Category: Psychology

Resilience and Adaptability = Confidence

On By RistrettzIn Psychology, Random, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

Life is like a game. You play a game and this game cannot unwind or move back or restart. You will face good and bad decisions. More often, you will face a dilemma. I like to listen, adapt and use psychology to understand and comprehend most things. I find that humans are a handful and psychology is the best way to understand someone instead of a concept or a model.

Our life, work and family revolve around integrating these into our day-to-day life. When faced with challenges, it saps the energy out of us and makes us feel down, upset or even dejected at times. However, the same can be said about joy and happiness. More importantly, these moments never last forever and instead come and go like the rides of a roller coaster. It is a simple measurement of life that nothing lasts forever.

Comparing ourselves with other makes a good benchmark on where one would like to be at a certain point in time but it should not turn into envious or jealousy. Let’s say that let us be glad we can do the things we do, no other should influence you into turning green nor should that affect your decision to change your values and principles.

More often than not, we as humans are more resilient than we think we are. Most of us need time to get over things, some people are made different, and they move on faster than the rest. It is not a good or bad thing. What I meant to say is that there are trigger points in life that are essential and these triggers are due to an in-built mechanism that moves subconsciously within us. This means, that when one person does not think he can achieve or do this, situational issues may have triggered a situation where, over a period, this person continuously pushes forward better than he thought he was. (In the sub-conscious

As I get on with my morning exercise which I am trying hard to change and get used to in order to reduce the cm on the waistline for my own good. There were alot of thoughts that flowed through my mind. Things such as wisdom words, mentoring and coaching stayed with me even within the last 10 years where I no longer meet my ex boss, inspiration mentor or coach. Here I am trying to be a notice inspiration leader.

Simple headlines and things I learnt

a. What i the one thing that no one takes away from you. This is what my first real boss told me and that is Knowledge. The wisdom of apple is one that no one can take away from you. It is unquantifiable and only shows when you act on certain aspects

b. Learning and training. Is there really a need to learn and train in an environment. I’m learning everyday, I just need the credentials but guess what those around me whom I worked with studied in University of Imperial College, MTI, Colombia, Havard and Cambridge. I learned valuable lessons without going through the official program. Do we really need to study for the sake of studying. We only work 40-50 years of our lives and spending more time in school – Unless I want to be a researcher or educator, I’ll consistently go back to school.

c. No experience, no skills, no other relevant education. We should really rid ourselves of this concept. Who started off with experience, skills and relevant education. Most leaders just forget where they once were and just want to get their shit done quickly and productively. It is hard to find a mentor or coach. Why? because it is a time value and what they can be doing.

d. Spiritual – It is not meant to be a preaching session. When all else fails. Look to where your beliefs bring you. You will be surprised at the result. What is Faith?

i. Scenario 1: When you fall forward and see your friend/partner in front of you, you fall forward with the confidence that the will catch you.

ii. Scenario 2: When you fall backwards and you see your friend/partner still in front of you. you fall backwards without fear and worries. That is faith. (Please do not do this in real life or you will end up hurt)

e. Everything happens for a reason and nothing lasts forever. The question is how long so make the best out of your time.

Conclusion

I meant to write this as a form of inspiration. I am a nobody and I’m not an inspirational leader. However, I aim to be one and no one was a leader at birth. The same can be said about skills and experience. We are born equal and we choose our own path. So, Sulk and Swear all you want – then move on and don’t prove anyone anything. They don’t even care or even know what you are thinking. If you show ethics and integrity, be real and honest – Things will fall into place eventually.

When you find small success in life, that’s where positivity exudes. This is where you find confidence. The saying “fake it till you make it” holds some truth because marketing sells and you have to keep selling yourself and your own USP until someone values what you are talking about.

Disclaimer

If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check them out and do your diligence. There is no one-size-fits-all investment strategy and no one solution to life. Join my telegram group to find out more about deals and join the community to connect for ideas: Life Journey Telegram

Thank you in advance. It would help in every little way now that I’m in between work.

