KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 15): Life is full of adversity and struggle and having to face it all at a young age has helped build the resilience of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and made him what he is today - a statesman with strong willpower to face any challenge and a leader who is respected by the people at home and abroad.

When he was young, he was determined to ensure his and his family’s survival and did not hesitate to take any job offer without paying too much attention to the salary.

Like any other young man, Dr Mahathir also had his fair share of being a victim of bullying.

Those are among the stories of his life which he shared with Hot FM radio deejays - Fizie, Shuib and Syuk - while being their guest in the Geng Pagi Hot segment this morning.

Elaborating on his work experience, Dr Mahathir, 94, said after he graduated with a medical degree from Singapore, he entered the public service as a medical officer, earning only RM400 a month, before being raised to RM770 following a promotion.

“I did not make my salary a priority. For me, it does not matter how big your salary is because what matters is your spirit to work. If you have that spirit, you will work better. If you are salary-motivated, your work performance will depend on how much money you get,” he said.