Newsletter Issue 65: 80 Summers, 80 Winters, 1 Life

Statistically, most people live till an average age of 80 years. Although this number varies across cultures and nations, we cannot deny that life is still all too fleetingly short. 80 years a lifetime translates to 80 summers and 80 winters - to love, laugh, live, and make the most of our time on this earth. Far too often, when faced with our mortality, we look back at our lives and think of all the things that could have been different. Regret may sometimes be inevitable, but it is still possible to live an unlimited life with the limited time that we have. In this issue, we look at some of the ways we can do so.

Newsletter Issue 64: Travelling Again

For the past years, given the pandemic and restrictions, many of us were forced to re-evaluate how to plan and book trips for holidays, or consider whether we should even be planning for any travel at all. Now, as borders are opening up, we have reached a stage where many of us are ready to start traveling again and make vacation plans once more. The catch, though, is that traveling will likely continue to be complicated as new variants emerge. How then do we plan for travel? In this issue, we explore this matter in more depth.

Newsletter Issue 63: Being Positive

Life can be unpredictable with obstacles, making it sometimes difficult to stay afloat. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, stress from work, or financial woes, everyone faces challenges and does at some point, struggle with remaining optimistic or hopeful. Nonetheless, it is still important to maintain positivity to keep us going; by finding the good in the bad, and being the light in the darkness. For this issue, let us explore on what being positive means & how we can harness it in ways that truly benefit our lives.

Newsletter Issue 62: Social Media and Mental Health

As humans, we have an innate need for connection and approval from others. Often, we make an effort to gain validation and this is natural. Yet, in our world today, this need for others’ approval becomes magnified; as many of us are constantly plugged in on social media, we tend to get caught up in the pursuit of “likes”, “shares”, “follows” & engagement. These can have implications on our mental well-being and happiness. Through this issue, I hope that we can be more aware of the impacts & risks associated with excessive use of social media, and what we can do about it so that we can live out our best lives.

Newsletter Issue 61: Being Savvy This Festive Season

It is a season of feasting, socialising and spending time with our family and friends. Amidst the bustle of festive preparations and joviality, let us not forget to take care of our well-being even as we celebrate this time of wealth, health and happiness. Stay safe, savvy and prosper!

Newsletter Issue 60: Looking Towards 2022

By this time, we would have endured quite a long period of the COVID-19 pandemic and many things have changed. Collectively, we have adapted to new ways of living, working and socializing. While there is no telling of when this pandemic will truly “end”, one thing’s for sure: Life goes on. The best we can do is to continue to look towards the future and live out the best we can. As we head into a new year, here are some predictions and trends we can look forward to.

Newsletter Issue 59: 6 Essential Money Moves To Make In Uncertain Times

In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. With the COVID-19 outbreak, we are faced with the challenge of adapting life around the virus and navigating intense market volatility. This leaves many of us feeling anxious and even disempowered.

Newsletter Issue 58: Misconceptions that hold us back

Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, left us with these words to contemplate: The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute: the man who does not ask is a fool for life. As the year winds down, it is time to reflect on some popular and widely - accepted beliefs and misconceptions that we may hold that do not serve us in achieving our goals and desires. Today, we look at debunking some of these misconceptions to expand our thinking and explore new perspectives and horizons.

Newsletter Issue 57: One Thing At A Time

In meeting the demands of work and every day life, many of us can feel compelled to do all things at once, and may become overwhelmed or less effective as a result. To counter this, it is worth taking a moment to adjust our pace; to give ourselves the space to practice taking one step at a time in the ways we perform our tasks and how we manage our minds & emotions.

Newsletter Issue 56: Habits & Decisions That Compound

As human beings, we are a culmination of our environment, decisions, behaviours and habits. It is worth giving thought to how we live our lives; taking a step back to reflect on some of our own less-than-ideal tendencies and ponder about how we can mitigate or improve upon them. Here are some resources that I hope can help us foster habits and patterns that can create an upward cycle for ourselves over time.

