What is the REAL Value of Investing?
Written by: Mark Reid
Investing. It’s a concept that everyone agrees is smart, prudent, and necessary. From nature’s wildlife to those who wish to “live the wildlife” investing and saving is as crucial as eating. In nature, wildlife such as squirrels gather nuts en masse to assure they have enough for the cold winter ahead.
But what about us? You know … modern man. How do we invest? The go-to thought is predictably about money, how to get it, how to make it grow, and how to keep more than we spend. For most, this is often a migraine-inducing chore that no matter the result leaves us wanting more, whether we need more or not.
But that’s money. Though it is believed to be the paramount goal that will bring and sustain happiness forevermore … it is not. As I write these words you may think “Oh, this guy must be rolling in it to make such a bold statement.” Well, guess what? I’m not. What I am however is a man who after much of life’s ups, downs, and go-rounds, is able to discern real value from faux-value. So, what is the REAL value? It’s right under our noses. It’s us. It’s life. Life is something not all have or enjoy. Just because one is breathing does not mean he’s alive. Value and wealth, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
Recently I shared some thoughts I had on one of the many sleepless nights that had me contemplating everything from the existence of the illuminati to should I make myself a peanut butter sandwich. As my mind wandered, I started to think about the value of one’s life. It was then that I thought if one man has only one dollar to his name and another man has one million dollars, who is better off? The answer that came to me was first idiotic but then profound: Neither is better off than the other. The reason is because on any given day no one knows when "their number" is up. So, on any given day we stand equal to the richest man in the world.
I realize as I review the argument of “legacy” can be made. What will we leave our loved ones? That is the million-dollar question. Do we leave wonderful memories and solid examples of kindness, humanity, and love or do we leave memories of “what could have/should have been”? My humble advice? Invest in your family and friends and thereby invest in yourself.
