The hardest truth I’ve learned is this:
Growth doesn’t come without transformation.
Every time life hands you a new chapter, it quietly demands that you rewrite yourself.
The student version of you won’t survive in the workplace.
The young executive version of you won’t succeed as a founder.
The founder version of you won’t thrive as a leader of teams.
At first, I resisted.
I thought I could hold on to the same habits, the same mindset, the same playbook.
But then reality hit me.
What carried me here… won’t carry me forward.
To step into the next level, I had to let go.
Let go of old fears.
Let go of outdated skills.
Let go of the identity that once made me feel safe.
And that’s the paradox of progress.
We want change, but we fear losing the version of ourselves we’ve already mastered.
But the truth is, mastery is temporary.
Life keeps testing whether you’re ready to evolve.
If you’re entering a new season right now, don’t ask, “How do I hold on?”
Ask instead, “Who must I become to win here?”
Every challenge you face is not just about solving the problem.
It’s about shaping the person who solves it.
The next chapter won’t wait for the old you.
It’s already calling for the new one.
So here’s the question for you:
Which version of yourself are you willing to shed so you can step into the one you’re meant to be?
Dr. Mazlan Abbas 