Live in the present
Life will become happier and more fulfilling when we add
joyful elements to our journey. In essence, career or business
achievement is a crucial ingredient of happiness for most people. Many people
equate a fulfilling life with professional or financial success, making more
money and climbing up corporate or social ladders. I used to derive
satisfaction from progression in my professional development. However, focusing
solely on those areas may lead to neglecting other aspects of life, such as our
partner, family and health. Some people choose to wait to have fun after they
retire and find that their poor health or other circumstances prevent them from
fulfilling that desire. I believe that perfect timing is rarely achievable and
therefore we should live in the present.
According to Dr Martin Seligman’s PERMA model, authentic
happiness comprises positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and
achievement. Therefore, accomplishing goals is one but not the only element of
happiness.
Cultivating passions
I learned from an insightful Japanese book, IKIGAI, about the longevity of people in
the Japanese island of Okinawa, which has one of the largest populations of
centenarians (aged 100 or above). Their remarkable physical and mental health
is a result not only of their diet, sense of community, and physical activity
but also their pursuit of passion. This is in line with the PERMA model that
highlights engagement as one of key contributors to happiness. When individuals
are truly engaged in an activity, they are immersed in the moment and lose
track of time. I wish to inspire people to create more fun along their life
journey, so that they enjoy the process rather than solely focus on the
destination.
Don’t wait until later to cultivate your passions and
interests, retirees and empty nesters frequently end up bored and feel
emptiness. To achieve a balanced life, carve out some time now to develop a few
hobbies or interests, which will add variety and fulfilment to your life and
help in the transition to the next stage more smoothly.
My dream as a traveller and photographer
My dream has been to travel to many places since I was a
teen. I toyed with the idea of becoming a
professional photographer when I studied at Hong Kong Polytechnic in the early
90s. I was the Financial Secretary of the Photography Society. When I visited
Daisaku Ikeda’s (池田大作) photography exhibition,
which showcased his all-over-the-world travel destinations and his photo
albums, I was impressed and inspired. At that stage, I had no money to travel
or to buy expensive cameras and lenses, so I could not do something like him.
But I decided to find a job to earn money to finance my travelling and becoming
an amateur photographer.
Travelling
Visiting new locations is always inspiring. A Chinese saying
“退一步海闊天空”, or “take a step back to see a broader sky
and sea”, highlights that usually we get stuck because we are too focused on
the problem. Therefore, if we can take a few steps back, or gain a bird's-eye
view, our problem will appear smaller.
The world is gigantic. It is better to use our energy on
exploring it rather than waste time on upset and struggle. Travelling injects
more fun into our life journey and might lead to some inspiring ideas and new
perspectives.
When I visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 2003, with
most exhibits three- to four-thousand-year-old, I found myself dwarfed not only
in terms of size but also in terms of time horizon. I am lucky to exist in this
world. Therefore, I want to enjoy my life journey by taking on new adventures
and having new experiences. I prefer spending money on travel and new
experiences which create good memories than on luxury products.
Photography
The current advanced smartphone technology makes it easy to
capture quality pictures. Recording joyful moments can help to recall happy
memories. In coaching and positive psychology, we always encourage people to
focus on positive emotions. Reviewing your joyful moments can lift your mood. I
always enjoy taking photos of stunning scenery and capturing precious moments
with my family and friends. I am excited about taking pictures when I visit new
places. I immersed myself in great places in France – Annecy and Colmar and the
medieval villages in Alsace in 2022 and I treasure the memory of those visits
especially since they signalled a return to normality after being stuck in the
UK for two years due to the COVID.
Making Albums
Most people prefer to store their photos on their
smartphones, while I like printing albums. Creating albums and selecting photos
helps me recall many wonderful memories and brings me a lot of joy. I make and
share albums with family and friends as gifts. I started creating albums since
my daughter was one, a passion that has lasted for 18 years. I made a 112-page
album recording her past birthdays and key milestones to celebrate her 18th
birthday and she was touched by this priceless gift. I also inspire her to make albums
for herself and her friends.
Skiing
My family started learning to ski in 2015 when my kids were
9 and 4 years old. Our friend is an experienced skier; he advised us to ski for
a week at a time to improve our skills. We sent our kids to a ski school. My
husband and I hired a coach. As novices, we could not control the speed, and we
spent too much energy on preventing ourselves from moving too fast. Slowly, we
mastered the techniques and gained a healthy and fulfilling hobby. Our skiing
adventures took us to mountains in South Korea, Japan, China, New Zealand,
Austria, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Norway, Italy and Andorra. Skiing
allowed us to visit wonderful mountains and enjoy stunning views and fresh air,
while letting us to reset. I think skiing can help to mitigate stress as our
focus is only about how to turn.
