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.
Jevaroo’s neck is my favorite part of the robot. Jevaroo’s neck has a movement range of 25cm, allowing Jevaroo to reach for objects up to 170cm high...
The Chinese History Museum invited me to be part of their exhibition on notable Chinese Australians. In February, over Chinese New Year, my mum came to...
A robot friend suggested we go and get our nails painted by a robot! So we went and did that! The first time I saw a nail painting robot was at CES...
I was invited to participate in a book, "200 Women: Who Will Change The Way You See The World" earlier this year. The result is this beautiful...
From September to December 2019, Al Jazeera English followed me around and filmed an update on all my projects: Robogals, Aipoly, Teleport, my...
I love exploring new cities! So I was super thrilled to visit Phoenix in Arizona, and speak at ASQ’s Lean and Six Sigma Conference as their opening...
Today I asked myself, what do I want to have achieved in life by the time I’m 50? I wrote down all the major things I would be proud to have...
Our brain control Teleport got some great press! It was covered by the Brisbane Times, New Atlas, Mashable, BBC and NowThis. Brisbane Times: Robot...
YAN was an amazing experience. I believe the more you put into something, the more you get out. And so I put in as much of me as I could, and I had an...
On 28 August 2016, I was invited to Taiwan by Foxconn to speak at the H.Spectrum by Yonglin Healthcare Startup Conference. I gave a 15-minute...