10 Things to Invest on This Year

Time flies so fast. Cliche or not, that is the reality. Like a Blu-ray player (DVD and VCD players are things of the past and with them are the VHS, Betamax and LP discs) We are all living in a world where there are no 'pauses'. No 'rewind' nor 'fast forwards'. What we have in our hands is just 'play'.

I'm no motivational speaker but I can express my thoughts through writing here in my blog. Although not very clear, at least you get the idea.

Where do you invest your resources (Time, Money, efforts) this year?



1 - Invest in your Mind
Before I start, let me explain a bit on why you need to invest in your mind.

Money is a reflection of your creativity and according to a compiled knowledge from the seminars I have attended for the past few years, idea is where the money is at.
Your mind is your greatest asset.

Reading - are you reading literatures that challenge you? Guide you to the direction you want to go? does it inspire you?
Listening - This is a part of the investment process. Why? According to Bernard Baruch, Most of the successful people he knew are the ones who do more listening than talking.
Watching - Utilize the power of observation. It's very strange that humans have a way of unconsciously ignoring some of the information available to our senses. Here are some of the advantages if you will just be a little bit more observant than you usually are.

• Improved decision making skills
• Recognizing and emulating 'success behavior'
  
• Finding new ways to solve persistent problems
• Seeing opportunities and problems before they happen

So, are you observant? try and take this test.

Acting - Execute, execute and execute! After you have done the top 3, the execution part is where those will be applied.
Experimenting - Don't be afraid to commit mistakes. That is the only way you will truly learn.


2 - Invest in your Body
My friend tweeted earlier that he had a tummy ache because of eating something from a food stall along the streets. Yes, they are cheap and double yes, they have a reason why those are cheap.

Remember that not all cheap and not all expensive foods are healthy. If you want to be safe, try eating organic foods. They have twice the amount of vitamins and minerals. Look at it this way. You are paying less but getting more chemicals and by eating the more expensive food, you are paying more but getting less pesticides.

Second way to invest in your body is by exercising. Get into the habit! If you are telling me now that it's easier said than done, why not try understanding what habit means?

Habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. It's very doable, see?

[Check out my friends website, Pinoy Organics]


3 - Invest in Real Estate
Are you one of the many people looking for ways to diversify your investment? Real estate is an asset form with limited liquidity relative to other investments, it is also capital intensive (although capital may be gained through mortgage leverage) and is highly cash flow dependent.

In addition to that, personally, OFWs that are working hard abroad ARE HIGHLY encouraged to invest in real estate NOT because of the ROI but for the future benefit of the entire family. For example, a friend I met working for a cruise line bought a property here in the Philippines. Now, their family is saving money by living in a house they own (renting = paying for a property you will NEVER own).

Check out Profriends for starters. They have a good track record and is a good investment.


4 - Invest in Jewelries
Another investment worth investing on is Jewelries. As long as there are ladies around, they would never lose value! Kidding aside, precious stones have a reason why they are expensive.

It doesn't actually follow that some jewelries like diamonds never lose value. It does and like any commodity, it depends on the supply and demand. Diamonds last like almost forever! This is why people say that these are good investments. Compared to other luxurious items that may last a decade or so like bags, shoes etc, Diamonds are far more valuable and eternal compared to those.

Here are some tips to maximize your investment, Diamonds in particular:
- Buy something you can wear most of the time and not something left in the bank safe or at home waiting for the thieves.
- Diamonds must be of the 'D' quality with the 'VVS' rating. - NOT TRUE! What you should buy is the medium quality diamonds with no visible imperfections or obvious discolorations. They are more salable.
- Rarer diamonds may tend to be harder to liquidate as they are more valuable -- unless you want to sell it below par value.


5 - Invest in Quality
I've personally experienced this. If you save money when buying things, make sure you really are saving and not scrimping on something that has less quality. For example, I have this printer we use for our small business. at first, we thought that using the 3rd party refills could save us tons of money. At first, It did, or so we thought until several refills when the print quality declined. Not only that, the print head nozzles was clogged due to the lack of ink quality control. Damaged printer + damaged quality = damaged brand name.

That is just one of the best examples of quality over quantity. Invest in quality.

[HP original inks print more than 2x more compared to refills]


6 - Invest in Family
In a modern materialistic-obsessed world we have now, family is often overlooked. At the end, it doesn't matter what car you drive, how big your home is or how big your income is -- your priority in life must be your family.

Some ways to invest in quality family time:

- Attend church together
- Travel together
- Be open and talk
- Do things together


7 - Invest in Friends
There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship.

Here are some great quotes about friends. It will make you realize how important friends are.

"My friends are my estate."- Emily Dickinson
"Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you."- Elbert Hubard
"Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life."- Dior Yamasaki
"Material things can't make the soul whole. The only the love, trust, and loyalty of friends can do that."Sent by Andy Spak

As my motto for this year, "Help Enough Other To Get What They Want and You'll Get What You Want"

I don't know how that works but, I'm pretty sure that even if I don't get a reward for it now, it's OK. what matters is, I did.

[First Philippine location based Social Networking Site]


8 - Invest in time (Productive time)
Make sure that everything you do is time well spent. Everything you do now will determine what you will be in the future.

An example would be playing games. You don't need anyone to tell you that kids and games match perfectly. But in this age, even adults play games that are time consuming (cafe world, plants vs zombies, farmville etc). [How to cure your Plants VS Zombies addiction]

Are those time well spent? well, some games have a very little positive effect on us but most are just activities to pass the time. I'm sure you have a dream. A goal in your life that you wish and want to achieve. Let me ask you 1 question.. Is playing that game a prerequisite step to further draw your dream nearer to you?


9 - Invest in Yourself
Stressing out yourself too much will not do you any good. Yes, you might be perceived as a workaholic but actually, being one means that you are just an unbalanced person in some aspect in your life. You can't have it all, they say -- this is true.

Reflect and have an alone time for at least a few minutes in the morning before starting your day and a few minutes before going to sleep. On weekends, invest on your other must-invests like your spiritual life, family, friends etc.

Pamper yourself from time to time. Have some "ah, this is life" moments so you can truly say that you have lived and not just be someone elses' robot.

["Ah, this is life moment" - El Nido Palawan]


10 - Invest in your Spiritual Life
Last but the most important of all, Give God a part of your time. As I've mentioned in investing in yourself, have an alone time and at the same time, you can pray to God. This is known to be healthy for your spiritual lives as every time you connect with God, you get closer to him.

Essentials in investing in your spiritual life:
- Pray
- Read and UNDERSTAND God's word
- Reflect
- Attend Sunday worship services regularly

[My Sunday Worship, in Blog format]

Have a blessed and prosperous year ahead!