Hiking or walking
After I quit my job in finance, my ex-colleagues and friends
took me hiking in Hong Kong. I loved this exercise because sweating for two to
three hours was detoxing. It also allowed me to visit new locations and enjoy
beautiful scenery. Before that, I had never been to any hiking trails in Hong
Kong, and I found them fascinating. After moving to the UK, I continued hiking
visiting Wales, Scotland, the Peak District, and Dorset. This is a low-cost and
healthy activity, which I can still do when I grow older.
Learning
I was lucky that my daily routine during my twenty years in
investment research satisfied my passion for learning and I was paid to do so.
My curiosity drives me to explore and gain insights. My aspiration to
self-actualise as a life coach and writer drives me to keep learning. Lately, I
took a Google AI Essential course via the Coursera.org platform, because I
don’t want to be behind on this new technology. I also attended a one-day
Positive Psychology course in University of Oxford at end February.
Reading
I had no patience to read books when I was young as I could
not focus. I read books with my kids since they were little to help them
cultivate a reading habit because it is vital to becoming a lifetime learner.
Reading helped me to tackle life challenges in my 40s, expand my horizons and
gain wisdom; it gave me food for thought. Although I was a busy working mum, I
thank my younger self for reading, allowing me to tune into the right mindset
and providing a foundation to be a Life Coach. Since striving for personal
growth is one of my top values, I always prioritise spending 20 to 30 minutes
daily reading and absorbing new concepts.
Writing
English was my weakest subject when I was in secondary
school. My English started to flourish when I studied in the UK. A big
advancement came when I studied for my master’s degree in finance, requiring me
to write a 30,000-word dissertation. In addition, the continuous effort in
reading and researching during my 20 years in macro, equities and derivatives
research led to further progression. I wrote many research reports, including
quarterly and thematic strategy reports and covered many countries and regions.
My analytical mind drives me to think thoroughly and in-depth while writing
helps me to organise my thoughts into meaningful narratives. I have shifted my
focus to writing about life aspects in early 2024. I am dedicated to sharing my
knowledge, experience, and wisdom with my readers. I found immense satisfaction
and engagement in the thinking and writing process.
Running
Running was never my go-to exercise when I was young. I
started running in 2019 to enjoy wonderful springs in Cambridge, but it was
challenging initially as my muscles were painful. Gradually, I progressed from
4 km to my target of 10km. Currently, I am doing 5 km every 2 to 3 days. I wish
to be a role model for my kids, to demonstrate to them reaching goals can be
managed by progressive steps with persistence.
I admire friends who love running marathons, travel to
different locations to join marathons and achieve their running goals through
perseverance.
Cycling
Since our family moved to Cambridge, a bike-friendly city,
we ride bicycles often. Initially, I rode bike with my kids to nearby places
for adventures. I also accompanied my daughter to ride to her school in the
city, and then three years later, did the same with my son. I trained them to
be independent to go to school by themselves. Occasionally, when the weather is
good, my husband and I will ride bikes to town, supermarket and country park – we
can exercise, get some sunshine and save petrol and parking fees.
Dancing
I nurtured my children’s passion for dance. My daughter
started from learning ballet at 2 and then jazz, jazz funk, hip hop and K-pop.
She continues to enjoy dancing. She choreographed her school dance competition,
joined the dance society at the university and participated in three
inter-university dance competitions during her first year. My son tried hip-hop
and breaking. Currently, he also actively participates in his school’s dance
competitions. I loved dancing when I was a teen, but I never nurtured this
interest. After my father’s passing away, my overwhelming grief and pains
disrupted my sleep and health. Many exercises were not helping. When I joined a
dancing class, I found listening to music, memorising the steps together with
dancing occupied my mind, which could successfully prevent me from thinking. I
believe dance is an excellent stress-relieving activity.
Motivating your children
I encourage parents to support their children in discovering
and nurturing their passions. When children pursue something that they engage
in, they will excel at it. Mastering something will boost their confidence and
help them become better selves. They can apply the same attitude to other areas
of life becoming a more balanced and all-rounded individual. Many people turn
their passions into thriving careers or businesses. Not allowing them to
develop their passions and force them to study something they are not
interested in may lead to frustration and a lack of motivation in their lives.
Live in a life you enjoy
Happiness comes from how we perceive this world; a positive
mind can bring positive perspectives. Taking action to do fun things can bring
in positive emotions, which is critical to our overall happiness.
Other than travelling and skiing, most of the
above-mentioned interests won’t cost much money. I wish to encourage more
people to add joy to their lives by cultivating their passions and interests.
Any sport or hobby such as football, basketball, tennis, bakery, cooking,
playing musical instruments, knitting, gardening, or horse riding can bring joy
and fulfilment. I understand everyone defines their happiness differently,
maybe some want to sleep, and lie on the sofa watching movies or Netflix
episodes. However, adding exercise creates a positive impact on health and
well-being. When engaging in something you are passionate about, you create
positive emotions, and you don’t feel time passes. This mitigates stress and
helps with emotional balance.
Winner Lee
Life Coach, Mentor, Writer
The original article was published on LinkedIn on March 31, 2025.
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