Chapter 2 – The Financial Lens

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Before we continue this series, I would like to explain why I decided to write these chapters in the first place. Over the past three years, I have been studying finance, and throughout this journey, I have realized that finance is much more than numbers, formulas, or financial statements. It has gradually become a different way for me to observe the world and reflect on my own life.

This series is simply a collection of my personal thoughts through a financial lens. By combining the knowledge I have learned with my everyday experiences, I hope to share a perspective that feels genuine to me. I am not writing these articles to show off what I know or to teach finance. Instead, I hope to demonstrate how financial concepts can help us better understand ourselves, our decisions, and the lives we are building. Perhaps, after reading these chapters, you might also begin to look at your own life from a different perspective.

In the previous chapter, I introduced The Balance Sheet of My Twenties, where I reflected on the assets, liabilities, and equity that have shaped who I am today. This time, I would like to continue the journey by looking at another important financial statement—the Cash Flow Statement.

Unlike the balance sheet, which shows what we own and what we owe at a particular point in time, the cash flow statement tells us how money moves. It records cash flowing into a business and cash flowing out of it. Looking at my own life, I realized that my emotions, habits, and experiences move in a surprisingly similar way. Some things constantly add energy to my life, while others quietly consume it. Understanding these inflows and outflows has helped me maintain balance whenever life becomes difficult.

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Cash Inflow

When I think about the cash inflow of my life, I see it as everything that continuously gives me energy, motivation, and the strength to move forward. These are not material possessions or achievements. Instead, they are the habits and experiences that keep replenishing my emotional and mental resources. Looking back, I realize that without these inflows, I would probably have struggled to overcome many difficult moments.

The first source of my cash inflow is running.

I did not begin running with a grand ambition or a specific goal in mind. What first attracted me was something much simpler. I loved the fresh morning air, the peaceful atmosphere, and the beautiful lotus flowers blooming in the park near my home. Starting my day with a quiet run always gave me a sense of calm and positive energy before everything else began.

Even today, those reasons remain unchanged. I still run because I enjoy the experience itself rather than chasing faster times or longer distances. Of course, I sometimes set myself small personal goals, such as improving my heart rate, breathing more efficiently, or simply becoming a little stronger than yesterday. Rather than competing with others, I find joy in seeing my own progress, no matter how small it may be.

To be honest, I do not know how far running will take me. Perhaps I will never become an outstanding runner, and that has never been my objective. What matters most is that running has quietly become one of the greatest sources of strength in my life. Whenever I feel mentally exhausted, overwhelmed, or lost, the first thing that comes to my mind is putting on my running shoes. Running gives me space to slow down, clear my thoughts, and reconnect with myself. It has become more than just exercise—it has become a place where I can recharge both my mind and my heart.

The second source of my cash inflow is reading.

Four years ago, I bought my first Kindle. Looking back, I can confidently say that it has been one of the best investments I have ever made. Since then, reading has gradually become part of my daily life. I have never forced myself to finish a certain number of books each month or set unrealistic reading goals. Instead, I simply read whenever I have time and choose books that match my current thoughts or emotions.

Although I still prefer the feeling of holding a physical book, carrying several books everywhere is simply impractical, especially living in Taiwan where I rely heavily on public transportation. The Kindle solved that problem perfectly. It allowed me to carry an entire library wherever I went, making reading much more accessible and convenient.

What I appreciate most about reading is not the number of books I have completed, but the quiet changes it has created within me. Every book has expanded my perspective a little further. Some have taught me new knowledge, while others have helped me become more patient, more empathetic, and more understanding of people whose experiences are completely different from my own.

Sometimes I read finance books. Sometimes I read novels. Sometimes I even find myself reading psychology or philosophy. Regardless of the genre, I often discover a small part of myself hidden somewhere within the author’s words. Those moments encourage me to pause, reflect, and write down my own thoughts in the margins or in my journal. Reading has become much more than collecting information; it has become a conversation between the author and myself. That conversation continuously brings new ideas into my life, making reading one of the most valuable sources of my personal cash inflow.

