INVESTMENTS — ALL ABOUT MONEY?
As soon as we read the word, ‘investment’, the first thing that strikes our mind is money, isn’t it? One of the many reasons behind this is that most of us are chasing money and more and more money in the modern era. I have seen people switching to higher-paying jobs in mere 3 months, focusing on framework rather than fundamentals, getting attracted by others and the list goes on!
But are investments only about money?
I have a very different idea. I will define it as the process of deploying an asset which provides value over some time. The asset could be time, energy, effort, anything. Without a doubt, money is also an investment if we use it wisely.
The biggest investment one can make is to dedicate time, effort, and resources on themselves. It could be leveling up in soft skills such as writing, speaking, presenting and communicating. It could be on your body by exercising to remain fit. It could be any tech skill. If we invest in ourselves, we will have one of the best returns ever.
But, as the definition states, over some time, we have to consistently deploy effort, resources, and time without fail. If we can do it, we can see the results sooner than we have expected. The same goes with money; we have to wait for a substantial amount of time before it grows.
Time is the keyword here. We all have read this quote by Buddha somewhere, “The biggest mistake of a person is to think he/she has time.” We can’t bring back the lost time, but it is only in our hands, to decide how we are using it. Most of us know this but do not implement it.
I have seen children less than 15 years of age having invested money. I was really shocked when I heard it for the first time. It is very good and encouraging to start investing(money) early, but at such a small age where you are getting this money for your personal needs, saving and investing(money) is not such a good idea. If you really want to invest, invest them in books, invest in a course, invest in fun. These things are as much as important as saving money. If we are not doing it, we are keeping ourselves away from our childhood.
How to invest in ourselves?
As I have mentioned above, an investment could be anything that provides value over time after deploying an asset. I have started with some steps and it could also help others to begin with
- Try to be consistent with whatever you started. Dedicate some time to it.
- Try to learn something new every day for that particular skill. It will help avoid boredom.
- Track your progress. Maintain a document or excel sheet. You will not be overwhelmed
- Revise once in a while what you have learned.
And, last but not the least, have patience. Patience is one of the skills which is missing in our generation because everything is readily available to us. Just a click and we have what we want in a few hours or days. This is simple but one of the most difficult skills to expertise.
When to invest?
It is subjective. There is no correct time to invest. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. Living by this quote, start today and believe in yourself.
Everything will fall into place. We have to trust the process. There is no other option and trust me if you are giving your time and effort with dedication and consistency, this investment return will be far far more than anyone can expect.
The higher the risk, the higher the returns.
One should know his/her risk appetite. It comes from exploring (not for money). We have to research, get a timeline, and start working on it. We may fail and it is okay. Take lessons, start again. Taking a positive approach, you know one of the ways from which you can’t succeed. Now, there would be a question most of us want to ask-
What if we never succeed?
It is perfectly okay. As far as I have learned from life experiences, there is no difference between being successful and not giving up till the end. So, you will always be a winner.
As Albus Dumbledore said to Harry, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. ‘
Have a Good Week!