Two days left till the end of the year and I still can’t believe how this year has been for me. As covered in my previous post, I actually expected this year to be a terrible year for me but it turned out to be one of the best years of my life.
It’s a great year not because of a number of big achievements or anything like that but because of all the small small things I’ve been lucky to have throughout the year. But if I had to pin down the major events in 2017 this would be it:
- I lost one of my best friends
Earlier this year we all met for dinner at my friend Thanee’s restaurant and took this picture. Not long after this dinner he would realise he had Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and in a matter of months I would attend his wake.
I’ve lost people in my life before. My grandfather, my grandmother, my uncles and aunty or even a cousin. But this is the first time I lost someone that I was really really close to. Close to like I knew almost everything about him and he too about me. I miss him dearly and for the first time in my life it crossed my mind that hey the bright side of dying one day would be getting to meet up with him in Heaven.
2. I moved into a new home.
Earlier this year we made the decision to move into another home. Shorty led the renovation progress and I was indifferent to how the house would look. I told Shorty that I was happy with our previous apartment that we had stayed in for years and I would be happy to live there for the rest of my life. So it didn’t really matter to me how our new home looked.
All that mattered to me was that we Feng Shui’ed it up which she did. (Oh and that the cost of renovation didn’t go above out budget which it did.)
The day we moved in though I began to feel the difference. We now spend a lot more time at home compared to before. We have friends over more often now and entertain more often and more importantly my wife seems happy. And you know what they say happy wife happy life.
The lesson I learned here was that I totally underestimated the effect on our lives our homes would have. I’m glad that Shorty did a great job with the place because if it went the other way… man I’m gonna regret not getting involved.
3. I started a new business that seems to be doing really well
It’s hard to believe that just 6 months ago the now famed black and white marbled tile corridor of Colony that has found its way into many many Instagram feeds looked like this.
It now looks like this
It was tough starting a business again from scratch. From being used to have a PA or admin team that would help me with all the minor administrative stuff from incorporating companies to starting bank accounts, I had to do everything on my own.
I’ve also had to venture into a new business and industry in which I had no experience in. Here’s the funny part though… that because of the success of Colony, now many people come to me for advice as an expert in the coworking space or serviced office industry. Looking back, this time last year I had completely no experience. I’ve learned experience isn’t always about how much time we spend on something sometimes but about we spend that time and what we experience.
I am very blessed and grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given with Colony Coworking Space. With the team that has given me a chance and worked with me, to our investors, our customers and our vendors.
4. I used to think it’s crazy to run a Full Marathon of 42KMs…
I did it in June this year and after having done it I can safely say that… I STILL THINK IT’S FUCKING CRAZY!
I remember my marathon. After all that training I was making really good time all the way up till 30ish KM. The last few KM though was when I started feeling my ankle, my knees and my legs breaking down. I’ve read a lot of articles about how full marathons are bad for the body, cause temporary kidney damage and all but I’ve also experienced what it really does to the body.
So I think I might give full marathons a pass in future.
I’ve now in my life cycled a 160KM century ride and done a 42KM run. Some say that hey just add a swim and I can do a Full Iron Man. Let me just say that after my 160KM bike ride or my full marathon, I was limping around like I had just been shot in the leg. I highly doubt I would be able to do one after the other. Throw in a swim too and I might actually drown.
5. I’ve learned what really matters in life
I can’t believe that it took me 33 years of life to figure this out but I’ve learned what really matters to me in life. That is relationships.
The relationships I have with my family, my friends, my colleagues and everyone I come into contact with every day. It’s really a simple thing but truly realising this changes the way I talk to people or treat people. I more often than before refrain from getting emotional or raising my voice on anyone that I love and when I do I often ask for forgiveness immediately.
I have also learned how to put other people in higher importance than myself.
Thank you 2017 for the wonderful year. I pray 2018 will be just as good a year.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space