About Time

 Imagine if you will, three buckets. One is called Time, the second Health and the last one Wealth. Everyone is born with all three, with the first bucket at its fullest, the second half full and the final one empty. At the start of all our lives we are given the choice how to optimise the filling/emptying of these buckets... the combination thereof would deliver happiness and often also sadness.

There is little one can do with time. It keeps emptying from the moment we are born and will run out sometimes between our 80th and 90th year (based on the national average life expectancy). The other two buckets require deliberate, intentional efforts. At home, first our parents then ourselves take care of our health and our abilities to grow wealth. In school, the balance tilts more to knowledge acquisition for work. At work, careers are structured to help us grow wealth. 

So, there comes a point in all our lives when we need to make a decision how much of each bucket we will continue to grow and which ones we must focus on before it empties out. 

I captioned to a photo in our family album: "There is a season for everything, all with good reason. Because we are looking forward to 2026 being a pivot year for gliding into our next act. J & N got wedded last year. My parents celebrate their 60th anniversary and M & J will wed next year - in a dream location too! "

Indeed, this year marks the optimising point. It's the year D retires from her executive role and I retire from three non-executives boards & committees. Its also going to be my final year in full time employment... as I will take a 2-month sabbatical next year to celebrate a dream wedding and take a dream European trip with my parents. All four parents are in their eighties and clearly every moment spent with them will be worthwhile, especially on a momentous occasion like a granddaughter's wedding!

Truth be told my health bucket is emptying a little faster nowadays... the last being a case of runners' toe or synovitis. Plus I do feel sensation along my re-attached humerus every so often. That said, I was happy to know that the cardiologist and urologist gave me a cleaner bill of health than reports the last few years. 

Yes, we can always have more wealth... in the immortal words of a greedy investment banker immortalised by Hollywood. We have set aside some for the next generation including helping them with properties and cars - the two most priciest assets in Singapore. 

So, I guess the time for optimising is indeed here. About time too. :-)