Sometimes as a typical young adult, or adult, you have these moments where you start to wonder whether life is just, like that. Waking up in the morning, surviving the 9-6 grind, reaching home to plop down on your comfy bed and get ready to fight the next weekday. Is that really all to it? We usually hear interesting stories from our friends and families during gatherings and we wonder how these people have the luxury of time to do so many more interesting things with their lives. The key word here is time management and self-discipline. In a while, you will also realize why undertaking these activities can also contribute significantly to your chances at life success.
1. Investment and Networking Clubs
There are plenty of investment and networking clubs in Singapore. In fact, if you are willing to part with a tiny bit of cash, there are investment workshop opportunities all over the newspapers, every single day. Workshops, classes and formal talks on how to grow your finances, put your money to work and earn a second income aside from having to grind everyday for the next 40 years of your life. This is definitely worth 2 hours per week, learning about the basics of investing and getting to meet like-minded individuals who are interested in learning how to better manage their finances. Does this sound better than watching TV and surfing youtube on a weeknight?
The catch here: It is not even physically exhausting nor time-consuming. A couple of hours a week might just turn you from rags to riches (if you pay attention and are serious about it)
2. At Least 1 Sports Activity
There are just too many sports out there to name! Let’s name a few of the more commonly known sports such as soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, golf. If you are still a young adult, you might just be wasting your youth away if you aren’t using all that energy to get out there and take up a sport. Heck, even a weekly jog and swim counts as a physical activity! Do you really have to be a professional to enjoy a sport? No! Do you have to commit a significant portion of your time? No! Even a weekly hangout playing badminton or basketball at your nearby community club provides all the necessary exercise, fun and socializing that you need. Saying that “I’m not a sports person” or “I’m just not born to play sports” is frankly an excuse, especially if you aren’t handicapped. If we have the Paralympics, need I say more?
The catch here: You will be more fun at parties and small talk, because you have at least 1 thing to talk about – your sports hobby. In fact, that’s more fun than saying “Oh, I don’t do sports at all”.
3. Volunteering Community
Because with recent debates over whether money is truly important in life, and whether it amounts to happiness, then this is the answer. Volunteering is a great way to give back to society, especially when you join a community that believes in helping out the needy or under-privileged individuals. Not only do you get to meet people who think alike, who are probably warm-hearted and selfless individuals, you also get to stop for a moment in this hectic world we live in, and simply appreciate the fact that we should be grateful for what we have now. Volunteering to help others out is definitely a great way to spend your free time. No doubt this involves more commitment than the first 2 activities, but it is also more life-fulfilling.
The catch here: You can live happily knowing that you have at least made the effort to contribute back to society, instead of skulking over soap k-dramas at home and whining about life all day long.
4. At Least 1 Music Activity
If you’ve read point number 2 and did not like the suggestion, then you need to consider this. Perhaps some people really do hate sports, but music is a universal language and the melody of music pleases anyone’s ears. If you can read this article then I assume you are not blind, and if you are not blind you probably have 2 pair of functioning hands, and that’s all you need to learn music. Is it hard? Speaking from personal experience, music is not hard. It can be practised, taught and learnt from scratch. Just because you were not encouraged to play music when you were a child does not mean you cannot start late! I have seen uncles and aunties putting in effort to learn the guitar at their age. It is entirely possible to strum out a simple 4-chord song in less than 3 months if you put your heart and soul towards it. Music, by far, will never fail to entertain your friends, families and loved ones and it always leaves a good lasting impression.
The catch here: What better way to break the ice and say you’re a musically-inclined person who knows how to play at least 1 instrument? What better way is there to entertain people and let them hear the sound of your music?
5. Tutoring Service
Tutoring can be seen as a part-time job; an additional income and also a fantastic way to give back to society. Teaching is giving back your knowledge to those who need it, and guide them through the younger years of their lives. If you are an expert in your field, why not share the knowledge with those who are interested in acing their exams and learning more about your industry? Teaching can be about anything ranging to being a musical instrument teacher, a sports coach, a classic tuition teacher that teaches maths, sciences, or a language teacher that teaches a 3rd language, on top of English or Chinese, the list goes on and on. It is a fulfilling way to give back to society and it also sounds nice to have a secondary income to help cushion your financial expenses!
The catch: An actual-profit earning activity. The look of joy on your students’ face when they have successfully achieved an ‘A’ grade thanks to your mentoring is second to none.
Jackie Loh Writer The Influencer Media