Last Updated on May 2, 2022 by Chin Yi Xuan

Have you ever been in a situation where you said ‘Yes’ to something or someone when deep inside, your answer was a big ‘NO’?

Even worse, have you ever felt really guilty after saying ‘No’ to something or someone?

That is, without doubt, one of the worst conflicting feelings ever.

But here’s the thing:

If you say ‘Yes’ to everyone and everything, chances are you will have to say ‘No’ when it comes to things & people that matter the most to you.


My Goal in 2020

2020 is an important year for me.

This year, if I were to put a theme to it, is the Year of Trading Mastery.

For me, I have always enjoyed trading, not for the reason that you may assume.

I am passionate about trading because it pushes me to become a better version of myself. Trading taught me to face my fears and ego. Trading inspired me to embrace my curiosity and keep learning. More importantly, trading empowered me to take full responsibility for my own emotions and life.

Hence, in 2020, my goal is to pursue a professional trading career in proprietary trading firms (firms that trade their own and/or clients’ funds).

Personally, I see this as a natural transition in pursuit of bigger opportunity, knowledge, and mastery in my craft.

With that in mind, having a goal is not enough. According to Jay Shetty in his recent podcast ‘4-Tier Framework to Effective Goal-Setting’, it is even more crucial to focus on your growth than the goal.


Eyes on Your Growth over Your Goals

As important as my goal is to me, the growth towards my goal is even more crucial.

This section definitely deserves a whole article on its own (which it will), but here is a brief idea of my action plan to improve and grow towards my goal, which I am presently (and consistently) practicing:

    1. Technical Skills: Allocate time daily to practice my technical & pattern recognition skills. (eg. Reading Price Action & Order Flow) – Practice, Practice & Practice.

       

    2. Mindset & Psychology: Spend an average of 2 hours daily in the study and practice of psychology, mindset & peak performance (which I really enjoy doing).

       

    3. Morning Flow Routine: Meditation, Affirmation, Visualization & Gratitude Practice (45 minutes).

       

    4. Health: Exercise 30 minutes daily (normally at night).

       

    5. Review & Feedback: Daily End-of-Day journaling, weekend & monthly trade review.

(Side note: For those who have an unrealistic expectation about trading, now you know the effort and commitment it takes behind the scene – which still DOES NOT guarantee an outcome)

The point is, all my priorities and the things that I am doing (and will do) in 2020 WILL focus mainly on the pursuit of my goal…


…Which is Why I must Start Learning to Say ‘No’

To be frank, I really, really, hate to say ‘No’ to people.

In the past, I will feel bad for rejecting a random long-time-no-see friend’s request to meet. I will feel guilty for saying ‘No’ to people/businesses that want to collaborate with No Money Lah but may not be of good fit to the theme and value of my blog (which, by the way, is my personal space).

And worse, I will feel shitty in the sense that I feel obliged to come out with reasons to say ‘No’ everytime.

That said, that WILL NOT be the case in 2020.

In 2020, I WILL say ‘No’ to protect my priorities without feeling bad.

In 2020, I WILL say ‘No’ to people and opportunities that do not contribute to my goal and values.

In 2020, I WILL say ‘No’ without feeling guilty and the need to give reasoning to do so.

For all of you – friends, readers and potential collaborators that are reading this, I am hopeful that you will not take any of my ‘No(s)’ personally.

By every means, all of you are my great source of motivation and inspiration, and I am eternally grateful that.


Here are 6 Things that I Gonna Say ‘Yes’ to in 2020:

    1. Experience & opportunities that will contribute to my career goal and my growth as a trader.

       

    2. Meeting inspiring people of the same values and goals that will drive my growth.

       

    3. Anything family-related & my 2-lifetime friends (you know who you are :P).

       

    4. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (eg. Meeting Bill Gates or Warren Buffett).

       

    5. Collaborations that will add value to me and my community of readers in terms of personal growth and finances – considering my personal capacity.

       

    6. Collaborations on disruptive and/or exciting financial products & services – considering my personal capacity.

Other than that, any kind of casual socializing and gatherings would be secondary in my priorities.

I cannot emphasize more about the importance of having clarity about what you would say ‘Yes’ to in 2020. Again, we MUST set boundaries to opportunities we will say ‘Yes’ to at the start of the year or we will end up achieving NOTHING by the end of the year.


Verdict: Say ‘No’ For More in 2020

You got to learn to say ‘No’ without feeling guilty in order to have more in life.

It might sound weird at first, but it is true.

The irony is, saying ‘No’ reduces distractions and enables us to place more time and energy to work on the growth we need in order to achieve our goals.

Nothing is more frustrating in life than to end the year knowing that you are nowhere near the level of growth you desired – all because you are working on so many other unrelated things.

With that, I wish for your breakthroughs and success in 2020!


Side Note: The Role of No Money Lah in My Life for 2020

First of all, no worries!

No Money Lah will remain my personal space where I will continue to write about intriguing personal growth & money lessons in my adulthood journey.

In fact, in 2020, I have built a more systematic approach towards my writing routine to allow me to work on my content efficiently.

I will continue to write about my personal thoughts and money & investing. Perhaps, I will even write more about trading and psychology too!

If you would like to see more people benefiting from my content, consider supporting me through any of the channels by clicking the ‘Support Me’ button below! 

As always, thank you so much for your support for the past year and I truly, truly appreciate it. :)