Some people who would tell you, “I’m not interested to learn about investing.” In saying so, what they fail to realize is that they’re really choosing to work for money instead. This is not surprising considering the fact that their minds have been conditioned that way from childhood. Their parents had always told them, “Go to school, get good grades, and find a government job which will guarantee you a job security with benefits.” But following this kind of a career path can be very self-limiting because you must work as an employee within a fixed-system you may have no control over. And as for building your own wealth, your hard-earned monthly income can hardly take you so far, even if you regularly save a portion and put it in a savings account that pays you 5% interest. Remember, the meager sum of interest you are paid is also eaten by inflation. That’s why working hard as an employee and saving money is not the best route to getting rich.
Is there, then, a better alternative to making a living? Absolutely! Instead of working as an employee for someone else, it is far better to be self-employed. More and more specialists or professionals such as doctors, attorneys, accountants, and other technical consultants are choosing to be self-employed because they can enjoy far greater freedom and make much more money than depending on paychecks from their bosses. Or, even if you are not one of those trained professionals, you can still learn to build your own businesses and do investing, whatever it is, so that your money can work for you. This is the easiest career path to personal freedom and wealth-creation.
And yet, most people still have very wrong ideas about investing. For example, some people assume that investing is a mysterious game, as if there must be some magical technique to making money. Or they think that it must be complicated, risky, or dangerous. None of these is true. As such, investing doesn’t have to be complex or complicated. And it doesn’t necessarily involve a lot of risk or luck. This doesn’t, however, mean that investing is without any risk, for there’s always a certain degree of risk with it just like in any other endeavor under heaven.
For most successful investors, investing is simply a plan, made up of proven strategies or formulas, a system of getting rich---almost guaranteed to produce results, which is income. And once the system is mastered, it can be as simple, predictable, and boring as following a recipe to bake a cake. In other words, the secret of investing is this: Find a formula that will make you rich and follow it consistently. To be a successful investor, you don’t have to have a special talent or a college degree. You don’t even need any money of your own to start with. All you have to do is know what you want, have a plan that works, and stick with it until you reach your financial goals.
Now, how do you come up with your own financial goals and plan? First, you should set some realistic goals. For instance, one of your goals could be to become a multi-crorpati before you turn 60. Or, it could be to achieve financial independence, which means freedom from the day-to-day drudgery of having to work for money to survive. Next, you should develop a plan that can help you accomplish these goals of yours. Here, it may be recommended that you find a financial adviser or a successful investor who can guide or mentor you at least in the initial stages of your investment journey. As your plan evolves, you will slowly begin to discover what works best for you. Keep your plan simple, but continue to improve and modify it as the situation demands along the way.
One very good thing about investing is that you can be a very successful investor without having to give up your primary choice of profession, whether that be a job as a teacher, a social worker, an office clerk, a medical doctor, a shop keeper, a taxi operator, or a pastor. In other words, you can be an investor, regardless of what else you do or what other type of profession you want to pursue. This is because most investing is a business behind a business that makes money.
According to Robert Kiyosaki, the author of an international best-seller book
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, the business of investing has many parallels to the business of professional sports. Like the sports commentators, you have the TV commentators constantly describing you the current market conditions and telling you why the stock prices are going up or down. There are also adoring fans (investors) purchasing market shares instead of tickets. And of course, we have the viewers at home watching all the actions but not necessarily participating. As a matter of fact, what most people don’t see in both arenas of the sports world and the investment world is what is going on behind the scenes, which is the real business behind the business that makes money, regardless of who wins the game or whether the market goes up or down.
So, don’t take investing lightly. Make it the most important focus for your long-term earnings. Remember, you want to have your money working for you so you don’t have to work if you don’t want to work or if you cannot work any longer.