The third source of my cash inflow is finance.

If someone asked me today why I chose to leave a stable life in Vietnam and pursue a second bachelor’s degree in Taiwan, my answer would be very simple:

“I came here because of finance.”

Before studying finance, I had already completed a degree in law. While many of my classmates were fascinated by legal cases and regulations, I found myself becoming increasingly curious about financial statements, business performance, and the stories hidden behind the numbers. I often spent more time reading about companies, investments, and financial analysis than I did reading legal textbooks.

Eventually, curiosity became conviction.

I realized that I wanted to understand businesses from a different perspective—not only through laws and regulations, but also through numbers, strategies, and financial decisions. That realization led me to Taiwan and completely changed the direction of my career.

Looking back, I know that this decision brought many challenges. Starting over in another country meant learning a new language, adapting to a different educational system, and stepping into a field where I had to rebuild my knowledge from the beginning. At times, it was overwhelming. Yet I have never regretted that decision.

The more I study finance, the more fascinated I become. What excites me is not simply calculating ratios or building financial models. It is the ability to understand the story behind a company. Financial statements are no longer just collections of numbers; they reveal management decisions, business strategies, market conditions, and even the consequences of economic and political events.

Sometimes I feel as though I am solving a giant puzzle. Every financial report, economic indicator, industry trend, or company announcement represents another piece waiting to be connected. Individually, each piece tells only part of the story. However, once they are combined, they gradually reveal a much bigger picture.

It is a difficult and time-consuming process, but it is also one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. Every time I discover a connection that I had never noticed before, I am reminded why I chose this path in the first place. Finance continuously fuels my curiosity, challenges my thinking, and motivates me to keep learning. That is why it remains one of the greatest sources of cash inflow in my life.

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Cash Outflow

Just as every business experiences cash outflows, life does too. We all have moments that quietly consume our energy, confidence, and motivation. Looking back, I realize that the greatest cash outflows in my life have never been financial. Instead, they have come from emotions that are difficult to avoid but impossible to ignore.

The first cash outflow I would like to share is loneliness.

Everything I mentioned in the cash inflow section—running, reading, and studying finance—was something I chose to do on my own. Behind those habits were countless moments of discomfort, uncertainty, and self-doubt. It is easy to admire the results of a journey, but much harder to understand what happens behind the scenes. No one could build those habits for me, overcome those struggles, or continue the journey on my behalf. Every step had to be taken by me alone.

To be honest, there were many moments when I questioned whether I was making any progress at all. Sometimes I could not see the destination, and sometimes it felt as though there was no light at the end of the road. During those periods, I simply continued doing the small things that had always helped me move forward. Instead of searching for immediate answers, I returned to my “cash inflow”—I went for a run, picked up a book, or immersed myself in learning something new.

Gradually, I realized that these habits were not simply hobbies. They had become the positive cash inflows that helped me balance life’s unavoidable cash outflows. Just as a healthy business needs consistent cash inflows to survive unexpected expenses, I believe we also need healthy habits that continually replenish our emotional energy. The challenge is not avoiding difficult moments; it is learning how to generate enough positive inflows to overcome them.

The second cash outflow is comparison.

I belong to Generation Z, and like many people my age, I often find myself comparing my life with others. Even while writing this article, those thoughts occasionally appear. Sometimes I wonder whether I am moving too slowly, whether I should already be more successful, or whether I have made the right choices. If I said those feelings had completely disappeared, I would not be telling the truth.

For a long time, I disliked this part of myself because I believed comparison only created unnecessary pressure. However, the more I reflected on it, the more I realized that pretending those feelings did not exist would never solve the problem. Instead of fighting them, I decided to understand them.

One book that changed my perspective was Dopamine Nation. It helped me realize that comparison is a natural response in a world where we constantly see other people’s achievements through social media. Accepting those feelings, rather than judging myself for having them, became the first step toward managing them.

