I awoke earlier than expected today, which led me to think, why not? And I decided to go for a morning run at 630, instead of rushing it at 730. This gave me a whole hour ahead, and I’ve already cleared through some of my morning routine before my regular waking hours. It might mean that tomorrow I would try to make these same timings again, or maybe I would sleep in because tonight would end a bit later than usual.
Yet, Time is what I’m really chasing after.
I’ve been watching many finance videos recently because of a sudden interest in NFT gaming, and the whole crypto space. The more finance videos I watched, the more entranced I became with the idea of money being key. But today, on my run, that was something I really just struggled to come to terms with. What do I want money for? What’s the point of it?
I currently live in a smallish apartment, under a government based rental scheme, as I wait for my pre-booked apartment to be built. In Singapore we call these BTOs – Built To Order. But because I have my current apartment, I’ve been able to purchase many things for the household. We have a single seater sofa, we have our bed, we have shelving (that I purchased in my twenties), clothes that will last me a good 3-5 years without me buying new ones, and a few other household things that I would survive very well with.
I honestly have to say that I am living a very rich life right now. My interests are easily pursued, and the depth of knowledge and experience that I would like to pursue is within my fingertips. I don’t need anything that would require me to have a lot of money for it. I currently don’t see the need for the “financial stability” that many in finance have been talking about.
I do see the flip side, that if my interests, in collect keyboards, vinyl, and diving deep into things like art; if money becomes one of these interests, I can see myself diving very deep into it as well, and aiming to “collect as much as possible”. But why? Money as a point of collection or accumulation sounds ridiculous in the skill and scope of what I have been able to achieve. Currently at least.
And because of that, I will still play around with crypto, and properly throw some money into long term investments, maybe with a regular yield (regular to be defined). But I will not invest the same amount of time and effort that I had put into keyboards, or my other creative hobbies just for gaining wealth. I think that would be an unwise use of my time.
Instead, I will chase my daily times of exercise, of creativity. I think even the gaming NFTs (Gods Unchained and Axie Inifinity) have more holistic gains because I’m able to learn tactics, and enjoy myself. I will chase the things that would be harder to chase after when I hit my older age. Like learning new things, experiences and stretching my body to its healthier limits when I still can.
As I note myself thinking through these things, I am reminded that I am after all saying all these things from a place of much career safety. I would like to think that I am in a niche, and will be needed. But I know the truth of it being that no one is really needed that same way.
I also understand that I am very influenced by my own sense of idealism. I do not mean to put any one down. I know that the hobby of collecting keyboards would sound ridiculous to someone who is into finance and investment. And my ideals are really not normal.
I am also moved by my current moment, which does not need me striving for money. My views on all these might change one day, and probably will. But for today, I will live with my ideals.
Tomorrow might be entirely different.