Over the period of 1 year I’ve met;

1. 26 year old who has started his first professional job.

2. 40 year old who just bought his first house.

3. 40 something single dude who still feels content with his bachelor's life and has no intention to marry.

4. 28 year old who just started pursuing her diploma.

5. 25 year old who has purchased her second property.

6. 30 something single woman who’s happy with her career and her traveling hobby.

7. 55 year old tea lady who has one of the purest smiles and feels happy with her job.

8. 60 year old former GM of an MNC and he’s starting his own business now by making cold calls.

9. 50 something uncle who has mastered and worked more 25 years in corporate but now drives GRAB full-time and has no regrets with his new pay cut job.

10. A 65 year old former HK based financial analyst married with 4 kids but travels solo around the world with a bag pack. I swear he has better stamina than me when we hiked in Lake Toba.

11. 56 year old lady who has breast cancer but still endure the 2-hour daily traffic and 9-hour stressful office environment but never complains.

12. 24 year old who’s happily married with 2 kids.

The whole context of ohh you’re supposed to achieve this at this age is obsolete. Everyone has the ability to chart their own timeline and they don’t deserve to be judged for it.

How many of us have asked someone who’s at the age of 35 earning 5 figure, ‘’are you happy’’?

People get so caught up in the world of comparison at a superficial level that we assume a tea lady is depressed and a 35 year old senior manager is happy. Do we even ask people if they’re happy?

As cliche as it sounds, the closer I reach 30, the more I understand that life ain’t a race. If you consider it to be a race, it’s one race you can never win.

As long you’re moving forward, you’re in a much better position than you think you are.