I’ve always believed that to get the most out of life, you should never set limits on what you can achieve. It’s all too easy to become trapped in a negative mindset, or a set way of doing things, where you think that you have to just accept what life throws at you. The truth is that you can do anything you want, as long as you have the correct approach and the right attitude.

My story began years ago in Paris. I have two of the hardest working parents you can imagine who sacrificed everything to move our family to a nice neighborhood where we could get the best education possible to set us on right path for life. They immersed me in Chinese culture while also giving me the freedom to explore the local culture.  Most importantly, they showed me the true value of hard work.

There was something that always bothered me, however. I wanted to pave my own path in life, not simply follow my two older siblings into a career in finance via the best business schools — I wanted to explore the world and do things my own way.

I had a difficult time finding a place for myself in school, but kept managing to pass each academic year by constantly changing the way I was learning. This helped to keep me interested and engaged, and it showed me that it is only by making mistakes that we can truly start learning. If you address them and solve them immediately, you can go further in life than you’ll ever believe.