I like reading about so called intellectuals trying to quantify their version of success. It really scares me that almost everyone use money as a form of benchmark. Is that the hallmark of a Singaporean?
A bit of me. I was once extremely smart. I didn’t finish my education properly only because I got unlucky with my roll of dice of life. I get to mix with a lot of people. That’s when I realised there’s 2 groups of people, street smart and book smart. You can get yourself educated up till PhD but you probably still can’t understand how to make the best out of the people under you. At the same time, I know of hardworking individuals who became millionaires through their businesses.
I’m lucky to have met so many smart individuals. I know of a Physics prof who is so cool and laid back. He didn’t care if people think of him as a stupid person. He didn’t feel the need to flex his PhD. A random person on the street will probably think of him as a normal ah pek and he’s chill about that. He’s definitely one of my idols.
One thing I learn in life is that there are many versions of success. What is success to me is probably not success to you. Despite having only A levels, I was lucky enough. I was able to accumulate a wealth of almost a million in under 5 years. Lucky because I sold my HDB flat and got onto the nice bull run a few years back. I was also quite involved in a gig job that pays me $10-15k/mth.
I had a simple target, 1m for retirement. Once I hit that, I got out. And yes, lucky again, because after cashing out, the market crashed. I was lucky that I bought a lot of crypto investments that didn’t fail.
So am I bragging? Partially yes. The main point I wanna focus on is not being greedy. I’m all set for retirement at a young age because I don’t really chase money. I enjoy the process of investing and I was careful about choosing the right product that resonates with me. The profit is just a byproduct.
One thing I learn about investing from my ex colleague is to earn money, you shouldn’t be obsessed with money. Focus on the process, and you’ll eventually make money.
That’s when I went back to school. It’s so cute to see my schoolmates being obsessed with As. They just love competing for the best grades. On the other hand, I enjoy seeing some others helping each other out. These are the real talents. There are too many smart people already. Kindness is a rare virtue these days. These students will have a lot of friends supporting them on their way up.
As for me, I’m just finishing my studies here for the fun of it. Took my fav subject just because. Gonna be $30k poorer which probably won’t increase my income further. Being educated allows you to earn more but most probably didn’t realise that being educated doesn’t make you smarter or better than most others. There’s no need to quantify and rank accordingly.
If you wanna be rich, do business. Most don’t have the guts to do it anyway. Everyone likes to think they are special. It’s only right for them to feel so. That’s how you will feel purposeful in this world.
For me, I’m still enjoying my life eating prata with my teh tarik. That’s how I like to enjoy most of my time. Annual euro trips is mainly because, she wants it and girl math, it’s cheaper to buy luxury goods there than in Singapore.
Personally, I’m just enjoying my time listening to as much music as possible, watching concerts, watching movies. I’m just enjoying that I have the luxury of time for all these. I have friends going on yachts and such. Like I say, different people have a different version of success.
For me, my version of success is being as healthy as possible to live a long life and having all the time in the world to do things that I like. Time is more precious than money, only because your time is finite and time will even become more precious tomorrow than today.
It can be quite intimidating hearing the thoughts of highly intellectuals. I guess not everyone can enjoy their rich lives. I’m just happier doing my own things at my own pace. Tbh, I have no idea what’s my next move after graduation. I’m considering giving back to my community. I think that’s probably something that I’ll want to do next.
Most important of all, I’m just thankful to be born in Singapore. That’s the biggest luck factor that allow me to ‘succeed’ in life. You can argue about Singapore being too expensive, but it’s worth it! And that’s exactly why I believe Singaporeans are all successful in their own different ways. It’s just scary when intelligence and wealth are being used as a form of benchmark for individuals.
To end, I believe luck is the most important factor in your life. Being born in Singapore. Being born to a good family. That’s luck too! Sometimes, you can make your own luck. Put yourself more out there, do things outside of your comfort zone. Keep on trying, and you’ll test the boundaries of your luck. My friends always tell me that I am very lucky. But deep down, I know that I’m a go getter. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Just enjoy life for what it is, ffs! May the odds be ever in your favour.
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