2016/2017

This post comes very late but is inspired by a facebook post I read. It made me want to spill out my hopes and dreams not for just 2017 but for the future.

Yes, 2016 was not the best year. Personally, it was a Year of Deprivation. I was working towards bigger goals and some things needed to be sacrificed in order to achieve those goals. On paper, these sacrifices seem simple and minute. However, after going through 12 months of it, I can honestly say I was exhausted and drained. Perhaps I pushed myself too far, perhaps I didn’t need to be so extreme. Perhaps my goal was too big, setting me up for disappointment.

I had made it my goal to reduce my credit card debt and while that was reasonable, the full mortgage payment for an apartment I bought kicked in. Juggling payments while trying to save money was very, very difficult. There were a lot of roadblocks. The apartment needed to be rented out as soon as possible but work needed to be done. I had to fix the place up a bit, we’re talking basic necessities like light. On top of that there were sudden unplanned expenses like getting our air-conditioning fixed because it was leaking water and the lever wasn’t working. The list just kept growing as the months went by. Each week brought new financial challenges.

At one point, I never saw a cent from my paycheck. For months. It was depressing and very, very stressful. It took a toll on my relationships, my mental and emotional health and while I tried very hard not to let my family feel it, I knew they were affected somehow. That was not cool. I sometimes wonder if the sacrifice was worth it.

However, 2017 is going to be much better. I’ve decided that 2017 is going to be a Year of ‘More’.

More yes, and less no (yes I’ll get that RM2 worth of Skittles even though it’s not in the budget) More happiness, less depression (house payments are due, but hey, at least I’ve got a renter) More love, less hate (I’m going to stop spending time with negative people. If they want to gossip during lunch, I’m going to suddenly get a fake call)

So this year is going to be a year of more, a year of abundance. I may not necessarily have more money (did I forget to mention that I didn’t get any salary increment or bonus last year?) I *will* have more positive, worthwhile experiences. I’ve only got this one life.