3 Groups of Studies That Shape The Growth Mindset (& how parents, educators and students can use it to build resilience)

What is Growth Mindset really?

‘Growth mindset’ is a recent buzzphrase. But what does it truly mean? And how can we use it to develop resilience and grit in youth?

In short, the term is coined and made famous by Carol Dweck, a researcher passionate about helping others develop empowering ‘mindsets’. The ‘growth mindset’ is essentially a set of beliefs that inform 1. How people view themselves and 2. How they view effort and challenges. As such, our ‘mindset’ has a serious impact on our resilience and personal growth. The ‘growth mindset’ is opposed to the ‘fixed mindset’, and the differences are listed in the table below.  

How can we cultivate a ‘growth mindset’? And does it really work? 

I had an interesting conversation with a friend, who served as a trainee teacher in 2 separate primary schools - one with a clear focus on cultivating the ‘growth’ mindset, and one without.

She told me something fascinating – that she witnessed a clear difference in the speech pattern and the way kids responded to tough challenges and questions. In her words, it was “very obvious”.

As such, I do believe increasing awareness of the growth mindset in parents, educators and students, can really do tremendous good to raising our resilience as a society. Yet, the term is often quoted colloquially, and not given enough in depth treatment and focus.

As such, in this article, I will summarize 3 Groups of Studies that inform and support the growth mindset, and suggestions on how to use it to our advantage.  

1.       Studies on Neuroplasticity

Neuro-plastic-ity refers to the ‘plastic’ or changeable nature of the ‘neurons’ in our brain. In simple terms, our brain (and intelligence) is scientifically proven to ‘grow’ when we apply effort. How?

Neurons are special elongated cells in the brain responsible for carrying information, and ‘neural networks’ are a mass of neurons that interact with one another in our brains, as seen below:

In 1964, American neuroanatomist Dr. Marian Diamond found that an enriched environment (a cage with toys) produced changes in the rats’ cerebral cortex (a part of the brain responsible for thinking); their brains became heavier than the brains of the rats in a less stimulative environment.

Later studies and technology confirmed this concept of Neuroplasticity, that areas of the brain can grow or shrink with deliberate thinking patterns. For example, a study in 2000 showed that the London Taxi drivers had larger hippocampus (part of brain for spatial memory) compared to the non-drivers, and that the weight of the brain was positively correlated to the amount of time spent driving.

The video below shows an actual MRI imaging of how this process happens. When ‘thinking pathways’ are constantly activated, neurons grow and connect to one another in a process called myelination. When they are underused or abused (think drugs or accidents), they demyelinate (unjoin). 

As such, this recent body of research forms the foundation of the ‘growth mindset’ - that anyone, kids and youth especially, can develop their ‘intelligence’ with deliberate effort and thinking.

What influences the amount and type of effort however, is largely dependent on one’s attitude and belief – hence the importance of the ‘growth mindset’.

2.   Studies on talent VS hard work

Question: Would you rather be praised for talent or hard work? Which do you feel is more important to success?  Chances are you picked hard work. However, is that what we really believe?

Many American surveys have asked this question, and hard work is quoted nearly 5 times as often.  The results are consistent with a study done by a psychologist, Chia-Jung Tsay, who showed that musical experts rated ‘effortful training’ as more important than ‘natural talent’.

These experts were then asked to listen to a short clip of “different” individuals playing the piano. Unbeknownst to the subjects was that the same person was playing different parts of the same piece. In the separate descriptions, one person was described as a ‘striver’, while the other was described as a ‘natural’. The experts were then asked to pick who they felt would have a higher chance of success internationally. In direct contradiction to what they stated earlier, the subjects chose the ‘natural’.

This study underlies a key crippling bias that the musical experts (and many of us) have – we may logically say hard work is more important, but are emotionally attracted to ‘naturals’ or ‘talent’. This belief is further entrenched by the media, that glorifies and parades achievers as mythological one-of-a-kind superstars, and hardly every talk about the sweat behind achievement. 

