Hmmmm ... am I rich?

As many of my friends will know, I took an early retirement about 14+ years ago … quite early considered by many people. Many said I must have millions stashed away to be able to retire in my mid 40s.

Until today whenever I tell people that I retired early … they will still say … “wah, you must be rich and made a fortune!”

Hmmmm … am I rich?

OK, let me put it this way, let me ask … what is poor?

Poor means you don’t have enough … right? So when you have enough meaning you are the opposite of poor … that means you are rich. Follow me?

So based on that simple analogy … I can say I am rich, simply because I have enough.

Then, the very popular question pops up … “how much is enough?”

OK, let me give a bit of my thoughts about what is “enough” to me … now, this is strictly my own opinion ya.

To me, “enough” is not measured by how much you have … it is measured by how you spend what you already have.

What do I mean?

kopitian budgeting

Let’s say you have a 100 bucks … if you spend only 30, that I would say is stingy. If you spend 50, that is prudent. If you spend 70, I say you will have enough. If you spend all 100, that is living on the edge. And if you have a 100 and you spend 150, that is just plain stupid.

This is my simple explanation of “enough” … no rocket science just a layman “kopitiam” (coffee shop) budgeting of what I think is “enough”.

Then the next question is … how do I live with “enough” ?

Again, to me it is no rocket science … let me tell you my simple idea of living with “enough”.

It is about “feel better’ rather than “look better”. I put my money aside … I feel better knowing that I will have enough come rainy days. Now if I want to look better, I will put money into a new car.

I don’t have a “bucket list” … I cannot afford a bucket list. I only have a “budget list” … a list of flight destinations on offer by the budgeted airlines that I can afford. That is OK for me, I may not get to see a lot but there are enough of the world that I can see and experience.

Whatever I have, it is only enough to buy comfort … I cannot afford to live in luxury. The things that I have are all affordable … not collectables. I can only allow myself to spend at popular places … I don’t have the spending power to go to famous places.

To me, enough means my lifestyle can only be “fitted” with the “need to haves” … not “filled” with the “nice to haves”.

Last but not least … there are plenty in my life that are good enough to share but there is nothing for me to show. It is very much about contentment … nothing about achievements.

Now, this is just my very own idea of how I am living with “enough” … I am not asking anyone to live and spend like me ya. Others may have different ideas to live, spend, enjoy and show their successes and achievements that they worked so hard for.

Finally, I want to say … yes, I am rich. With a roof on top of my head, with clothes on my back, with enough on the table and with much comfort and necessities … I am richer than 75% of the people in this world.

Do it ... WHEN I AM ALIVE

Forgive me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not forget when I am gone.

Laugh with me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not smile when you think of me.

See who I am WHEN I AM ALIVE … not remember who I was.

Be with me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not miss me when I am not around.

See me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not see me embalmed in a coffin.

Meet WHEN I AM ALIVE … not gather at the wake of my funeral.

Feed me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not put candles and joss sticks in front of my ashes.

Love me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not grieve, grieve is love for the dead.

Give me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not burn for me to receive.

Tell me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not read it out in a eulogy.

Call me WHEN I AM ALIVE … not call to tell people I have gone.

Comment WHEN I AM ALIVE … not type R.I.P. 🙏🙏🙏 

 

LIFE IS GOOD … APA SUSAH SUSAH ??? 😗

(Note : I am not Chinese educated but I am trying to learn Chinese words … the Chinese words used here are mainly translated from Google Translate. If there is any mistake, please bear with me ya).

Not too long ago I posted a photo on social media … a photo of me enjoying my usual cup of morning black coffee which I said was a picture of contentment.

Just a picture of contentment

From this post, many were able to understand and see my easy and simple ways of life. They offered good words and appreciation … even though some may not live like I do but they understand.

Then there are a few whom I believe may not really appreciate easy and simple ways of life. That’s OK … they have their own ideas of what lifestyle they preferred. I have absolutely no problem with that and I don’t like to comment on how they live.

But there is one person who kind of disagree with my contentment. We met in one occasion and he said to me (in Chinese ya … Cantonese actually, referring to the post) … 你不會享受你的生活. 生活一定要多姿多彩, 吃喝玩乐, 大鱼大肉, 贵酒美女 ... 这样才是享受生活. 你不觉得你的生活太简单和无聊吗?

Really, that was what he told me … no joke, he was not just kidding with me … he really think that my easy and simple life is a bit too simple and 无聊 (Google translated it as “boring”).

OK, OK … he is not wrong ya … he is just telling me the way he interpret how I live. I have absolutely no problem with that. I take that with an open mind. Every individual has his/her own ideas of how to 享受 his/her lives … if it is not against the law, you can do what you like and enjoy yourself.

Let me say this … 我不是不會享受生活 … 我只是不會享受你的生活. 也许因为我享受不起像你这样的生活.

Look, I have my way to 享受 my 生活 too … it is the way I can afford, it is the way I am comfortable with and it is the way I like.

我的生活很简单 ... 平平淡淡 ... 没有什么多姿多彩才 ... 只会喝黑咖啡, 健身, 爬山, 乱唱歌, 和煮饭.

我是在做我自己 ... 我在做我喜欢做的东西 ... 不是人家喜欢看我做的东西.

我不需要装, 我不去追, 我也不怕人家笑. 这是我的生活 ... 这是我享受的生活.

还有, 我只會说 … LIFE IS GOOD … APA SUSAH SUSAH ??? 😗

Life is good ... apa susah susah ???