With the current situation, time is actually our best friend. For those who work from home, we spend lesser time on the road which helps us save between 1-2 hours a day. For those who are unable to work due to the MCO, how well are you utilising your time?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many people have been trying to adapt to the new normal & some of them managed to pivot their life & make a living from it. Many sellers have utilised Facebook live to sell their products, some offer free workout programs & some perform virtually to sell their albums. Many started venturing into the e-commerce field during this period. There are so many ways that Malaysians are taking to make ends meet and fortunately, they have found some success doing it. One of the real-life scenarios that happened is a full-time doctor & part-time rock climbing gym owner who started to sell food online to pay for his gym rental since the landlord has refused to provide any sort of discount. The struggle is real. There is also a Facebook group that was created called Sojimart where it has opened up opportunities for many sellers to sell their products & most of them are selling food. It has helped many people to earn extra money with zero advertising fees.
There was also a movement, called The White Flag Movement that was launched recently to help struggling Malaysians. Honestly, it is a good move as this MCO has caused many people to lose their jobs. The whole moment is a good cause where more Malaysians can reach out to help those who are currently struggling. This whole movement raised different feedback from different individuals and some even criticised those who raised the flag to be lazy, finding an easy way out, politicised by politicians & even raise their view that rather than raising a flag, they should pray instead.
One of the posts that I read recently is about a successful business person claiming that people who raised white flags are lazy & looking for an easy way out. The struggle is real and there are cases where people have fallen into a deep depression & each day, there have been 1-2 suicide cases around us. I think we are not in their shoes to understand their struggle & it is wrong to be judgemental in a time like this. Either we help or we mind our own business.
Food delivery has opened up many opportunities for restaurants with an adverse effect on hawker stalls that are not tech-savvy. Not all hawker vendors actually utilise this platform & since we are all “encouraged” to stay home, their dine-in business & takeaway business is affected too. Another sector such as the fitness industry is also affected badly. Basically, all gym owners are not able to operate & their cash flow is running out. They have no income but their expenses are still ongoing. The only help that comes from the Sports Minister is an RM3,000 one-off help which could barely cover a month rental. The tourism sector is also affected so badly that many attraction spots & hotels have ceased their operations.
I know it sounds depressing & sad from the start but it is a fact that most Malaysians are suffering but ask yourself, are you doing anything about it? From March 2020 until today, we have already somehow caught the trend of the whole MCO situation & by now, some of us should be able to learn from it. Personally, I find that the key to survive or excel in the current situation is pivoting. It means that if you are affected by it, you can choose to create a second source of income or fully focus on it as a primary source of income. This is not the end of the world. There is this quote that goes, “When One Door Closes, Another Opens”. So if your current door is closed, find another door. There is always a way.
The personal lesson that I learned since March 2020 is time management & the importance of having different sources of income. Time management as in we have more time since we are working from home & we get to save more time from travelling. The importance of having a second or third income just in case our first income is affected & we will still have a backup income. So how do we utilise the time if we have more time? You can either upgrade yourself with some online courses or seek ways to earn extra income. The skills that I’ve taken up recently is to create my own YouTube channel where I am using it to share my passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & also an extension of my blog where I am sharing on personal finance & investment.
There are many opportunities despite all the limitations during the MCO & you have a choice. You can either utilise this time to entertain yourselves with gaming or Netflix OR you can use this time to pick up a new skill & create a new source of income.
OSS!
You can also check out my latest YouTube video on Your Official Guide To Invest In Mutual Fund In Malaysia:
