[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
there are three factors that
significantly shape who you are one your
genetics to your primary education and
three your upbringing I’d like to ask
all of you to think for a moment
what’s one common feature all of these
three share not one of them is in your
control it’s just a matter of chance but
does that mean life is just a roll of
dice no however each one of us focuses
too much on these chances over which we
have absolutely no control let me give
you a few more examples aside from the
ones on the slide your bosses your
teachers your teams the bangkok traffic
the list is endless but do you have any
influence over these sometimes you wish
you did though and when we’re not
focusing on these uncontrollable factors
we focus on the outcomes well we can’t
control the outcomes either in fact
about 90% of us here today are worried
about an outcome in our lives right now
it can be the grade on your next
assignment the college you want to get
into for the next promotion you’re going
to get but it feels like there’s a piece
missing from the puzzle do our lives
just depend on the hand we are dealt
should our central focus be on the
chances Plus choices equals changes have
a look at this equation there is one and
only one thing in our control our
choices we cannot control what chances
come our way nor can we control the
outcomes but we can control the choices
we make and that’s what I’m going to
talk about today I’d like to ask all of
you to close your eyes and think about
something you used to dislike earlier go
on close your eyes and just to make it a
little trickier it has to be something
loved now why doesn’t this change happen
is it because you made a choice you can
open your eyes now let me tell you a
story about a choice I made
I loved maths but it hasn’t always been
this way
when I was younger and I know I’m still
young I’m in your a but I used to hate
maths and I was really bad at it and it
was a choice I made personally to hate
maths but how did that choice change
long story short I went in ECA and I had
some fun and found myself selected for a
team going to Guangzhou in China which
considering my luck was exactly at the
time we were meant to move to Bangkok I
had a choice to make if I stayed it
would keep the family apart for months
with my dad in Bangkok and I would have
to move later like right in the middle
of a term if I came to Bangkok I would
have to miss the competition after
taking everything into consideration I
chose to go to the competition this
choice changed my life dramatically is
the main reason that I love maths the
choice that brought on the change while
we’re on the topic of maths the equation
chances plus choices equals changes can
be looked at with a completely different
lens
the
plus the present equals the future let
me explain we always receive the chances
before we make the choices so they’re in
the past and the changes or the outcomes
is what is yet to come in the future but
the only thing we have control over now
is the choices we make in the present in
the moment
now if these choices are so important
and the only thing in our hands right
now why don’t we focus on them well
because we’re looking at the wrong
variables of the equation the past and
the future let’s see why when we’re too
focused on the past we don’t make new
choices we often make choices based on
what has happened to us but just because
you didn’t like something or failed at
it the first time doesn’t mean you won’t
like it later if everyone gave up after
failing the first time where would we be
would we have technology like computers
smartphones and artificial intelligence
if the inventors gave up first try this
is what happened to me as well no I
didn’t met anything brilliant but I was
letting my first experience of maths
which probably wasn’t so great affect
the choices I made I chose to dislike it
but this dislike could have led me to
ignore the competition but I decided to
stay and try something new on the other
hand when we’re too focused on the
future we get fixated on what if what if
I fall sick the day before my test what
if my speech doesn’t go well and the
most common one what if I fail two of
these have happened to me before I’m
hoping the speech won’t prove the third
one true and this focus on how it might
turn out happens more often than we
realize that’s the past in the future
what about the present a reason why we
don’t make these choices in the present
is a classic not for me syndrome we
start thinking this is not for me
someone else can do it why should i I’ve
certainly used this line countless times
but how many times have you thought one
of the following this subjects not for
me the sports not for me or even this
job is not for me but think about it you
are that someone to every other person
on this planet just as you are that
someone to me interestingly we don’t
only do this when it comes to ourselves
we do it when it comes to others as well
but when it comes to others we don’t see
the chances they’ve received nor the
choices they’ve made we only see the
changes in their lives the outcomes of
their choices not their past and what
they’ve been through and I can say from
personal experience this happens when
you move schools especially when you
move from a public school to an
international school people are very
quick to judge based on their first
impressions whether you realize it or
not people are judging you by the
clothes you wear your accent your skin
color and the stories you tell so
consciously some of you were probably
judging me as I walked up onto the stage
and some of those first impressions you
had made up might have changed but if
it’s the one thing I’ve learned
personally from my experience of moving
don’t judge others until you know the
reasons behind their choices before I
finish I just want to leave you with one
thought imagine if you were free to make
choices in the present without worrying
without being judged if you don’t stop
because you think it’s for someone else
and a simple what-if doesn’t stop you
well the chance has been laid in front
of you the choice is yours thank you [Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