And yet, numerous research has shown that effort, specifically deliberate practice, is just as important, or even more crucial to achievement. Yes, talent plays a part, but its effort that triumphs it. Read the book ‘Talent is Overrated’ for a detailed argument of this. Or you can read a summary (click on summary).

So, what are the implications of favouring talent over effort? Here are a number of crucial ones:

1)      Students get conditioned into a ‘fixed mindset’ and are not motivated to put in the hard work to ‘grow’ their brain.

2)       Student use a “lack of talent” as an alibi or excuse for giving up. As Nietzsche said: “Our vanity promotes the cult of genius. For if we think of a ‘genius’ as someone magical, we are not obliged to compete and improve”.  In other words, glorifying “talent” lets us off the hook of hard work.

3)      As educators or parents, we favour talent and show it unconsciously through our verbal or non-verbal actions, especially in differing treatment of siblings or students. This reinforces the bias in students and further entrenches the ‘fixed mindset’

The last point especially, is linked to the final study, which also holds the key to understanding where a ‘fixed mindset’ originates and how to tackle it.

3.  Carol Dweck’s’ landmark study on praising intelligence over effort in 11 year olds.

In 1998, Carol Dweck did a study that led to the eventual birth of the growth VS fixed mindset. She tested fifth graders (aged 10-11) on 10 IQ questions. The students excelled and received 3 different type of praise: Intelligence/ability (“you must be smart”), effort praise (“that’s a good score, you must’ve worked hard”), and a neutral result praise (that’s a good score).

Next, she gave the same kids a choice to try to a set of tougher questions. What she found was fascinating - the ability praised kids stuck to the previous easy problems. In contrast, 90% of the effort praised kids wanted tougher problems.

Eventually, she gave both groups of students tough questions. She found stark contrast in their attitudes and results as well. The ability praised one reported feeling more discouraged and frustrated, whereas the effort praised kids reported feeling more “fun”, satisfied and encouraged when they had to put in extra effort.  They also did better than the counterparts while the control group (results praise) were in the middle.

And lastly, and perhaps most telling, is what happened after the test. When asked to write an anonymous letters to their peers, 40 per cent of the ability praised kids lied about their scores to inflate their intelligence.

This study was replicated several times with similar results. This underlies a key principle: by telling kids they are “smarter”, we could actually be making them feel dumber, act dumber, but claim they are smarter. In less crude terms, kids conditioned into this ‘fixed’ mindset have a greater fear of failure due to a perceived loss of respect or praise, or avoid challenges in order to protect an arbitrary sense of intelligence or success.  This protective mechanism best represents the essence of the “fixed mindset” and how it cripples resilience.

How can parents or educators can build resilience and a growth mindset?

After getting a better understanding through these studies, here are some suggestions on building a ‘growth mindset’ and resilience in youth:

• Change the belief that only outcomes matter. The desire to praise ability and intelligence stems partially from this belief. It’s the same reason why students who go to “better schools” are in danger of adopting the ‘fixed mindset’ and having their self-esteem dangerously fixed on external praise. Instead, value the process of growth, and recognize that effort can make one more intelligence and capable, as seen through the studies on neuroplasticity. Be conscious of verbal or non-verbal patterns that show favoritism to talent among students or siblings.

• As parents or educators, reward and champion progress and effort, not just outcomes.  A personal philosophy I share with students I train and coach is: “Never let success get to your head, or failure get to your heart”.  We should not let kids get carried away and complacent with success. Rather, celebrate their progress, and ask “What’s next?”.  In failure, guide them to independent thinking and emotional regulation through a simple 3 question reflection: “What happened? Why did it happen? And thus, what are the lessons I can learn/corrections I can make?” 

• If you’re a parent, allow you child room to try, fail and overcome. This is how the growth mindset is conditioned. Resilience is the ability to bounce back stronger from failure. Which means, experiencing failure is necessary to build resilience. Be there for them and guide them with overcoming the failure, but don’t overly protect them from it. 

