'She really thought I was very stupid': Belinda Lee reveals childhood difficulties and giving up on herself
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She struggled in academics as a child and while that has affected Belinda Lee's self-confidence, she's not letting it bring her down.
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In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao for the new Mediacorp programme Tuesday Report: Late Bloomers, Belinda revealed that she didn't have an easy childhood when it came down to her studies.
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"My parents never instilled in me a healthy understanding of what it means to study and they never gave me words of encouragement," the 45-year-old TV host said.
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"Instead, they often told me, 'Your grades are so poor, you should find work earlier and raise a family, don't waste our money."
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Belinda severely lacked self-confidence and doubted her abilities - it wasn't that she disliked studying, but that she simply couldn't achieve the grades that she wanted, she said in the show.
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She also stated: "The whole school knew my grades. I became a joke to many, many people. My family would tell me, 'You are a failure."
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Even her cousin tried to help her study, to no avail.
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Recalled Belinda: "She would tutor me until she would figuratively vomit blood - she really thought I was very stupid. No matter how hard she taught me, I just couldn't learn.
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"At the time, I felt like I was creating hardships for the people around me who would then be thinking of giving up on me, so I gradually began to give up on myself."
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Finding hope
The negative mentality Belinda had as a child meant that she was essentially losing the race before it even started, she told reporters.
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"As a child, I felt that it was terrible to lose at the starting point, because the future felt murky and hopeless.
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"But I now think there's a more terrifying thing than that: having no hope or direction in life and feeling that life itself is pointless.Â
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"Living a life of the 'walking dead' is frightening and I hope that no one will ever experience what I felt."
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Instead, people should try to remain hopeful through the frustration that criticism brings and do their best to get in touch with those who believe in and love them, Belinda said.
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She also added that conclusions should not be drawn too quickly and everyone should be given space and opportunities to grow.
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"To this day, I still work very hard," Belinda said. "It's not easy. Fortunately, there are many around me who love me and believe in me, so I can slowly grow, step by step, learning and healing.
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"I can't say that I've completely regained my confidence, but I'm certain that I'm a lot more confident than I was before."
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âShe really thought I was very stupidâ: Belinda Lee reveals childhood difficulties and giving up on herself,. (2022, December 28). AsiaOne. https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/thought-stupid-belinda-lee-reveals-childhood-difficulties-giving-up-tuesday-report-late-bloomers-mewatch