11 Things I Learned at 33 Years Old

Since it was my birthday yesterday, I thought I would recap my life at 33.

These points might be useful to readers. Feel free to take any tips you find useful.

👉 Thai version – ภาษาไทย

💰 Finances and Investments

  1. Encourage everyone to keep track of their expenses
    I found that recording expenses (and incomes, but at least expenses) helps a lot in planning life financially.

    I use a mobile app to record expenses whenever I spend, noting the amount and purpose.

    When I have questions about finances, such as how much I spent on the gym this year or comparing last month’s income versus expenses, I can easily check the app.
  2. Allocating income to investments is crucial
    Gradually investing money helps reduce stress to transfer a lot of money in one go. I have a set amount and date to invest monthly, on the 15th.

    Whenever I look back at my portfolio, I’m grateful I started investing and maintained financial discipline.
  3. Find an investment style you like
    In the past, I’ve tried various investments, including individual stocks, managed funds, ETFs, DEFI, and Bitcoin. I found that funds and ETFs (index funds) best suit my lifestyle.

    I prefer earning money from other work and investing it without continuously monitoring stock’s candlesticks.
  4. I was once into the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) trend
    Then realized I didn’t want to retire early. Instead, I want to keep working to improve others’ lives. I lost interest in FIRE afterwards.
  5. Emergency Funds are a must
    EF is a cash reserved for emergencies only.

    Many guides suggest saving EF of 6-12 months of expenses. Earlier this year, I saved a bit more of cash since Australian banks offer good saving interest.

    However, with a home loan now, I’m considering adjusting to one year’s worth of emergency funds.
  6. Encourage having multiple income streams:
    Having various income sources gives more life choices e.g. full-time job + freelancing during the weekend.

    In late 2021, I decided to return to Thailand temporarily due to a family health issue. I didn’t hesitate on this decision, as I prioritised health of family member. The risk of me having no income was not a huge issue, as I would be able to survive with (much smaller) incomes from other streams.

💪 Health

  1. Life is pointless if you have money, but no energy to enjoy it
    I didn’t exercise much before, but after reading “Die with Zero” and other books, I started to realised the importance of having good health.

    I started going to the gym late last year, and started hiring a personal trainer. I’m building a habit of going to the gym 3 times a week. Now I go twice a week and plan to continue exercising to maintain my health.

    Note: Another motivation for exercising came from a Thai cinema ad I saw few years ago. The ads said: “We exercise for others, so we won’t be a burden to our family when we’re old.”
  2. Environment influences eating habits:
    In Australia, good food is hard to find and often expensive, leading to healthier eating habits.

    In Thailand, I found delicious and affordable food everywhere, making it hard to resist (I always gain weight when I return to Thailand). My big respect for Thai people who can resist this temptation.

❤️ Relationships

  1. Choosing the right partner is crucial for a happy life:
    I’m fortunate to have found someone compatible who supports me in everything.

📊 Work

  1. Finding a job that aligns with your interests is important, but might take time:
    When I was looking for the next job 2-3 years ago, I focused on jobs that align with my goals.

    As I wanted to contribute to make other people’s lives better, I almost worked for a startup helping charities with data systems. However, there was an issue that the company couldn’t provide the offer fast enough.

    I ended up at Canva which turned out to be a great place to work. The culture at Canva is awesome, and Canva’s mission to use profits for social good resonates with my values.
  2. If your job doesn’t align with your goals, create your own project
    Besides my regular job, I run DataTH, a community simplifying Data Science and Data Engineering knowledge for Thai people.

    It started during my master’s degree to share what I learned. I now collaborate with others to expand this knowledge, aiming to introduce more people to this field and help them pursue related careers.

    Note: Creating content and getting feedback from people who have benefited and landed their dream jobs because of it motivates me to keep going. This might be one of the best hapiness flywheel!

As mentioned above, feel free to take what’s useful for you, and ignore the rest.

Wishing everyone good luck in their lives! 😍


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