Christmas is coming soon! And I'm so excited...

YES!!

I enjoy the Christmas season because its a time of thanksgiving, fun, food and rest!

Maybe not so much of rest cos there's gonna be lots of gatherings and hosting of dinners. 

Thank you 2022 and welcome 2023!

This season is also the season where we start to look back in the year and give thanks to all the good things that had happened and reflect on all the not so good things that happened. While we take time to do that, it is also apt to begin planning for next year. (Which is really exciting for me cos I'm pretty much a visionary.)

Top 10 things I'm thankful for in 2022...

1. Borders have opened and we are now able to start travelling again!
2. Because we can start travelling, we can now meet up with our friends from all over the world again!
3. February we travelled to US (LA-Arizona-Boston) and we met with my sister-in-law who stays in Boston and spent a bit of time with them; Did lots of shopping at Tucson for gems; Met up with a dear sister-in-christ and caught up with each other.
4. Caught covid once and survived!
5. Kids are growing up and growing well.
6. The Gem Museum reopened in June and it was a success!
7. The family business is being consolidated and everyone is happier together.
8. Learning more about myself as I went through the year as a financial planner. 
9. Went on a trip to Australia with my siblings and Dad (without the kids and the extended family).
10. Brought the children to Geneva-Denmark to participate in a high end gem show as a sponsored exhibitor (The Gem Museum) and then for a short holiday together in Denmark, where we also met new friends at a church in Roskilde!

There's so much to be thankful for, I might have another post on "10 more things I'm thankful for in 2022". 😆

What are you thankful for in this year? 

One thing that I would encourage everyone to do as we approach the end of the year is to write down at least 10 things you are thankful for in this year. Try it! It is really good for your mind and heart. 💛

So what am I planning for 2023?

This is not like a new year's resolution. I tried doing new year's resolutions for years, but I've never get down to anything I wrote. This is more like a list of things that I planned out, so that I can work through it and see what comes out of it. 

1. Planning for the business.
2. Continue with my self-discovery journey.
3. Spend enough time with my family. 

Planning for the business

There are so many elements in the family business, I have to compartmentalize them. There's going to be a number of events happening for The Gem Museum, Far East Gem Institute and our retail department. Each company requires my attention on specific areas. Maybe I would share more for each one in my next post!

Continue with my self-discovery journey

I entered the financial industry in June 2021 and I didn't quite realise what I was getting into. Then I realise that it was a journey of self-discovery that I probably have to go through. I acquired a few clients, and then I begin to realise that my objectives from the beginning was to be able to service clients for estate & legacy planning. When I think about estate planning, I get excited. What is estate planning? Haha! I'm going to share more in another post!

Spend time with my family

Because we had such a good time in Europe in November, we are already planning for our next family trip! There are a couple of options, and we are still discussing and deciding where we should go. It is quite exciting as the kids grow up, they could give their inputs also. I really love working in a team!

Journeying together

Hope that whatever I share here will somehow inspire you to write down your thanksgiving list and also to have a plan for this coming year!

I have some good stuff to share since this is a season to be thankful and a season of giving gifts!

Below are some recommended things you can purchase as gifts for your loved ones. Enjoy shopping and hope you have a wonderful year end!

Ms. Loke Huiying Sarah graduated with a BSc. (Pharm) and Dip. in Gemmology (UK). She had been teaching gemmology since 2010 and had co-founded The Gem Museum, Singapore. The Gem Museum is the first and most comprehensive gems and minerals museum in Singapore open to the public. She is also a Certified Behavioural & Career Consultant trained in DISC profiling and WSG Career Advisory and Career Facilitation programs. Her passion is to bring life to businesses and into individuals through her experiences, knowledge and insights. The 4C quality factors to a fulfilling life is inspired by the quality grading of a diamond that gives a diamond its value. Sarah extrapolated from her understanding and appreciation of the value of a diamond's quality into a person's quality of life and developed the 4Cs - Clarity, Connection, Credibility, Commitment. To contact Sarah for a chit-chat session, email her at huiying@gem.com.sg or WhatsApp +65 97324091.