Newsletter Issue 55: Managing Burnout

In a world where more of us are increasingly working remotely, the issues of exhaustion, burnout and digital fatigue have become more pronounced in recent times. The implications on mental health and quality of life are real. Here are insights and resources that I hope can help us better understand the nature of the burnout that we may experiencing. More importantly, we can learn to manage, uplift ourselves and also the people around us.

Newsletter Issue 54: On Leadership

Leadership is the act of guiding a team or individual to achieve a goal through direction and motivation -- and there is a leader in all of us. This issue contains insightful resources and pointers that touch on the various under-talked about but important aspects of leadership. I hope this inspires us to not just exercise good leadership in our daily lives as individuals and organisations, but more importantly, help us get through and thrive even in difficult times.

Newsletter Issue 53: Productivity, Personal Effectiveness & Meaning

As our personal lives get increasingly intertwined with our work in this season, it becomes more important than ever to find ways to devote our energies to become more effective & productive as individuals. Here, I'd love to share with you on some resources and powerful ideas on how we can not only become more productive, but also make our work & daily life more meaningful in the process.

Newsletter Issue 52: Living A Good Life

What does it mean to lead a good life? The meaning of a good life, or life for that matter, is subjective. But there are some evergreen truths and wisdoms that we can all live by that help us gain the most out of life even through obstacles and challenges. In this issue, I have put together for you a series of insights, tips & advice by some of the best thinkers throughout history on how to live out a good life. I hope these resonate with you.

Newsletter Issue 51: Dignity and Why It Matters

Dignity is the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect by virtue of being human, and every person has an intrinsic need to feel valued and needed. Yet, in our world, there is often a gap between the ideals and realities of how dignity is accorded to individuals across age, gender, social statuses and financial positions. In this issue, I'd like to bring attention to the topic of dignity, and the ways which we can protect & honour the dignity of others and ourselves.

Newsletter Issue 50: Empowering Women In Our Midst

Women have long played a huge part in our society and economy. When it comes to uplifting women, the work extends beyond just international women's day or month. In fact, it requires continuous effort from not just leaders, but also every day folks like us to recognise and appreciate the great potential of women in our lives. In this issue, I'd like to share insights on how we can be enablers of women's progress while staying aware of the realities and struggles they may face. I hope this helps us in empowering the women and girls in our midst.

Newsletter Issue 49: The Gift of Paying It Forward

When was the last time you received kindness from somebody? When was the last time you extended an act of kindness to someone else, and to what end? As it turns out, there can be tremendous merits and outcomes in paying forward a kindness received with a good deed to somebody else, especially when done out of gratitude. The concept of "Paying It Forward" is nothing new, but in our world, I believe we could do with more compassion and selflessness as it brings out the best in us.

Newsletter Issue 48: Done is Better Than Perfect

As we begin a fresh year, it is a good idea to not just evaluate ourselves based on the previous year on how we have been managing our lives, but also to find out ways to become more productive as we move along. In this issue, I'd like to share with you some powerful ideas on productivity and how we can make the best of our resources, time, energy and capabilities. Let's do this!

Newsletter Issue 47: Of Languages, Love and Possibilities

In the words of Poet Ali in his TED Talk, "Every language we learn is a portal by which we can access another language"; the more we know, the more we can speak. To round off the year, I'd like us to take a moment to learn new concepts, stories and ways of seeking and connecting, which will empower us to adapt to the needs of others & ourselves in the way we relate, love, heal, and see possibilities. I hope this inspires you.

Newsletter Issue 46: Guiding Principles and Tips on Taking Charge of Finances in Our Lives

In a year where many of us are affected and perhaps feel powerless over our incomes amidst a pandemic, it is a good time to take stock of our financial health and confront our feelings about them & the way with deal with them. Whether we are young, middle-aged or senior, here are some important principles & practical tips on money management that we can fall back on which can go a long way into helping us optimise our finances and become financially wiser.