If you’re a student, how can you build a growth mindset?

• Value your effort, and don’t use “lack of talent” as an excuse to slack

• Convince yourself that your brain CAN grow with practice. Watch videos on neuroplasticity and read further to increase your belief.

• See failures as exciting opportunities for growth, change and improvement, rather than potential sources of public humiliation. Stop caring too much about what other’s think, the last laugh will belong to you.  Click here for 3 ways you can change your perspective to failure. 

• Seek discomfort and challenge. Don’t fear it. It is ONLY through challenge that we evolve to the next level – in our character, resilience, skills and maturity. If you don’t go through a challenge, you will never train your thinking nor emotional control.  A good analogy is leveling up in a game – to complete new levels, you need better skills and thinking. Life is no different.

Conclusion

The ‘growth mindset’ is quite an exciting field of research which will have a greater emphasis in our education system in the coming years. Of course, these concepts are not new. Yet, the strength of it (and why it has gained international recognition) is the value of it being packaged and positioned as a programme and a “language” to cultivate resilience and champion the value of effort and progress. As such, if we can harness this “language” as educators or learners, and integrate it into curriculum, I do believe we will go a long way in raising the collective resilience of our youth!!!

Jeven

My teacher treated me differently. Once, we were answering challenging questions. She laughed and said: “Class, you are not allowed to use the textbook. Only he (pointing at me) is allowed to use it”. Many started laughing and calling me names like “noob”, “dumb sia”.

This was in primary 5, and I got into the “best class”. It was a culture shock..the level of kiasu-ism... It was like the ‘Hunger Games’, where everyone’s trying to win and fighting not to be “killed” by each other. Despite trying my best (72 marks), I still scored lowest in class for 3 consecutive exams. That was when the bullying started. I got called names like “retarded, disgrace” and “waste of resources”. My teacher lamented ‘lowest in class again!’ when handing out exam scripts. That didn’t help either.

I was quite emotionally affected back then. It’s hard to describe it exactly, but when you’re being bullied, you wake up every morning and have this lingering negative feeling, that you’re expecting bad things to happen. And it made me fearful and unmotivated to come to school.

There’s a quote that goes: “Work hard in silence, let success be your noise”. When I felt like giving up, this was my silent motivation. I did my best in PSLE, and scored better than some who called me names. But that’s not that important, it’s the resilience I developed that I treasure. To anyone who is facing bullying, I shared my story to encourage you to persevere on and never quit, you’ll eventually win the battle and be grateful for the tough times.

Right now, I’m in secondary 3 and I’m doing much better. I love my secondary school - my friends and teachers offer a helping hand or listening ear when I’m feeling low, they have shaped me into who I am. My mindset towards education changed too. Although I do my best in academics, I know it’s not the only thing that matters. A musician I spoke to said that he did not need math and science to produce music, only relevant subjects are important when you work in a certain industry. Also, results do not dictate who you are as a person. If you achieve academic success but have a terrible character, you’re still a not-so-good person. So as long as we do our best and work on ourselves, we can be successful in our own way.

Looking back, I don’t blame or have hatred for my primary school classmates nor teacher, they were just influenced by the competitive, kiasu culture. My hope for students is to be more accepting and not be so kiasu haha. Do not judge others who are less academically-able, some people have other talents such as in the arts (dance, music, etc.). If you observe friends not doing so well, try to help them. We learn when we teach too. Organizing group study sessions also helps you have a diverse group of friends, with different strengths to help each other. This way we can build an inclusive culture where everyone can succeed together in different ways. This is my hope for our education.

Theingi Soe (Global Entrepreneur & Speaker )

In primary school, I started to notice.. ‘ah, I was different’. When we lined up, I was always the first. I also started to get teased. My only channel was my brother. He advised me, but at that time, it didn’t go in. Secondary school was better, but the self-consciousness always lingered. When I started work, I had a hard time getting a job, but eventually settled for an accounting role.

