Ladies of Hive Contest # 18: An Advice to my Younger Self

To support the community, here is my entry to the 18th edition of the Ladies of Hive Contest and answer the question:

I would whisper to my younger-self a certain number combination and would say "You will thank me later..." 🤣

Kidding aside, I don't have just one but three advices to myself if I could go a few years back.

When I had my first job and earned my first few salaries, I was overwhelmed on buying stuffs that I have longed for. I spent mostly on gadgets. Though I also saved some of my money in the bank but it was only years after I started to learn about investing in stuffs that are more valuable and have higher returns. I was introduced to different forms of investments like real estate, cooperatives, VUL, cryptocurrency and among others. It may not always a gain but if I had started earlier and weighed more on my spending, my first salary could have been a long way.

I can remember as a child, my parents would buy encyclopedias and story books from Sales people visiting houses. During these times too, fairytales in VHS were also a big hit too and preferred over reading. In my perspective, reading becomes more of an academic purpose. During pastimes, I haven't thought of flicking a book for entertainment and excited to watch cartoons instead. It was only in high school that I was influenced by my friend to borrow Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books from the library. I just discovered that in reading, you could go in the zone for hours. It really boosts my imagination and sometimes I get frustrated watching movie adaptations from books since it was different than what I imagined it to be. (Disclaimer: Not all movie adaptations though 😆) If I could go back, I would read during my idle times. Of course being balanced with the physical activities.

Talking to a lot of people really got me the nerves, be it in person or online. I always think over and over again what are the right things to say. Even in speeches or reporting, my mind would go blank, gone with the wind are my days of preparation. If I could tell my younger self, I would tell her that to gain confidence, you should ask questions often. In that way, you would be able to gain confidence and be comfortable with interacting with people. Don't worry if you would be judged or you won't have response. As long as you would be able to speak your mind. Don't just keep silent while your mind is boggling with lots of questions. Let it out and make yourself heard.

I might want to impart more thoughts to my past self and would sound regretful; but it is never too late to make changes. As what Max De Pree, an American businessman and writer said,