Route to Financial Independence

Friday, April 5, 2024

The Toughest Aspects of Life

What is the toughest part of life?

In life, regardless of your position, there are inevitable challenges. Each sentence tells the undeniable truth—once you read it, you'll understand!

The Hardest to Maintain is Health Having a healthy body is life's greatest fortune. Having health doesn’t mean you have everything, but without it, all else is in vain. Keeping a healthy body is the greatest responsibility to yourself and your family. With good health, you can be there for your loved ones until old age, witness your children grow, and take care of your parents. Only 4.3% of the global population has perfect health; approximately 3.2 billion people (about a third of the world's population) have five different diseases simultaneously; over half the population has ten different diseases at once. Presently, just by having good health, you're already ahead of 95% of the global population. Maintaining health is the most challenging, especially living longer in good health. Ensuring balanced meals three times a day, getting a full 8 hours of sleep, and doing 30 minutes of exercise daily—these might sound simple but are incredibly difficult to practice, and many can't accomplish it throughout their lives.

The Most Challenging to Change is Habit Why do they say "rivers are easy to change, human nature is hard to change"? This is because changing a person's temperament is most challenging when it comes to altering their habits. A person's temperament throughout life is, in essence, a combination of numerous habits. Just 21 days of consistency can create a habit. In life, seemingly trivial habits contain significant power. Good habits can shape a person's success, while bad habits can destroy a person. Aligning one's actions with one's beliefs is incredibly challenging. Understanding principles is easy, but putting them into practice is very difficult. This is why we often comprehend many truths but still struggle to live well.

The Most Inscrutable is the Human Heart The depth and treachery of the human heart are more profound and dangerous than the deepest seas and valleys and more complex than the ever-changing clouds. Because the human heart is deeply hidden, outsiders can never fully comprehend it. Life is short, spend time with those who bring joy to your heart. For those you can't understand, don't guess; for those you can't tolerate, stay away; for those growing distant, let go. Never hastily conclude that you deeply understand someone; never naively believe someone deserves your profound trust. Some words are best left heard without being taken to heart; some things are better understood without being openly discussed; some people are better known without being exposed; some feelings are best let go of without being fixated. Not everyone deserves your full investment; not everything is worth giving your all. Approach the world with kindness; most importantly, protect yourself amidst changing relationships.

The Hardest to Retain is Time

Time seems short, fleeting like an arrow, sometimes slipping through like a stream of water. Time flies by like a swift arrow, never to return. Day after day, year after year, time ceases to exist, leaving only irreversible past events. People live through life, and often, problems keep coming. The river of time flows relentlessly, unchanging for itself. Unless it's life and death, nothing is insurmountable. Cherish every moment now; don't wait to regret when it's lost; don't wait until old age to rue!

Friday, March 29, 2024

Revitalize Your World: The Magic of Quality Sleep

How long has it been since you had a good night's sleep?

Medicine cannot compare to diet, and diet cannot compare to sleep.

A good night's sleep surpasses all tonics for health.

Proper sleep is the best respect for life.

One of the greatest mistakes humanity makes is trading health for material external things.

Recently, a nurse friend of mine encountered health issues, transitioning from a compassionate caregiver to a patient. Working at the hospital often meant night shifts, leaving her so tired upon returning home that she'd collapse into bed. The chronic lack of sleep left her fatigued, and she appeared much thinner. It wasn't until one day when she finally broke down.

During a late-night, she suddenly felt a fever in her abdomen, feeling dizzy and having severe insomnia. Rushing to the hospital at dawn, the doctor took one look and said, "Just by looking at you, I can tell you haven't been sleeping well."

Her irregular sleep patterns had weakened her immune system, impacting the functioning of her body's organs, especially deteriorating her gastrointestinal function. The doctor's prescription was succinct—just four words: "Get enough sleep."

Our bodies rely 30% on medical treatment and 70% on self-care. Only with adequate sleep can one live well. In today's fast-paced life, avoiding late nights has become the hardest thing for us to discipline ourselves.

Proper sleep is the most precious luxury for every adult. \"Staying up late has become a show of dedication, working hard has become taken for granted. When life is gone, who will protect whom?" Life is a marathon, and ultimately, health is what matters. Health is the '1', while career, money, status, family, and others are the trailing '0's. Without '1', no matter how many '0's are added, they mean nothing.

Being kind to oneself, avoiding late nights, is the best respect for life. A good night's sleep enables a good life in the latter years. Turgenev once said, "Sleep is like the cool wave that cleanses all unnecessary thoughts from the brain." Good sleep is the best cleansing for the brain.

