I had a particularly tough day at work today. It wasn’t the complexity of the tasks that weighed me down; in fact, they were relatively straightforward. What made the day so challenging was the monotony and lack of fulfillment in my work. My day was dedicated to meticulously reviewing my work over the past month, a painstaking process aimed at identifying any errors in the model consolidation. The pressure was palpable, as I’m racing against time to deliver a functional model by week’s end.

In the 2019 Netflix movie, Jurgen Mossack, played by Gary Oldman, says ‘first you must ask yourself, are you wealthy?’ It is that question that we will try to answer today. Discussing wealth and personal finances is often considered taboo in many cultures and is often seen as impolite or rude. This is because talking about money can be seen as gauche, brash, or even aggressive, and can evoke strong emotions such as envy, embarrassment, or insecurity. And yet, most of us are fascinated by wealth.

This last week, I got to attend the Vail Food and Wine festival. It was an amazing experience. The food and wine festival gives industry personnel and visitors the opportunity to ski in Vail, Colorado. The festival is a celebration of all things wine and food, and it draws people from all over the world to experience the best that the industry has to offer. The festival is comprised of four events: the Rosé tasting, the Après tasting in the streets of Vail, and the Grand tasting.

Perfection. It is a noble goal, but one that can lead to unforeseen consequences. As a student, there was always a clear goal: to graduate with good grades. When I started working that goal changed. I could no longer rush towards the finish line, because retirement is a very long way away. Therefore my strategy of doing whatever it takes to get the job done backfired. I kept imposing unrealistic expectations on myself and working a lot of overtime. This led to an extreme work-life imbalance. I used to dread going to work every morning. I felt exhausted, stressed and unmotivated by my job. I was burned out.

I’m joining a gym this week. I know it’s not original, but after six years of being overworked and burnt out, I started my full-time job and found myself with more free time than I had in the past. Initially, I filled this time with rest and relaxation, but I soon realized that there’s only so much someone can take. It is amazing how enticing a TV show or book can be when the alternative is homework. I started getting outside and exercising, like going on bike rides and taking walks, which were great in the summer and fall. However, the winter brought additional challenges to keeping up the habit. It’s easy to make excuses like it’s raining, too cold, or too windy. Suddenly the habit I had developed to do something enjoyable and good for me in turned into a once or twice a week occurrence. Therefore, something needed to change, and that was to start working out inside during the winter. Unfortunately, the gyms are packed around the new year as people attempt to fulfill their New Year’s resolution. I have never been able to keep a New Year’s resolution alive throughout the entire year and therefore look upon those who try with a sense of audacity at their optimism.