Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Lawrence Wong met up with Singapore’s sprint queen Shanti Pereira at the Home of Athletics.
They discussed how failures were important parts of the journey to success.
Source: Lawrence Wong on YouTube
The record-breaking sprinter also shared advice for young people undergoing challenges.
She told them to accept that their own personal journey may be different rather than be distracted by what others have achieved.
DPM Lawrence Wong showed up at Singapore’s Home of Athletics in a YouTube video published on his channel.
Dressed in sports shoes and a black T-shirt, he talked about how failures were essential to success. One can improve and move closer to success through learning from failures and setbacks.
DPM Wong met up with sprinter Shanti Pereira on the stadium’s reddish track. On top of doing warm-ups with her, he congratulated her on her many record-breaking achievements in the past year.
Source: Lawrence Wong on YouTube
Just to name a few, she took the 100m gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships, outpaced a European champion at a German athletics meet, and recently broke Singapore’s 200m national record at the World Championships.
Shanti called the recent months “crazy” but had her sights set on the Asian Games in October as well.
DPM Wong mentioned that everybody will encounter roadblocks in their lives, and asked Shanti for advice she could give to those struggling.
Shanti shared that she constantly listened to people who “didn’t even matter” to her. The ones who did matter were her support system: her family, loved ones, friends, and coach.
Ultimately, it was about “accepting that your journey may be different from others” and that it may take time to reach your goals.
Speaking from experience, she said it may include years of failures and unfortunate circumstances.
The two reminisced on their first meeting eight years ago in 2015, where the sprint queen had secured Singapore’s first 200m gold medal.
Source: Lawrence Wong on Facebook
Shanti talked about the self-pressure that came from winning the gold medal in 2015. She felt she had to keep up with that “status” she achieved.
While she has never felt like giving up amidst the pressure and challenges, Shanti recounted she suffered from an identity crisis for a long time.
She attributed her successes in the past two years to a shift in perspective.
Slowly, she realised that it was important to focus on her own journey. She advised pushing one’s frame of mind away from the distractions of others’ journeys and onto one’s own.
Concurrently, Shanti acknowledged that it was a monumental task for anyone, including herself.
Even so, the record-breaking athlete encouraged those struggling to recognise that everyone was going through their own challenges.
“Life works in very funny, mysterious ways, but at the end of it, you figure it out.”
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Featured image adapted from Lawrence Wong on YouTube.
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