Whenever comparison begins to overwhelm me, I try to slow down. I write in my journal, record what I am feeling, and ask myself where those emotions are coming from. Sometimes I go for a run. Sometimes I take a walk through a nearby park, sit quietly in a coffee shop, or simply spend time observing nature. Watching birds fly between the trees or seeing sunlight filter through the leaves often reminds me that life continues at its own pace, without rushing.

More importantly, I ask myself one question:

Have I truly spent as much time and effort as the people I am comparing myself with?

Most of the time, the answer is no.

Everyone has their own timeline. Many of the people I admire have spent years building the life they have today. If I am willing to dedicate the same level of patience and commitment to my own journey, then perhaps I will eventually arrive at my own destination as well.

Comparison still visits me from time to time, but it no longer controls me. Instead, I rely on the cash inflows I have carefully built over the years to guide me back toward balance.

Another cash outflow that has quietly stayed with me is missing home.

Living in another country has been one of the greatest opportunities in my life, but it has also been one of the greatest challenges. There are days when everything feels twice as difficult simply because I am far away from the people and places that once felt familiar. During those moments, I often ask myself why I chose this path in the first place.

Sometimes I miss the simplicity of life in Vietnam. I miss hearing my native language everywhere I go. I miss the comfort of being close to my family and the feeling that everything around me naturally belongs to me. Those emotions never completely disappear, no matter how long I have lived in Taiwan.

Instead of trying to suppress those feelings, I have learned to accept them as part of my journey. On days when I miss home the most, I cook Vietnamese food, visit a Vietnamese restaurant, or simply read through the journal entries I wrote when I first arrived in Taiwan. Those pages remind me why I made this decision and what I hoped to achieve when I first stepped onto the plane.

I no longer force myself to “stay strong” every moment. Sometimes I simply allow myself a few quiet hours to recharge before continuing the journey. Just as a company occasionally experiences temporary negative cash flow while investing in its future, I believe our lives also need moments of rest before we can continue growing.

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Net Cash Flow

After looking at both the inflows and outflows of my life, one question naturally remains:

So, what is my net cash flow?

The honest answer is that I do not think there is a single answer.

Just as companies produce different cash flow statements every year, my own emotional cash flow changes from one period of life to another. There are seasons when I feel energetic, confident, and optimistic, allowing positive cash flow to exceed everything else. There are also periods when loneliness, uncertainty, or self-doubt become much stronger than I expected.

However, I have learned something important from studying businesses.

A company does not become successful because every year’s cash flow is positive. Investors look beyond one year’s numbers. They examine the long-term direction of the company, its strategy, and the reasons behind each decision. Temporary negative cash flow does not necessarily indicate failure; sometimes it simply reflects investment in future growth.

I believe our lives work in much the same way.

There will be periods when our emotional cash flow is negative. We may feel exhausted, uncertain, or completely lost. Yet those moments do not define who we are. What matters is whether we continue investing in ourselves, building healthy cash inflows, and believing that today’s struggles may become tomorrow’s growth.

Perhaps that is the most valuable lesson I have learned from finance.

Managing life is not about eliminating every cash outflow. It is about creating enough meaningful cash inflows to keep moving forward, even when life temporarily feels unbalanced.

As I finish writing this chapter, I realize that my personal cash flow statement will never remain the same. Every new experience, every challenge, and every lesson will continue changing the numbers.

Perhaps that is exactly what makes life so interesting.

Just like a business, we are constantly generating new inflows, facing unexpected outflows, and learning how to maintain balance over time. The statement will never be perfect, and neither will we.

If there is one thing I hope you take away from this chapter, it is this:

Protect the things that bring positive cash flow into your life. They may seem ordinary today, but one day they will become the very reason you are able to overcome life’s most difficult seasons.

Thank you for spending another chapter with me.

I’ll see you in the next one.

— Jai