#14 Do you eavesdrop?

Good Day Brewers - Pang here! ☕

I hope April has been a good month for you so far!

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I’m almost 70% completed with the contents within it, but there is still design work to be done.

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Estimated reading time: 1,463 words - 6 mins 9 secs

Father and Son

A month ago, I headed out to grab breakfast at McDonald’s.

The aroma of freshly made hotcakes wafted through the air, tempting my taste buds and making my mouth water.

The restaurant was packed with patrons. Tables were filled with couples gazing into each other's eyes, families catching up on the latest news, and groups of teenagers giggling and chatting away.

Despite the lively scene around me, I found myself standing alone in front of the main entrance, a tad bit out of place. But I wasn’t going to let that dampen my spirits — I was here for the hotcakes, so nothing is gonna stand in my way.

Thankfully, I found a small table near the main entrance.

I started scrolling through the McDonald’s App, and ordered my favorite hotcakes.

As I waited patiently for the order to arrive at my table, I noticed a middle-aged man wearing a white t-shirt and grey berms having this conversation with what seemed to be his ten-year-old kid just beside me.

Well, it seems like this young lad inherited more than just his dad’s good looks - they were both pretty chubby themselves!

“I want to buy those limited edition cards,” the boy said to his dad.

“Is it worth getting those cards? I’m not gonna sponsor you. You’ll have to save up!” His dad responded firmly while sipping on his coffee.

“But these cards are going to go up at least three times the value.” At this point, the boy was trying hard to convince his dad that these cards were certainly worth getting.

From the look on his dad’s face, I knew that he was convinced that his kid had great judgment. But he was trying to do one thing — to teach his kid two important life lessons.

The first lesson is on saving. Building a habit of saving will allow the boy to attain his goal of getting those limited edition cards.

The second lesson is on decision-making. To save up enough money to get those cards, the boy will have to spend his pocket money wisely and make better financial decisions.

Both are incredible skills to pick up at the young age of 10.

I was thinking to myself, what a wise dad he was. But this kid — he reminded me of who I was when I was at that age.

Cards & Creatures (Not Dungeons & Dragons)

When I was 11, I made my first $312.

At that age, none of the friends I knew had made a single cent.

Why not?

In Singapore, the legal age to work is 17 years and above, so none of them can get a job.

But I wasn’t like them. I was a tad bit sneaky cause I had a “part-time job”. Well technically, it wasn’t a job. It was a hobby that I had.

There was this trending trading card game in school and every other friend I knew was battling it out in single and duo duels.

I don’t want to be left out of the party, so I would spend a month skipping meals during recess just to save up to buy a single card pack filled with mythical creatures — ones that I will be using to build my deck to battle against fierce opponents.

I could’ve asked my dad for the money but I know he wouldn’t have approved that. He’s always talking about how important it is to get good grades for my examinations, so having a hobby like this would be a distraction in his eyes. Despite his disapproval, I was determined to pursue this.

As I stood there in front of the counter with three two-dollar notes and a twenty-cent coin in my hands, my palms were sweating. A row of boxes filled the display cabinets and a series of legendary foil cards from the popular Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! series can be seen displayed on the glass panel facing the external of the shop.

The stall owner brought out a box of 10 packs.

“Go ahead and pick one,” he said.

As I delicately studied the width of each pack and felt them in my palms, I finally decided on one.

“I’ll pick this one!” I left my “hard-saved” money on the counter and left the shop.

At this point, my heart was thumping ferociously. I was excited. But I simply couldn’t shake off this potential feeling of disappointment. What if this pack didn’t contain the “Uber-dragon”?

Yes, that was the legendary foil card I was hunting for in this series pack.

As I slid open the top of the pack and pulled out each card, one at a time, my excitement gradually faded.

It was down to the last card. I carefully lifted it out of the pack and took a look at it.

A rare card.

No foils.

My excitement turned into horror as I found myself squatting at the side of the pavement with my hands covering my face. It was a moment of despair. One month of hard-earned savings gone down the drain in just a flicker of a moment.

This continued for three arduous months. But on the fourth try, I finally hit the jackpot.

And it didn't end there. I become the buzz of the school. Everyone wanted this legendary card that I was holding on to and eventually, it became a bidding festival.

“$42 for the Uberdragon!” Jeff, the richest kid in school, made a bold offer.

That was $10 higher than the last bid from Daryl.

“Sold!”

So now I had $42 in my hands, beaming with excitement, knowing I didn’t need to wait 7 months. I could buy 7 packs at one go.

And BOOM! Got another legendary.

I continued flipping legendary cards throughout that year while opening new packs.

I didn’t even know what “Dungeons & Dragons” was then. But I knew what “Cards & Creatures” were.

The rest was history.

Looking back on that experience, I learned the value of hard work, patience, and making wise financial decisions. It wasn't just about trading and collecting cards, but pursuing my passions and learning important life skills along the way.

Eavesdropping

You just witnessed the power of eavesdropping.

One little moment that I’ve overheard during breakfast on a LONELY morning can be magically turned into not one, but two stories that are interconnected.

Both of these stories are filled with valuable life lessons and relatable moments.

Moments like:

• Saving up to achieve a small goal when you were younger

• Going against your parent’s wishes to pursue a passion

• Making tough financial choices to meet your goals

• Flipping cards, clothing, or shoes for profits

• Collecting limited edition items as hobbies

Notice how these moments have already sparked a potential story that you have inside your head?

But this wouldn’t have been possible if I was just using my phone instead of enjoying my breakfast and paying attention to my surroundings.

Start building this habit now!

So here’s why you should start practicing eavesdropping:

• Potentially discover and learn new lessons in life

• Spark moments that were deeply buried in the past

• Overhear someone’s juicy secrets — great for anecdotes

• Turn other’s conversations into a story to be told from your perspective

A quick reminder..

Building a story surrounding eavesdropping requires you to pay attention to the dialogue or conversation they’re having with someone else.

It doesn’t always have to be a conversation between two parties that are present in front of you.

It could be a group of people chattering over the next election. Or it could simply be someone talking over the phone — of which you’re free to make your own set of assumptions and inferences from what you’ve heard.

How do you find such moments? 👇

Did the above story spark any potential story that has been deeply buried in your past?

I’d love to hear about it!

Just reply to this email and drop me a message below!

Your Barista,Pang

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