This is going to be a fun series as I highlight irritants that made me want to retire early. These irritants are of course bearable but given a choice, my life will be soooooooo much better without them. So, the first one I going to talk about is early morning commuting. Three words: I hate it!

Let’s start with the nuances. The little things that don’t matter in the long run but just made your morning crappy as hell:

• I hate to be squeezed like sardines in a can, especially if the other sardines are sweaty and smelly.
• I hate to see the ugly side of Singaporeans every morning as they forget what is basic courtesy and either (i) pushed their way through or (ii) forget what is the meaning of queuing.
• I hate the fact that I can’t choose not to be in this mess since I need to go to work.

All these are the little things that bug me now and then. However, there is an more importnt thing which sort of saddens me.

People fought for the wrong things in life

When you see people rushing for seats like their life depends on it, it makes me feel sad and angry at the same time. If they can be so proactive in seeking out this ‘opportunity’ to make their lives a bit better (at least for the duration which they are on the train), why not be proactive in seeking a better life overall? They are missing the forest for the trees.

There is so much opportunity right now due to the Internet. We are so fortunate to be able to design a lifestyle for ourselves becase we can create multiple income steams that doesn’t depend on a career in somebody’s company. However, I don’t see a lot of people rushing for these opportunities like their lives depend on it. Why not? Probably because most of them are not even looking.

Have you see the faces of people who commute to work in the morning?

On a Monday morning, take a good look at the faces of the people who are in the same train as well. Discount the students. Look at the working folks. Most of them looked either (i) tired, (ii) uninspired, (iii) emotionless etc. You will be hard pressed to find a few happy faces. Why? Because most of them dread to go to work and there is nothing on the horizontal that can possibly change the fact that they will need to do this for the rest of their lives.

It doesn’t have to be this way though. As long as we don’t resign ourselves to this fate, there are lots of things we can do to get ourselves out of this dreadful existence. My motto has always been this: work 2 days and rest 5 days. Not the other way around.

It all starts with a mindset change. Once you realise you are in fact the master of your own destiny, you begin to look for opportunities. Your perspective will change and you see doors literally opening up everyday.

At least, that is how it is with me. I don’t rush for seats during the morning commute but I do rush for things that will change my life forever.