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Keyboarding Warriors

On By RistrettzIn Personal Finance Series, Psychology, Random, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

I would like to keep things positive on this blog channel. I have no sponsorships of any kind nor do I have any paid users. I keep this blog clean and with the objective of journalling and hopefully or eventually being able to monetise. Any referral or affiliate links are how I keep the lights on this blog going. My time, effort, domain, email, research and other miscellaneous costs are worth something. My rate card per hour is not cheap and when I say not cheap I mean it, it is not cheap.

Whatever I recommend or suggest, I don’t put a gun to anyone’s head to use it. One, like any investment decision – Do your own diligence. It gets under my skin when someone starts to blabber nonsense or type in comments online without using their brains. When I get angry or upset, no one messes with me and trust me – No one does. In my roles, I don’t give two hoots if your corporate rank or life acquires you a “managing director” or “CEO”, as long as you talk shit or do funny things, I shoot my missiles in that way. The toilet cleaner and the CEO are the same = Both Humans. Sometimes the toilet cleaner would make a better people person than the highly-paid CEO.

This is a free world. We are free to choose, free to select. Don’t undermine others of their selection and choices. If you have comments that don’t help, do the favour and keep it to yourself. Unless there is a solution, don’t just rattle. I’m so sick and tired of overconfident people who don’t even hear themselves and what they say. The worse part is, they still think that they are the best or better than the rest. It is a very dangerous mindset.

I’ve said what I said. I’ll end it here and move on positively. I’m just sad for those who don’t realise it but again, I don’t mince my words. Good luck.

Disclaimer

If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check them out and do your diligence. There is no one-size-fits-all investment strategy and no one solution to life. Join my telegram group to find out more about deals and join the community to connect for ideas: Life Journey Telegram

Thank you in advance. It would help in every little way now that I’m in between work.

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral Services

Consolidation

On By RistrettzIn Personal Finance Series, Psychology, Random, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

Consolidation is quite the generic word to use when we consider downsizing, restructuring and/or a natural progression some would say. Similar to any business or investing cycle, there are peaks and troughs across any period. Opportunities and investment ideas are fewer now. Low-hanging fruits are being snapped up quicker than ever before. Deals and good stuff will go out much faster in a phase where people are coming to the realisation that free money is going to be harder to come by.

This is apparent from the closure of the grab pay card (since GXS is there and it can do much better than what it originally can), credit card deals have more excluded components, nerfed perks and an increase in legal T&Cs on rewards. New payment cards have harder requirements to earn referral fees, and investment platforms have started to consolidate. With the way things are, it does look and feel like many are taking a cautious approach. People, families corporations and those with job would hold to ride through this mini storm which I call a transition or consolidation.

This also comes to fact from an unprecedented Covid travel closure which sparks an acceleration in a few sectors. Though many did not expect things to turn out that rough, they still did and made some industries redundant. In return, multiple new entrepreneurship sectors evolved, giving rise to other types of demand.

With that in mind, things will likely slow down in the next 3-6 months with the possibility of an extended period. Certainly, it would not be easy for those finding a good deal. It is however important to stay upbeat and be resilient. Things can only get better.

With that, Just to keep light on this small deal blog, check out the referral shop.

Disclaimer

If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check them out and do your diligence. There is no one-size-fits-all investment strategy and no one solution to life. Join my telegram group to find out more about deals and join the community to connect for ideas: Life Journey Telegram

Thank you in advance. It would help in every little way now that I’m in between work.

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral Services

Investing or Gambling or Punting

On By RistrettzIn Finance, Macroeconomic, Personal Finance Series, Psychology, Random, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

I recently read quite a bit of online articles to explore fresh new ideas and I came across some blogs discussing the fact that investing is gambling and also several others that discuss Singaporeans being overly confident with themselves. I mean there’s really no right or wrong answer to these and I personally feel that it is a little bit of a righteous standout or declaration. Yes, we all know that many people are snobbish but I would like to think that most Singaporeans are smart, clever, and full of empathy. The ones who are snob are usually the affluent group. Probably think that with a 6-digit asset, they have the right to everything.

