KUALA NERUS: Believe in their full potential and strive to achieve success to be a towering figure.
in making the call, Terengganu Menteri Besar Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar told university undergraduates to also leave behind their failures and move on with their lives.
“Begin life afresh and move forward. Do not let the negative past bog you down and affect your concentration in your studies.
“Even famous people like (American inventor) Thomas Alva Edison had failed miserably a few hundred times before he successfully invented the electric light bulb,” said Samsuri, an aerospace engineering expert.
Samsuri called on the undergraduates to trust themselves and have self-confidence for a life-changing moment while pursuing their studies.
“Let the past be the past. Do not bring along negative sentiments or failures.
“Explore your potential to build a better future. “Appreciate the sacrifices your parents and families have done to bring you where you are today.
“Make them proud by emerging as a towering figure,” he told newly inducted undergraduates during the ‘Bicara Tokoh’ (talk with a figure-head) programme at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in Gong Badak.
He reminded them to be ambitious in setting goals with a clear objective and aim.
“Once you have done this, go for it!” he said.
Samsuri added that universities provided an avenue for undergraduates to ‘learn to swim’ so as to face the challenges in their working careers, later.
“Optimise the knowledge gained and leverage on it to stand on your own feet, for once you leave the university your lecturer will not be there to guide you.
“Therefore, make full use of your time here (at the university),” he said.
Samsuri, however, cautioned undergraduates that although a university was a training ground, one could not be a perfectionist as they would face deviations in life.
“Being humans, no one can be perfect. You have to adapt to situations and changes.
“Challenges, whether internal or external, make us more mature and a better person. Learn from your mistakes and make the corrections to improve,” he said.
He added that such challenges concerned an individual’s inability to handle peer pressure, stress, manage finances or other emotions.
“Do not give up easily. It is not wrong to fall, but you must strive to rise.
“It is just like the words of boxing legend Muhammad Ali who said you can fall in the ring during a contest but can go on and win if you stand up to fight,” said Samsuri.
He reminded the undergraduates to speak up and share their problems with lecturers and fellow students so that matters could be addressed.
At the same time, he urged them to develop soft skills, interact with others, attend talks and seminars, make new friends to gain experience and knowledge.