Route to Financial Independence

Friday, May 10, 2024

What is a Mother?

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Do you know what a mother is? Some describe her as: She’s the voice that nags when you're cold and need to put on more clothes; She’s the embrace that consoles you when you come home; She’s the one who fills the table with steaming, lavish meals; She’s the one packing your things before you go out; She’s the lifelong refuge that brings peace to your heart.

As time passes, mothers give us quiet companionship and the warmest memories. They dedicate their entire lives, yet seldom seek anything in return.

A mother is someone who hides love in every response.

There's a saying that goes, "The happiest thing in the world is shouting 'mom' and getting a response." This understanding is profound. From childhood to adulthood, each time you come home, as soon as you enter, you call out "mom." Upon hearing her response, you rush into the kitchen to see what deliciousness she’s preparing. If you don’t hear her reply, you search around for her figure. If you can't find her, you ask, "Dad, where’s Mom?" But in most cases, you’ll hear that "Ah" which gives us a response.

The word "mom" seem to hold a magical power. When having a nightmare, calling out "mom" makes you quickly wake up and sleep again after turning over. In times of sorrow, calling out "mom" feels like all the pain finds solace. When facing difficulties, calling out "mom" feels like all problems will be solved. When returning home for a holiday, calling out "mom" makes that heart that’s been wandering suddenly settle down.

Where there's a home, there's warmth; where there's a mother, there's peace.

I saw a video where four generations, from children to elderly, appeared successively in the name "mom." They all wore smiles, but surprisingly, it was deeply moving.

Someone previously mentioned: In the past, I always felt my mother nagged a lot, overseeing everything, needing her permission to eat, do certain things, or wear certain clothes, and more. Later, my mother passed away due to illness. The home no longer had her nagging voice, and there were no more texts from her reminding me to wear warmer clothes when it’s cold. The originally warm home suddenly turned cold. On a business trip to another province one day, with a sudden drop in temperature, looking at the inappropriate clothing in my suitcase, I suddenly felt sad, tears streaming down my face. I deeply missed my mother's nagging, wanting time to reverse and go back to the time when I had her.

Where there’s a mother, there's concern; there's someone who loves you wholeheartedly, thinks for you comprehensively, and worries whether you’re thirsty, hungry, tired, or cold.

Every Response and Every Nag from Mom Holds Profound Love for You

Every response and every nag from Mom contains a deep love for you. This is an indispensable warmth in everyone's growth, contributing to a fulfilled and happy life. They wear a smile, unexpectedly touching.

Someone previously commented: In the past, I always thought my mother nagged a lot, overseeing everything, needing her permission to eat at certain times, do specific things, or wear particular clothes, and so on. Later, when Mom passed away due to illness, there was no more sound of her nagging in the house, and there were no more messages on Whatsapp reminding me to wear warm clothes when it’s cold. The previously warm home suddenly turned icy cold. On a certain day, during a business trip to another province, the temperature dropped suddenly. Looking at the inappropriate clothes in the suitcase, I suddenly felt sad, tears streaming down my face. I sorely miss Mom’s nagging, wishing time could turn back to the days when I had her.

Every response and every nag from Mom holds profound love for you. This is essential warmth for everyone's growth and leads to a fulfilling and happy life.

Mother, the Only Person You Dare to Offend in This World

There's a story once told: A man displayed magnanimity and affability at work, neither obsequious to his superiors nor unfriendly to his subordinates. However, in his family life, his temper often erupted due to frequent quarrels with his wife over trivial matters. One day, his mother unintentionally noticed these two entirely different behaviours he displayed at work and at home. She questioned him, "You’re one person outside and another at home?" The man couldn't hold back and complained to his mother, "Mom, I'm just too tired..." His mother, speaking with heartfelt emphasis, told him, "Who isn't tired from living? But you can't let that control your temper! You should remember that offending your boss might cost you just a job; offending a client might mean losing just an order; but offending your wife could mean losing a home and a lifetime of happiness. Yet, there's one person you can offend, and that’s me. If you're upset, tired, don't raise your voice at your wife, call Mom. Mom will listen, Mom wants to listen."

