Book Excerpt:

I fight the fight I believe in, and I keep limping forward on the road I chose to be on, no matter how many bruises and scars I am left with. When I am told "no", I make my own "yes."

"No, you won't be admitted to college and study the major you want. Those are for 'complete' talents, and you are disabled with polio."

So I went to a college and completed a four-year college in three years, aiming for more advanced education.

"No, you can't go abroad due to your disability. You need to be taken care of and stay where you belong."

So I went to the other side of the globe, a totally different country, limping forward to stand on my own.

"No, you can't possibly complete a Ph.D. in one major and a master's degree in a totally different area! Nobody has ever done that, and you will fail in both."

So I pursued a Ph.D. in Chemometrics and a master's degree in Computer Science, completing both in 3.5 years.

"No, you can't participate in sports or be an athlete because of your polio leg!"

So I completed a 100-mile bike ride, racing against 50 mph wind for 11.5 hours with the strength of one leg.

"No, you can't find your dream man to marry. You need to lower your expectations and settle for what you can get."

So I developed a scientific approach with machine learning models for dating, found the man of my dreams after the 82nd attempt, and married him... without lowering any of my expectations.

"No, you can't excel in Silicon Valley. It's a man's world."

So I became a high-tech executive at Apple, and I kept learning, growing, and leaping forward to my next set of goals...