Dear readers, today is Yuan Xiao Jie, the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar month.
Yuan Xiao Jie marks the final day of the annual Chinese New Year and many celebrate Yuan Xiao Jie here by simply having good meals and tossing of Yu Seng!
As Chinese New Year this year comes rather early in January, we have a unique case of Yuan Xiao Jie after Li Chun. Normally, from my understanding, Li Chun which falls on the fixed day of 4 Feb every year is within the Chinese New Year period.
We have both New Year and Chinese New Year in January this year and with Chinese New Year about to be behind us, I really have the impression that time flies fast.
And yes, time flies especially fast for me these recent months due to the super hectic workload which has me working practically non-stop. There is no longer any distinctions between day and night, office hours or after office hours or weekdays or weekends.
Much of the driver behind the super hectic workload is due to an important project. And I really look to the days after the project is over for some breathing space.
It is precisely due to the heavy workload that I did not do much Spring Cleaning for the Chinese New Year this year. In past years, I would take at least a week of leave (not consecutive days, but spread over two to three weeks) to prepare and spring clean for Chinese New Year. This year, I have compressed the above timeline to just about 1 day (on Chinese New Year eve). Though I had limited time to do Spring cleaning this year, I still did anything that I can to practise this good tradition of Chinese New Year.
There is an important message whenever I do Spring cleaning every year and that is Spring cleaning will be easier if there are not many material possessions that we have. For myself, I spend my monies wisely on mostly needs and not wants (I have little wants). In terms of material possessions, I choose the simplest things that achieve the objective and not pay attention to the brand name.
When it comes to pampering myself from time to time, I choose to spend my monies on positive experiences rather than spending on luxury items (I don’t have the need to impress anyone too). Positive experiences include good dining experiences or wellness massage or spa to recharge and rejuvenate but from time to time, and not always. Spending monies on positive experiences from good companies also help sustain these business and their employees and hence it is a beneficial thing to do. Your health benefits as well from a good massage.
I thought that my above message may be useful to all in these times where costs of living are no longer as low as before. Simply put, spend more on needs, less on wants. Focus and prioritise our limited time on earth on the important things that truly matter and move away from negative people and events.
Save and save your monies. Saving is sexy now as one could deploy them in high fixed deposits to earn good interests rate now. Saving is wise too due to the still volatile market conditions and one’s saving could act as a buffer in rainy days or as a warchest when stock markets correct. In terms of time, spend more time with our family and love ones too.
I believe many of us here are still much better and fortunate than many thousands on other parts of the earth, who are fighting everyday for the basic necessities of life or are involved in humanitarian crises. Many will want very much to trade place with us, to have the many things that many of us may have taken for granted, like clean air and water. Hence it is important to be Grateful for what we have. At times, let us do our little part to help the many others of our brothers and sisters on Mother Earth. I contribute regularly to World Vision which has many areas for donors to choose where they would want to impact lives in many countries (not an advertisement, but just a sharing on how we can help do a little bit for others).
On this Yuan Xiao Jie, I wish You and Family Good Health, Joy and Prosperity. Let us all “Huat” in the many aspects of our lives!
Best regards,
Tom K, founder of SGStocksInvesting.com