Zeik Syahir

Zeik Syahir, 23 years old

When you first attended Empower U:

2008

Your recent success/ What have you done with your life?

Recently qualified for the National team for Rowing in Singapore

Best memory from Empower U:

The scene from Braveheart just before we did the board break, “Would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our freedom.”

Which lesson have you implemented the most?

“Do the thing you said you would do well after the mood you said it in has gone.”

This lesson has been extremely impactful in my life as it constantly reminds me that I am in total control of my success and dreams, and if I ever succumb to “losing the feeling” I will rethink and reflect on why I even began on the journey in the first place, to reignite the passion and the drive.

How did the program impact your life?

Empower U gave me the opportunity to learn to adopt a more optimistic view of life. To be a body-builder, one constantly works out in the gym, stretching and tearing the muscles while lifting weights. That’s how he gets physically stronger. Likewise, to be mentally strong one needs to stretch his thinking and to understand that the mind can become negative, and to counter that is to focus on being optimistic. It can get a little tiring sometimes, but it will all be worthwhile at the end of the day.

What would you say to someone thinking of attending?

Enjoy the process. Absorb what you can and question yourself so that you truly understand what has been said. But most importantly, HAVE LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN!

What advice would you give to other young people trying to better themselves?

Don’t be harsh on yourself if you encounter failures of any sort. Failures are building blocks to success and you need to give yourself time to understand why you failed. Don’t waste your time feeling sad about it. Attack the problem immediately and improve on that weakness.

What has been your biggest lesson in life so far?

I am responsible for all the decisions I make in life. I take ownership of both the failures and the successes from these decisions and I am accountable for every action, every spoken word, and every effort (or lack of) I placed in executing the decision.