This story leaves a profound impression. We encounter many people in our lives, family, friends, colleagues, classmates, partners, but no one will forgive you repeatedly like your mother. Even if you shout at her, afterward, if you apologize and acknowledge your mistake, she'll forgive you time and time again. Your mother might be the only person you dare to offend because you know she will always stand behind you, accepting everything about you. However, life's biggest failure is leaving your best smiles for others and displaying annoyance to your mother. In places she can't see, she may feel sorrow and tears due to your repeated criticisms. Only because she loves you, she deeply conceals her own scars. Nevertheless, life is brief, time is fleeting, and a mother's time with us is limited. If, in the future, your memories of your mother are filled with angry shouts from you, regret for not cherishing her, and memories of her carefulness, it will leave you with endless regret. Therefore, if your mother is still around, please give her more happiness, bring more smiles to her.

Mother, the Person Most Worthy of Your Gratitude in the World

Mothers are praised as follows: She is the vast sea, tolerating our clumsiness and stubbornness with infinite patience; she is the gentle breeze, quietly comforting our despair and defeat; she is the radiant light, concentrating on our bloom on life’s stage. Only after becoming parents do we comprehend that no matter how eloquent the words, they cannot fully express a mother’s sacrifices for us. Mothers give us life and accompany us as we slowly grow up. Calling out "mom," she unreservedly takes on all responsibilities, endures all hardships, and nurtures us to adulthood. And all we can give her is endless gratitude. A story that touched many: On a rainy day, someone found a pair of stray cats. The mother cat was no longer there, yet the kitten still thought Mom was just asleep, continually licking the body that had lost warmth. It stayed by the mother during the day, only going out to find food at night. When hungry, it drank rainwater from the street; when starved, it gnawed on twigs. It found a piece of meat in the trash, but despite its hunger, it didn't eat it. Instead, it flew back to its mother, placed the meat near her, and kept licking, as if trying to wake her up. The veterinarian discovered small stones stuffed in the kitten’s stomach. It couldn't bear to eat the good food, leaving it for Mom, feeding on twigs and stones. Animals are affectionate, but what about humans? Every mother is an extraordinary figure among the ordinary. She turns love into every fleeting moment of life. This love might seem trivial, taken for granted, and we might assume it will last forever. Yet, we fail to realize that someday, this love will vanish in an unexpected way. Time cannot be halted, life, however, comes to an end. In our limited time, we must do our best to give our mothers the best latter half of life. In "Reply 1988," there's a dialogue that often strikes the heart: "They say God is everywhere, and that's why he created mothers. When a mother reaches her mother's age, her mother is still her guardian. The title 'mother' strikes a chord." With Mother's Day approaching, may all mothers be healthy and happy, eternally happy.

Friday, May 3, 2024

Life's Losses: More Than Just Financial Failures

Having an Extramarital Affair, Destroying the Family Extramarital affairs ruin families, shattering the sanctuary that family represents. A complete family fosters happiness and harmony throughout one's life. However, some families, due to frequent quarrels and dispassionate relationships, ultimately collapse. This isn't due to financial shortage but extramarital affairs. When marital ties fade and mutual animosity prevails, marriages crumble, leading to divorce.
Making Money Immorally, Ending Up in Jail Earning money without conscience leads to imprisonment. Honest individuals follow moral standards in making money. Some, in their pursuit of wealth, resort to deceit and unethical means, breaching societal norms. Once they engage in illegal activities, prison becomes their only outcome. These actions bring disgrace and become a stain on one's family.
Overly Vain, Becoming the Object of Ridicule Excessive pursuit of vanity results in being the subject of mockery. Some overly concern themselves with their image, seeking to show off their superiority at any cost, even by exaggerating their wealth. Once this excessive vanity is exposed, they become objects of ridicule, even damaging their reputation.
Obsessed with Socializing, Relying on Connections Living a life where one avoids personal effort, solely depending on others. They become engrossed in socializing, relying on connections, seeking friendships to build a network. They spend time and money in social gatherings or obligations. However, when they truly need help, they find no one willing to lend a hand, even pretending not to know them. It's only then that they realize relying on oneself is better than depending on others, but it's too late, as resources and time are exhausted.
Engaging in Vices, Lacking Aspiration Some people, being indolent and aimless, spend their days in idleness, engaging in gambling or revelry, associating with improper company, adopting unhealthy habits. Excessive drinking harms health, gambling wastes fortunes, and their refusal to reform not only fails to instigate any self-improvement but also leads to personal destruction, causing trouble for their families. Living demands rectitude, honest actions, and a drive to succeed. While one might lack wealth, power, or career, one should never lack moral character.

