You don't need that much money. Just enough to pay the rent, utilities and food.
My plan I created for myself post-uni when I was in 3rd year uni was to not get a job. Live very simply. Save my money.
The more money I saved, the bigger my runway to fail. And then work my hardest to build a company.
Bury the ego.
I was born into a poor family, and I never had any luxuries. So I trained myself from an early age not to care about what other people have or be affected by that.
You don't need all of life's little luxuries. If you live cheaply, you'll have the time, headspace and energy to create your dream company.
When viewed in that context, none of life's luxuries can hold a candle to being able to do the work you love.
Whatever anyone does, whatever anyone says, is aligned with how they see the world.
And so decisions people make are always perfect for them in the sense that all their education, learning, experiences and insights into the world lead them to that decision.
So when dealing with other people, it's important to understand that whatever they are doing makes perfect sense with how they see the world.
So start by understanding what's there for them, and deal with that.
There are no mistakes. Everything is perfect.
"Follow your passions."
"Dream bigger."
"Focus."
"You can get there with hard work."
"Do what you love because then you'll never have to work a day in your life."
etc.
etc.
Everyone dolls out the same advice, because it's true.
The difference between someone who lives their dreams, and someone who doesn't, is that the former actually lives their lives uncompromisingly by those principles.
Want to do something but you don't feel like it?
Want to start a company but you feel the first step is too high and too hard? Want to get fit but you feel too unmotivated to exercise? What to start your plans now but you feel like you can't because you feel too busy?
Well, the best way to feel like doing something, the best way to get motivated by starting a company, the best way to get motivated about getting fit and the best way to feel like you're going in the right direction, is to make the first move.
You'll feel motivated by your company when it starts achieving results. You'll feel motivated about your body when you see the outcomes of your exercising. You'll feel motivated, if you just take the action. Just take the first step, and try it.
Woody Allen once said that "eighty percent of success is showing up."
To me, that means, you go to the meeting about the project. You're there anyway. May as well participate. There's another way in which you can help out and use your skills. Ok, well then, you're there, may as well show up for that as well. And so the cycle continues.
Show up -> you're there anyway, may as well pitch in. You're pitching in, may as well do it well -> Show up...
Forbes named me a world's top 50 woman in tech & 30 Under 30. I founded Robogals and Aipoly and was Young Australian of the Year 2012. Currently working on robotics company Aubot. I'm the youngest Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and I give speeches around the world.
I tweet @maritacheng and I'm on Facebook.
On 14 July 2008, I founded Robogals. At the Robogals 10-year anniversary gala in Melbourne, I gave a speech alongside Mark Parncutt, co-founder of...
I was in a hairdressers in Melbourne. I was 18. it was the first time I’d ever been to a hairdressers to get my hair cut in my life! It was at a...
Why, excuses, rationale, justifications, explanations, verbal diarrhoea, reasons, etc. In the end, the myriad and infinite possibility of reasons...
I think it's important to have one person that says the final 'yes' to all the decisions in a start-up. That one person should be the visionary...
As the Cheshire Cat says, "if you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there." In my Engineering Analysis A class (an engineering...
For National Science Week, I spoke at the Super STEM Careers event about my career in STEM.
We’re building a new robot Jevaroo, an 8-degree-of-freedom robot arm on a moveable platform, that can lift 1.32kg at full extension. I love this...
I was named an Asian Society Game Changer Award winner alongside architect IM Pei (Lifetime Achievement Award), movie director Zhang Yimou, and the...
People are impressed by what they can't do. Hence I'm impressed by discipline. Someone who can do the same action every day. Such as swim, run, get...
One of the biggest muscles to exercise shouldn't be getting yourself motivated to not procrasinate. Sure, procrastination is a big issue, and...