I am a 44-year-old accidental entrepreneur living in Singapore. Until recently, I was a Strategy Leader at a major Big Tech company—a role that came with a fancy title, business class flights, and the persistent feeling that I was renting my own life.
Then I got fired.
What followed was a crash course in identity, money psychology, and the terrifying realization that I had no hobbies other than “optimizing.” This blog is my attempt to document life after the corporate IV drip was removed. It is about money, but it is really about freedom. It is about work, but it is really about craft.
I write for anyone who suspects that the “safe path” isn’t actually safe—just familiar.
- This blog shares its title with Morgan Housel’s book “The Psychology of Money”. This is intentional. His writing on the intersection of wealth and behavior is the north star for this project. If you find any wisdom here, it probably belongs to him. If you find nonsense, that is entirely mine.*
A Working Philosophy for an Unfinished Life
I once believed life was something you secured. You studied hard, earned well, climbed predictably, and eventually arrived at a place where uncertainty would politely disappear. That belief was wrong.
Life doesn’t reward certainty. It rewards adaptability, patience, and honesty with yourself.
This philosophy is not a manifesto. It’s a work in progress—because life should be.
1. Identity Should Not Have a Corporate Sponsor
If your sense of worth can be revoked by an email, it was never yours. Titles are rented. Skills are owned. Respect that distinction early.
2. High Income Is Not the Same as Wealth
Earning well can still mean living on a leash. Wealth is what remains when your salary disappears: skills, relationships, health, optionality, and calm.
3. Loss Hurts More Than Gain Feels Good
The fear of losing comfort will distort your decisions if you let it. Build buffers that protect your nervous system, not just your bank account. Clarity begins when panic stops making choices for you.
4. Social Approval Is the Most Expensive Tax You’ll Ever Pay
Status is a subscription with rising fees and no refunds. Spend less energy impressing people who don’t fund your future or protect your peace.
5. Return to Craft When Confused
When the narrative collapses, build something small and honest. Craft grounds you when ambition floats away. Old friends help because they remember you before you optimized yourself.
6. Scarcity Lives Longer Than Circumstances
Money habits are inherited before they’re earned. Unlearning fear is harder than earning income—but far more valuable. Play is not reckless. It’s how curiosity survives.
7. Remove Threats Before Asking for Courage
Bravery is overrated. Stability is underrated. Secure your basics first. Then let yourself experiment without fear. Freedom grows when monthly anxiety shrinks.
8. Work Without a Scoreboard Builds Endurance
The ability to work hard without immediate reward is a rare form of wealth. Clarity today matters more than certainty about next year. Compounding favors those who enjoy the process.
9. Build a Life That Gains from Disorder
Don’t aim for a life that can’t be shaken. Aim for one that adapts, learns, and improves when shaken. Portability beats permanence. Optionality beats optimization.
10. Time Is the Only Thing Worth Owning
The highest dividend money pays is control over your hours. Not leisure—choice. Enough stability to sleep. Enough instability to stay curious. That edge is where life stays interesting.
“The goal is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to live well inside it.”