(If you want a quick guide for beginners how to start investing in the Philippine stock market, you can download your free ebook here.)
Most people associate investing as a sacrifice, and thus relates it to inconvenience.
The most common expression you hear is actually delayed gratification.
However, once you actually got the proper mindset when it comes to personal finance management, you’ll soon realize that investing can be a source of priceless thrilling experience, at least during the first few months of your investing journey.
It can literally become an addiction!
But its beauty lies in that fact that it’s an addiction that is beneficial to your future, unlike others that can ruin your life.
When I was just starting fixing my financial life, that was around year 2010 after I finished reading the book – 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich, I loaded myself with new lessons, both financial and self-help, and more importantly did concrete actions.
When I first learned the value of maximizing your savings, I remember asking my family to replace a portion of our roof in our house to a transparent plastic one to allow natural light inside, and thus save some bucks in our electricity bill. (Yep, I’m the one in-charge of paying it!)
It often makes me smile seeing it every day as it reminds me of my first baby actions in my financial journey.
It was a good start! Small change but good enough!
The changes I did & results attained however were not all glamorous.
When I learned how important having multiple income streams is, I told someone to put up a tiny sari-sari store in our home.
After some time, it failed.
I revived it once again, and assigned it to the same people (as I couldn’t personally look after it with my job), only to fold up after few weeks.
It was after several attempts of doing this I decided to give it up as it was clearly not working.
I also thought of putting up lugawan at busy streets! So I asked someone to fabricate a kariton!
The ideas were all crazy!
There are many other things I did and some even cost me a lot – attending seminars, meeting new people/mentors, organizing events, buying/reading books, and a whole lot more.
I knew I had to invest in myself that time.
The journey is both rewarding and fulfilling, until I finally made my first million in my investment. Hooray!
At that point, I realized the journey is actually more fulfilling than any amount I could save up. It’s no longer the money but the process. It’s a joy seeing yourself improving in time.. and more importantly, achieving financial goals which I once thought were next to impossible for me.
Make your own finance diary
So if you’re new to personal finance, congrats! Better days are coming to you.
I’m sure you’ll also have your own share of experiences apart from the one I mentioned above.
And I’m also sure you have your own share of challenges, disappointments and frustrations.
But remember that it’s normal – as everyone fails at some point in achieving a worthy pursuit.
Now back to investing…
If you can relate with any one of the below, let me welcome you to the club ng mga adik sa investing! LOL!
- You open your account multiple times a day… just to see it and not do anything!
- During office hours, you also check if there’s a chance. If you’re an IT person, congrats! ALT+TAB is your friend!
- Napupuyat kahihintay mag open ang market. Excited mag 9 am na!
- You started wishing there’d be no more weekends and holidays so that stock market will be open (and not because you don’t have a life!).
- You’re more cautious now with your expenses so you can set aside a little savings and put it in stocks, which may leave you always empty pocketed (after settling all other obligation such as bills, insurance, etc).
- You now do more thinking before buying, oftentimes ending up saying to yourself “yung luma e gumagana pa naman”… and you go away.
- You have invited your network to try investing sharing your own experience about it and how they can grow their money (faster than what the bank provides). Some of them gained money. At times, you lose friends.
- Some friends started tagging you as “kuripot” or similar brands. They seem surprised (even lost) seeing you’re more attentive now to your finances. You may even notice them avoiding you since you’re talking about stocks almost all the time!
- You now understand the value of controlling emotions in making your decisions.
- You check facebook and look at your investment groups first, and not to dwell on other people’s lives!
- Finally, you’re happier now since you realize there’s really nothing wrong with your behavior and hindi lang pala ikaw ang adik!
It’s a wonderful journey to be an investor.
Enjoy and cherish it while it’s there.
Your brighter future awaits!
Have fun investing (and keep addicted!)
oMeng
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Thank you very much sir Omeng. I am one of your millions fans who is addicted to investing. It takes me a year to self study investing. Pag dating ko sa Pinas last May 2015 enrol ako agad sa COL. Now am addicted to investing. Am back now abroad and lahat ng mag gifts ko during ramadan ay sa stocks napunta. cheers
thanks Vicky, great to hear you’re finally able to pull it off. Have fun investing.:)
Lucky I have friends who have strong minds who are willing enough to listen and try the world of stock investing. I really can relate how you started. Happy investing!