaker
Good evening everyone, my name is Iris, I am an Early Childhood Educator and I teach Mandarin. I am a food lover. I like to read books, watch drama or movie and sing songs in my free time. I have a very wide range of interests for self-development like doing yoga, learning different languages and instruments.
I have a family of 5 including me. I’m the eldest in the family. My parents work as delivery man. I have a Brother who just ended NS, and a 11 years old Sister with mild special needs.
I know it very well that as my parents aged, I will be the family’s main financial support and the same applies for my Sister.
Ever since I joined the Early Childhood industry, my health went down the hill. Starting with my lips, I suffered from cheilitis. Next is my skin. My hands started to have eczema and I fell sick easily every month. It was painful and impacted my quality of life and self-esteem.
I did not get enough rest, as I spent most of my personal time working non-stop on teacher stuffs.
I was only 28 but I felt so lousy in health.
At times, I questioned myself, “How long can I continue to work like this?”
I can’t imagine. As I get older, my body can no longer tolerate the current demanding job requirement. Then how?
Looking at my senior in the same industry, I asked myself, “Do I want to be like them? Is that the future I want?”
Separately, I had a new concern that I could be easily replaced by people who are younger, stronger, cheaper and have higher qualifications. I am personally feeling this concern right now.
Again, I asked myself, “Is this the life I want?”
“What does the perfect dream life mean to me?”
I used to be 90 kg, like a ball. If you push me, I will literally roll on the floor. But I managed to bring it down to 67 kg in one year during 2014. However, it rebounded to 80 kg ever since I started my Early Childhood Educator career 4 years ago.
This led me to start my first entrepreneurship attempt by importing weight management products from overseas and reselling it within Singapore as it helped me to lose weight.
However, later I realized that the product further affected my health, leading to lesser energy and caused nutrition deficiency. I do not see how that business was truly beneficial to people or is able to give me good health, more time and freedom or a better quality of life in the long term. So, I stopped my first business attempt for good.
After I stopped that, I continuously looked for new opportunities and God answered my prayers.
I chanced upon a Friend who provided help for my health, weight condition and skin issues. Subsequently, he helped me to lose fats and gain muscles through food and helped myself from dress size XL to size M. And I felt so much happier as my skin disease, the cheilitis and eczema finally healed completely on its own. Just by slimming down the right way and having good nutrition.
From this experience, I gained knowledge. I’m transformed in every aspect physically and mentally. Thus, I decided to partner my friend to build this global online distribution business, to help more people who have the same struggles and needs.
I have many Dreams.
To retire my diabetics Mom from work.
Give the best support for my Sister’s development and conditions.
To travel around the world anytime, anywhere and experience life with my family, especially my Mom as she deserves more at this age.
Be a Daughter that will make my Mom proud.
I will be healthy, fit, pretty and still look young as I age.
I will pursue personal interests and self-development full time.
I will help world non-profit organisations in environment, children, women and animals.
I learnt that what happened in life makes me a better person.
I can choose to complain about life and remain the same. Or I can step out of my comfort zone and learn to grow.
Everything happens for a reason.
We can’t control our environment and circumstances.
However, if we have clarity of the person we want to be, the dreams and life we want to lead, we can respond positively to challenges according to our values and integrity.
We only live once. I would like to take this chance to urge every single one of you here tonight, to dare to dream and take action towards it!
———-
Impressed by this? Want to find out more about Iris?
Join us at our next Chapter Meeting!
‘Like‘ our Facebook page and RSVP for our next meeting! TODAY!