Minimalist in the City is back! Reflections of 2021

Minimalist in the city is back!

We have not been blogging for more than a year, since the onset of the pandemic in Singapore. With the implementation of the circuit breaker then (our version of a lockdown), we were also slowly cutting back on blogging as we transited into a new work from home arrangement – but with kids! A lot has changed since we started this FI journey when we were just a family of three. Fast forward to today, and Ally is already turning 7 and her brother Ashton will also be turning 4. Kate is already back at work for almost three years after her one year sabbatical. We had also stopped updating our expenses in the blog as we thought that the expenses that we had shared then was helpful for us to understand our spending patterns, as well as create a healthy discussion around expenditures in Singapore, for this is a topic that is never quite discussed in most social circles. This FI journey has definitely strengthen our financial position and opens up a lot more possibilities in our lives.

Who would have thought that the Covid-19 pandemic would caused the Tokyo Olympics 2020 to be held in 2021 instead and throw the whole world into a prolonged pandemic situation? Amid this Covid-19 landscape, both Kate and I have been working from home most of the time. Through this forced experience of working from home, Kate initially exclaimed that we could work with this kind of arrangement until we are 65 years old and probably could take periodical sabbatical or mini retirements in between. The WFH arrangement might have been beneficial in the beginning but I guess it has taken a toll on our mental health as we realized that we actually missed the office and social interactions, and some of those engagements that have been difficult to replicate in a WFH environment.

We had also started more philosophical questionings, especially around “purpose”. Not to sound preachy, but many of the things that we do or engage in has some form of purpose ingrained in it. And that is what motivates our actions and our thoughts. Without that purpose, there is often a sense of loss. You might not exactly agree with me on this concept but at least for us, that was a very strong sense of our self identity, as well as finding meaning in the work that we do. Rather than the quest for more, having “enough” to sustain our current lifestyle and be contented with what we already have in our lives right now has played a huge part of what we are today. Allowing us to free up our time and focusing on the things that matter more. We believe that more monetary wealth does not correspond to elevated levels of happiness. Indeed, contentment is inexpensive. And realizing that is mind-blowing and at the same time mind-freeing. Especially for us, during this period, it was really a lot of self-searching and soul searching conversations about what we should be doing, and what we will like to achieve for ourselves, the work that we will want to be involved in, etc, and how we should go about designing a life to pursue what we want to do.

And here are some key takeaways from the pandemic:

1. Practice gratitude

We start to be more mindful of our surroundings with lesser distractions. We also realize that we have been missing out a lot of simple things in life which we might have failed to appreciate in the past. Simple things like waking up beside your love ones, appreciating the morning sun, listening to the birds chirping, our calm breathing sound and sometimes just by being alive – different forms of practicing gratitude. Life is a gift and we should look forward to our days rather than just going through the motion. We should give meaning to our lives instead of just living it.

There is an article about a monk who mentioned “The key to contentment is all about slowing down.” Recently, I talked to a friend of mine who discovered minimalism a few months back and now trying her best to slowdown after working more than twenty years in a fast-paced corporate environment. She let go of her helper after many years and is selling her car. She felt a lot lighter and calmer nowadays. She is looking forward to the next chapter.

We should appreciate the fact that our lives are short and happiness is more of a journey rather than a destination. We should wake up everyday with gratitude, look forward to the day and do things with a purpose. The very first thing in the morning, we should think about what we are grateful for and this will help kick start your day on a positive note. You should think about how you could make a positive impact – whether it be someone’s life or even for yourself. This will help shape fulfillment and creates happiness in the process.

2. Quality time

During this pandemic, many are forced to stay at home and these might have created some family conflicts felt more strongly than usual. On the contrary, we also get to know our family members better by spending more time together, and having more conversations than usual. As the kids are growing, our parents are aging.  

Most of us have a tendency of taking our family for granted. When we start to grow up and eventually start our own family and build our careers, we start to get busy and find less time to manage our relationships. Busyness has become a buzzword that is sometimes being seen as an excuse.

Of course, money is important, but it is not more important than our family. One may argue that to take care of our family, we need money. That is true. But how much is enough? To the expense of the time that we can spend with them when they are still around? What are your priorities?

3. Think about what matters to you and design your life around it

Money, status and things do not define who you are and is not a measurement of your self worth. You should focus more on values which will define who you are and will never diminish in the face of adversity. Do things that comes from your heart.

For us now, yes we are on our journey to pursue FI but the bigger goal isn’t the FI, but the non-financial aspects of attaining FI. During this journey, we learnt a lot on the mental aspect of having enough in our lives as compared to the very beginning. We derive more satisfaction in our lives right now with things which does not require a lot of money and slowly removing the chain of leading a dogmatic life. That to us will be a breakthrough in our lives

4. Marry the person with the same values as you — and treat them well

Both of us do face our moments during this pandemic as we started to have more facetime during this work from home period. We know that we have radically different persona for the longest time but this pandemic actually makes us realize how much more different we were. We had long and sometimes uncomfortable conversations until the point that we don’t even feel like talking to each other.

But I know innately we still love each other a lot and is also the reason that we still continue to have these conversations to re-align our long term goals as a couple and family. I guess all relationships do have their bad moments but once there is a breakthrough, that is where you will strengthen your bond. Nowadays we start to get to know each other again and start to set some boundaries between the different roles that we have while having most of our lives revolving around our home during this pandemic.

Conclusion

As a person who went through the school of hard knocks, I know how it feels like being left out and marginalized in our society. That was a strong “why” for myself and I had dedicated and devoted a huge part of my adult life towards giving back and building communities to give people a sense of purpose and lead a fulfilling life. 

Personally, I place very low priority on monetary items as I think that money is just an instrument to achieve the life we want and nothing more than that. We should live our lives based on our personal values and beliefs and its not always about the numbers. I really enjoy genuine conversations with people and value people’s relationship more than anything else.

This year, I also made a bold mid-career switch to become a financial coach as this is something which strongly aligns with my values, my purpose and why. I’m extremely grateful to the people who has supported me, friends and family and really hope to help as many people to reach their financial goals and achieve their desired lifestyle. I will share more about this career transition in future posts.

And of course, it’s 9th August 2021. Yes we are still in the middle of a pandemic. But as we all persevere, we will definitely see light at the end of the tunnel.

Majulah Singapura!