Everyone is unique like a star.

This year, tell us your transformational stories.

MonStar Awards 2022 officially opened for nomination and application in August. If you believe that your story can influence, innovate and inspire the people and their community, this is the place to share them.

In celebration of our 5th year of the biggest Asia Young Talent Awards, we have invited nine of the Top 10 Young Talents (winners) of last year to share with us their advice and some pro tips to navigate the youth journey.

Be prepared to get inspired and WOW-ed!

Advice #1 Start first, think later.

 

To be successful, you need to start now. Ayu Shahirah Salem said in the podcast that we tend to keep postponing our actions because of our lack of self-confidence.

“We shouldn’t aim for perfection. Say YES for every opportunity. Go for “quantity first”. From there, you can start to improve yourself.”

For the full episode on how a software engineer juggles PhD, website designing, and LinkedIn resume coaching in her 20s, you can find it on Spotify.

Advice #2 Try to step into the discomfort zone.

Growth happens in discomfort. As Heon Hi Teng mentioned in the Spotify podcast, when you continuously work on it, you will succeed one day.

This is called the power of consistency.

For the full episode on how a computer science student gained 150K+ followers on her TikTok, you can listen to it on Spotify.

Advice #3 You are more capable than you think.

 

Stop saying, “I can’t do this.” and start chanting, “I can do it!” Joanna Marie Rosario is definitely setting an example here. “Don’t let yourself be the limit of yourself for doing the things that you want,” she added.

“Don’t hesitate, just do it, because you are capable. You are unstoppable.”

For the full episode on how a 22-year-old’s mature mindset leads her to win the MA2021, you can find out the leads on Spotify.

Advice #4 Learn and explore. 

Mohammed Shafin Arshad understands that the more you learn NOW, the less mistake you will make in the future.

“Learn and explore as much as possible while you are young. Have fun and enjoy.”

For the full episode on how a Bangladesh student-slash-entrepreneur juggles his busy schedule and “prefers” to work alone, you can enjoy listening to it on Spotify.

Advice #5 Don’t always follow your heart. 

This counterintuitive method is introduced by Jenny Wong. Life is never easy, so don’t quit what you are doing now. Take a break but don’t quit!

“Sometimes, you probably will get bored with what you are doing now. If you follow your heart and quit now, you will never succeed in life. Because it might be just a part of the transition.”

Find out on Spotify about how a Sarawak science graduate founded a mental health awareness platform with her counterintuitive mindset.

Advice #6 Love yourself. 

As cliche as it is, Kirtanac Genason holds her own advice close to her heart. To her, self-care is not selfish. It’s self-love. If you don’t love yourself enough, no one is going to love you.

“Be patient with yourself. Don’t live up to other people’s expectations or your too-high standard. It’s just a bad day; not a bad life.”

The power of accepting yourself and loving yourself.

To learn how a fresh grad in Malaysia succeeds because she loves herself first, you can listen to the full episode on Spotify.

Advice #7 Find your passion.

Try as many things as possible. If you don’t try, you’ll never know. Muhammad Fathy Rashad proves this by doing what he loves consistently.

“The trick is to do what you enjoy. You will have fun so you will work extra hard on it. Pour in as many hours as you can and you will succeed faster than anyone.”

For the full episode on how a 20-year-old graduated at such a young age because he focused on one thing for 4 years, you can listen to it on Spotify.

Advice #8 Stop complaining!

Sim Willi said, “If you meet challenges, don’t just always complain.” If all you do is just complain, then you will be stuck in a failure loop non-stop too.

“If you don’t fit into the environment then change it. If you cannot change, then accept it.”

For the full episode on how a 23-year-old studies and works full-time concurrently, you can listen on Spotify.

Advice #9 Remember, we are only starting out!

Since we are still young, no matter how much we have come so far, it’s just the beginning of something. Kiran Tripathi agreed that we, as youngsters, are always at the starting line only.

“Don’t stress too much. Remember, life is about creation, not a prediction. So, just start to do what you want to do. Because you have literally nothing to lose.”

You can listen to the full episode here about how a girl is constantly battling against other people’s doubts due to her young age.

Bonus Advice!

In the last section of the interview, all 9 young talents almost have the same answer for this complete-the-sentence challenge:

“While we are young, we should…?”

We should not give up easily.

We should dare to dream.

We should keep trying.

So, are you going to show us your unique story? Because we want to hear it and let your dream shine!