That said, our small country has exceptional talents. These people don’t voice or come out to talk about their opinions in public. Usually, they can avoid it in its entirety or put their opinion on where it matters the most. After all, we are still humble Singaporeans, aren’t we? There was an increasing trend in the last decade about some topics that irk me a lot, let me list them down:

Kiasu/Kiasi

Meaning scared to lose or scared to die. It was prevalent in the last decade where FOMO exists today and I felt that it was uncalled for because people just flock to what most people did. It kind of made many next-gen be contrarian

Best

The concept of best has been something I disliked for some time now. At least for 30 years. For 30 years, I have been hearing the words best and “bestest”, even words that do not exist in the English dictionary appear in my everyday life. My question is, what is best? Who determines the best or why is it the best? Is what one defines as the best really the best? I beg to differ in all aspects. There is no best, there’s only what one thinks is the best. By the way, it doesn’t mean cheap means it is no good.

Similar to the way one measures a valued company. It’s not the best but it is the most valued. Then again, value is perceived hence my point – beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.

Invest in gambling

It is said that gambling is punting, investing is gambling of sorts and investing is a study of risk management. If one sees risk management the same as gambling then I’ll ask, why invest and spend so much time understanding a company or an investment? Life is an entirety of risk and we understand the risks, manage the risks, and reduce risks to enhance our lives, our experiences, and our money.

Lady luck plays a big part in our lives no doubt. Some people seem to have more of those but I’ll say, you make your own luck. If lady luck is not on your side, it is probably because it is the wrong lady. Some find their lady earlier and some later. There’s no loser at the end, it is part of the risk management and tools we can use to enhance our priority.

Disclaimer

If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check them out and do your diligence. There is no one-size-fits-all investment strategy or general rule for your every life. Join my telegram group to find out more about deals and join in the community to connect for ideas: Life Journey Telegram

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral Services. 

If you have not opened a Moomoo account to start your investing journey, you can give it a go here to recieve rewards up to S$660 (T&Cs apply). Cliek here to Open a Moomoo account

Thank you in advance. It keeps the light running on my blog. Cheers!

New Year, New Start in 2024

On By RistrettzIn Deals, Finance, Personal Finance Series, Psychology, Random, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

Before we start on anything for 2024. I would first apologize for disappearing for a full year. I was fully focused on getting my career on track to only lead to a single result. The end result is actually disappointment, anger, and fear. I ask for peace and hence over it. I am keen on moving forward and this is actually good for me.

Everyone is different

My situation can be similar or different from many others. One can choose to focus on the negative aspects or the positives. This year, I will try my best to constantly blog more, and provide more deals, promotions, and thoughts about stuff. Provide more referral sources to find out about life hacks and travel more.

Doesn’t this picture make you happy?

We keep looking into blogs, about deals, life, investments, about promotions. It all begins with one thing, you need to have the basic necessities of life. Food, drinks, bills that you pay. If a certain segment does not fit where you are heading or takes some time to reach, just ignore it and focus on your current situation.

Work on it until you have built your emergency funds up. Inflation today has dropped but it is not a joke, prices will not drop even if there is a deflation (Unlikely so) However, I do personally think that interest rates might just drop drastically – This has already been priced in in the most recent treasury bills and SSB. Personal Finance consists of many parts, some choose to focus on P&L while others focus on finding great deals.

What is Personal Finance to you?

For me, personal finance is a game of psychology. It is how one deals with another person’s boasts or proof of what works for them. I do not see red over others and I actually would celebrate their achievement. My only gripe is that everyone is different and one does know another’s situation. So, my ask here of you if you are humbly reading my posts is that. If you have excess cash, good for you, you can seek better and more deals. If you are of a humble background, a fresh graduate, or someone in a situation.

Don’t fret. Many people are in the same situation – You just need to be aware of the situation you are in. Drop the “I’m unlucky, I’m old, I’ve to restart” stigma. Age is just a number and your situation is only temporary. However, if you continue your rut and continue to be unhappy then I can only say that you’ll take a longer period to get out. You will eventually.

