What was the best time you've ever had without paying a cent for it?
It's the last weekend of 2025 already!
This week's prompts were pretty thought provoking and it's actually something that I haven't thought deeply about in my life before this. Decided to attempt this one with a "twist" - because life isn't always a bed of roses.
This episode/period happened last year, I probably mentioned in dribs and drabs across my Hive posts but I probably didn't talk about it explicitly. And I probably still can't/shouldn't put this out now. In short, I went through a rough patch at work and it left me feeling dejected (perhaps depressed for a short while, but of course I knew I had to bounce back) and it really made me doubt myself. For a while, I questioned my self worth and whether I was a "failure".
Deep within myself, I knew I had to bounce back because the longer I stayed in this dark space, the dangerous it became. But as you would know, it's easier said than done. I remembered trying many means, from venturing outdoors, to getting desserts and ice cream, and eventually refocused my energies on my hobbies. But as the cliche saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It's been more than one year since this episode and I think I have emerged a better, stronger, and perhaps a slightly different person, from this episode.
From a weird angle, looking back, I was somewhat "glad" that this happened and I had to go through this tough period, because I managed to turn this into a self reflection journey, a personal growth opportunity and more importantly, gain mental clarity. So I would say, this is one of the best times I had without having to pay a cent for it.
While it's probably already a well known fact, this episode made me clearly realise that we play many roles in our life. We are not just salaried workers (even though a huge part of our lives is spent at work), but outside of work, we can be a child to our parents, a partner to our loved ones, a parent to our kids, a friend to our friends, and many more. Hence, our self worth and identity should not just be tied to what happens at the workplace, because there's so much more to life.
I also learnt to focus on things that I can control and let go and not stress about things that I cannot control. And that's the mental clarity that I mentioned. Ever since I adopted this mindset, not only my life feels "lighter", I found out that I could be laser focused on things that matter. Over the past year, I have seen some results of some personal projects and hobbies that I have devoted more to, and it's encouraging that things are moving into the right direction.
Of course, this change does come with "downsides". I would think my changed mindset and having a different outlook and perspective about life made me difficult to understand for some people around me, sometimes it might not be fully aligned with the path majority take. People have said I am "too calm" or "too zen". But they don't know what I have been through, and similarly, I am not in their shoes either. As long as we are happy, that's all that matters.
Ending the post with a photo taken from one of my nature walks/hikes - let's make our way towards our life goals and aspiration! Happy New Year's Eve in advance and wishing whoever is reading a meaningful 2026 ahead!
