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taking a break from work and its effects

Uncle had resigned from my job, due to various reasons that I shall not dig into here as that is not the purpose of this post. 

Whether this will be a transition phase before I get another job, or an actual retirement from work, I don't know yet. It is, TBH, pretty scary since this is definitely a new experience for me. While I am fortunate to have a spouse who is still working and earning a decent income, plus I am in a non-too-shabby financial situation, it is still scary. Why?

I think the scary part is, I have not much reference point to take inspiration/learnings from. Have been checking out blogs and YouTube for ideas, but all these are usually influencers who wrote for some underlying motivation that doesn't really reflect real life. I am sure someone who is very real has wrote something out there, I just need to keep searching. Also, have been making a point to talk to friends to get some ideas, but that can only help a little, given how diverse our personal experiences and circumstances are, not to mention different financial situation. But it was still useful, at least from a mental perspective, of catching up with old friends which I would had otherwise not able to do so if still fully employed with my very busy and demanding job. 

So, what did I do? Well, like most people who take a break/sabbatical from work, I worked out a list of to-do list, mainly from perspective of personal financial management and professional skill improvement. These are due to 2 prong reason:

1. Getting my finances in order now that I have time on my hand is important. I need to ensure I can retire, regardless of if this is the retirement already or later.

2. I need to upgrade my skills, stay challenged.

So did I get started with my todo? Well, yes and no. I was busy pouring money into SG market in last 2-3 months, in order to generate passive income flow. I spent time to read reports, watch financial videos etc to make me make better decisions. Read a lot of news as well to be aligned with what's going on in the markets. For skills, I am kind of jumping all over the place, and facing difficulty in settling down and focusing. Maybe I was too excited with stock market lol. As mentioned in earlier posts, I also feel very tired from mid day onwards, which is why I am also focussing on physical activity to gain strength and health and stamina.

But suddenly, I think I get it now. Since this is the first time ever that I actually stopped working (very different from taking a 10 day vacation every 6 months), I should give myself some slack, for real. 

That means, don't lecture myself too hard for not checking off the todo list as if my life depends on it. It does, but it's not in such a big rush that I cannot afford to take a real break. Yes, I should take a real break. Family commitments aside, housework, time with kids and wife, I should take it really easy. Focus on health, rest, and good company, and actually have times where I really do NOTHING, not even scrolling social media on phone or sleep. Just blank out, and maybe listen to my favourite songs (not watching videos)

Once I get to taste this fully, I should be more settled down, Basically, give myself the chance to 100% immerse in this new experience, take a real break!! Make is a real rest and reset. Change my life around. Be a better person than I could ever be. Then slowly start to check off my list of todo, especially learning new skills/updating existing skills. The world is there for me to conquer! 



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