Take care of my readers (My LJs). Time will heal and recover. Meanwhile, it is back to my store store and referral time!

Disclaimer

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at Referral and Recommendations

These pictures were taken off the website. I thank you in advance for keeping my lights on on my humble blog.

A New Beginning – The Year of the Rabbit

On By RistrettzIn Psychology, Random, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

So, I took some time off from my previous job because it was giving me a mental breakdown as well as a job fit. Most importantly, I didn’t feel that I got a good start, everything just felt off from the onset. The last three months have been exciting, scary, enriching, anxious and everything else mixed together.

For the best part of my work in the last five years, was the pure flexibility of it. I enjoy the work and I enjoy how flexible it is. Honestly, it feeds me and the family well too. Everything has to end eventually so the transition was not too great. As for me, I didn’t feel that worried but once I stopped receiving calls for interviews after three weeks, something didn’t quite click and I reached out to my contacts for help. Meanwhile, I also seek my own spiritual help.

I didn’t come from a privileged family but I always had an issue with applying for jobs. It doesn’t come that easy compared to many others that I have known. There’s always something available for others. Personally, social capital has always been a help to me. Perhaps my role is niche or my experience is different from others but it is always the “highly recommended” that gives me the first call for interview. Whatever happens next is up to the individual.

There was a bit of a hiccup during my onboarding process but eventually, with the grace of God, everything worked out.

The thing about this process of job hunting is that often it is nerve-racking. For some reason, it didn’t feel this way. It just felt that something will come back at the right JD, the right remuneration. Given the external factors, it does get a bit anxious when you keep hearing about the job cuts in several key industries that have boomed over the past few years.

I definitely feel those who are still hunting for a job, looking for their next work. I also feel for those who have been retrenched, who had to resign for whatever reason and who have no work for any reason. All these take a hit on their retirement planning, life plans, child and many more. I will pray for you and everything will be fine with God.

This is just a random thought that I would pen down. In five or ten years, I will probably come back and look at it and see what has changed. But for sure, many of you out there don’t despair and don’t lose hope. Because with time many of the answers will be revealed.

Be thankful for the things we have

On By RistrettzIn Psychology, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

With the increase in countries changing their covid stance, the world has slowly but surely tried to come to an equilibrium. The pandemic created a lump of opportunities and closed off many others. We still need to be thankful for the things we have. If you had a job or still have a job. If you have a bonus or still have a bonus. If you can travel or if you cannot travel. The beginning of the past (comparison and envying doesn’t help)

Rather, be thankful for the things you still can do. Still can afford it. Still can provide. Don’t forget to give back to society, help others and be empathetic. For those who gave up or stopped their usual routine, if those are good for you and are spiritually rewarding – take time to plan to get back in 2023. For the world is a state where it is revolved around capitalism, it is easy to get lost. It is also not easy to live in.

The friend or social media is becoming toxic yet again with plenty of posts with the goal of? showboating or keeping up to date with your friends? No one knows but just remember to be thankful for the things you have. Money, in this world, can accelerate many things but chasing it has it detrimental effects. Yet, it is a form of acceptance that we can afford in this world today.

Maybe not now, maybe in the future. To many who have and have not. To the many whose ambitions have yet and going to be achieved. Be calm, only a clear head will let you think properly. It is never easy for me to come to any decisions but it does seem like it is easy for many. For some reason, every step of the way can be a stepping stone to something. Struggling is what makes us move forward. Being complacent does not and it does not even come knocking until it hits one too late.

I shall end off here and say that everyone’s stance is different and one should stay focused on your own principles and life. The things you see are different from the things others display. Everyone is in a different phase of life. If it does not work out now, it will work out later. The problem is the duration of that while it works out.

Count your blessings and be thankful. God Bless You Always.