I was afraid of networking and people. When I meet someone, at the back of my mind, there was always this thought ‘What are others thinking about me? Because of this, I retreated into my comfort zone. I didn’t reveal much about myself, for fear of being hurt.

After 5 years of working, I finally realised, this is not the future I want, this is not where I want to retire. I wanted to step out of comfort and overcome whatever baggage I carried.

I started to look for opportunities, and got introduced to my current mentor, Alvin Yong. He was an amazingly open hearted and accepting person. He introduced me to the world of business, and encouraged me to attend seminars to build up self-worth and skills. I was shy at first, but slowly, the association helped me grow. I started to speak to people, to work on my own distribution business. Entrepreneurship grew on me; it was a platform to overcome by deep seated insecurity and show to myself that I wasn’t limited by my condition. After a while of working hard, the income from my business grew, and I’ve left my full time job since 2007.

Despite the progress, it’s a constant journey. Once a lady from the Philippines contacted me about a potential business partnership. She was tall, slim and beautiful, and owned an aesthetic clinic. My thoughts nagged me again: ‘Would she really want to partner me? Would she listen if I speak to her? Would she respect me?’

But my mentor pulled me up. He said: “Don’t feel small. You have your own value. You know your product, you have expertise in your right”. With that, I’m now enjoying a close and profitable partnership with the lady.

My experience taught me a major lesson: Self Esteem isn’t rooted in my outer appearance. Self-Esteem is rooted in my belief of my own intrinsic value. Do I believe my words and actions can influence people? Do I believe I can add value to others? When I take that approach, I feel less pressure and live life lighter.

 I’ve developed a deep passion and gratification from helping others - be it through speaking, writing or one on one coaching. When you’ve added value to someone and they respond with gratitude, it’s a feeling that’s beyond words.

Through my learning, I’ve found myself being mesmerized by some speakers. They have an energy and vibe thats positive and magnetic. I thought ‘I want to work towards that too’.

So I developed a vision - to be a motivational speaker and eventually write a book. I love social media and want to reach out to more people. I share my inisghts, experiences and travels. Sometimes I check into hotels, and beds and showers are so high! I’ve got to check out and go to another hotel!

I hope my sharing can inspire people to be more empathetic to people who have different needs. Apart from that, I also want to reach out to youth, women, anyone who might have insecurity and self-imposed limits. I used to think if you’re tall, pretty, smart...you will have less insecurity, I realised that’s not true! That’s where I come in and share that there is hope, that you can overcome that mental disability and live a life without limits!

If my story can help others to make a change in their lives, I’m grateful. That is enough for me.

Tiffany (Marine Biologist)

I stopped counting rejections. I had over 50 job applications turned down. It does take a toll on you, but despite that, I’ve never regretted my decision to pursue Marine Biology.

When I was younger, pursuing marine biology was improbable. Growing up, I never watched wildlife documentaries and did not have much knowledge of marine life. In poly, I took a science-based course, disliked it, and swore I would never touch science again. Yet, a few years back, I took a leap of faith.

I worked in customer service assisting casino guests at Resorts World. The good income and the friends I made kept me going. However, I felt stagnant inside and knew I needed a change. The opening came when S.E.A. aquarium was hiring a lab technician. I jumped at it, and through the job, I was exposed to all sorts of aquatic animals and the field of marine biology. The interest grew on me, and a crazy thought (to my mum especially) entered my head.

What if I go overseas to study marine biology? I had the desire, but the fear was there. Plenty of ‘What If’s’. I had a stable job, and was already in my late 20’s. The future job prospects were also uncertain. But I had and still have a mentor from Bahamas that gave me the push. He’s a warm caring figure with a cheerful vibe and always wants the best for everyone.

He urged me to do it, and not think twice. He said “this is not the time for ‘What if’s’, this is the time to go all out and make all the mistakes you can. You can always come back and do this, but if you don’t try, you might live to regret it”

I’ve since achieved a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology and MSc in Marine Mammal Science. I’m currently a research assistant with Norwegian Orca Survey and making plans to undertake my PhD. I have no regrets.

