YOLO? 5 Important Things Malaysian Millennials Should Do to Make the Best Out of Their Lives

The term YOLO or ‘You Only Live Once’ seems to attract a lot of negativity these days. If you think about it, YOLO is kind of like the 21st-century version of the famous Latin expression ‘Carpe Diem‘ which means ‘seize the day’ that has been used for more than a millennia now.

Actually, there’s nothing wrong with YOLO-ing your way through life. In fact, it’ll make you step outside your comfort zone and try something new! However, please remember that certain things in life may seem trivial today but are actually super important for your future.

Here are 5 things you can do to live your best life. After all, you only live once!

1. Take care of our health

Source: jalanrina

Did you know that Malaysians only start to exercise regularly when they reach the age of 40 to 50 years old? It seems that the majority of us only realise the importance of staying fit when we are plagued with health issues. Former Ministry of Health, Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said it best back in 2016,

“Only after the doctor informs an individual that they have health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes do they start to go for walks or jogging.”

Dubbed Asia’s fattest country, the recent statistic about health in our country is definitely worrying! I mean, just take a look below:

• Half of the people in our country are either obese or overweight according to WHO report in 2015.
• We have the highest rate of diabetes in Asia in 2018 according to the National Diabetes Institute (Nadi).
• Most recently, we have a whopping 3.6 million diabetics in the country!

Source: ProjekMM

The recent boba craze definitely does not help to lessen the statistics either. Nutritionists have dubbed bubble teas as the most unhealthy drink due to its high amount of sugar and linked it to diabetes and obesity when not taken in moderation. Yikes!

Together, however, we can make a change to better take care of our health. Let’s start to prioritise a healthy lifestyle with regular physical activities and a balanced diet.

Remember, you only live once and let’s make that life a beautiful and wholesome one!

2. Build relationships with our elderly, especially family

Source: winnetnews

While many of us see our family members on a daily basis, and some of us even live with family, the rate of families ignoring one another is unfortunately steadily rising.

In a survey conducted by the Women, Family and Community Develop­ment Ministry in 2015, over one-third of elderly Malaysians admit that they feel lonely because they are ignored by their own family members. Some of this may be attributed to work schedules or commitments to children.

And sadly, cases of Malaysian elderly being abandoned by their families altogether continue to rise and it’s time we rise up as a generation and put a stop to this!

Always make time for our families, especially our parents who have always been there for us since the day we are born. Even a simple Whatsapp message every now and then could brighten up their day weh!

Source: VictoryNews

Yes, we may have our differences but those are trivial in the grand scheme of things. As the wise words of Desmond Tutu go,

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”

3. Take care of the environment!

Source: Bernama

Did you know that only 17.5% of Malaysians practice recycling, which pales in comparison to the rates of European countries such as Austria, where over 63% of its population recycles out of habit?  And did you know that our dependence on single-use plastics had led to us being one of the biggest contributors of plastic waste at one point?

It’s worth noting that plastic waste takes hundreds of years to degrade, and poses a significant impact on the environment. Various studies have pointed out the effects of pollution, such as:

• Plastic waste may leak hazardous chemicals which often lead to the poisoning of many marine species.
• High expenses for disposal and recycling especially on an industrial scale.
• Widespread death of animals due to plastic ingestion, as many animals often mistake plastic products for food and wind up choking on them!

Source: The Star

Thankfully, there has been a rise in awareness as seen by movements fueled by our very own millennials regarding the need to save the environment. Many have now opted to bring their own reusable bags when shopping as well as using metal straws instead of plastic ones.

These efforts need to continue and together, let’s save the planet for our future generation!

4. Start saving and be financially ready

Source: Kompas

As millennials, we should definitely start to learn about the benefits of delayed gratification. Most of us do not see the bigger picture but tend to prefer short term pleasure as opposed to long term returns.

Savings and investments are seen as something unnecessary and leceh especially due to the research that’s needed to put into it. What most of us don’t know is that even a mere 1% increase in their average investible asset can mean an extra RM1 million ringgit by the time we reach retirement age!

Don’t believe us? Check out what wonders investing at a young age could do as shared by Investopedia and Stock Trader.com below:

• You have the flexibility of time to learn and study on investment options, as compared to older people, and learn from the failures/mistakes that they have made.
• You have more opportunity to improve your human capital worth by obtaining more skills/training, hence allowing you to earn more money to put into potential investments.
• Compounding returns from investments made early on may leave you with bigger rewards, as compared to short term, quick investments.

Sure, frequent overseas trips definitely look nice on your Instagram feed, but you know what makes for a better sight? A fat bank account! 😛

5. Make sure to insure yourself

Many of us see insurance as something unnecessary and think that we will be healthy forever without the need for a backup plan!

Unfortunately, illness doesn’t discriminate and can strike at any moment. Just take a look at the recent viral case of a 37-year-old Taiwanese fitness instructor that went into a coma for one week after suffering a stroke!

Thankfully the fitness instructor is on his way to recovery but there are many similar cases out there where someone suffered from illnesses that came out of a sudden, even though they’re perfectly healthy beforehand.

That’s why having an insurance plan could really help in safeguarding the best possible care for you in times of emergency. Having the right type of insurance is also important as different plans cover different circumstances which many actually don’t know about.

The two most prominent insurance plans are medical insurance and critical illness. Here’s a breakdown of both:

Medical insurance

• Pays for the cost of treatment and medication when you are hospitalized.
• The payout goes to the hospital or clinic where you seek treatment, which is the reimbursement for the cost of hospitalization, doctor’s fees, surgery and medication.
• The treatment costs are subject to a maximum coverage amount and other conditions.

Critical illness insurance

• Provides a lump-sum payout upon diagnosis of critical illnesses such as stroke, heart attack and cancer.
• The lump-sum goes to you which can be used for anything you want, not restricted to medical treatment or hospitalisation.
• The payout can also be used for indirect expenses including treatment of your choice (eg. alternative or experimental treatment or medicine locally or outside Malaysia), income replacement for the full recovery time to cover living expenses and lifestyle maintenance, transportation expenses (eg. getting to and from treatment centres, retrofitting vehicles to carry scooters or wheelchairs), and hiring help for full or part-time care.

You may ask, if you already have medical insurance, why do you need critical illness insurance when you’re still young and healthy.

Just ask 5 random friends. Chances are, they know someone who has critical illnesses such as cancer, stroke, heart attack and many more. It can happen any time, at any age, even if you’re fit. When critical illness strikes, the impact usually goes beyond hospitalization. This is where critical illness coverage comes in so that you have the financial security to focus on your recovery.

There is no age too young or too old to start. The earlier you start, the more affordable it can be.

Well, if you’re looking for a critical illness insurance plan, Prudential Assurance’s PRUMy Critical Care plan has got to be one of the best in Malaysia. Just take a look at the video below and you’ll definitely see why:

With PRUMy Critical Care plan, you’ll get:

• A comprehensive critical illness coverage that allows multiple claims of up to 400% of the rider sum assured.
• Additional Special Benefit coverage for Diabetic Related Conditions and Joint Related Conditions.
• Coverage for re-diagnosis of 3 major critical illnesses: Cancer, Heart attack, and Stroke.
• As well as early to late-stage critical illness coverage for absolute protection!

If you’re keen to know more, you can visit Prudential Assurance’s official website here. So guys, always remember to not take these 5 points for granted weh! Because you’ll definitely feel it in the future.