Doing House Chores Like a Thai

While washing dishes after lunch this afternoon, I had an epiphany: I should be doing house chores like a Thai.

Here’s what I mean. In my experience, Thai people carry a “sabai sabai” mindset—a kind of easy-going, go-with-the-flow approach to life. It can sometimes breed a lack of professional accountability, but it also gives them a rare serenity and autonomy when facing whatever life throws their way.

During my stay in Bangkok, I often hired local housewives to clean my apartment. As soon as they arrived, they would slip on their gloves, wet the towels, and begin mopping. They worked steadily, almost nonstop, until the job was done. Yet it didn’t feel as if the work drove them. Instead, they seemed to own it—as if chores were simply an integrated part of life rather than an external demand. Perhaps they were quietly thinking about their own matters as they worked. Or perhaps, being paid by the hour, they were pacing themselves deliberately.

Regardless, their attitude left an impression. They moved at their own rhythm. The work belonged to them, not the other way around.

As a Pattern Strategist, I think there’s something to learn there. Markets, like life, throw surprises constantly. Maybe I should approach them with the same calm adaptability: owning the process, not being driven by it. On a practical level, I might even take my time with daily chores as a way to detach from the market’s ups and downs.

After all, the last time I had a major epiphany while doing dishes—three years ago—it led me to cash out when my portfolio was heavy with profits. That decision remains one of the wisest of my entire investment journey.

Doing House Chores Like a Thai

While washing dishes after lunch this afternoon, I had an epiphany: I should be doing house chores like a Thai.

Here’s what I mean. In my experience, Thai people carry a “sabai sabai” mindset—a kind of easy-going, go-with-the-flow approach to life. It can sometimes breed a lack of professional accountability, but it also gives them a rare serenity and autonomy when facing whatever life throws their way.

During my stay in Bangkok, I often hired local housewives to clean my apartment. As soon as they arrived, they would slip on their gloves, wet the towels, and begin mopping. They worked steadily, almost nonstop, until the job was done. Yet it didn’t feel as if the work drove them. Instead, they seemed to own it—as if chores were simply an integrated part of life rather than an external demand. Perhaps they were quietly thinking about their own matters as they worked. Or perhaps, being paid by the hour, they were pacing themselves deliberately.

Regardless, their attitude left an impression. They moved at their own rhythm. The work belonged to them, not the other way around.

As a Pattern Strategist, I think there’s something to learn there. Markets, like life, throw surprises constantly. Maybe I should approach them with the same calm adaptability: owning the process, not being driven by it. On a practical level, I might even take my time with daily chores as a way to detach from the market’s ups and downs.

After all, the last time I had a major epiphany while doing dishes—three years ago—it led me to cash out when my portfolio was heavy with profits. That decision remains one of the wisest of my entire investment journey.