Remember, bearing responsibility on your shoulders and having a family to support, living in the aforementioned five ways signifies life's greatest failures. Only by being grounded, holding oneself accountable, rectifying mistakes in time, and embracing change can one bring peace to their family and re-establish success.

Friday, April 26, 2024

Being Kind to Yourself Starts with Not Getting Angry

Let's start with a question: Are you someone who easily gets angry?

In life, many things can happen that go against our expectations, whether minor like missing a bus or major such as being hurt or betrayed by a trusted person. Despite many things that can upset us, there aren't actually that many worth getting angry about. Getting mad over trivial matters is being irresponsible towards oneself. In the latter half of life, the winner depends on one's mindset. If you can control your anger, you are the winner.

Behaviour while angry is wrong 80% of the time. In psychology, there's the well-known 10-90 principle. It states that 10% of what happens to you in life is unavoidable, but the remaining 90% is determined by how you react to those events. If you maintain a positive mindset, you'll find positivity in life and not get too bothered by anything. However, if your mindset is poor and you're constantly getting angry over minor issues, it will only make your life worse. Around 80% of the decisions and behaviours made while angry are incorrect. Anger makes people biased, and it can lead to irrationality. In a fit of rage, people often make poor choices. This is why many make significant mistakes when angry. For example, a news report described a dispute between a taxi driver and a passenger. What began as a small issue escalated when the driver, unable to control emotions, ended up driving the vehicle towards the passenger. Unfortunately, the passenger lost their life, and the driver faced imprisonment. In moments of anger, no one wins.

Never make decisions in a fit of anger as you can't anticipate the impact on your future life. When angry, try counting to ten, calming down, and then reconsidering the issue. Don't let a moment of rage ruin several decades of your future life.

Let Go of Others' Mistakes and Free Your Own Heart

There exists a blood-sucking bat on the African savannah that latches onto wild horses' legs to feed on their blood and then flies away satiated. Though these bats don't take much blood, many wild horses, after being bitten, suffer and eventually die. The death of the wild horses wasn't due to the bats but the anxiety and frenzy caused by the biting. This phenomenon, punishing oneself due to the errors of others, is known as the "wild horse outcome." Anger, in fact, tortures oneself, punishing oneself. It breeds internally, harming the body while having no impact on others. It's not worth it. If you think about it, what's worth getting angry about, affecting our mood and health? And how many things from the last 5 or 10 years still make us angry? Many times, it's not the specific incident that troubles us but our present emotions. No one in this world is worth sacrificing your mental and physical health for. Don't get angry at petty people; they aren't worth your effort. Also, don't get angry with loved ones, as it can harm relationships and disrupt harmony. If someone hurts you, either retaliate or ignore them. Either way, never punish yourself with someone else's mistakes.

Be Resourceful Instead of Getting Angry In life, we inevitably face coldness, malice, and even humiliation. Getting angry and complaining is fruitless and won't earn anyone's respect. Instead of anger, it's crucial to rally your spirits and make changes. When you become stronger, the people around you become friendlier. This is the reality, harsh but true. Anger never solves problems. Others' opinions about you won't change because of your temper but because of your capabilities. When people look down on you, don't hastily react. Stay calm, focus on improving yourself, and prove yourself with your abilities. Always remember: patience is the highest form of contempt, and strong capability is the most decisive retaliation.

Time is invaluable, so why waste emotions on useless anger? There might be many reasons to get angry in life, but not getting angry needs just one reason: it's not necessary to make yourself suffer. If you are right, there's no need to be angry; that's punishing yourself for others' wrongs. If you're wrong, you have no right to be angry; correcting mistakes is the right approach. In life, getting what you want is accidental, and facing challenges is the norm. If every little thing that goes wrong makes you angry, life becomes dull. Anger is like slow self-destruction, and happiness is the secret to longevity. Being angry all the time, continually complaining, only makes life more difficult. Besides life and death, everything else is trivial. No one is worth sacrificing your happiness, and nothing is worth damaging your mind and body. Our time in this world is very limited; we're not here to be angry. Instead of wasting time with resentment, embrace life with a joyful heart.