Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
I shall first answer the topic directly: My pay last year was $300k, excludes share of profit. I work in a family run business. I will hit 30 in a few months time.
What I really wanted to contribute to this forum:
Alot of us have a misconception of happiness being correlated to money. Not always true.
I started off very, very poor. My Dad was an aircon tech. First few years of my life (I can't remember but was told) we had to stay with my grandma. My primary school days was spent in a 3BR flat in Teban Gardens. I had no pocket money, I relied on friends to get by during recess.
Timing, right decisions and importantly luck, my family became rich very rapidly after my dad's business venture took off. By JC, we had gone from a 3RM flat in Teban Gardens to currently a landed property along Binjai Park.
Becoming rich didn't make my family happier though. On the contrary, though life was tough, my fondest memories are of my childhood. When our entire family of 5 (I have 3 siblings) squeezed into a tiny room, and when we children slept on matresses. Our family was very close knit. Dad will reward us by buying back charsiew meat every Friday. Those Friday dinners were just perfect, whole family getting excited, waiting for Dad to come home.
Becoming rich actually has made our family less happier. Dad has to travel. We rarely have dinner together as a family these days. My brothers are based overseas to manage operations. If we want to have dinner, we have to plan way in advance.
I won't say I miss being poor. But I would say I was happier back then.
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Thanks for sharing. But I would argue that being less happy is the result of growing up.
It's the same for everyone. As one ages from a kid to an adult, one gets more responsibilities, stresses from family and society, and realizes that the world is a more evil place than one had assumed.
Imagine your family still had to cram into the same roo, all adults, no privacy. Would you be happier?
In fact, I would theorize that if you had stay poor, you would be much less happier than now.
But I appreciate your sharing of what you think. You are rich but you stay humble. Could you share more on how your dad moved from an Aircon technician to be a rich businessman with businessess beyond the shores of Singapore? It's quite an amazing achievement.