There are people who make mistakes and point their fingers to others:
Got failing grades, it’s the teachers’ fault.
Bought a non-performing investment? All of a sudden, that instrument vehicle is the riskiest of them all.
Ventured into a business opportunity and failed. The business now becomes a scam.
Welcome to the Blame Game. Just imagine the convenience one experiences when he/she gets to do what he/she wants to do and never take the blame for any failures. For that person, it must always be another’s fault. For that person, he/she must always be the winner. But is that the case?
I won’t mention those crazy mistakes we do back in college. What I will mention though is what my peers are exposed to nowadays: INVESTMENTS.
Yes, your hope of getting your hard-earned money work its magic and produce extraordinary returns at such a short span of time. Forget the power of compounding, all you want is big-time gains as crazy as your wildest dreams.
But let me tell you something: it’s not always rainbows and butterflies in the world of investing. You gain some and you will lose some. More importantly, don’t expect fantastic returns when you don’t even have the effort in investing your time and energy in knowing your investment.
“The investor’s chief problem – and even his worst enemy – is likely to be himself.”
— Benjamin Graham
An investment is very risky when the investor does not know what he’s investing into. As I always tell my fellow investors, the risk lies in the investor, not the investment. Investors who fall for the get-rich-quick scheme only end up burning their money. Sad truth. Was the risk on the other side, or your side?
You think real estate investments are risky? Tell that to Andrew Tan of Megaworld.
You think stock markets are risky? Tell that to Warren Buffet, the greatest American investor of all time.
You think businesses always fail? Well most of the time, but tell that to all the businessmen that lives in Ayala Alabang Village. They will just give you a warm smile and an encouraging word or two.
You see, if no investment is good for you but seemed to work on others, then perhaps it’s time to take a good look at yourself as an investor. Being an investor is not just about having the money to invest, in fact, you don’t need money to gain money.
You must have the heart and mind of an investor.
These dictate your attitude towards success and failure. These involve a fiery passion and desire for knowledge in learning more about the investments. These will separate you from others who tell the whole world how bad a particular investment is — without even giving time to assess what went wrong. Most of the time, it’s not “what” went wrong, but “who” went wrong.
I am into numerous business and investment ventures. Real estate, stock market, mutual funds, network marketing, property management, etc. Believe me when I say that it’s not the investments that kept me doing this, but the habit of investing. When you put your heart and mind in your investments, the habits will automatically surface and these will make you become a better-equipped person. Success and failures? Yes they are inevitable. Accepting this fact only makes you strive harder in reaching your financial goals.
Do I hope to become a successful investor? Ofcourse I do, who doesn’t? But the thing is, hope is not a strategy. Speculate if you like, but success is built on failures, planning, studies, and hardwork. Henry Sy took half a century to build the SM empire. Warren buffet more than 60 years to get Berkshire where it is now.
Use your failures as springboards to success. Use your mistakes as important lessons in life. Use your milestones as key progress reports. Use your journey as a motivation. Use your success as an inspiration to others who are taking a similar road.
When things fail, blaming others and burning bridges will not help. It only makes things worse. It inflicts irreversible damage. When you point the blame to others, take a good look at the three fingers pointing back to you.
“As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people.”
— Joseph B. Wirthlin
True enough. Character is built on adversities, not on convenience. It is at these trying times that you have to be in control of your emotions as an investor. Do that, and you’ll continue growing and maturing. As Warren Buffet says, temperament is better than intelligence. It is your temperament that will make you step back and see a bigger picture. Surely, there will be better opportunities on low times. It’s up to you as the investor to recognise it.
Think before you invest. More importantly, think before you blame.
Poyspeaks 