) It was truly incredible. Out of this world. The first time I saw killer whales in the wild.

Maybe it’s the sheer size or its elegance in the water, but either way the feeling is indescribable. It’s very cliché, but I fell in love with them.

Marine life are largely threatened by human activities. These include entanglement in fishing gear, bycatch and lately, it’s not uncommon to find plastic waste in the stomach of whales that wash up on shore.

This motivated me to study marine mammals, and pursue research for marine conservation and environmental consciousness. The passion drives me forward. It’s comforting to know that your work contributes to an important cause.
Overseas, I got used to bringing my own recycling bag and packing everything into one bag. When I returned to Singapore after my studies, I did get slightly frustrated. I was given 3 plastic bags for 3 different items. When I said I just needed 1, the cashier exclaimed: “Are you sure?” Someone in the line added “Later got contamination”. I’m sure it was out of goodwill, but all my food stuff was sealed tightly.

Of course, it is understandable and I don’t wish to take the moral high ground. In fact, if I didn’t study overseas, I wouldn’t be as aware myself. In the countries I’ve been, bringing your own bags and charging for plastic is the standard (over here we riot when supermarkets start charging haha)

Regardless, I do believe more can be done to improve our environmental consciousness. We live in convenience and don’t really think about the consequences of our waste and way of life. It helps to realise that not everything is about profit and self-interest; thinking about our actions and taking conscious steps to reduce our carbon footprint, will also make us more considerate and compassionate as a society.

Did you know? More than 80% of the ocean isn’t explored. Isn’t that crazy? The ocean has an allure, it’s so vast and mysterious. Scientists estimate about 2 million species are living in the ocean, and only ~200,000 are known.

There’s so much more we can learn, so much more we can discover. That’s one major reason that drives my passion.

Interestingly, it’s like a metaphor for life too. I never knew what’s possible till I took the step to try. I was from an NA stream, didn’t fancy school, and my grades in poly were horrible. If you ask me years ago if I would ever imagine myself in my current position, the answer would be ‘Definitely Not!.

What’s the advice I’ll give to my teenage self? Get out and explore as much as you can. Acknowledge that fear is always present. It’s not entirely bad, it forces you to weigh the possibilities. Yet, an exaggerated fear is the number 1 reason that stops you from doing a lot of things.

Today, I still feel the fear of uncertainty in my profession. However, when I look back, it’s crazy to imagine that I would not have experienced all this if I had let fear hold me back. So take courage, figure it out, take the first step, and conquer the fear. And when you do, the feeling of liberation is as vast as the ocean.

Rupert (Lawyer)

 I’m 57 this year. I’ve been a lawyer for over three decades. Some of my peers have left the profession. But I
stayed because I’ve grown to find meaning in what I do. In particular, I handle conveyancing (legal process of dealing with real property). It might seem simple, but it’s not. There’s a lot of details involved and clients can get emotional over their homes.

I have one philosophy that I stick by strongly - everyone should be treated with respect. I relate at their level, I refuse to see myself as ‘higher’. With this particular mindset, take time to explain to clients the nuances of the law and really listen to their needs and concerns.Sometimes it takes about an hour, when a competitor might do it in 5 mins (i.e just sign here, here and here). Whether its a simple HDB sale or multi million dollar plot of land I treat them the same.

My staff sometimes wonder “Mr X, why are you investing so much time on each client? ”. Well, there was one time my staff were calling for me. A lady had come into our office upset and frenzied, and could not be calmed down. I came in and looked at the records, and realised she was my client from 12 years ago! Of course, I couldnt recognise her (I see almost 8 new clients everyday), but I called out her name. She turned and exclaimed “ Oh Mr X, I remember you!

Immediately, from a cold expression she broke into a smile. I think from the incident my staff knew the answer to their initial question.

What keeps me sane all these years? People. The law may be settled and trite, but clients are new. Everyone presents a different and a new connection to be made. Sometimes, I walk down the street in t-shirt and shorts, people might recognise me and say “Mr X, you did this case for me years ago, my wife
and I always talk about you!”

