Many people fear taking risks, especially when there is something to lose. This goes on to become a hindrance in developing an ability that could have helped us positively in our lives. I could have been grouped into that category of people if not for my Literature teacher in secondary school. I was always that student in class that rarely spoke up and participated in sharing the work I had done in front of my class. In my second year in secondary school, we had to pick our subjects for our GCE O levels examinations. At that point in my life, being only fourteen, I was not really sure of which subjects were my strengths and which subjects were my weaknesses. I was offered Literature as a full subject and I was extremely terrified because Literature was a subject that I had little knowledge about. Seniors had warned us about how the subject was extremely tough to score in and it was also a subject that could not really be studied for unlike Math or Chemistry. I was lost and confused. I did not want to take up a subject that I had doubted my ability in and especially not for a major examination like the GCE O levels. I consulted my literature teacher in my school and till today, that consultation will always be a memorable one, which is very close to my heart. Just like most teachers out there, he was very encouraging and optimistic during my consultation with him about taking up Literature. I discussed my fears with him. They ranged from not doing well in the subject to the results affecting where I was going to apply after my GCE O levels examinations. He told me to take a chance. His exact words were, “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” and he looked at me with a wide grin on his face. I looked at him feeling reassured and inspired simultaneously. He went on to reiterate what he had just quoted by saying “Look Kiran, Literature is a subject that encourages you to express and explain your thoughts. It could h