[Music]
three years ago this was me 11 p.m.
Friday night along in the office in the
center of Beijing I click sent shoot off
my goodbye email to hopefully my last
boss ever it set there scared excited
and relieved at the same time I was
quitting my job
leaving the word stop marketing for I
was going to work full time on my tiny
jewelry business a month ago had
discussed this with my boss he was very
disappointed we were a good team
I was his right hand he cared about my
development and he had just offered me
this really really tempting promotion I
would love to say yes but accepting that
offer was a commitment issue I knew I
had to pick my boss frowned and said to
me are you sure you really want to work
in that code shabby apartment packing
boxes do you realize how important it is
especially at this stage of your career
to stay with a big global company you
will never be invited to this exciting
events meeting those fancy clients no
but if you really decided you may have
thank you but I do appreciate his
concern but in the end I said no no to
that promotion no to the brand and no to
the security of employment
I remember the fresh spring brace that
night I said walk down this fancy
straight I just said goodbye to I felt a
surge of terrified determination
bolstered with my idealism and blood
pumping with my rebellion
I knew I had to do this and forget about
the fantasy of oh you could probably try
verse and say it how it goes
it was this or that Now or Never
I’ve always been driven by my drive
sometimes led me to want to say yes to
everything my mom often told me when I
was little be careful of your ambition
even writing checks your body cannot
cash
gee mom no of course it didn’t listen
but through work and life I’m slowly
learning her lesson that for me for this
especially curious and impulsive me
there’s immense power in saying no and
of course Makka stop saying no did not
end with my employee days and this is an
example last year I did my summer
internship in my own startup and I found
out as a small business owner my courage
of saying no has become more important
than our in this summer my co-founder
and I were approached by a variety of
investors and one of them particularly
made us a really good offer of
purchasing amateur
a share of the company I was new to this
and needless to say I was thrilled but
after spending days preparing
verity versions of the business proposal
meeting with them and delaying the
things we should have been doing the
initial excitement passed I start to
hear this little whispers inside of my
head
asking me why are you doing this why
then why now this investors they’re not
interested in the problems we were
solving or the customers were helping
they did not share our long-term evasion
building this brand instead they wanted
to turn us into fast fashion accessories
and this was not what I started business
for so in the end I said no to this
premature investment even though it was
not easy to make payroll a lot of times
but I knew I have to say no this is to
pay respect to the efforts were made and
to protect our company I will initiate
found searching when I do need it but
more important is to scale at our own
pace so at least I’ve noticed has grown
each is the test of sorts as if the
universe was checking if I was serious
enough if I would stay true to my vision
and here came the biggest no challenge
I’ve ever encountered and be a journey
yes and it said yes to the school
admission because I want to become a
better manager from a company but most
people come to the MBA to explore new
possibilities and to try new things that
is why here this corridors of tours to
be closed it’s so long and each is a
challenge of so I had
I had to say no to the temping jobs at
MBA career fair I had to say no to burn
off the wig and even to some team
dinners because I have to get up 5:00
a.m. next morning to have a call with my
other team in China I had to say no to
some classes and get a C and incomplete
as a result each no is preceded by fear
of missing out doubts and I feel really
embarrassed a lot of time to say no to
my dear friends and classmates but once
I said no I feel relief clarity and
strength and just as I thought I’ve been
tested enough the climax of my know came
it happened a month ago the recruiter of
my dream employee contact me they found
me out of school save a book and
ironically they were impressed by my
entrepreneurship history this is a
luxury ecommerce platform I have
followed them since they started and now
they’re listed and they’ve been growing
so fast
I remember my 1-hour happy conversation
with the recruiter we talked about their
business disposition and she described
to me how I get to this developed entire
country’s market and worked directly
with the general manager it was so
dreamy but two hours later I said
they’re in my kitchen preparing another
rejection letter
another big final no to everything this
dream had to offer I felt sad and happy
and sad another door
is officially closed and there’s really
no way back my decision of closing those
doors
I seem intuitive and sometimes naive I
have no way of proving them being
objectively better or smarter and even
my rational justifications were made up
even after the fact but if I don’t say
no to those tempting alternatives I’m
sliding down a slippery slope the more
distractions I commit to the more my own
Direction suffers and sometimes when I’m
really tempted by one option I will be
like you know in the movies the soldiers