 I do tell people - find something compelling beyond your work that you love. For many, work is not an overwhelming passion, so there has to be something else that keeps you going. For me, I took up sailing in my mid 20s, and find joy competing in races till this day. Sailing is a lot like life. You need physical and mental strength to deal with the changing winds. You can’t change the winds of life, but you can surely control the angle of sail.

In the last decade, I had to sail less because of my back. I went swimming instead, and a friend suggested me to try a triathlon. I got hooked. A company organizing triathlons approached me recently. They said : ‘At your age, you can be a great ambassador for the sport!” So I took it up, and now they sponsor my gear and my races.

My family is still concerned whether it's all too strenuous for me. But I tell them: everything in moderation. I can monitor my heart rate and pace myself. If I don’t exercise, I will probably sit in the office, work all day, get a paunch and waste away.

 It’s rare to see a lawyer that does cosplay. I have to mask my true identity (just like the superheroes of old) because there’s still stigma around it, as a frivolous activity or escapism. But I do it for a specific reason - it sparks pure joy and awe in people. I started out because a friend needed volunteers to bring cheer to the kids at an autistic centre for kids. I thought, Why not? I believe in stepping out of my comfort zone, nothing to lose. It was amazing, the kids absolutely love it. They scream with joy and wonderment.

There’s something special about the alter ego, the lure of a hero that opens hearts and minds. I now have quite a collection of costumes that cost me quite a tidy sum. I do it purely on a volunteer basis, to raise money for charity events or to bring cheer to beneficiaries. As a lawyer, I also volunteer at old folk homes’ to ensure proper protocols. I find it hard to relate to the elderly, as they are quite guarded. But when I visit as Batman, it’s the complete opposite. They say “我认识你,你是 Batman!” (Even as a nurse, it might be hard for them to get them to eat their food. But when Batman says it, they listen. LOL.

Gerard Lin (Ah Siao) (Ultramarathon Runner & Crazy Fundraiser)

I didn’t have the best of childhood. Once, my neighbour called the police because I was being beaten THAT badly by my dad. Naturally, I had low self-esteem, performed poorly academically, which made for lower self esteem and fueled a perpetual cycle of sadness.

The first catalyst for change came when I took up taekwondo in Junior College, and met my Shifu (martial arts master). He had a special charm about him. At the core of it – was his belief in people. I’ll always remember what he used to say: “一胆二力三功夫”. Which means, first comes courage, second, strength, and third, skill. He would also shout random motivational during class like “You’re the best!” “Take action!”. His spirit was highly infectious. we lapped it all up. We will train before training, we will train after training and even train after the after training training! All these trainings so that we can become the best. And indeed we were one of the best clubs in Singapore.

He was an example to me. I wanted a taste of it, to model myself after his success and character. I was willing to go to any lengths to earn his respect.

Why did he leave such an impact on me? Because he taught through example. And what he taught me was a solid mindset, and an undying passion for whatever you do.

I have always been volunteering with various charities. It gave me joy and somehow gave a reprieve from the negatives of my life. In 2012, I decided to something more- run a marathon and raise funds for the Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP). I thought: ‘I needed to do something different, to draw attention, if not who will care to donate?’ That’s where I thought of it: ‘I’ll run with a tire tied to me’. I’ll also play a persona called ‘Ah Siao’ – an ex loan shark turned good who runs for charity.

There was only 8 weeks left to the race. I was never a runner. Martial arts was what I always knew. The next day after I decided to do this, I tied a tire to myself and dragged it. After 2km, I was done. I squatted down and couldn’t continue. A truck driver stopped and looked at me like I was indeed ‘Ah Siao’ (crazy). But I had a naïve thought: ‘if I could do 2km, I could do 21x2km’.

