Eh, can we just talk about this for a second? I know everyone likes to play the “money doesn’t define friendship” card and act all noble, but let’s get real for one minute. The saying “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” is not some motivational TikTok nonsense—it is the cold, hard truth, especially in a pressure cooker like Singapore.
If your whole inner circle consists of people who are constantly “waiting for payday,” complaining about the price of a McSpicy meal, and spending their weekends doing nothing but rotting at home because “everywhere is expensive,” guess what? You are going to stay exactly where you are.
It’s not just about the bank balance; it’s the mindset.
When you hang out with people who have zero ambition, your own drive starts to evaporate. You want to start a side hustle? They’ll tell you “Aiya, don’t bother la, Singapore market so small.” You want to invest in your skills? They’ll say “Wah, so free ah? Just enjoy life first, work so hard for what?” Slowly but surely, their “cannot do” attitude becomes your “cannot do” attitude.
The social gravity is real, guys. If your friends’ idea of a “big move” is just waiting for the next CDC voucher disbursement, you will never find the motivation to go and hunt for that $10k/month increment or build a portfolio. You’ll just sit there, nodding along to their complaints about the gahmen and the GST hike, feeling “safe” because everyone else in your circle is also struggling.
I’m not saying you should go and unfriend your childhood secondary school buddies just because they aren’t VPs at a MNC. But if your entire social environment is just a feedback loop of financial stagnation, you are basically trapping yourself in a cage.
You need people who talk about assets, not just liabilities. You need friends who challenge you to level up, who make you feel a bit “paiseh” that you haven’t started your financial planning yet. If you are the smartest and most “well-to-do” person in your group, you are in the wrong group.
Harsh? Yes. But look at your bank account and look at your Telegram chat history. The correlation is 1:1. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.