2021 Reflections
As we come to the end of the second year of covid, it’s time to pause and reflect on how the year has been. Some of the highlights this year include enrolling to study and learn in a 6 month course, plucking up the courage to schedule meetups with people via LinkedIn and continuing to share about my finance journey with friends who were open and keen. By the grace of God, I got a job offer earlier this month which I am actually quite excited about, and I can’t wait to see how that turns out in 2022! Here are 7 lessons I took away with me for this year, and I hope that it blesses you :)
1) Learn to embrace change fully
This probably will keep coming up in my list cos’ it’s an ongoing learning process. With the covid situation remaining fluid and ever-changing, all of us have experienced change being forced upon us whether we like it or not. It may sound like an oxymoron, but the only way to embrace change fully is to lean hard on that which is unchanging — the Father’s love. When you are anchored in that love, steadfast in possessing your righteousness in Christ, dependent on the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance, you will face the ever-changing fights in life and come out victorious!
2) Invest in things that truly matter
With all the financial hype about the latest crypto investment or stock that is going to fly to the moon, we sometimes forget to adopt a long-term outlook. Investing financially is important, but beyond the stock market, let us not forget quality investments into friends and family. Make time for them and don’t get sucked away by work. Interestingly, the best time to invest in relationships is when everything still seems fine. If you wait till cracks show, it might be too late by then. Recently I was at a session with some church friends and we were sharing about finances. The open-ended question “What is an investor?” was posed to us and I really love one of my friend’s reply. She shared that in that very session, as we each shared our journeys, experiences, and things that bring life from the word to encourage and edify one another, we are already investing into each other’s lives, and it is something that money cannot buy. #mindblown
3) Be discerning with words spoken over you
Learn to discern how much weight you give to words spoken to you or over you by different people. Is it a friend speaking the truth in love? Or is it just a co-worker who has been hurt hurting you? Words are powerful, and till today I still get affected emotionally, especially by not-so-kind words. Above all, give full weight to the Father’s declaration over you and stay conscious of His love for you. No one sees reality like God does, and as His child, you are seen through the lens of grace — blameless, spotless, and without wrinkle. You are precious in His sight, with a purpose and destiny unique to you.
4) Pick carefully the people you choose to learn from
Your worldview and perspective will be capped/expanded by the people you actively choose to learn from. A couple of years ago, I would never have known that there is a cost-effective way to obtain insurance, simply because I did not know anyone who had been there and done that. But once I allowed myself to be open-minded and started having conversations with different people, I realised something I had never known before: there was a much, much better way of doing things! The amazing thing is we can pray and ask God to bring the right people into our lives to share wisdom nuggets in whatever areas we need clarity in — we don’t have to know everything to live the abundant life!
5) You can choose to be happy right now
We often wait for certain events to happen (e.g. promotion at work, salary increase, getting attached/married etc.) before we think we will be happy. The truth is, we can be happy once we make gratitude a priority everyday. Too many of us take for granted that we woke up today healthy and able to do the things we love. Don’t postpone your happiness or even wait for this pandemic to be over before you can be happy. Live each day curious, excited to learn, and in awe of the beauty that is around you. Choose happiness today :)
6) Help others succeed
The feeling that you get from helping others succeed is priceless. Measure your life not by how much you have achieved at work or the amount of money in your bank account, but by the number of lives you have touched and impacted. Give freely without expecting anything in return. Know that because we have first freely received, therefore we can freely give.
7) Never stop learning
There is saying that the more you learn, the less you realise you know. Always adopt a posture of learning, and believe that you can learn from just about anyone. You can learn from not just peers and those who are older, but also from those who are younger. Be open-minded, listen to different perspectives, and you will ultimately add to your wisdom and experience.
To sum it all up, I can think of no better verse than the one which was recently shared by Pastor Lian:
“We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance/rich fulfillment.”
Psalm 66:12 (NLT/NKJV)
If your 2021 has been a rollercoaster ride like me, don’t despair. If your breakthrough has not come through yet, know that He is still working behind the scenes, working all things out for your good! As we get ready to step into 2022, I have no doubt that the God who can do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think will embrace you powerfully in His love, drown you in great waves of His grace and grant you the desires of your heart :)
