Presence of mind

My own "money-making" phase of life started with a "consumerist" approach, especially during my early teens, when I was more focused on collecting materialistic stuff and showing off.

I started making money quite young, when I was 12 or 13 I guess. At that age, I was making some random adult's minimum wage with ease, all while being in school. That kind of money at such a young age buys you a ton of "freedom". I'd say at that age I was making FU money.

So, not knowing any better, I wasted all of it.

The latest gadgets, funky accessories and clothes, and a ton of junk food; living every 12-year-old's dream? I'd say so. Sure, those were not some of my wisest decisions, but what do you expect from a 12-year-old kid? And hey, at least I wasn't out smoking or doing drugs haha.

I could've bought some Bitcoin, I guess? But I doubt Bitcoin was a thing back then. Even if it did exist, these readily available exchanges weren't a thing though. I didn't have access to the internet back then lol. I had to visit cyber cafes to browse the internet and the early stages of social media and WEB2.

Now, back to what is, and not what could've been.

From there on I worked and kept on earning till I was 22. All of a sudden I had put all the money-making on hold. Life got so busy with studies and responsibilities, that it became tough to juggle it all.

Since I lived a money-oriented life for so long, it was quite common for my friend circle to be of the same nature. Big houses, cars, expensive trips, that was the dream for a decade and more.

That was all until, I lost most of what I had during COVID. Life took a 180-turn so aggressively, that it was all downhill after that.

In 2019 I joined the office and started lending a hand in our family business. From 2019 to 2020 things were alright. I was supposed to leave the country in 2020 for higher studies. But then? Came COVID. I don't know a single person who wasn't affected during that time; in one way or the other, COVID took away from us something precious, something that money can't buy back.

Fortunately, for me, it was the complete opposite. Even though we had lost our precious possessions, assets, and a ton of money due to COVID, in return we had gained something beyond price, and that was? Contentment. Unity among my family members became unparalleled.

From there on my family and I worked on preserving the things we already had, and focused on the things money can't buy; family, good health, true friendship, trust, and the importance of working as one.

It's been 3 years now, and even though we don't have a lot of our shiny possessions or that massive apartment, at the end of the day, there is happiness in this house. This little apartment is now worthy of being called a home.

For all these years I've ditched the maximalist way of excess, and have instead preached the way of minimalism, and contentment. Even though some have listened and tried to apply it to their own lives, most have ignored it. And I say they have the right to do so, it's their life, their money, and they have their dreams and goals.

You can't expect everyone to have the same approach to life, as yours.

Now, all that doesn't mean that I've gone full monk mode; maybe one day I will, who knows. People change, sometimes willingly and sometimes quite unwillingly, resentfully.

Yet, for now, even when I have my moments where I don't hold back. I'll still go out and buy a nice watch to mark an achievement of mine. Maybe get a classic designer fragrance because I wanna smell nice again, just like the nostalgic barbershop fragrances that used to be in my father's cupboard.

But, I am happy that there's no sign of excess anymore, and instead, now there's always a hint of necessity in the things I do and participate in. Others and their influence does not rub on me anymore. I try to stay true to myself, maintaining distance from the people who preach overabundance.