in the battlefield I pull out this photo
this are the people who have entrusted
their future in this small company my
co-founder my employees how can I turn
my back on those young girls I’ve
started something I’m responsible for it
saying no to other things is to protect
the trust of a build and efforts were
made so far otherwise I will not be able
to face myself in the end as hard as
every nose seems to be each no ends up
being a gift
each no relieve me and phrase me from
time consuming and taxing dilemmas once
outside no I stop being anxious about
the autos or if and instead focusing on
my work which oh my might once I killed
those alternatives I become clear with
what I need to do next I carved my own
way every day I can see this clear path
in front of me my work is full of
purpose and the focus waking from this
work actually generates more and new
unexpected opportunities here as a
recent example this are the photos taken
of your weeks ago
here on this campus in the jury event I
hosted I spend a magical afternoon with
my remarkable MBA fellow classmates this
ladies we shared our jury designs we
took photo for them for a brand campaign
these ladies they represent the spirit
of a modern professional woman the
symbols of a new age of heroism that my
brand aims to celebrate genuine
resilient strong beautiful in each of
their own way thinking back that
afternoon I remember the warm brace in
their hair the gold glittering around
their necks the true race seems to dance
for them in a Spanish sunlight I felt
profound peace and joy this moment
somehow made the past one and half year
or worse it and for my own mixed MBA and
entrepreneurship journey
this was a perfect final project and my
own graduation ceremony I wish I could
give everyone this police full moment
and I believe everyone will enjoy
moments like this if we’re all willing
to boldly say no more often I understand
in this fast-paced world saying no may
seem scary a lot of times as if we were
missing out on something great but these
are the myse it is by saying yes to
everything that we miss out on life the
most so much as possible through every
no they say no we can focus wood cleared
our mind share and we become determined
we find peace and relief thing no made
us stronger
more committed and fully present
most importantly each no shapes us and
protect what it’s most precious to us
for me
miners are protecting my employees my
team my customers my business and myself
I have no idea how far this business
will go how big it will grow or how fast
I would die but I’m committed to say it
through it better work okay it has to
work I will make it work I will keep
using nose to cut out excuses and
protect what matters to me the most
thank you [Applause]
three years ago this was me 11 p.m.
Friday night along in the office in the
center of Beijing I click sent shoot off
my goodbye email to hopefully my last
boss ever it set there scared excited
and relieved at the same time I was
quitting my job
leaving the word stop marketing for I
was going to work full time on my tiny
jewelry business a month ago had
discussed this with my boss he was very
disappointed we were a good team
I was his right hand he cared about my
development and he had just offered me
this really really tempting promotion I
would love to say yes but accepting that
offer was a commitment issue I knew I
had to pick my boss frowned and said to
me are you sure you really want to work
in that code shabby apartment packing
boxes do you realize how important it is
especially at this stage of your career
to stay with a big global company you
will never be invited to this exciting
events meeting those fancy clients no
but if you really decided you may have
thank you but I do appreciate his
concern but in the end I said no no to
that promotion no to the brand and no to
the security of employment
I remember the fresh spring brace that
night I said walk down this fancy
straight I just said goodbye to I felt a
surge of terrified determination
bolstered with my idealism and blood
pumping with my rebellion
I knew I had to do this and forget about
the fantasy of oh you could probably try
verse and say it how it goes
it was this or that Now or Never
I’ve always been driven by my drive
sometimes led me to want to say yes to
everything my mom often told me when I
was little be careful of your ambition
even writing checks your body cannot
cash
gee mom no of course it didn’t listen
but through work and life I’m slowly
learning her lesson that for me for this
especially curious and impulsive me
there’s immense power in saying no and
of course Makka stop saying no did not
end with my employee days and this is an
example last year I did my summer
internship in my own startup and I found
out as a small business owner my courage
of saying no has become more important
than our in this summer my co-founder
and I were approached by a variety of
investors and one of them particularly
made us a really good offer of
purchasing amateur
a share of the company I was new to this
and needless to say I was thrilled but
after spending days preparing
verity versions of the business proposal
meeting with them and delaying the
things we should have been doing the
initial excitement passed I start to
hear this little whispers inside of my
head
asking me why are you doing this why
then why now this investors they’re not
interested in the problems we were
solving or the customers were helping
they did not share our long-term evasion
building this brand instead they wanted
