Hey friends,
In the first issue of my weekly newsletter, I thought it’d be nice for me to share with you the most amazing thing that happened to me this week. (Besides launching the website and the newsletter of course!)
Experience
Last Tuesday, a few of my close friends from Kuala Lumpur took a 2D1N trip to Malacca. It was an extremely eventful trip, filled with fun, laughter and a couple of NDEs (Near-Death Experience). #iykyk
We did many random, unplanned things, one of which was to take a drive to a remote beach in Klebang. The sun was just about to set and the place looked like a scene out of a movie. While we were appreciating the scenery, taking pictures and climbing on some random sampan, I remember thinking to myself :
It’s hard to believe that we’re so appreciative of sunsets ( which happens EVERYDAY) ; and yet we take so many things in our life for granted.
There are few things in life that are so beautiful they hurt. For me, the sunset that day is definitely one of them. It hurts because it makes you realize how much you’re missing out. It hurts because you become acutely aware of how a picture-perfect scenery and the most important people in your life can make you so incredulously happy. And it hurts the most when you know that this moment is fleeting. For all the realization that struck me that day, I know that I wouldn’t give up all I have in my life for this. I would continue my march according to the beat of the modern society.
All of us go about our day trying to squeeze a little more value into our lives. We’d like to think that our "hustle and grind" will pay off someday and we’ll magically be happy when we can afford to travel the world with our family. What’s the point of going through all that and delaying "happiness" for 40 years? Most importantly, what’s the point when all you need is to take 30 minutes a day to unwind and slow down, do what makes you happy and find time to reconnect with yourself?
For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be experimenting with taking a certain period of time everyday to reflect in solitude. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it takes the form of meditation. I could also go for a night drive, go to a park or just staring into space. The important thing is to detach myself from the micro (events of the day) and reflect on the macro (the big picture). I think it would help me be more appreciative of life and develop my empathy for others as well.
This may be very generic for a lot of people but it was quite the revelation for me. I’m incredibly sorry if this didn’t add some form of value to your life. However, if it did help just one person rethink their choices, reconnect with themselves and find some form of "inner happiness" (whatever that means to you) before the week starts, it would’ve been worth it.
With that said, have a great week ahead and see you soon!
Jia Shing.
Links
🎧 Podcast - Alternative CV is a new podcast I discovered this week. The host of this podcast is Dr Paul Tern, who is a Doctor in Singapore and the guest in this particular episode is my productivity guru, Ali Abdaal. They talked about how to get overcome fear and put yourself out there, which I think is quite an appropriate episode to be linked in my first email newsletter.
✍️ Article - I came across an article called "Meta-considerate" while exploring Derek Siver’s site. I found it a very interesting read and it was just such a novel insight for me. Here’s a quote from the article -
"Being superficially considerate can be deeply inconsiderate. Doing the opposite is often ultimately more considerate. I call it meta-considerate. "
Challenge
Experiment with me : Try setting aside time for yourself daily to reconnect with your inner self in solitude. Focus on the macro instead of the micro. Track your progress.
It may seem like a waste of time at first, but I challenge you to do this for 5 days. Just 5 days. If you don’t get any value in doing this and find that its a complete waste of your time, feel free to stop doing it.
If you have something you would like to share with me or if you want to update me on the progress of this challenge, don’t hesitate to fire an email my way. Good luck!
If you enjoyed this type of content, consider subscribing to my weekly newsletter called Sunday Scoop🍨 where I share :-
* a short article on a few life lessons I've picked up/productivity method I'm experimenting within the week
* links to the favourite contents I consumed that week
* a question to ponder on for the week (or a challenge if I'm feeling cheeky!)
If this seems interesting to you, feel free to subscribe to my email newsletter below!