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Last Updated on May 2, 2022 by Chin Yi Xuan

Always remember: Live your own life, Walk your own pace. 

The past 1 year or so has been like a roller-coaster ride for me. As a start, No Money Lah’s growth as a passion project has been amazing. I have always like to write and share my learnings and thoughts with people, and No Money Lah allows me to do just that in my new stage of life – adulthood.

As an added bonus, No Money Lah has opened me up to various opportunities and the chance to meet many fantastic people behind the entrepreneurial and personal finance scenes.

Furthermore, my little goal to share what I know about investing also comes true. The tremendous support from the friends and readers to my Breakthrough Your Wealth – REIT Investing workshop have made all 3 workshops, so far, a fully-occupied (and fun) one.

My June 2019 Intake Group Photo 🙂
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That said, there are times where I just got overwhelmed with fear, doubt, and uncertainties.

The overwhelming fear that people would dislike what I write. The miserable self-doubt where I couldn’t even convey my feelings in words. The struggle against uncertainties towards, well, everything – from my career, my future, time and basically stuffs that could choke one out of breath.


Remember the Times Where You Kinda Messed Up Everything?

Can you relate?

Looking at your peers rising to the ranks in their jobs while you kept on hitting bricks. Or maybe, when you start to receive (more) wedding invitations while you are still getting your own life sorted out. How about those friends who seem like they got everything under control when you are literally losing them?

If you do not feel any of these, good for you. But I feel right about all these emotions playing in my head every now and then.

Have you ever feel like a loser in life? I do.
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At times, they come and go just in a blink. But there are times when it hits, it breaks down even the strongest mental barrier within myself. It is suffocating. Suffocating, knowing that all these efforts could be going nowhere.

But despite all circumstances, these are the times where I felt more alive than ever. Alive, knowing that I hit bricks, yet I am progressing whenever I overcome them. Alive, knowing that I feel these emotions, yet I am not running away from them. Alive, knowing that I am vulnerable, yet I do everything to pursue my beliefs regardless.

Being alive means acknowledging both the good and shitty part of the journey – and still living a kick-ass life.

Here’s the thing:

We’ll never be perfect in the face of norms. Any attempt to do otherwise is never a smooth journey – filled with uncertainties, fear, and self-doubt.

You are ‘lagging behind’ if you take a one-year gap year in between college.

You are ‘too slow’ if you haven’t become a senior manager by 25.

You are ‘too late’ if you haven’t get married by 30.

You are ‘too old’ if you decided to start your own business by 45.

Everyone is different. But norms expect us to walk the same pace in life.


It’s Never About People Outrunning You (or Otherwise), It’s About Discovering Your Own Pace in Life

I used to run half-marathons (21km) quite frequently (until I have some knee issues). And unless you are the top Kenyan runners, chances are you will be outpaced and outrun by people along the journey.

At first, it sucks whenever someone outpaced you. The feeling is especially real when the person is someone you know, and I experienced that first-hand when my best friends just outpaced me during the journey.

Then, I’ve come to a realization that being emotional when someone outpaced you is not just physically tiring, but even more so, mentally exhausting at the same time.

Slowly, I started to run at my own pace, being totally okay with people getting ahead of me. When I do so, I enjoyed my journey a little bit more. I made some new friends along the way. I challenged myself to outpace not anyone else but myself. Most importantly, I appreciate the fact that for each step I take, I am still moving forward towards the finishing line.

Not all paths are smooth – you just got to believe that you will eventually get to where you want to be. 

The more you run a marathon, the more you’ll realize that it is not a race between you and someone else. Rather, it is a race between you and yourself – just like life.

Your Life, Your Path, Your Pace

If that’s not clear enough: Yes, I Do.

Whenever I am not mindful, I will still get overwhelmed with emotions. I will still get anxious about uncertainties. And at times, I could even mess things up.

But it is at these times that, I get to learn to acknowledge my vulnerabilities, strengthen my self-belief and intuition, outgrow myself – all at my very own pace.

And I hope you do, too.


No Money Lah is now 1 Year Old!

If you haven’t realized it already, No Money Lah turned 1 last month! 

If you are reading this, I would like to extend my full gratitude to each of you. Your tremendous support has been one of my main motivations to keep writing throughout this year. Regardless of how you got to know No Money Lah, I am hopeful that my articles will keep bringing new insights and values to you, just like how your support kept me going in this amazing year.

Here are my 3 Books Recommendation to Massively Transform Your Life:

Before leaving this article, I thought of sharing with you 3 books that have transformed my life in one way or another throughout this year. If you are looking to a massive breakthrough in life, I cannot recommend these books enough for you:

From left: 

(1) The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, (2) Atomic Habits by James Clear, (3) Grit by Angela Duckworth                  


 

 

 

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Chin Yi Xuan

Hi there! I am Yi Xuan. I am a writer, personal finance & REIT enthusiast, and a developing trader with the goal to become a full-time funded trader. Every week, I write about my personal learnings & discovery about life, money, and the market.

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