January 03, 2003 - Born August 6, 1962, in Ipoh, a small mining town in western Malaysia, Michelle Yeoh enrolled in England’s Royal Academy of Dance and earned a BA degree. When a back injury ended her career as a ballerina, she returned to her native Malaysia and was crowned Miss Malaysia in 1983. Recruited by a film production company, she adopted the stage name of Michelle Khan and appeared in her first starring role in Yes Madam! To prepare for this film, she spent hours at the gym learning martial arts.

When one of her films, Police Story 3: Super Cop, caught the eyes of Western producers, she was cast in the James Bond thriller Tomorrow Never Dies with Pierce Brosnan. Selected as one of the sexiest 50 people in 1997, she starred in the acclaimed historical drama The Soong Sisters and successful movies such as Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon in 2000, the highest grossing foreign film ever made. She had become a world superstar! Her hard work and her dedication to her art are an example to young people everywhere.

We can learn a great deal from her answers during an interview with Pemimpin, the Junior Chamber Malaysia magazine:

Q. What are the main factors for your success?
A. I am blessed that lady luck has been smiling on me. However, it is about working hard, persistence, patience and passion. I also have fun with what I choose to do.

Q. What inspires or motivates you in your daily life?
A. Every morning I wake up with one thought: Every day is a very precious gift! Appreciate and enjoy it. Everyday is a start for new experiences! And after that, everything else is easy. I just go on to live up to that promise of greatness.

Q. Can you briefly share with us your background, education and your work experience, and your life in both the real world and the reel world?
A. Well, I was born and grew up in Ipoh, where I attended the Convent Infant Jesus. I left when I was in Form Four to continue my studies at a boarding school in England. There I received a BA degree in Creative Arts, majoring in Dance. I had hoped to return to Ipoh to start a ballet school. However, as fate would have it, I was presented an opportunity to be in the movies, and the rest, as they say, is history. Ballet and sports had been my main passions before I took the plunge into films but now film has become my main passion. I have been fortunate that both my previous passions—dance and sports—actually help tremendously in my work as an actress.

Q. What are the challenges you face in pursuing your objectives and how do you overcome them?
A. All of us face challenges in whatever we do. Challenges inspire us to think beyond the box and be more than we imagine we are capable of. It is most important to remember to be dedicated, be clear and stick to your objectives. Have an open mind and learn to listen!

Q. Prior to winning this award, did you ever heard of Junior Chamber internationally or in Malaysia?
A. Yes, of course. The Jaycees were already a very active association when I was still in school in Ipoh.

Q. Do you have anything to share with today’s youth on leadership?
A. Learn to think and act beyond just what you are facing today, because a true leader is one who is able to lead his or her people into tomorrow.

Q. Who is your most admired leader in the world and why?
A. Winston Churchill. I think he was an excellent communicator and statesman. Most of all, I admired the fact that he was a man with a great vision—a quality that I think is very important for a world leader.

Q. What is your philosophy in life?
A. Be happy in whatever you are doing. Life is precious and so are your family and friends.

Q. Do you have any favorite quote that you would like to share with us?
A. Abraham Lincoln once said, “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.’’ I think it is very true, the first battle we have to win is the battle over our minds. We are defeated if we think we are defeated; we are unhappy if we think we are. The mind can be a powerful resource—or a terrible enemy.

Q. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge youth face in today’s environment and do you have any suggestion on how JCM (Junior Chamber Malaysia) can play a role to overcome this?
A. I think the youth of today face more challenges than ever before, from peer pressure to a society that is rapidly changing and a world that seems to be bordering on war every day. JCM can continue to do what it does best, by offering leadership and a prime example to our youth.

Q. What is your advice to youth who wish to pursue a career in the film/entertainment industry?
A. It sounds clichéd but “be prepared”! Be prepared to work hard, be prepared for rejections, for failure. Remember that any experience will only make you stronger, tougher and wiser! The entertainment industry is nothing about glamour and it is getting more and more challenging these days and you will need to have persistence and conviction in what you are doing to see you through.