Newsletter Issue 45: On Teaching, Learning & Growth

All of us would have people around us that we learn from in our lives. And people whom we in turn teach and need to be accountable to at some point - as students, working adults or parents. The better we are at relating and leading others into growth, the better we become as individuals. In this issue, I hope we can draw some lessons and wisdom from these materials that can help us cultivate values and cultures that we want in our lives and lift us up.

Newsletter Issue 44: The Ability to Rethink & Reassess Our Minds

As humans, we often like to think we're right, even when we can be wrong at times. Many of us have the unconscious tendency to seek information that support our existing beliefs & disregard or undermine those that do not match ours. But doing so without awareness or questioning can have adverse effects in the way we think, make decisions & live our lives. Today, I'd like to share with you some potential consequences of confirmation bias & what we can do about them.

Newsletter Issue 43 : Staying Grounded in Things that Serve Us

The world as we know it has changed for good on pretty much every level - from our lifestyles, to habits, to incomes and economy. As we navigate our way and find our place in trying times, it is important to stay grounded and keep the faith as we focus on seeing and creating opportunities, solutions & meaning. While there are no quick fixes in times like these, there's still a space for us to find ways to improve and cope better in our lives. I'd like to share them with you in this issue. Let's keep our heads up in choosing to persist in hope & good thoughts, and I believe we will emerge stronger than before.

Newsletter Issue 42 : Moms Never Retire?

As they dedicate their love and lives to their households and make constant sacrifices for their family’s & children’s well-being, mothers never retire. For all these, moms deserve more thoughts besides during Mother’s Day. But should mothers also think about planning their own retirement — financially speaking? In this issue, as we give tributes to all mothers, we would also like to give thoughts to a mother’s financial freedom. Mothers deserve a worry-free retirement as well.

Newsletter Issue 41: This is the 8th Wonder of the world - Einstein

Albert Einstein said, "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it earns it. He who doesn't, pays it."

Newsletter Issue 40 : Mastering the Skill of Learning New Skills Fast

Today's phone in our pocket has 100,000 times the power of the computer that landed man on the moon 50 years ago. Our world is evolving at breakneck speed today. The World Economic Forum projected that more new jobs will be created compared to the ones lost. Uncertainty remains about what these new jobs would be. But the time to change our approach to learning new skills has come. The time is now. The 4th Industrial Revolution has begun.

Newsletter Issue 39 : What is hurting Employees and Employers

There are many new things to deal with at this time while we are being isolated from life-as-usual. A new lifestyle, a new future and something that can be quite subtle - a new kind of burnout. It should do us well to be aware about this so we can learn to disengage when we need to. I wish you and your loved ones good health and may you continue to stay safe!

Newsletter Issue 38 : Holding Space in Difficult Times

Amidst a pandemic, the profound impact & discomfort of loss or the prospect of loss is felt almost universally. We may find ourselves and even those we care about feeling anxious & restless, which makes it challenging as we find ways to adjust not just physically, but also mentally & emotionally. At this time, emotional support for one another becomes ever more essential. Here, I'd love to share with you insights that can help us have a deeper understanding on the complex emotions that we may be dealing with, & the ways in which we can provide meaningful social support in our daily interactions through being present & holding space for others.

Newsletter Issue 37 : Covid19 - No turning back from a new future and reality

What the eyes cannot see is bringing countries to their knees as we write. The full impact of Covid19 is still unknown. It has ushered in a new reality for the World. Our lives will never be the same again. And Covid19 won't be the last. While we #fightasone, let's see how we can prepare ourselves and our children for this new future - together. Here are some good reads that I believe can help us rethink this new future and its possibilities. If you find these resources useful, please forward them to those you care about, especially at a time such as this. Cheers!

Newsletter Issue 36 : Make these 6 decisions

Here's wishing you and yours a very fruitful 2020, and the best is yet to come! Another year, and what better way to start it with a collection of thoughts that might turn out to touch your life for the better? I hope you could find something useful and share along with those you care about too. Cheers for a blessed 2020!

Newsletter Issue 35 : When the going gets Rough

When the going gets rough, it can at times be easy to lose sight of what we set out to attain in our lives, be it in our personal endeavours, work or finances. The process of going & pushing through such situations may not be most comfortable, but persevering and talking about how to handle them is necessary. These are perspectives I found useful and inspiring. I hope this gives you hope.