to turn us into fast fashion accessories
and this was not what I started business
for so in the end I said no to this
premature investment even though it was
not easy to make payroll a lot of times
but I knew I have to say no this is to
pay respect to the efforts were made and
to protect our company I will initiate
found searching when I do need it but
more important is to scale at our own
pace so at least I’ve noticed has grown
each is the test of sorts as if the
universe was checking if I was serious
enough if I would stay true to my vision
and here came the biggest no challenge
I’ve ever encountered and be a journey
yes and it said yes to the school
admission because I want to become a
better manager from a company but most
people come to the MBA to explore new
possibilities and to try new things that
is why here this corridors of tours to
be closed it’s so long and each is a
challenge of so I had
I had to say no to the temping jobs at
MBA career fair I had to say no to burn
off the wig and even to some team
dinners because I have to get up 5:00
a.m. next morning to have a call with my
other team in China I had to say no to
some classes and get a C and incomplete
as a result each no is preceded by fear
of missing out doubts and I feel really
embarrassed a lot of time to say no to
my dear friends and classmates but once
I said no I feel relief clarity and
strength and just as I thought I’ve been
tested enough the climax of my know came
it happened a month ago the recruiter of
my dream employee contact me they found
me out of school save a book and
ironically they were impressed by my
entrepreneurship history this is a
luxury ecommerce platform I have
followed them since they started and now
they’re listed and they’ve been growing
so fast
I remember my 1-hour happy conversation
with the recruiter we talked about their
business disposition and she described
to me how I get to this developed entire
country’s market and worked directly
with the general manager it was so
dreamy but two hours later I said
they’re in my kitchen preparing another
rejection letter
another big final no to everything this
dream had to offer I felt sad and happy
and sad another door
is officially closed and there’s really
no way back my decision of closing those
doors
I seem intuitive and sometimes naive I
have no way of proving them being
objectively better or smarter and even
my rational justifications were made up
even after the fact but if I don’t say
no to those tempting alternatives I’m
sliding down a slippery slope the more
distractions I commit to the more my own
Direction suffers and sometimes when I’m
really tempted by one option I will be
like you know in the movies the soldiers
in the battlefield I pull out this photo
this are the people who have entrusted
their future in this small company my
co-founder my employees how can I turn
my back on those young girls I’ve
started something I’m responsible for it
saying no to other things is to protect
the trust of a build and efforts were
made so far otherwise I will not be able
to face myself in the end as hard as
every nose seems to be each no ends up
being a gift
each no relieve me and phrase me from
time consuming and taxing dilemmas once
outside no I stop being anxious about
the autos or if and instead focusing on
my work which oh my might once I killed
those alternatives I become clear with
what I need to do next I carved my own
way every day I can see this clear path
in front of me my work is full of
purpose and the focus waking from this
work actually generates more and new
unexpected opportunities here as a
recent example this are the photos taken
of your weeks ago
here on this campus in the jury event I
hosted I spend a magical afternoon with
my remarkable MBA fellow classmates this
ladies we shared our jury designs we
took photo for them for a brand campaign
these ladies they represent the spirit
of a modern professional woman the
symbols of a new age of heroism that my
brand aims to celebrate genuine
resilient strong beautiful in each of
their own way thinking back that
afternoon I remember the warm brace in
their hair the gold glittering around
their necks the true race seems to dance
for them in a Spanish sunlight I felt
profound peace and joy this moment
somehow made the past one and half year
or worse it and for my own mixed MBA and
entrepreneurship journey
this was a perfect final project and my
own graduation ceremony I wish I could
give everyone this police full moment
and I believe everyone will enjoy
moments like this if we’re all willing
to boldly say no more often I understand
in this fast-paced world saying no may
seem scary a lot of times as if we were
missing out on something great but these
are the myse it is by saying yes to
everything that we miss out on life the
most so much as possible through every
no they say no we can focus wood cleared
our mind share and we become determined
we find peace and relief thing no made
us stronger
more committed and fully present
most importantly each no shapes us and
protect what it’s most precious to us
for me
miners are protecting my employees my
team my customers my business and myself
I have no idea how far this business
will go how big it will grow or how fast
I would die but I’m committed to say it
through it better work okay it has to
work I will make it work I will keep
using nose to cut out excuses and
protect what matters to me the most
thank you [Applause]
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