Managing Yourself

On By RistrettzIn Psychology, Random, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

Life is very different for everyone. Every nook and cranny is different for each one of us. Eventually, that moulded all of us very differently. (i.e. How do we react to certain situations? How we seemingly lose common sense at certain things. With those things in mind, we can then empathise with others in their situation. While we may focus on how others are lacking, in the same sense we also need to be patient with others.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of looking at others and as always the grass is greener on the other side. (Until you reach the other side) Let me just sum it up. Only a small proportion of people get it lucky, they get the best of both worlds – What is rosy is also what is the true portrayal of their lives. The rest of them is living the beautiful lie (It doesn’t always come easy)

I can only speak from my own experience and while things were rosy. I had the opportunity to enjoy work and make good money while doing so. So, many times I try to look toward others with more empathy. Managing your own expectations is the hardest and because we all have our own aspirations, it often leads to less than expected results. However, we should always hold our heads high. Bite the bullet and move on. Sometimes pacing, slowing down before searing forward again. Easier said than done.

All of us are different and I do implore that no one look at other portfolios at 1 million, 500k or 250k at an envious level. Rather, look at things from a goal perspective and practicality. After all, everyone’s starting point is different. Look toward the end goal. Never give up and remember it is never too late to start.

One have to manage yourself as well as manage your own expectation. Every situation is different. Sometimes just purely managing time and break is not sufficient. We are built this way, some stronger than the other but lacking in other atrributes. Similar to thr concept of there are no perfect systems, there are no perfect human being. Behind the scenes, do you not think that those who seem fine has it easy too?

It is very similar to investing where everyone’s starting point is different. Today, I am lucky to have additional funds to explore and invest. Some may have just start while others may be struggling with debts or even many other issues.

I am glad I had basic financial knowledge and I understand some thing better than others.

Don’t see it as a hind or head start. It always start with an idea or a dollar. Be confident, no one else should tell you how you should be.

Remember you are not alone. Find support and community that are of like-mindedness

Lunch, Covid and Networking

On By RistrettzIn Psychology, RandomLeave a comment

Covid has change the way I approach many things at work. In the past, I would force myself to go attend at least one networking event at least once a month, meet new people or even try to get to know someone new anywhere.

Lunch was a common period to network and attend events. There were plently of opportunity and too many events (free or paid) but the choice is really one to choose.

Fasr foward three years, working from home. Having a new structure, cancelled events and reduce social interactions slowly back tracked into what I fall into. That is to become introverted.

Lunch seems to always be an extra meal for me. When you start breakfast from 9.30 onwards, 12 is too early for lunch and 3pm is too late. Yet, it is good to find a time for a logical break and get out of the space for an extended period of time.

Depending on your own company culture. Arranging lunch used to be one of my dail affairs. At the same time, lunch buddies are hard to find. However, today I really cant be bothered. I prefer to just have some me time and settle lunch somewhere. I dont mind company but if there isn’t any, it is really fine for me.

I dont know much about how many of you out there enjoy lunch. I certainly dont quite fancy it. I prefer to get the work done and then head back earlier to beat the crowd. Everywhere on the roads or public transport is just slow traffic. 2 hours of commute is really quite a waste of time. However, to a certain extent, some kind of work doesn’t have the luxury to work from home.

It does seem like readers like to understand and know more of the struggles and discussion about personal life instead of new products, promotions or deals.

Thanks for reading. Covid made me start this blog which I have put off for at least 5 years. I wasn’t sure if anyone wants to read what I pen down and if my content would attract any. At the end of the day, I also realise that penning down my thoughts through the years also let me bookmark some of the financial decisions I made previously.

Eventually, if there is an opportunity to monetise the content, I would not miss it. Writing and managing a blog is not as easy as I thought it would be but it is manageable. At least it isn’t as time consuming as editing and shooting a youtube video.

