Sometimes the amount of calls and emails I get in increasing my capital by a factor of x is slightly overwhelming. Being a non-Thai with an extensive career (apparently) in the Land of Smiles lures in financial advisors.
And those knowing a 3rd door on how to max out my personal income. These ladies and gentlemen know the ins and outs of how to increase compound interest by guaranteeing this much; another advisor from an award-winning firm eagerly wants to share his secrets in the stock market.
We all want to live well. We all need to think about our future and those we hold dear. There is no denying that a little bit of extra cash to do the things you may not be able to do now can support those desired dreams.
It is funny to see that many of these financial professionals ‘know’ what your desired income is. They ‘know’ exactly what you may have hidden in an old sock or under the mattress. Or can give sound advice how much else you can afford to invest, and so forth. These professionals storm in with great solutions without even knowing the person behind the LinkedIn profile.
The basis of me having a grande title equals “there is money to get” was regularly the starting point of their intro.
Many of them had no idea about me. Just find executives and load them into their database. Next month another call. Or tapping me on the shoulder during a networking event for listening to what they had to say. Or what my ideas were about investment for the future.
My journey revolved around this.
Make it now and spend it later when the time presents itself. Travel opportunities aplenty, enough to retire without a lot of troubles on the horizon. It was all mapped out in my head. I thought I knew I had it all worked out to the last letter. A few financial ideas to top it up nicely, and voila, my retirement plans were as watertight as a submarine.
Yet, I regularly forgot to batten down the submarine’s hatches when going in submersion mode.
Just like making errors in chasing the pots of gold by listening to slick financial advisors, I misjudged my own journey towards retirement by miles. And those investments were not connected to impressive bank accounts or stock portfolios.
It involved investing in me, myself and I.
At the pinnacle of my desire for corporate success, the influx of issues on a health level hit me harder than I expected. I was spending more on staying on par with my goals to climb the corporate ladder than taking a step back, assessing the situation, and invest wisely.
The hospital and treatment bills tallied up so much that what I made, I spent in record time on a cure.
The return on investment was little because the root cause of what I needed to do was out of sight. In addition, because I was not in a homeostatic position to deliver quality and quantity. It also reflected towards the outside world.
I lost more than I made.
When we chase the ultimate dream of being successful, it is measured by what those have parked in front of their house, wrapped around their wrist, or what restaurants they choose. The material gain of success is what sells. True, some successfully manage a good lifestyle without a lot of issues. But for some, the investment in the material is what keeps them going.
If you ignore investing in yourself, you can make whatever you want. However, it will bite you in the end. Frail health, losing touch with family and friends, living the life of a weekend warrior 7 days a week; there is no gain in this if you are looking in following the yellow brick road towards the end of a rainbow.
The real definition of being rich is defined by how you invest in yourself. No matter how old or young you are. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep and rest, engaging in social activities, trying something that is on your bucket list for so long, studying and reading. These are the investments one constantly must consider.
Health is wealth.
An investment in health is the best investment you can make.
The trajectory of wanting “more” only leads to wanting more when one’s definition of “more” is somehow reached. There are ample ways to make more money, however, there are few options to grab onto or invest in when our health is not up to it. And when we have to play catch-up with our health, our obtained wealth is the first we must dig into.
Be it with more expensive health insurance premiums or any other solution to get us into homeostasis.
Fortunately, the founding principles of investing in your health are not as costly as some of the minimum deposits one has to make when signing an agreement with a financial advisor. The return on investment will be shown in record time, even when a financial crisis or a dip in the stock market sets you back a few bucks.
I don’t deny that I must plan ahead for my retirement – whenever that may be. One must when living in a country where there are no retirement plans automatically kick in as soon as one reaches the retirement age. But by investing heavily in myself, the chances that I will lose out and become less productive are balancing out in my favour.
But I’d rather live off less with the knowledge that I am investing in my own wellbeing above driving a fancy car. Becoming the best representation is all about constant improvements, and that can only be achieved through two main things.
Take care of your inner works.
Indulge yourself in new experiences.
Before going all out and setting your north star for that shiny tangible object with your name on it, check-in with yourself and ask yourself the question of whether you truly invest in yourself first.
It really does not cost a lot by adjusting your investment portfolio with me. We refinance some of your assets in weight loss, improved sleep quality or stress management.
I charge way less per month than what some financial advisors take off your investment.
And you are in control when investing in yourself.
Health is a priceless wealth. Invest while you can. | Bryant McGill
