A Remarkable Year, Nothing Less
At this point of writing, it is already 10:49PM.
I am 23 years old this year, but I had consciously made a decision to design and implement my lifestyle the way I want. This means living frugally, practicing healthy financial habits, avoid spending money & time mindlessly and taking care of my own body. I recognise my life is different from many of my peers, there is no shame and I will give myself the best foot forward, and do my utmost best.
Acquire worldly wisdom and adjust your behavior accordingly. If your new behavior gives you a little temporary unpopularity with your peer group then to hell with them. — Charlie Munger
During my birthday this year, I wrote a post detailing my reflections and emotions.
Looking back into my childhood and formative years, it was not so glorious, in fact, nothing to be proud of and more disappointments. Pain, too. Growing up, I am constantly tearing myself down and rebuilding myself. I am determined to overcome and rebuild my values system. I have this weird but effective method to overcome challenges.
Just like Fawkes, Albus Dumbledore’s phoenix, I die to myself and reborn from the ashes. So I have this mental and silly thinking that I am Fawkes. I am no better than anyone, in fact, I consider myself very ordinary and all glory is given to God.
6 months back, I felt like I hit a jackpot when a job offer came. Never in my wildest dream. Maybe this is what they say if you believe in your dream hard enough, expect good things to happen. After thinking and making calculated risks, I knew I made the right decision for my future. I always told myself, this job is special because it is a beautiful marriage of two elements. 1st is to invest and uncover companies on a daily basis, 2nd is to have human interact and value-add back to the society. It is very rare and uncommon to have such a job scope.
I always told myself, this job is special because it is a beautiful marriage of two elements. 1st is to invest and uncover companies on a daily basis, 2nd is to have human interact and value-add back to the society. It is very rare and uncommon to have such a job scope.
However, doubts would creep up to me every now and then. In the first week, I often found myself on my bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondering what have I done to myself? Did I ruin my own future? There is also society’s stigma that goes along with it. I faced some disapprovals from people, and people who looked down on me. Nonetheless, I forged ahead and decided to believe in myself slightly more than others.
I did not find myself being adequately equipped to do the things that the job demands, in fact, I was worried for the first few months. I told myself, let’s hang on and have some grit. Few months into the job, I got attuned to the pace of the job. In fact, the growth is tremendous and I could not be anymore thankful for many opportunities. But the real credit goes to God and many of my selfless colleagues who are individually unique and beautiful in their own ways. Some of my team members continued to encourage me and told me that I have what it takes. Without them, things would’ve been very different.
While investments is a demanding job, our investment team consists of many amazing individuals whom I have the pleasure to work with every single day. It is a joy to see them. They are kind, helpful, knowledgeable, competent and patient. I am very thankful for the growth that each of us is undergoing. I have no shadow of doubt that we will continue to grow and correct ourselves to prime ourselves to manage a growing assets under management (“AUM”).
As I went along, more support and love came from other team members too. They told me, despite my age, I am able to do many things. Just share from the bottom of my heart and ensure that my message is real. With love and support, there is nothing I should fear.
Ultimately, while work is work, what makes our organisation very different? It is the strong team dynamics that is upholding our company’s culture and values. It is something all of us cherish a lot. We have REAL owner’s mentality towards our company. What amazes me is how people are very humble, including the management. It is a big blessing.
I also got to know more people within the company such as coaches and graduates. They are really good people with values, and we are aligned with a system to create more wealth for our loved ones.My friends and family are also very supportive and understanding. I have many friends who simply goes beyond dollars and sense, and they truly care about my well-being. They bring much joy to my life and I am truly humbled to have them as my friends.
End of the day, we are all human beings, and we ought to care about each other…. instead of fighting and being envious of each other. We should keep things simple.
I also believe in love.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
So, this note is truly dedicated to people in my life who decided to believe me!
The year is not without many learnings along the way too. Sometimes, I questioned if I could’ve avoided some mistakes both in my job and my own life. I guess there is no answer to that… Thank you for people who are tolerant of my own failings. I just have to grow and be more careful. I have no clue what is going to happen next… but I am still going to continue what I have been doing: chase after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and expect greater things to happen.