Newsletter Issue 34 : Trust, Relationships and Emotional Security

In many ways, relationships are key to our well-being, as trusting, fulfilling relationships lay the foundation for our emotional health and security. But to work through relationships and trust matters aren't always linear or clean - they can be messy and raw. Here are some articles that I found incredibly valuable that enrich us in our personal and professional lives.

Newsletter Issue 33 : These are simply worth sharing with you

Change is hard. To force change is harder. They usually don't last. Perspectives however, are easier to accept. They change our minds and maybe that's what we need more than change itself. I hope you enjoy these articles.

Newsletter Issue 31 : The Power of Tiny Gains

These are some rather transformative articles that could help you and those you care about. So please be free to share them. I hope you find them beneficial. If you like them, do drop me a note and I'll be very glad to know I've added value and touched someone.

Newsletter Issue 30 : How the World forgot to sleep

The lack of sleep being linked to chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease isn't a happy story. Certainly not for those of us who are more conscious about building happiness in life. Please share this newsletter issue with those you care about. We can impact lives together!

Newsletter Issue 29 : Don't leave life without it

The Bucket List - chances are that you may not have made one. It is an interesting journey that we can take together. It's also a lot easier taking a peep at some of the most inspiring bucket lists that we have put together to share with you. Let's start one and live it out!

Newsletter Issue 28 : 8 Ridiculously Good Recipes That Only Take 15 Minutes

Since our taste buds are not working like black and white TVs. We know it's meant for some tasty good food. Yummy! Let's stay healthy, and also up our knowledge about making some nice interesting food. Here are some really good resources curated for you.

Newsletter Issue 27 : Life's most Powerful Lessons

There's a man in Singapore, that every time he concludes a business deal, he would go buy a plant and plant it somewhere. It's a simple way of giving back. He was also able to disengage and be with himself while doing something meaningful, albeit how simple it was. In this issue are some more examples of such life's lesson that we can benefit from. All we need, is to just take some time, slow down and breathe in the fresh air.

Newsletter Issue 26 : 3 Financial Wisdom from a woman with 3B Net Worth

There are just too many things that we know to be good for us, but have not yet become a part of us. Applying wise financial habits may be one of them. Here are some to learn about by seeing them from the eyes of a very successful woman - Oprah Winfrey. Change requires conscious efforts. I hope some of these thoughts will begin to be a blessing in your life. Cheers.

Newsletter Issue 25 : Come 15th May, Singaporeans have One more thing to be proud of

In case you missed the news, besides the big 3 - US, Russia & China, tiny Singapore would be the next to send a human into Space using a helium Stratospheric balloon capable of lifting an SUV. This is a 5 years arduous journey filled with many inspiring stories. A Visionary who saw the possibilities, followed by 150 applicants to be Singapore's first Astronaut, and finally an extraordinary individual to make the trip, laying his life on the line. Yet his project isn't about Space. It's about creating a better mental model for Singaporeans - that with the heart, mind and grit, we can do great things. Enjoy this historic moment.

Newsletter Issue 24: The Interesting secret

Or rather, this issue is about learning the secrets of being interesting. Even calling it a secret is a little too much. In today's world of overwhelming information overload, it's about paying attention to certain things that some people do to make themselves more interesting than others. We can all do better in life with a little dose of this knowledge. So let's dig in!

Newsletter Issue 23: The way we Think

In this issue, I'd like to do something different. All of the highlights are very interesting videos from TED talks about the way we think. The videos are between 15 to 30 minutes, but they are well worth your time I promise. Hope these resources will help create marginal changes in your life every so often. Let's be enlightened together!

Newsletter Issue 22: Why Happiness is linked to Deep Talk

Research seems to point to the fact that those who engages in deeper conversations with others are happier people. This is what I call a happy finding. It levels with what makes us human. We speak, we listen, we feel, we learn, we take and we give. And deeper conversations allow us to lift each other up.