Life is tough, relying 30% on treatment and 70% on self-healing. And the body's best self-healing ability is through sleep. Proper sleep is the best care for oneself. Caring for oneself is the start of a lifelong romance.

Good Sleep is the Panacea for All

In the book "Why We Sleep," an author delves into the realm of sleep, beginning with the statement: Scientists have discovered a revolutionary elixir for prolonging life. It enhances memory, increases attractiveness, helps maintain a slender figure, reduces appetite, prevents cancer and dementia, lessens colds and flu, and reduces the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and diabetes. It also boosts happiness, reducing feelings of depression and anxiety. This versatile remedy isn't a luxury but sleep. Good sleep is the cure for everything.

Good sleep is the best investment in oneself. "The smarter you are, the more you understand the need for rest." "Ordinary people are bothered by trivial matters while eating, and their sleep is often fraught with dreams and scattered thoughts. A practitioner focuses only on the present, eating mindfully when eating and sleeping with no other distractions." We may not control the environment, but we can adjust our mindset. Adapting to nature and the path to wellness, eating and sleeping are essential; sleep is revolutionary. It's our sleep bank. Those who manage their sleep bank well can live better. A capable person can control their rest rhythm and understand the significance of good rest to lead their life. Good night, may you sleep well!

Friday, March 22, 2024

Not Worth It

"What makes people feel weary is not the distant mountains but the grain of sand in their shoes." Many people facing setbacks in life aren't dealing with enormous challenges, but rather trivial things. Yet, it's these seemingly unimportant little matters that continually drain one's energy. With life spanning just a few decades, why bother with those unworthy people and matters? Why let insignificant trifles upset us? Inner peace and tranquillity will foster a more joyful state.

Don't Entangle Yourself in Unworthy Matters

In this world, every matter has its cost. Wasting time on unworthy matters inevitably leads to missing out on other wonderful opportunities.

In ancient times, there was a person named Min who bought a clay pot on the road and accidentally broke it. Without a glance, Min walked away. Some passersby found this odd and asked, "Your pot is broken. Why didn't you even take a look?" Min replied, "The pot is already broken. What's the use in looking at it again?" This teaches us that many things we cannot change, but we can choose our own attitude.

For Min, staying back to regret a broken pot might have caused him to miss the inn for the night's rest or the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the sunset. Rather than wasting one's life entangled in unworthy matters, the better choice is to move forward directly, not to linger, not to regret, and not to look back.

At any time and place, things not worth it aren’t worth regretting, and unworthy matters aren’t worth entangling. Be a calm, composed, and wise person.

Unworthy People, Not Worth Worrying About

Author David Pollay once wrote a book called "The Law of the Garbage Truck." He expressed the view that many people in the world are like garbage trucks, filled with complaints, anger, disappointment, and other negative emotions, wandering around.

Such people, when facing difficulties and setbacks, are full of complaints about life's unfairness. When experiencing emotional setbacks, they're constantly unhappy, affecting their normal eating and sleeping. Also, they find it difficult to let go of the rumours and gossip around them and secretly bear grudges. Such individuals are everywhere in life.

If you give these people a chance, they will pour various negative energies onto you, wasting not only your time but also draining your emotions. When facing such people, don’t invest too much of your emotions, just smile politely and then walk away gracefully.

Because you still want to enjoy the beautiful evening sunset, have a sumptuous dinner at home, share laughter with your family, and have heartfelt conversations with your children. Life becomes more precious as it ages; every day that remains is worth treasuring.

Don't let unworthy people affect your emotions; instead, pay attention to those who are more precious and significant in your life.

Unworthy Objects, Not Worth Clinging To

Have you ever experienced this?

You carefully fold those shopping bags, saving them for possible future use. But eventually, the pile of bags fills your cabinets, rarely finding any practical use, leading to their disposal.

Similarly, those leftovers from lunch carefully sealed and stored in the fridge for future consumption. However, just three days later, you find spoiled food, causing discomfort and extra expenses, damaging your health and wealth.

Sometimes, you might excessively value material possessions, sacrificing the quality of life. Wasting time on unworthy items actually limits your opportunity to enjoy better and more valuable things.

Considering that life doesn’t allow carrying these things forward, why compromise yourself? Throughout your life, don’t let meaningless items occupy your living space. Clear them out to make room for more cherished items, enhancing your life's enjoyment.

Life is beautiful yet brief; we genuinely don’t have much time and energy to waste on unworthy things. Free yourself from these limitations, and your life will shine once again. Reduce troubles, increase composure; decrease worries, increase freedom. No matter what difficulties life throws at you, always maintain a composed heart. May your desires come true, your actions be smooth, filled with joy, tranquillity, and peace.