Highly Qualified and Financially Illiterate

After working for just 5 months I have realized the value of time, money and energy. Energy is needed to think and grow mentally on a daily basis and to canalize our thought process in a productive and effective manner. The question to be asked here is what is the purpose of education? Is it getting a good job and manage one’s expenses or something beyond it? The basic truth is that we go out of our homes every morning and spend the day working for some one else, in order to be compensated, if I may say so, at the end of the month. The purpose thus becomes, perform well to earn well. But what after that? What do we do with the income earned?

Mostly people are clueless or worse, ignorant about their financial position. Irrespective of the income bracket one lies in, there are numerous methods to make money work for you. Money is an important aspect in everyone’s life, it buys you goods and services, luxury and entertainment, and last but not the least, security for your future. An expenditure group is vital for an individual, what matters is how much importance is laid on a particular aspect. Do I prefer investing or spending? Similar preferences need to be recognized.

Categorization of a performance set could be done by simply jotting down expenditure items on one side and the amount spent on it on a monthly basis on the other side. For example education, food, rent, clothes, entertainment, investment, house-hold expenditure etc...After the allotment process is over, a detailed analysis is required for investing your money in the right channel. For this you need to realize whether you are a high risk taking person or would like to play it safe.

Thus, the initial step is to:
Categorize- your preference set
Choose- between High risk or Low risk investments

Ps: Money lying idle in the bank is a source for the banks to earn from it and not you

Loss of Innocence

As a child, I used to wonder why elders around us always said that childhood is the best part of our lives. Childhood, a phase, we hardly remember. I am, but of course referring to below 5-6 years of a child’s life. When school was not a torture but a fun place to go, homework was not on back of our minds, when playing until dusk would bring the happiest and brightest smiles on our faces. In short, simple things gave us happiness, which today is hard to find.

As we grow up, we go through so many challenges, right from giving our final exams to finishing a race with hopes that the lad behind me isn’t catching up! This phase-the cocoon, a child is constantly guarded, guided and provided an environment conducive enough to concentrate on his/her studies. Our parents have strived hard to make sure that we live in this cocoon till the time we start making our own decisions.

And now here comes the bigger challenge, a challenge for which no one can prepare us for, coming in terms with the repercussions of decisions made and facing the world with it as our only support. Some may refer to it as their big plan, often with an added reference to their Plan B. The journey makes us meet different people, travel, work hard and learn. Learn from our mistakes, misbelieves and pain. Pain, because it pains every time we trust the wrong people, do not achieve our targets or are lagging far behind them. Surviving and being ahead of others as well as our plans is all that is thought of. The innocence we brought with our selves as a child is somehow lost somewhere down the line.

The Invisible Hand

Just when you think that everything is fianlly fine or in better words bearable, BOOM! There comes another rollercoaster towards you. Sometimes you see it coming, sometimes you dont. It could be somthing from you past, present and sometimes your intution warns you for the upcoming ride.

We never realise what will affect us when. Sitting comfortably in our office/homes/classes, straining our eyes by either watching TV or comp. or reading, we are unconcious of the fact that our brain is receiving and storing so much of information through words, images and sounds. What does the brain plan to do with it? One might say that it depends on the state of mind- use the information towards something "constructive" or could let it just lay around. That is a choice everyone of us makes every second, conciously or unconciously.

How does all this affect your subconcious mind? We react to situations in a different manner, and depending on that we let our emotions and health to be receptive to the world around us. I guess the word I am looking for is the attitude towards life.

But then there are many things which are beyond our control. And one can not depend on coincidence for a solution. Then what justifies them?

From Gurgaon, with love

Every morning, while I travel from my humble abode to the high-tech office in Gurgaon, I come across so many thoughts by just looking out of the window. It’s a journey full of despair and anger, will to survive and hope, that one day, people will wake up and realise the consequences of their actions, this time with eyes wide open.

Everybody is so engrossed in their own thought processes and work; walking fast towards the bus/cab stop, breaking all the traffic rules while driving ( you know what cab drivers do to make sure you reach your office on time!). Honking continuously when a cow or any other animal, by mistake, comes in front of the car, swaying so close to the animal that you just can’t miss the anguish and pain in their eyes. Staying in Gurgaon, you will realise that there are other animals apart from cows to be seen on a daily basis, especially pigs.

Our journey from being a nomad to civilized people has led to the sacrifice of other species’ quality of life. Because of our superiority of thought process and capability to put those into actions has led us to believe that nature and its gifts – better known as “resources”, are made for us to utilize them, time and again, till they get exhausted. And yes, many of us are still on a denial mode that nature will put its hands up in the air and wave the white flag.

While I write this, I am constantly reminded of MJ’s Earth song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FZcAzZOyOg