Life

Introduction

When I was a little child, I thought I had a long way to go before I became old.

• Probably, at that time, I felt it took amazingly long time to even finish primary school years.

However, now that I am a working adult, time seems to fly by and the days are full of repeated yet unfinished works.

• Over the years, I have gradually lost my enthusiasm for pharmacist profession too.
• It is no longer the exciting challenge it once was and today is just a repetition of yesterday.
• Job is more of a mean to make the ends meet.

Today, I have not yet achieved my childhood dreams, but my age already made me an adult.

• Yes, I do not like to be called an "uncle".

NOTE: Watching a small baby grow by inches each day makes me acutely aware of the passage of time and my own aging.

Giving Life A Meaning

During our teenage years, our primary focus was on passing exams and graduating with a bachelor's or master's degree.

• For the past decade, our lives have been guided by this singular, almost sacred goal.
• However, upon reaching adulthood, we are compelled to reconsider the true purpose of life.
• Now, we face the challenge of answering what we truly want to achieve in life and how to minimize future regrets.
• Some individuals opt for a carefree single life, while many choose marriage and prioritize raising their children.

Even today, I grapple with the question "Is this the life I am truly happy to continue until I leave this world?".

• Although I find working life to be boring and dull, I recognize that not having a job would leave me feel even more purposeless.
• From reading books, I recognize that many people also face the same struggles in life: finding breakthroughs in normal routines, going beyond their own limitations to grow, and searching for happiness unrestricted by rules and others' opinions.
• We are simply one in millions, among those who have passed, those still living, and those yet to come into this world.

Ultimately, life itself is complex.

• It is a journey of discovery, learning and growth.
• Nonetheless, if a life purpose is elusive, then focusing on earning a healthy income and prioritising personal well-being are worthy pursuits.
• Importantly, we must embrace life and live happily on our own terms, rather than avoiding real problems, blaming situations, or clinging to the past.

NOTE: Apart from navigating life in our own best interest, adulthood often brings the realization that losing touch with best friends forever is an inherent part of growing up.

To the Past

Nevertheless, if I could be a time traveller, what will I probably tell the 20-year-old me?

While focusing on education, do not overstress about getting perfect grades.

• Education is only to guide you to make wise decisions in the future.
• Plus, a first-class honour or second-class honour degree does not make a huge impact on your future salary.

Besides studying hard, enjoy the youth and play as much as you like.

• The moment you step into the adulthood, you will soon realise there are lots of so-called adult responsibilities (to bank loan and family) and much less freedom to fool around.
• It would not be as easy as before for you to go on a solo trip whenever you feel like to due to commitments.

Being an adult, you are going to stuck between I need to save more and I only live once.

• You will think rationally for every expenditure that you are going to make. Is it necessary?

When reflecting the past, you may surprisingly realise that

• Most of the friends and colleagues that you meet in life are just acquaintances which may have left a subtle impact on us.
• Those significant or anxious moments may not meant much in the end, or so called the unnecessary.

Nonetheless, always strive to do your best because it matters at that moment.

NOTE: In life, many choices are not bound by perfect timing, an elusive "free day" or extra money. Often, growing up means losing parts of ourselves. We might no longer be enthusiastic about spending the whole night watching anime, climbing mountains to see the sunrise, or going to countdown parties, simply due to diminished stamina. Time and tide wait for no man!

To Live Ordinarily

When I was young, I used to long for a life of luxury and excitement (i.e. eating at fancy restaurants or travel to exotic places).

• However, as we age, our priorities tend to change.
• I realised that exciting life can be expensive yet tiring.
• Living a simple life (i.e. spend time with family, read books, watch television dramas, rest on bed and away from chaotic life) can be happier and more fulfilling.

It is only when we enter adulthood that we truly understand the meaning of 'no news is good news'.

• An unexpected call, especially from a long-lost friend or relative, often brings news of significant life events, whether joyous like a marriage or concerning like an illness or a passing.
• We tend to assume that everything is going well in their lives unless we hear otherwise.
• However, in life, happy endings are not as common as unexpected accidents.

Undoubtedly, it is also easy to get caught up in comparing our lives to others, but this can only lead to dissatisfaction.

• Social media shows us the best of people's lives, not the reality (the bad days, the struggles or the challenges).
• Therefore, focus on your own happiness and find joy in the simple things.
• Personally, I find that stopping constant phone checking is the first step.

Remember, happiness is a journey, not a destination!

The Fragile Nature of Life

When we are young, we often think that we are invincible and believe that we will live forever. However, as we get older, we see people we know and love get sick and die.

• You can be at the peak of your life, but a stroke can change everything in an instant. One moment, you are healthy and happy. The next, you are struggling with depression.
• I have seen this firsthand with my uncle. He was a strong and handsome man, but after undergoing chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer, he became a frail and elderly-looking person.
• It is even more striking when you hear about a healthy 26-year-old girl who suffers a terrible accident and goes through the worst experience of her life, which ultimately changes her life path.
• If only we knew such things were going to happen, we would undoubtedly avoid them.
• But life, in its essence, is a series of tiny, coincidental events.

Fragility of life can be a sobering realization. It makes us feel scared and uncertain.

• Yet, it can also serve as a wake-up call to count our blessings in life each day.
• Also, it is important to realise that the youth and having a healthy life is a blessing in disguise.

Summary

I know it is everyone dreams to be a billionaire, to have huge house and to travel around the world.

• It probably is your father's dream too.

However, it is only till when we fall sick or see the disabled elderly, we realise living healthily is such an important and precious fortune that we may have taken for granted.

• To illustrate, you can overcome countless other challenges, but a single serious health issue can significantly disrupt or derail your life plans.
• Neither money nor success can prevent us from aging, sickness and death.
• An elderly person might tell you that all the money you work hard to earn will be spent on health when you are older, if you do not take good care of it when you are young.

If accidents have happened in life, stop lingering on what if I did this or did that.

• Life goes on and we should plan on what we should do next.