there are three factors that
significantly shape who you are one your
genetics to your primary education and
three your upbringing I’d like to ask
all of you to think for a moment
what’s one common feature all of these
three share not one of them is in your
control it’s just a matter of chance but
does that mean life is just a roll of
dice no however each one of us focuses
too much on these chances over which we
have absolutely no control let me give
you a few more examples aside from the
ones on the slide your bosses your
teachers your teams the bangkok traffic
the list is endless but do you have any
influence over these sometimes you wish
you did though and when we’re not
focusing on these uncontrollable factors
we focus on the outcomes well we can’t
control the outcomes either in fact
about 90% of us here today are worried
about an outcome in our lives right now
it can be the grade on your next
assignment the college you want to get
into for the next promotion you’re going
to get but it feels like there’s a piece
missing from the puzzle do our lives
just depend on the hand we are dealt
should our central focus be on the
chances Plus choices equals changes have
a look at this equation there is one and
only one thing in our control our
choices we cannot control what chances
come our way nor can we control the
outcomes but we can control the choices
we make and that’s what I’m going to
talk about today I’d like to ask all of
you to close your eyes and think about
something you used to dislike earlier go
on close your eyes and just to make it a
little trickier it has to be something
loved now why doesn’t this change happen
is it because you made a choice you can
open your eyes now let me tell you a
story about a choice I made
I loved maths but it hasn’t always been
this way
when I was younger and I know I’m still
young I’m in your a but I used to hate
maths and I was really bad at it and it
was a choice I made personally to hate
maths but how did that choice change
long story short I went in ECA and I had
some fun and found myself selected for a
team going to Guangzhou in China which
considering my luck was exactly at the
time we were meant to move to Bangkok I
had a choice to make if I stayed it
would keep the family apart for months
with my dad in Bangkok and I would have
to move later like right in the middle
of a term if I came to Bangkok I would
have to miss the competition after
taking everything into consideration I
chose to go to the competition this
choice changed my life dramatically is
the main reason that I love maths the
choice that brought on the change while
we’re on the topic of maths the equation
chances plus choices equals changes can
be looked at with a completely different
lens
the
plus the present equals the future let
me explain we always receive the chances
before we make the choices so they’re in
the past and the changes or the outcomes
is what is yet to come in the future but
the only thing we have control over now
is the choices we make in the present in
the moment
now if these choices are so important
and the only thing in our hands right
now why don’t we focus on them well
because we’re looking at the wrong
variables of the equation the past and
the future let’s see why when we’re too
focused on the past we don’t make new
choices we often make choices based on
what has happened to us but just because
you didn’t like something or failed at
it the first time doesn’t mean you won’t
like it later if everyone gave up after
failing the first time where would we be
would we have technology like computers
smartphones and artificial intelligence
if the inventors gave up first try this
is what happened to me as well no I
didn’t met anything brilliant but I was
letting my first experience of maths
which probably wasn’t so great affect
the choices I made I chose to dislike it
but this dislike could have led me to
ignore the competition but I decided to
stay and try something new on the other
hand when we’re too focused on the
future we get fixated on what if what if
I fall sick the day before my test what
if my speech doesn’t go well and the
most common one what if I fail two of
these have happened to me before I’m
hoping the speech won’t prove the third
one true and this focus on how it might
turn out happens more often than we
realize that’s the past in the future
what about the present a reason why we
don’t make these choices in the present
is a classic not for me syndrome we
start thinking this is not for me
someone else can do it why should i I’ve
certainly used this line countless times
but how many times have you thought one
of the following this subjects not for
me the sports not for me or even this
job is not for me but think about it you
are that someone to every other person
on this planet just as you are that
someone to me interestingly we don’t
only do this when it comes to ourselves
we do it when it comes to others as well
but when it comes to others we don’t see
the chances they’ve received nor the
choices they’ve made we only see the
changes in their lives the outcomes of
their choices not their past and what
they’ve been through and I can say from
personal experience this happens when
you move schools especially when you
move from a public school to an
international school people are very
quick to judge based on their first
impressions whether you realize it or
not people are judging you by the
clothes you wear your accent your skin
color and the stories you tell so
consciously some of you were probably
judging me as I walked up onto the stage
and some of those first impressions you
had made up might have changed but if
it’s the one thing I’ve learned
personally from my experience of moving
don’t judge others until you know the
reasons behind their choices before I
finish I just want to leave you with one
thought imagine if you were free to make
choices in the present without worrying
without being judged if you don’t stop
because you think it’s for someone else
and a simple what-if doesn’t stop you
well the chance has been laid in front
of you the choice is yours thank you [Music]
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