Thanks again for hearing me rant. I rant from time to time to vent mt frustrations and express some of my personal opinion. While I may not be correct, it is just my way of de-stressing.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Money is Indeed Everything

On By RistrettzIn Personal Finance Series, Psychology, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

Indeed in our world today, in this small island of affluent rich Singaporeans. Money is everything. It puts not just food in your mouth but also entertainment all day, all night long. What would you do without money? Cryptocurrency has taken a big fall along with traditional investments and the biggest news in town isn’t Bitcoin crashing down from it’s ATH (all time high lingo)

I also dabble in Cryptocurrency and at one point it made up about 20-30% of my entire portfolio. Which was amazing to be honest. It just raked on and on but I didn’t not take any profits. Instead I sink more into the ecosystem and punted for the 100x goal. Did I buy Luna? Did I do UST? No, I did not. Why didn’t I? I wasn’t too sure as well as I was playing MM.Finance and Dark Crypto Defi.

The Terra Luna Conspiracy

At one point I even pondered why didn’t I joined in the party at Terra Luna. But I had 0 holdings and I was wondering what did I miss out. Again, the 100x token. Unfortunately, things goes off in a snap this is part of the world and liquidity spiraled down to a level of pure single death tone. I’m not too sure how many people were hit locally but I do know there were plenty of suicidal comments online.

I read in many spaces that talked about having an asset allocation of not more than 5%-10% in your investment portfolio. But in that part of the space in my memory, it is just a 100% allocation into crpyto. I can’t help but feel sad to see it is down more than 50% but at least those were the profits that I ploughed in during the good times. Perhaps it is just time lost and research wasted.

Humble beginnings

In any case, It really brings back to the initial launch of why I started to note down my financial and blogging journey.

a. Don’t put in everything you can’t afford to lose when you invest. (Naysayers will say they took all the risk and became rich and that’s fine too if you made it) But I’m adverse. I have 2 young kids to feed, a mortgage and a car loan that is about to be paid up in a few years.

b. I’ve always been a bit skeptical about the all-in concept. How am I going to pay my bills for the next 6-12 months? Perhaps I’ve experienced this twice in my life. The first when I was in Secondary School where I had only $100 bucks in my bank account because I did not keep track of my spending. Needless to say, my parent’s scholarship eventually made up the bank book when I went to Tertiary.

This just proves that at a young age, it is hard to grasp the concept of personal finance. Especially when you can reach out and ask for money from your parents. This is non-existent in the World called America and Europe. Only Asian Parents do such things to spoon feed their previous child. (Laughing to myself – Who am I to say this as I also have 2 lovely girls)

My second experience of wiping out wasn’t exactly scary. It was when I got married and bought a house. Expenses were really tight and for a while, I scrimped really hard and saved on every little item.

My third experience was when I lost my job when I was 35. I had been living paycheck to paycheck. Bills, mortgage, expenses were what i needed but I lost my job. That made me think a lot. I was out of things for almost 18 months and I even tried to do a small business which put me in further financial disarray by the time I decided to pull out of it. Did I feel suicidal? I can’t deny it but I felt my existent in this world was worthless. But that thought didn’t stay long. So, for those guys who lost it all in Terra Luna, I can only say i feel you but money can’t buy you happiness.

Suicidal is an easy way out. Living is tougher. You can always rebuild but when you are gone, your loved ones will be distraught. Hence, the idea of depression can be really detrimental.

Cheers guys. I’m having a break today from work. Afternoon beer is a luxury – I understand that. My last few years were one of the greatest in a company whom emphasis is on getting things right and proper. Budget were never a budget issue. Everyone will have their day so keep on living. Don’t ever give up.

Conclusion

Health is Wealth guys. Don’t read it literally – Life is beyond just the money. Money gives you the capability and option to do many things. But life is beyond what you think it is. I can’t stress enough that when you think positive, you will get vibes and when you think you are young,  you will be young.

I’m not sure how many people do read this or follow me but if what I say matters to you, it tingles with you. This is human psychology. There isn’t a need to be connected physically. When things resonate, it doesn’t need to be reasonable. You just need to know it.

It is not literal. This post isn’t about money or referral or personal finance. I feel you and many of us experienced that at least once in our lives. Just make sure that it is a lesson you learned and it doesn’t deter you from exploring options. Because, you really cannot say never to something you have not tried.

Living is more important than dying. Easier said than done but get over it and restart again. With support, it will be easier but without it will just take longer.