lifestyle

Malaysian Women Tell Us About The Biggest Change They've Gone Through In Their Life

Don't let the fear of change hold you back.

Cover image via Laila Zain | Edited by SAYS

Change can definitely be scary, but we shouldn't let that fear hold us back from achieving great things!

Through their latest #iChanged campaign, Samsung is celebrating how the women of today can and have made bold changes in their lives, smashing stereotypes along the way.  

Watch how these badass women have changed their lives for the better:

In collaboration with Samsung, we got some of our colleagues to tell us about the biggest changes in their lives and how they came out stronger on the other side:

1. "An impulsive decision to revamp my room led me to turn my hobby into a business"

Image via Yu Qing

"Doodling on walls was something that I used to do so often as a kid. I find myself enjoying the process of conteng-ing random stuff on the staircase wall and of course, getting into serious trouble afterwards.

When I was 17, I impulsively decided to revamp my room, and this was when I painted my very first mural. The fulfillment of drawing a big art piece and the therapeutic process was indeed addictive. With my parents’ support, I started painting more pieces around my house and eventually ended up painting murals as a side business! 

I believe that crazy accomplishments can only be made by taking gutsy chances. And in most cases, you have to get into a mess to create something you think is the best."

- Yu Qing

2. "I started my sports journey with wushu at the age of 7, but switched to cheerleading when I was 14"

Left: Kimm is on the far left of the bottom row. | Right: Kimm is in the middle, holding up the flyer.

Image via Kimm Wong

"To be honest, cheerleading was something I never knew I would like. While talking about it back in primary school, I literally snorted and said 'I would never do that LOL'. I actually auditioned for the team on a whim, just because a close friend wanted company.

Wushu and cheerleading are basically on opposite ends of the sports spectrum so it was a huge change for me. Wushu can be done alone so I liked that cheerleading was a team sport, and my cheer team essentially became my second family.

This experience made me realise that I shouldn't make snap judgments because I'd never know how I actually feel about something until I try it for myself."

- Kimm

3. "The biggest change in my life was definitely when I became a mum at the age of 21"

Image via Laila Zain

"I was very rebellious and impulsive growing up, kinda a selfish spoiled brat tbh. But suddenly I was the youngest person in my friend group with a kid. This forced me to grow up, mature, be responsible, and become a badass boss bitch in my own right.

I graduated with my degree, got a job, supported myself and the baby. Things got especially difficult when we discovered the kiddo is autistic, that brought a whole new set of challenges. But I wouldn't have had it any other way.

He's made my life fuller, given it more meaning and happiness. Every hardship is worth it when we come out the other side together. Suddenly it's not me but we. His every success is my success, his joy is my joy, his tears are my tears.

Having him definitely made me a happier, better, more independent person, and that's only continued to increase as my family grew. I have 4 kiddos now and can't imagine my life or what kind of a person I'd be without them!"

- Laila

4. "I moved from KL to a tiny town in Thailand as a child, and then moved back to KL as a teenager"

Left: Tammy is in the bottom right corner, wearing pink. | Right: Tammy is standing on the far right, wearing black.

Image via Tamara Jayne

"My parents used to work in Thailand and moving there as a family when I was a kid made a huge impact on my life. I had to say goodbye to many of my childhood friends and get accustomed to a new language, culture, and people.

It was like starting afresh with a new life. From a city kid living in a house to moving to a small village surrounded by paddy fields, I had to learn to quickly adapt to my environment. I was exposed to people from all walks of life because of my parents' work - those living in poverty, who don't know when their next meal was going to be and have very few material possessions yet were happy.

It was eye-opening and makes me grateful for what I have everyday. It also made me realise that there is a lot more that goes on in the world - something that can be easily overlooked when we're caught up in our daily 9-5 work life and routine."

- Tammy

5. "Getting engaged was the biggest change in my life because it opened my eyes to the sparkling world of gems!"

Image via Jenna Chua

"Besides getting a husband (plus point!), getting engaged led to me discovering a whole new passion revolving around gemstones. Knowing the amount of time it takes to form a stone and the different factors which affect its quality made me appreciate them more.

I got mentored by my future mother-in-law who has been in the business for many years and was able to eventually start my own business, which is a huge deal for someone like me who totally didn't even know how to adult haha."

- Jenna

Samsung wants to encourage all Malaysian women to be bold and take that first step towards making a change!

Image via Samsung

Your change doesn't necessarily have to be a big one, even something seemingly small like changing how you dress, picking up a new hobby, or trying something new can make a huge impact in your life.

Through this #iChanged campaign, Samsung is reminding us not to let anything hold us back from being the best version of ourselves.

In conjunction with this, they're also running an awesome promo from now until 31 July 2019!

Image via Samsung

If you've been contemplating getting a new phone, now's the perfect time to make the switch, especially if you've had your eye on the new Samsung Galaxy S10.

Trade-in your old phone when you purchase the S10 to get FREE Galaxy ear buds, or buy the S10 without any trade-ins to get a FREE Galaxy Fit E watch!

Head on over to your nearest Samsung outlet today to make sure you don't miss out

Terms and conditions apply. Click here for more details.

So what was the biggest change in your life? Let us know in the comments section below.

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