Life as I see it..

 

SHARED THOUGHTS…… 22.11.12.

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LIFE AS I SEE IT........

When I was young, I hoped that one day I would have a pretty girlfriend to the envy of others. In my late teens, I got such a girlfriend, but there was no passion, so I decided I needed a passionate girl with a zest for life. In college, I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional.. Everything was an emergency; she was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. So I decided I needed a girl with stability.. In my late 20’s, I found a very stable girl but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided that I needed a girl with some excitement. When I turned 30, I found an exciting girl, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. So I decided to find a girl with some real ambition. In my late 30’s, I found a smart ambitious girl with her feet planted firmly on the ground, so I married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned. I am older and wiser now, and I am still looking for the pretty girl to the envy of others.   (modified for Shared Thoughts, from an anecdote received…. Author unknown) -------------------------------------------------------- This is Life… never satisfied, never contented, never at peace.. with work, career, love et al. Today, as I tick off yet another year from my allotted life span, I must admit, I am fortunate in more ways than one.. I have a life partner with whom we share love, travels, life’s travails, it’s ups and downs, the highs and lows, with equanimity.

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If you want to walk quick, walk alone !
If you want to walk far, walk together !

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Regrets, if any? As I look back, I must admit, yes, there are some regrets.. there are a few  – “ if only, I had not….”, “I should have…” , etc, which is perhaps obviously present in everyone’s retrospective tally of life.

 

I try not to carry burdens that is of no use to me or anyone else – of grudge, hate or regrets. Never tried to be what I cannot.  Achievements and accolades do not blind me to try and exceed my own limitations. Always strived to share experiences hoping someone would benefit in some ways. I do have some expectations from near and dear. ones, but will not lose sleep, if I am let down.

 

Life is beautiful and every new day is a present from God. I Thank Him for this gift, and several others, as was dear Lalit who will forever live within us.

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One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge
feather across my back terrace. Several times it was confronted by
obstacles in its path and after a momentary pause it would make the
necessary detour. At one point the ant had to negotiate a crack in the
concrete about 10mm wide. After brief contemplation the ant laid the
feather over the crack, walked across it and picked up the feather on
the other side then continued on its way.

I was fascinated by the ingenuity of this ant, one of God’s smallest
creatures. It served to reinforce the miracle of creation. Here was a
minute insect, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to reason,
explore, discover and overcome. But this ant, like the two-legged
co-residents of this planet, also shares human failings. After some
time the ant finally reached its destination – a flower bed at the end
of the terrace and a small hole that was the entrance to its
underground home. And it was here that the ant finally met its match.
How could that large feather possibly fit down that small hole? Of
course it couldn’t. So the ant, after all this trouble and exercising
great ingenuity, overcoming problems all along the way, just abandoned
the feather and went home.

The ant had not thought the problem through before it began its epic
journey and in the end the feather was nothing more than a burden.

Isn’t life like that! We worry about our family, we worry about money
or the lack of it, we worry about work, about where we live, about all
sorts of things.

 

These are all burdens – the things we pick up along
life’s path and lug them around the obstacles and over the crevasses
that life will bring, only to find that at the destination they are
useless and we can’t take them with us.

(Thank you Jimmy)

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At 211 degrees...water is hot. At 212 degrees...it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. And, it's that one extra degree that... Makes all the difference.

So many times, in business and in life, it's that one extra degree of effort that separates the good from the great.

Mac Anderson.

 

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To those who are starters  and have a long way to go, perhaps these words of wisdom from a great achiever will be useful to prevent any regrets later on.

Savour these practical and no-nonsense bits of advice.

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What Warren Buffet says about basic investing, spending, savings are so true. Most of us know it, however too many of us do not live it.

If it does make a change in your life, thank HIM (I mean God) because this is common sense. WB said it once, I am just reproducing it.

1. On Earning:

Do not depend on a single income. Invest and create a second/ third source of income:

This means when you are young your first task should be saving and investing. By creating a second source of income you are quickly reducing your dependence on your job. This could help you to set out on your own one day. The quicker you can do it, the better.

2. On Spending:

If you buy things that you do not need, you may soon have to sell things you need: 
It kind of summarizes Gen X’s reaction towards ‘luxuries’. As a part of Gen X we were perhaps criticised for some of our expenses, so it could be a generational thing even for WB. However, having goals and knowing where you are going, and not spending just to ‘show off’ are important lessons for all generations.

 

3. On Savings:

Do not spend what is left after spending, instead spend after you save/invest:

Also called ‘Pay Yourself First’. If you realise that investing in a pension plan or for your kid’s education is just helping you to save more later on. It is not a sacrifice, it is just postponing consumption. So understand, invest and then spend.

4. On taking Risk:

Never test the depth of the river with both your feet: 

If you are doing something, do small. If you are a first gen investor, do not be carried away by equity lovers like me and put all your money in equity. Do a SIP with a small amount, and test the waters. Do a SIP of Rs. X (which could be 10% of your take home pay) for 5 years and then step up. And for heavens sake understand risk of inflation, and the concept of real returns

5. On Investing: 

Do not put all eggs in one basket:

Immaterial of who you are and how much you understand, create a portfolio. A full range lunch plate is always better than just one item. So create a portfolio with bonds, bond funds, PPF, NSC, equity, mutual funds, and on the risk side medical and term insurance.

 

6. On Expectation:

Honesty is expensive, do not expect it from cheap people:

Not everybody is honest, nor does everybody want to be honest. Honest advisers are difficult to find especially in Health and Wealth, be careful.

(The author P V Subramanyam is a Chartered Accountant by qualification and a financial trainer by profession. Writing being a passion he also regularly pens his thought in his blog Subramoney.com)

 

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Enjoy a good weekend.

 

MOHANDAS. KP.

http://mohandas-sharedthoughts.blogspot.com/