On race day, I completed the marathon in 6+ hours. There was overwhelming interest from the public and media. I got “Stomped” and went viral. People were inspired by ‘Ah Siao’ – they related to the persona. Everyone would know of a ruffian in their life, with the best of heart despite what life throws at him. You could say they rooted for this perennial underdog. Eventually, $100,000 was raised – 100 times more than my target of 1k. Of course, it was with the help of the team at BMDP. The story - the sight of a crazy man suffering under the drag of a 14kg tyre bought home the point that what he faced is nothing compared to a patient awaiting a transplant.

This started my journey with ‘Ah Siao’, a common man who does crazy feats for charity

 I started intense training and ultramarathon running. It became an obsession and passion. My growth didn’t occur in a vacuum, I have many people to thank- elite athletes, sport scientists, inspiring running friends who trade advice and encouragement.

To raise funds, you need eyeballs, so ‘Ah Siao’ had to live up to his name. He has done a marathon a day for 31 days, 50km x 50 days, ran from Singapore to Thailand, and once dragged a tire on crutches for 10km because he promised to run despite an injury. The most pain I’ve been in is a run from Perth to Albany, doing 1000km in 20 days. On the last 300km, my leg got very injured. The forest trails and bitumen tracks took a toll on the shin. It was swollen from edema – when blood vessels leak fluid into the tissues. It’s the kind of pain that shoots out from your eye with every step. A little of my soul died every time I took a step.

But people had already donated, and I had to complete it. I believe in being intensely solution oriented. If there’s a problem, what are the options? Then, can I execute the options? I wrapped masking tape around my shin and took painkillers, and eventually completed it. I realised: ‘If your mind wants to do it, it will do it. It will find a way within a set of parameters of reality’

I am grateful when people come up to me and say: “Hey, I remember you from 5 years back, dragging the tire on crutches. Thanks for inspiring me”. To me, that’s one of the most valuable things in my journey. I just want people to look at ‘Ah Siao’ and say: ‘If someone like him can do it, then maybe I can do it too’.

 “Never be limited” was my mantra. I was seeking a breakthrough in volunteerism. With a simple dream in mind, fiddling with an ambitious idea of challenging myself to run 100km a day x 20 days for a total of 2000km. Physically I knew it was way beyond my capacity so I toyed with similar ideas, scaling it up to a higher level because it had to be impactful. I wanted to do something for the Mental Health sector because President Halimah said it was her focus this year.

Aimless me was seeking opinion on the ground and speaking to anyone who would listen on how to conceptualise this initiative. Casually, I suggested this to a fellow ultramarathon runner - Ong Tze Boon, former President Ong Teng Cheong’s son. Over a typical SG style la-kopi brainstorming session, we both knew deep down that this needs to be a team effort rather than singular person journey. This Ah Siao thing was getting too stale.

“Okay ON. Let me help you, let’s do this together” He assembled a crack team of volunteers. He made available his network and resources. That was the genesis of Relay Majulah.

Who should we raise funds for? How about one of the biggest and well known in the country? How much? 1 million dollars. Network effect. Let’s gather 200 people to run. A relay! People with stories. Of passion. With a singular belief. Strong sense of purpose. To be the change we want.

A Eureka moment rose. It wasn’t just a relay. It was a message. And we intended that to be a loud one. We wanted to tell everyone that:

Relay Majulah is a ground-up initiative by a group of like-minded and passionate friends to form a 200-runners team to conquer 2,000km over 8 days (2-10 Nov 2019) to raise funds for President's Challenge and to unite the community, for the community. The movement seeks to also create awareness of the social causes in our society and how that we stand in solidarity with our friends as they overcome and conquer all odds.

Nicholas (Photographer & Media Editor)

As a child, I was fascinated by the natural world and different people, places and cultures. So I grew up watching the National Geographic Channel and especially enjoyed geography, history and literature. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the subjects were tortuous. They even diagnosed me with Attention Deficit Disorder - of the dreamy kind - and gave me pills to concentrate.

In hindsight, it was interesting how I only needed those pills when practicing math. It’s tragic that arts subjects seem to be second grade; the system pigeon holes you very quickly if you don’t fit in. i.e ‘Oh, you can’t do math and science, let’s put you in the arts subjects’. Why can’t one have a legitimate interest in arts?

