Confessions of a reformed Yolo-ing millennial

MY AVOCADO sandwich has shrunk.

That thought immediately came to mind when the wait staff placed it on my table.

 “Well, it is either that or higher prices,” my lunch kaki said. “Which would you prefer?”

I hesitated for a moment – and went with the latter.

My friend chuckled and commented that Covid, inflation and higher interest rates have not gotten in the way of my “you only live once (Yolo)” mentality.

But that is far from the truth.

As a Singaporean millennial in her mid-30s, I (like many others) am dealing with the repercussions of the life-changing event that is Covid. 

For one thing, seeing the interest rate on my home mortgage increase from just above 1 per cent to almost 4 per cent in the span of about two years has made me reconsider my spending habits and priorities in life.

Also, hearing of people around me getting retrenched, or ditching their plans to quit their jobs, I am constantly haunted by the thought that “it could have been me”.

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But does that mean that those of us who embrace Yolo-ism, and wear it like a badge of honour, should renounce it?

There is no definitive answer, but all I can say is I have tried to – and failed miserably.

The quest to save more money, which entailed ditching weekly trips to cafes and purchases of chocolate, has left this foodie deeply unhappy.

It is no surprise that this project of mine lasted less than a month. No wonder this situation perpetuates the stereotype of millennials being dubbed the strawberry generation.

After this trial, I did some research on how to create additional income streams in the hopes of stumbling upon a get-rich-quick scheme. But most videos or websites would invariably suggest that viewers and readers become YouTubers, or make an investment that would probably give a dividend of less than US$100 a month.

With no real solution to save more in sight, I got into a bit of a funk and decided to confide in a former colleague, who was also a mentor.

“Don’t worry. It will always get worse before it gets better,” he said. “You complain of interest rate at 4 per cent. Mine was at almost six during the previous crisis, ok!

“You youngsters will find your own way. Just like we did.”

This comment struck a chord with me.

All this while, when I was rejecting Yolo-ism and what it entailed, I have come to realise that it actually made more sense than ever to live by this rule.

We can leverage the knowledge of Yolo-ism to get us through the difficulties that life throws our way. We understand the severity of any situation, but have enough humour to ride it out.

For example, a friend who was going through a rough patch when she was retrenched took it in her stride and bounced back fast. Sure, she moped for a few days, but later shrugged it off and said: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right?”

Before long, she was on a plane for a month-long break to “recharge and regroup”.  

Understanding that we only live once, we are also more willing to take risks and venture out of our comfort zones. But we also need to have the gumption to cut our losses if things don’t work out.

At the end of the journey, our Yolo-ism may be tempered with a dash of pragmatism, but I believe “carpe diem, but don’t crash and burn”, is the new way forward.