He Took Big Risks and Got Rich — Should I Do the Same?

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Last month, a Malaysian friend of mine working in Japan told me that he met his high school friend, Jay, who was visiting for a holiday.

He was surprised to learn that Jay has already started several companies, a full time crypto trader and achieved financial freedom. Jay owns an apartment in KL and drives a Porsche. He is only 29 years old.

Jay began his career at a crypto trading company, which led him into crypto investing. He put money into coins that I have never even heard of—it honestly sounded like a gamble to me. Eventually, he grew tired of corporate life and moved into a venture capital company. From there, he and his team started hundreds of companies and worked 24/7. Many failed, but the ones that succeeded made them a fortune.

On the contrary, my friend had only started working three years ago while pursuing his PhD, and he still doesn’t have a solid financial foundation. He couldn’t help but feel like he had chosen the wrong path.

Hearing this made me reflect on my own life—my career, my decisions, and whether I’ve done enough to achieve my dreams and financial goals.

This is the conclusion I came to:

“I have chosen the right level of risk, the one I am comfortable with, given my situation and personality.”

Perhaps I am gaslighting. Maybe I could do more, however, will I take the kind of risk that I might lose everything?

Unfortunately, no.

I have a family that depends on me financially. I do not have the safety net.

Now, I am building up my financial buffer so that I have the capacity to take more risks without compromising what truly matters.

Sometimes, I do wonder why God is so hard on me that my parents need my financial and emotional support for their health, while others seem free to pursue whatever they want.

But along the way, I have come to realized this: if I can pull this off, nothing is impossible.

Instead of comparing or blaming, I just have to keep on trying. I cannot control everything but I can control how I think and how I act.

Having tons of money is not among the top 3 reasons that Malaysians feel happy, according to IPSOS research. It was Feeling Appreciated/Loved. Yet, at the same time, financial stress remains one of the biggest sources of unhappiness.

　

　

What we can say from this is that, money matters but it is not everything.

If you feel that this is the time to prioritize your family or your health, etc, even if it meant sacrificing your career, you might not regret it on the long time.

The founder of KFC, Colonel Sanders didnt become a professional chef until he was 40 after trying many different careers. He didnt become rich until he was in his 70s when he sold his company.