There are two sides to risk. Managing risk is about uncertainty but it’s also about opportunity. When I stepped out of a senior corporate role to establish a new business, it was seen as a risky move. People often tell me I was brave, especially as the breadwinner with a family to support. It is true, however, it was also a huge opportunity to grow beyond any self imposed limitations.

My ‘aha’ moment came during the lockdown of Covid-19, when I was exercising on a running machine at home and listening to an inspiration podcast. Thank you to Brendon Burchard! I realised that I was waiting for permission that was never going to come. I was waiting for permission from my husband to do things differently and take a huge leap of faith to follow my dream. I was waiting for permission from myself to make a solo decision without the need for it to be a joint decision.

Yes, it was a tough journey. Especially during the first 2 years when my husband would repeatedly ask me ‘tell me again what was wrong with one good corporate role that pays the school fees?’. My reply was that ‘I’ve had 32 years in a corporate role, with constant ‘yes sir, no sir’ trying to please someone else. I am done. I now need to do work that I am good at, that has a meaningful impact in people’s life and to do it on my own terms’.

I followed a calling to put clients back to the centre of attention and keep adding value. It was challenging, however, I managed to ignore the naysayers, including my husband, and kept faith that it was the right direction. There were times when I felt like I was walking a tightrope, being so close to financial success and yet so close to losing everything we had worked hard for for 30 years. I guess that’s what they call Entrepreneurship!

How did I keep going and not give up? As you would expect, I tapped into my strengths of hard work & tenacity. However, there is more to it than that. Don’t forget, whatever we focus on expands and becomes our reality. Instead of focusing my attention on things going wrong, I have a daily practice of visualising a better future where my dreams are reality.

Every morning, I look at my vision board, and I say my affirmations. I practise a Kundalini yoga routine to clear the mind and release creative energy. At the end of the yoga, I sit in meditation and visualise each of my goals as if they have already been achieved. It’s not just a visualisation, it connects me to the energy frequency of the emotion I feel when I’m already there. This is one of the techniques I share with participants during our Create Your Destiny event to help them to manifest their dreams. It may sound fluffy but it seriously works and anyone can do it.

Our businesses The Life Academy and Legacy Wealth Advisors have grown and turned a corner. This year Legacy Wealth Advisors won the WealthbriefingAsia Award 2024 for the Best Independent Wealth Manager for South East Asia. I am an Independent Director of British & Malayan Holdings Ltd, a listed company in Singapore and a pioneering member of the SGX. I am a member of their Audit Risk Committee and Remuneration Committee and chair their Nominating Committee.

The lesson I would like to share here is to follow your dream. Just do it! Don’t wait endlessly for permission from yourself or others. Life is too short to not grab it with both hands and embrace every moment.

I hope you find this helps as a reminder to live with purpose and fulfilment as the best vision of yourself.