Newsletter Issue 21: Half of the jobs in 2020 are not yet known

In the last issue, we discussed how robots will change our lives in the future. It has become increasingly important for us to keep our minds on the ball, stay sharp and stay progressive. If half the jobs in 2020 are yet to be known to us, how can we prepare ourselves and our children today? To face a fast changing future, we need to first understand it. We need to try and take a peek into this future and start to embrace change.

Newsletter Issue 20: Your Life is About to Change

We have come to a very unique juncture in time, where we are transitioning into the 4th industrial revolution. This is a time where technology as we know it will start to escalate in its rate of change. Our lives and jobs will surely be impacted. But how? It is time to consider this and take stock of where we might stand now and three to five years later.

Newsletter Issue 19: The Indispensable Power of Story

From a parent to a child, between friends and professionally in the workplace - there's something special about the role of story telling. And we've a lot to learn from the world's great story tellers. Some of the best are comedians, public speakers and politicians. But there's more. I hope the following articles will help you get started in this interesting journey of learning and exploration.

Newsletter Issue 18: Retirement dream vs reality

It's been a while since the subject of Retirement was discussed. In this issue's video, it's quite interesting to see how children have different ideas about Retirement. I'm sure all of us have our ideas as well. Yet life can mercilessly erode these dreams. But not if we are really serious about them. So how serious is your retirement dream?

Newsletter Issue 17: Some things don't change

The future seems to come at us at a faster pace than before. It brings along with it many questions. Will automation take over our jobs? What new jobs will be created? And which existing ones will be obsolete? How can we survive? Yet some things don't change. Understanding the things that will change and those that won't can help us carve out a better future.

Newsletter Issue 16: 2 Tips from a 116 year old

Most of us find it hard to change even when we know we need to. If only it's as easy as a walk in the park. But once in a while, a certain change of perspective is all it takes. Hopefully, today can be one of those time for you. We can gain some insights and wisdom from these articles that are worth sharing.

Newsletter Issue 15: The thing about Time management

Do we need to get better at time management? Or do we need to instead think about Time itself? More specifically, what it means to us - with the very limited time that we have. The answer would be different for each of us. But I'm rather certain that taking time to ponder about Time itself can be a fruitful thing to do.

Newsletter Issue 14: What you need to beat Diabetes

The World Health Organization's latest report says diabetes has quadrupled in the past 34 years. It's certainly something that we should care about. Not just for us, but also our loved ones. Here's a starter to help us understand and prevent this disease better.

Newsletter Issue 13: Hipster Hawker Stalls - Yummy!

Health is important, so is a good life and great food! One of the great thing about being in Singapore is that there's always new food places to explore. In this issue, I'd like to bring you to a couple really good yummy places - wrapped up with a hilarious video you don't wanna miss.

Newsletter Issue 12: Oh how beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

Singapore is growing as a cultural center. But why is Art important? And how can Art, in its many forms make our lives better? Deep within all of us, there's a need for expression and appreciation. There's certainly more for us to explore and learn about Art. Do not miss the video below. Oh how beautiful this is ~ a celebration of art and life!

Newsletter Issue 11: Secrets of the Heart - Uncovered

It is always quite refreshing to discover new things about our health. In this case, Vitamin C is one of those surprises. Do watch the video below till the end ~ it could be a life saver. But please seek your doctor's opinion as well.

Newsletter Issue 10: The result of reading

The more we read, the more we can share. And sharing is caring. Here are a few interesting articles I'd like to share with you in this issue of my newsletter. Remember to pass it along to those whom you care about too.

Newsletter Issue 9: This isn't the bucket list

It isn't the bucket either. One good news is that more people are now surviving cancer. The other good news is that life expectancy has increased from 75 to more than age 80. But hold that thought for a moment - it's only good news if one is financially prepared to survive such a critical challenge.

Newsletter Issue 8: Creativity

We may have thought that creativity is a realm belonging to a selected few. But is it? In this issue, we explore together some interesting stories that may strike a chord of inspiration for you. You can be creative too.

Someone worth my trust