Investing Lesson #1: Choices
When it comes to money and investing,
people have three basic reasons or choices. They are:
- Stability
- Comfort
- Rich
All three are important. The difference in people’s lives is largely a matter of which choice comes first
Most people invest their money in that order.
In other words, when they make decisions about money, stability is the most important, then comfort, then wealth. Therefore, most people put stability first. Once they have a stable and secure career, they focus on comfort. The final choice for most people is wealth.
Everyone dreams of being rich, but it is not their first choice. It is precisely because of this order of preference that only 2 out of 100 people in society are rich. If becoming rich were to disrupt their comfort or create a sense of insecurity, most people would stop thinking about getting rich. That also explains why so many people are looking for investment tips. People who prioritize security, stability, and comfort tend to look for quick, easy, risk-free, and convenient ways to get rich. Very few people become rich through a lucky investment, but they usually lose all their profits.
RICH OR HAPPY
I often hear people say, “I’d rather be happy than rich.”
Personally, I never understood that statement because I have experienced rich and poor times in my life. In both situations, I have had happy and unhappy times. I don’t understand why people think that they have to choose between happiness and wealth.
When I think about this lesson, I realize that what those people really mean is: “I would rather feel stable, safe and comfortable than be rich.” That’s because once those people don’t feel stable and comfortable, they won’t be happy.
As for me, I would rather accept instability and struggle to become rich. That’s why in 2013 when I graduated from university, I didn’t choose to find a stable job like my parents expected. I joined a sales job at a close friend’s company to learn sales, traveled to all the provinces, here today, there tomorrow, in the rain and sun, going to each shop to sell products. For the purpose of learning and developing myself. At the same time, I saved money to register for any enrichment course that I knew. And that decision changed my life.
I have been poor, I have been rich, I have been happy, I have been unhappy. But I can assure you that when I was poor and unhappy, my unhappiness was worse than when I was rich and unhappy.
I also cannot understand the saying: “Money does not make you happy.” While that may be true in some ways, I have always felt more comfortable when I have money in my pocket. Having money coming in always feels better than having debt to pay off.
And, I have ranked my choices like this:
- Rich
- Comfort
- Stability
In terms of money and investing, all three of these choices are important, and the order in which they are ranked is a very personal decision that you need to make before you start investing in an opportunity.
(Reference to Robert Kiyosaki)
