103Live life with a positive
frame of mind
"I learnt that life has a
funny, strange way to
humble, uplift and inspire
you, just when you think
you won’t ever make
it through (in certain
situations). Then, it
somehow shows you the
way, reminding you that
it’s okay to take it easy.”
Don’t get sucked into the
rat race
"Take things one step at
a time. Do not rush and,
most importantly, never
compare yourself to
anyone and keep going at
your own pace. It’s good
to stop for a moment to
take a breather if you
need to, and enjoy or
tackle any situation as
it comes.”
Let go of negative
things. Don’t look back
and move on
"I learnt to choose
myself first because I
deserve better. To love
and respect yourself
means having the ability
and strength to walk
away from any toxic
environment, situation
and relationship. Don’t
let anyone dim your
light or hold you back!
Focus on the things you
love to do instead. For
me, I’m slowly in love
(again) with the idea of
meeting someone new
as well as finding new
opportunities."A new language
"Living in a small town
in Europe to learn
French had always beena dream of mine. To be
able to stay in Nice in
France to do that, even
for the short time of
two months, was a
really a dream come
true for me.”Be grateful for all the
good things in your life
"One may not always
know what comes next
in life. Don’t overthink
and stress over things
unnecessarily as it will
make you unhappy. I’ve
learnt to be thankful
and grateful that my
blessings are more than
my problems.”Make new friends and
you’ll be surprised how
they can inspire you
"Keep an open
mind – one can learnfrom people from
other cultures and
backgrounds. The
strangers whom I’ve
met on the road have
showed me a great deal
of kindness. They took
care of me and taught
me valuable life lessons
that money can’t buy.”Don’t give up. Conquer
your fear and you’ll get
to where you are
"Don’t give up easily
and be defeated by
immediate thoughts of
failure such as ’I can’t’
or ’I cannot do this
anymore’. Instead, tell
yourself that you have
got this far and you are
capable of reaching your
goal – even if it means
taking slower, smaller
steps to get there.”What
(^) she learnt on^ her
hap
piness^ journey
Gyscha's
year-long
journey
of self-
discovery
took her to
places such
as (clockwise
from top left)
Inle Lake,
Myanmar;
Sumba in
Indonesia;
Sintra resort
town in the
foothills of
Portugal’s
Sintra
Mountains;
Hanoi in
Vietnam;
Granada city
in Spain; and
Angkor Wat,
Siem Reap in
Cambodia.