[Music] today I'm doing something a bit different I want to invite you to enjoy a cup of tea or
coffee with me and let's chat about something a bit more personal recently someone left me a
message saying well you clearly ran out of money and that's why you're preaching minimalism to be
honest I can actually understand that sentiment after all I started this Channel with unboxing
some really expensive things sometimes even I myself can't believe the contrast that said
I guess it's not surprising to see this kind of conclusion in the society we live in today
I used to go through life with the exact mindset if you don't show it you simply don't have it any
disposable income should contribute towards having nice things and in this case these are
shopping or luxury handbags I grew up in a fairly humble background while we lacked material
abundance I had a loving and very active childhood growing up with two older sisters means I was
always wearing hand-me-downs the only time we went shopping was for Chinese New Year in our culture
We Believe wearing new clothes on New Year's Day is a way to welcome good luck and prosperity my
second sister is only two years older than me so we used to share everything I wish I could tell
you it was always a loving relationship the truth is we had plenty of arguments over the things we
shared imagine not talking to your sister because of a hand-me-down t-shirt given by a neighbor
the weather in Malaysia where I was born and bred is always hot and humid so our go-to outfits were
usually t-shirts and shorts between the two of us we had just two boxes of clothes and
that was our entire wardrobe for a good part of our teenage years the boxes were about the size
of my current Ikea pax drawers a very limited selection for sure but it was enough for us even
though we sometimes thought about who should wear what I only started having my own closet
when I moved away to a boarding school and it just wasn't an option anymore to share with my sister
back then minimalism wasn't a choice it was a necessity so I've never tried to
downplay the difference between wanting to have less and needing to have less
as a child I often told myself I need to work hard because I want to have nice things I don't
think my childhood was the only reason for my materialistic desire I believe personality played
a huge part as well my dear sister for example has never bought into the appeal of designer shopping
for a number of years after graduation I felt validated because of the nice things I owned I
know this might sound shallow or superficial but I really did feel like I had finally made it I was
that girl from a small town with very little but now I can buy nice things and shiny jewelry plus
I no longer had to share it with anyone these things were my and my only I consider myself
really fortunate to have come across minimalism and the concept of Financial Freedom when my
professional career was starting to take off because otherwise I might own a much bigger
handbag collection right now but I might also be secretly worrying about my financial future
walking down the other path has truly been a blessing the things I own now might not
be as exciting or shiny but for me having Financial Security is the best kind of luxury
sometimes when my husband and I reminisce about the past we still can't believe how much our lives
priorities and perspectives have changed in the last five years sometimes it is easy to associate
minimalism with deprivation or spending as little as possible but for me it's about spending wisely
and paying for things or services that can make our lives better and easier on that note I want to
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when you first decide to embrace mindful spending it can be a bit tricky to gauge what exactly is
worth paying for one thing I always ask myself now before spending is how many hours do I have
to work to pay for the purchase one book I would really recommend is your money or your life by
Vicky Robbins she talks about how our life energy is limited and how to best utilize our resources
buying a handbag for example might mean you have to work three weeks for it when you see things
this way the handbag you see on Instagram is no longer just the most trendy bag it represents
three weeks of your life is it worth it well only you can answer that question you might
decide to buy it anyway but at least you know you're making a conscious decision and if you
don't make the purchase it doesn't make you less of a person either I know for me asking this one
question has changed the way I consume whether it is a pair of designer shoes a takeaway coffee and
another candle for my house and so on i think it's a common knowledge that our society places
more focus on material and very tangible things and I believe it has conditioned us to spend in
a certain way if you drive a very fancy car for example everyone can see it but not as many people
would be interested in the books you've read the classes you've taken and your future plan
for me it has been quite a learning curve to spend on what I personally truly value
rather than always trying to measure up to society's definition of success
while minimalism might seem like a privileged concept and it is I believe it's much needed
in the world we live in right now when I was a child my parents paid cash for everything and if
they didn't have the cash we simply didn't make the purchase buying on credit was never a thing
but now we have all kind of payment options to help us spend the money we don't have such as
interest-free Finance for 12 months by now pay later payday loans and so on many of us don't
need the latest iPhone but the payment plan makes the purchase seem so much more affordable we then
think we're making sensible decision to ditch the iPhone we are currently using even though it's
still working perfectly fine and we also don't need the better camera or the shiny features that
come with the latest version and this goes the same with our Furnitures laptops cars and houses
there are plenty of tips out there to help us shop less have a successful Low buy year or be
a minimalist but I believe nothing works better than actually identifying your why why do you want
to spend more wisely why have priorities why be a minimalist a while ago I decided while it's nice
to own nice things I value my freedom so much more I used to have a much bigger Luxury Collection but
I had very little time to enjoy them in fact I had no time for myself because I was constantly
working so I decided to reframe my priorities my long-term goal is to have Financial Security on
the flexibility of my time and live life on my own terms I believe when you have a clear goal in mind
everything becomes easier after all you can't really navigate without a destination so in a
way the comment I mentioned at the beginning of the video is right in the way my priorities are
different now I used to buy anything I like the bottom line was to not get myself into debt but
now I prioritize investing for the future so I do allocate less for discretionary expenses
my perspectives about money have changed over the years and I feel like I've always been very
open about this but I just want to encourage people who are interested in minimalism that
when you decide to move on to a different stage in life there might be some criticism and judgment
but it's okay just do what feels right for you because no one else will live your life for you
as someone who came from having very little in terms of material things to now where I
can afford a bit more minimalism is a tool for me to enjoy nice things responsibly it certainly
gave me a reality check that I didn't think I needed you could say I was shopping in a way to
compensate for what I thought was missing when I was younger do I have any regrets
maybe but I can't really change the past so I might as well focus on the now and the future
I feel incredibly grateful for everything I have whether if you're interested in
becoming a minimalist or not having more gratitude in life is always a good idea
thank you for sharing this coffee time with me take care and I will see you soon [Music]