Earlier this month, I celebrated my sense of aliveness. Because 10 October was the exact day I left my banking job.
My wife said it was the perfect 10/10 date to quit. That 6 years ago, I packed my stuff and left the corporate rat race.
Scary? Of course (look, you’ll never feel 100% ready to take that life-changing leap).
Years back, I was an associate director of a prestigious private bank, got my CFA charterholder and was earning a good income.
But I knew somehow deep down inside, something was missing. And things would have to change. When I was an analyst, I enjoyed my time with colleagues and ex-bosses, talking about investing and markets. Yet I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the rigid structure and politics of banking.
So, in 2018, I decided to quit my job as a research analyst. Yep, my old desk all packed up on one of the weekends, before my last day on 10 October 2018. Lots of emotions, but it was a refreshing moment for me. You know, at that point, it felt like a big paradigm shift for me, and a big rock lifted out of my chest.
There were those moments when I found I don’t want to write any more of those euphemistic reports.
There were those moments when I found I didn’t want to deal with the endless restructuring of bankrupt companies.
There were those moments I felt I was simply going through “the motion”.
What’s more, I found myself aware my values weren’t aligned with what I was doing.
“Willie, you should be made VP by now. Fancy name card, working in a fancy downtown area? Why aren’t you accepting that $200k job offer? So where’s your 6-seater MPV? When are you going to buy your Rolex?”
Have you ever felt this way? I have.
Back then, I wanted to be recognized by everyone around me. I was measured by an external success metric.
And I didn’t feel proud of it.
Quitting the rat race taught me one important lesson: that was to be grounded in my own reality.
It was liberating, being able to freely travel without worrying about the emails popping up in my office iPhone on a Sunday night.
Below was a trip to Japan earlier this year with my family!
Instead of chasing the corporate ladder, I realized success is actually looking deep within myself. Letting go of the never-ending need to seek recognition. That there will always be a part of us that feels like a baby animal crying out in pain — imperfect and ugly. But that’s what makes us… us. (we can never be replaced with AI this way). It’s taking courage to open ourselves up to life, to all possibilities, to take risks, be seen and go for what we want.
I decided at that moment, to create a life on my own terms.
That’s why I constantly challenge myself — To be my own fund manager? Check. To build passive income? Check. To write a blog? Check. To speak on stage, radio and TV? Check, check and check. To be with my loved ones? Check.
I knew my true potential isn’t just confined to a 9-5.
That’s what feels ALIVE to me more than anything else.
John D. Rockefeller said this to his son I’ll never forget: “John, the essence of life is struggle and competition…”
The truth is, we’re really only in competition with ourselves.
This is my sense of aliveness.
And this a special letter dedicated to myself (I’ll resume my weekly insights next Sunday).
What’s the next challenge for yourself? Let me know 🙂
Sometimes, investing can be simple.
Willie Keng, CFA
Founder, Dividend Titan
