#029: Feeling Lost in Our 20s, Spending Habits, and RRR Updates

Kristoffer Jan Notario

Nov 04, 2024

Est. Read Time: 4 min. 6 secs.

a man standing in front of a city skyline — Photo by Katherine Gu on Unsplash

On this week’s Rat Race Running Newsletter:

RRR Update
RRR Article of the Week
- Why Feeling Lost in Your 20s Can Be a Turning Point For Personal Growth
RRR Thread of the Week
- Utang, Simot, Dakot, or Kurot. Which one do you use?
RRR Investment Update for the Week

RRR Updates:

Facebook: I want to recognize my FB Subscribers, Karen, Weng, Maria, and Mariel, for their continuous financial support. Thank you!
Twitter/X: Finally breached the 600-subscriber mark.

RRR Article of the Week:

Disclaimer: These are from my personal experience. I can't speak for anybody else.

Most of my 20s have been a soul-crushing experience, but I learned a lot from it.

I remember graduating from college, passing the board exam, and finding a job. Suddenly, the existential question popped up: "What now?" I finally accomplished my goals, and then I realized that's it—I'm done. What's next?

I don't know when the actual change happened, but that was the time things changed.

In hindsight, God used those experiences to mold me into what I eventually became.

Here are some of the positive things that came from my experiences of feeling lost.

#1. I started asking the right questions.

From "What now?" and "What's next?" to "What am I doing with my life?"

I asked a lot of "whys" after reading Simon Sinek's 'Know Your Why.' During that time, my experiences, bouts of depressive episodes, and quarter-life crisis made me start asking about many things - not only about my career but also about life, love, and faith.

It took me years before I finally reconciled them, but it was a life-changing experience.

#2. I started realizing the essential things.

Being lost allowed me to realize the important things in life.

However, it doesn't happen in an instant. It required a lot of thinking, asking, and contemplating. Soon, I learned that having a high-paying job is not the solution to many of my problems. Instead, I dug deep and found a deeper life purpose revolving around faith, family, relationships, vocation, mission, and passion.

Once we realize the essential things, it's easier to disregard the non-essentials.

#3. I started looking with a new perspective.

I like observing my surroundings and other people and how they interact.

In my 20s, I participated in many volunteering events, such as teaching kids and community immersions. I learned that my perspective on things is often short-sighted and that I was only thinking about myself. Since then, I have started asking more questions, such as how I can help.

Looking at other people's perspectives allows us to view things differently and, hopefully, better understand others.

#4. I learned to be comfortable being alone.

Being comfortable with being alone was a habit I learned in my 20s.

As a student, I wouldn't go anywhere without a buddy. However, when I started working and realized people were busy, I started going to events and places alone. It was a different experience that prompted me to think deeper. Soon, I started running long distances, which became a sort of meditation for me to think and reflect.

Being alone doesn't mean being lonely. Sometimes, we need to be alone to process the changes we're going through.

If you're also in your 20s and feeling like nothing is happening, I pray that you see the light at the end of the tunnel and emerge a better version of yourself.

Book Quote of the Week:

RRR Thread of the Week:

Here are four ways we spend: Utang, Simot, Dakot, or Kurot. Which one do you use?

An Interesting Tweet From Others:

This tweet made me re-think sugar, prompting me to do a “No-Added-Sugar November.” This month, I’ll avoid drinking sugared drinks (including the “zero-sugar” labels). It’s either water, tea, or black coffee. So far, I’m 3/3 days.

Here’s the link to the article.

RRR Investment Update

Investing Insight: Since using my hybrid dividend investing strategy (you can read it here), my portfolio's YTD performance has been 14.14%. This is still better than the PSEi's 10.74%.

Dividend Portfolio Update: One of my non-REIT dividend stocks passed its ex-date, so I’m already entitled to its dividends. Another non-REIT’s ex-date is set this week. I’m still waiting for at least three dividend declarations this year.
- My non-REIT allocation is currently greater than my REITs because most REITs are currently overpriced or risky.

REIT Updates:
- $VREIT leads the REIT sector with a 10.22% annualized yield, while problematic $DDMPR and $FILRT are the other stocks with at least an 8% yield.
- I am still unsure what happened, but $PREIT’s stock price surged by almost 15% since October 1, resulting in the lowest dividend yield among the eight REITs, even lower than $AREIT.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold. I am only sharing this to show the difference between each REIT’s current dividend yield.

See you again next Monday at 8 AM Philippine Time — RRR

Did you enjoy this? Share it with a friend. ;)

Rat Race Running