I developed a keen interest in photography in secondary school. I started out fiddling with my Dad’s cameras, and experimented a bit more in the photography club. Eventually, I started to get serious about it while at the Communications and Media Management Diploma in Temasek Polytechnic. It was a real epiphany because when I finally got to do something I enjoyed, my labours were hardly laborious. Till today, I have stacks of National Geographic magazines and photography magazines stashed somewhere.

This photo of Lee Kuan Yew won the TODAY News Picture of the Year in 2013. By society’s standards, you could technically say it was my most defining work at the time. I don’t really feel that way now, I was just in the right place at the right time. It's funny because I also shot a photo of Kim Jong Un in Singapore at the Trump-Kim Summit. These big moments were a confluence of years of development and experimentation. In that sense, there are many other moments which are equally defining to me, even some “failed” ones because they give you stories to tell.

Society tends to glorify success, results or talent, but it’s clearly not the whole equation. People who are good at photography might be exposed to a camara early; people who are good at a sport may have had parents who took an interest in it and nurtured them. They started out early and slowly accumulated advantage — small, seemingly insignificant actions often add up to much more with deliberate practice. Nobody was born knowing how to pole vault. Many people we label as geniuses or prodigies are ordinary people who have become extraordinary because of the little steps they take each day.

I was glad to enter University. It was at first unimaginable given my polytechnic background. Despite the anticipation, I struggled in my first year. The readings and tests were especially tedious after two years of stagnation in the army. University was like the JC I never went to. I found myself chasing grades and trying to outdo people and myself. Especially for creative assignments, I struggled between doing what I wanted over what I needed to do to get good grades.

I reflected on this and pondered how in a neoliberal capitalist system, we are conditioned into a mindset of scarcity and competition — in our world, money and the supposedly spontaneous, self-evident market is above life itself. Before he was assassinated, Robert Kennedy pleaded for values and ideals over what (was then known as) Gross National Product. Kennedy said: “It measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”

The bell curve is a great example — we are not-too-subtly teaching kids that in order to thrive, you need to rip the person next to you. Call me idealistic, but I choose to believe we can and should create our own path and that collaboration can be synergistic.

Perhaps we are starting to awaken to the fact that this is a cynical worldview and not the only way to live our lives. It may even be harmful — why else did Greta Thunberg lambast politicians for their obsession with “money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth” and how did the book 'This Is What Inequality Looks Like' become a bestseller locally?

I graduated recently and decided to freelance as a multimedia creative and commercial photographer. This allows me to own the creative process, enjoy the product of my labour and feel a sense of purpose. Purpose is so important because if you feel alienated from your work and from other humans, you become cynical.

Sometimes people ask: “When are you going to get a real full time job?” They naturally assume the status quo — get good grades, a good job, earn money, buy stuff we don’t really need, elope or BTO… I refuse to believe that is the only way.

Oscar Wilde said: “To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people exist, that is all”. I’ve been thinking about this, what makes life worth living? For me, its when you sincerely enjoy your work, and when people appreciate and value you. I have a client who gave me a downpayment upfront and said “I think this will help you as a freelancer”. I was so touched. Who does that? Usually people hold payments to the last minute’.

Sometimes there is serendipity. I experience little moments of glee when I realise I don’t need to squeeze in the train, or when I'm having tea at midday in an empty cafe. Or when a client thanks me for the work I do. To me, it’s priceless having my own space and the time to explore things I want.

In greek mythology, there’s a story of Icarus, of how he tried to fly near the sun, how his wings melted and he fell to the Earth. It’s often told to warn us of overestimating our ability. Yet, I choose to see it from a different perspective and as a reminder to make things, break things and have an interesting life. It’s embodied in a poem by Oscar Wilde:

“Never regret thy fall,
O Icarus of the fearless flight,
For the greatest tragedy of them all,
Is never to feel the burning light”