“After my second master’s degree, I got admitted to a stable state-owned enterprise. People told me that this is perfect for a woman to have such a stable job. A year later, I resigned and decided to do my start-up company.
‘What a fool! There are so many people wanting to get in! As a woman, you shall cherish the stability not to risk, let alone starting your own business!’ I was 29 that year, they added, ‘you shall get married and have kids. Don’t make your life unnecessarily hard. ‘
There are many dilemmas in our lives named ‘shall’ or ‘for your own sake’. There are many times that we can easily accept what we ‘shall’ become and then become someone stable and comfortable but someone we dislike.
Then, I decide to do simply what I want, without hesitation. After three years, my start-up becomes the best in my field and has remained the best for the subsequent six years.
Because of the toughness of managing the company, I wasn’t ready to have a baby until 36 years old. I exercise every day to remain healthy and finally gave birth to a kid as a middle-aged mother. I insisted in breastfeeding my little angel. When my angel turned 7-month old, I received the PhD offer from my favourite university. I never want to stop learning at any stage of my life.
Regardless of gender, everyone is like a seed which wishes to sprout. Why shall a seed be subjected to any other will? As long as there is still the hope of life in the seed, even though it might be covered by snow deep under the soil, once the time arrives, the seed would come out under the sun, growing to thrive.” – Linlin, 37, Chinese, founder of 羚羊早安 Morning Antelope / Ph.D. student in Sociology