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- 🤑 The True Meaning of Frugality
Hey everyone! 👋 I hope you've all had an amazing week. In this week's edition of The Diary of CEO, I was reminded of a particular definition of frugality that really resonated with me, and I think you'll find it intriguing too. As many of you are aware, I love travelling and I make it a point to explore whenever I can. I often receive playful remarks from my friends, jokingly suggesting that I must either be rolling in wealth or secretly running a side gig as a "pharmaceutical entrepreneur" (wink wink) to fund my adventures. The reality, however, is far from that assumption. Here's the crux of it: frugality isn't synonymous with avoiding all expenditures; rather, it's about spending money exclusively on things that genuinely enrich your life, while not sparing a penny on anything else.
Interestingly, despite my income rising since I began my journey as a doctor, I continue to drive my trusty ten year old Peugeot 207cc, a car I acquired secondhand during my medical school days. It's not that I'm against the idea of cruising around in a flashy sports car (believe me, the allure is real), much like some of my colleagues and friends have opted for. The rationale behind my choice is that vehicles don't necessarily contribute to my long-term personal fulfilment. I firmly believe that owning a lavish car wouldn't yield the same lasting contentment to me as, let's say, the ability to regularly afford return trips to back home to Kenya (which coincidentally costs about as much as many peoples monthly car payments). I've observed fellow doctors who shell out over £900 each month to lease their Audi Q7s, and that's absolutely reasonable if the car truly brings YOU value and isn't just about projecting an image of affluence.
By living in this manner, I've managed to craft what I call "my abundant life." This is a life where I allocate funds based on my personally defined values, unshackled from society's prescribed norms. It empowers me to engage in activities I'm genuinely passionate about, such as traveling, endeavors that genuinely elevate my overall sense of well-being. It might seem a bit over the top, but I've established a mental inventory of expenditures I adamantly decline and experiences I'm more than willing to indulge in. So, as this week unfolds, I encourage you to mull over where your financial resources primarily flow. Pose this question to yourself: do these allocations spark happiness or yield value? If not, could you contemplate scaling back in those areas to finance the pursuits you've pinpointed as truly enriching?
Feel free to drop me a response to this email, sharing what these areas might be for you—I'm genuinely intrigued to learn!
See you on the next one! Kenji :)
👍🏾 Things I’ve enjoyed this week
Hogwarts Legacy (game) - got this game yesterday and I’ve been waiting ages to try it out as a big Harry Potter fan. I only managed to play it for an hour last night as I am on-call all day this weekend, but I am excited to get stuck into it on the bank holiday Monday!
Luggage weighing scale (gadget) - I hate having to either guess my luggage weight or drag it to the bathroom to measure it on the scales there. I bought this handy gadget this week for some upcoming trips which will hopefully save me some stress at the airport!
📚 Highlight of the week
Making Small Bets, How to Do Great Work, How to Support the People You Love
"It's not that hard on any given day, but the trick is you can't skip days. Your workouts can be reasonable and still deliver results—if you don't skip days. Your writing sessions can be short and the work will still accumulate—if you don't skip days. As long as you're working, you'll get there."
The BEST Advice That Has Impacted My Life/Business
I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve I asked for prosperity and God gave me brawn and brain to work I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome I asked for patience God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities I received nothing I wanted, I received everything I needed My Prayer Has Been Answered. Read that 100 times and tell me how you view your struggles now.
How to Live by Derek Sivers
Marriage is for getting through the times when you’re not in love. Expect things to get bad. Your mutual commitment gives you the security to weather the storms, knowing they won’t destroy the relationship. Be loving even when you’re not feeling loving.
Resurfaced to me by Readwise
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Want to learn more from me? Check these out👇
🩺 (Free) How to Get into Medical School - From Application to Doctor: https://skl.sh/2TwpH0N
👨🏼💻 An Essay Writing Masterclass - The Best Essay Writing Technique: https://courses.kenjitomita.co.uk
🏥 My Online Medicine Interview Course: https://courses.kenjitomita.co.uk
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🛠 My favourite tools 🔨
📚 Listen to my favourite book of all time (or any other) free on Audible
🥼 My daily hospital scrubs: HappyThreads
🎒 My everyday and travel bag from Menos (use KENJI10 for 10% off)
📝 My favourite iPad screen protector: Paperlike