My secret to living well is this
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“Your ready?” I texted my mom to ask if she and Pa were ready, right after I loaded up the baby’s stroller in the car. My parents lived just a few blocks away from us. It was 6.15am. The morning was still dressed in the night, waiting for the sun to rise. That was exactly one month ago. All eight of us, including my parents, packed up into two cars and we drove up to Kulai - a quiet town in Johor, Malaysia with a strong Hakka community. If you’ve had Lei Cha, you know that’s what the town is famous for. Well, we were there for my two boys’ Wushu tournaments (both boys were in their red and black wushu attire - can you spot them?). Somewhere along the drive to Kulai, I recalled when I was six or seven years old. My dad would take us on road trips like this, driving through small towns like Kota Tinggi and up to Cameron Highlands. Once, we stopped by for durians along the dusty roadside - laid pieces of newspapers on the soiled ground to enjoy the king of fruits. I missed those drives. And here I was doing the same things with my three boys. We all had a great time. You know, driving through Johor reminded me of what’s important in life: That it’s about experience, not “things”. Over the years, my wife and I decided early on this idea that we would spend on life experiences for our family. We don't buy our two boys (aged eight and six) as many toys as they like. And they know we don’t spend on “things” - whether it’s a PlayStation or an Xbox with stacks of games. Instead, we try to give them as much life experience as possible. And you know, great life experiences don’t need to cost much. For example, we keep our schedules free every Sunday. We try to bring them to hike through Sungei Buloh wetland reserves, find the best playgrounds in Singapore, or simply just head to our nearby park. Going outdoors is free. Spending time with family is free. Two days ago was Children’s Day. We cycled 15 km to a shopping mall, where we had lunch and cycled back. I was really proud of my two boys who completed our cycling trip. I know, who would be crazy enough to cycle under the hot afternoon sun. But boys need to toughen up a bit, right? Right? I admit, sometimes we don’t try to be frugal with life experiences. Our kids have been to places. Last year, they rode across the Gobi desert (that's us below) on the back of a camel. They learn there are parts of the world where it’s just covered with huge blanket of sand - not just a concrete jungle. They went as far as taking a cruise down to the city of Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. They see different cultures, different races and taste different food. They know the world is more than just a little red dot. Living well isn’t about buying “things”. Living well is enjoying the experiences we create for ourselves. And that’s so much more important. I live on a sunny island that’s ranked the most expensive city in the world. And it’s easy to get sucked into buying “things”. I remembered a retired property agent friend once telling me: “Willie, you know you need to get your Rolex.” The constant barrage of people telling you that you need to buy this or buy that. That you’re pressured to keep up with the Joneses. I’ll be lying to you if I said I’m not interested in these “things”. But living well isn't always chasing that next piece of luxury watch, or needing to drive a BMW just to blend in or attract the “right people”. At the end of the day, you can’t take these things with you. If we’re not careful, we get beholden to these “things” that make us run an endless rat race. Worse still, it pushes people to take short-cuts, chase the next hot stock tips and take risks we don’t understand. To me, living well means…
These are life experiences worth more for me. Of course, we want to invest successfully so we don’t have to worry about money and live comfortably. And to me, living well means experiencing life to its fullest, not buying "things". What’s your idea of living well? Please share with me! By the way, if you've just joined my email newsletter, do check out my ultimate guides resources here. They are free! Sometimes, investing can be simple. Willie Keng, CFA Founder, DividendTitan.com |
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