Change The Way You Think About Investing


Thirsty Man
Allow me to quote one of my favorite stories from one of my favorite mentors. The story below was written by Bo Sanchez, a preacher and a finance guru in the Philippines

The story talks about how to handle risk, especially on the subject of investing. Many of us loved to do something more rewarding, yet not all are brave enough to handle fear -- a product of our own negative thoughts.


That's why it's a bit annoying whenever someone declares I want to have a business or I want to earn more money! yet he does not want to invest or put his money to work for him. It's like saying I want to win without actually playing!

  
One day, a man got lost walking in the desert.
The next day, he was still lost.
After two days under the scorching sun, he was very thirsty.  
       All of a sudden, he saw a little wooden shed.
       He ran to it, thinking of only one thing—Water!
       When he arrived there, he saw an old, rusty water pump sticking from the ground. He gripped the handle and began pumping like a mad man.  
But nothing came out.
       Disappointed, he stepped back how to make it work.
       Looking around, he saw a jug covered with dust.
       When he grabbed it, he saw a piece of paper stuck on it. The message read, Open this jug and you’ll find water. Don’t drink it. Pour it instead on the pump. And you’ll have all the water you want.
       He popped the cork.  
True enough, the jug was filled with water. Lovely, thirst-quenching, water.
       Now imagine you’re that thirsty man.  
For two whole days, you haven’t drunk water. Your mouth is so dry, your tongue is sticking to the roof of your mouth. You’re literally dying of thirst. And you’re now holding a jug full of water. But the message says that you should throw it away!
       For a moment, your heart is torn.  
What if the message was a joke? A cruel prank? What if you poured the water on that rusty pump and nothing happened?
       But the man in our story chose to take the risk.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and poured the water.
He held the handle and pumped like crazy.
A few seconds later, torrents of water gushed out. Indeed, he had more water than he could ever need!
He drank to his heart content. He also found water containers to bring with him in his journey and filled them up to the brim.
But before leaving the place, he filled the jug with water.
And underneath the sign attached to it, he scribbled, I tried it. Believe me, it works.


- o0o -


The story you just read is similar to the story of many successful entrepreneurs and those who failed to act or acknowledge the opportunity and chose to hold on to what's safe in their naked eyes. 

But was it really safe

The decision the man in the story needed to make was the same with the decision an investor should make whether to invest his money or not: (1) Don't use the money on wants and invest or (2) use the money right away, were most people were  good at.

What could happen if the man opted to drink the water and ignore the message instead of putting it on the water pump? He may have instantly satisfied his thirst but what will happen on the next hours of his quest? He was lost, mind you. We may even be talking about days here, not just hours! So he will surely end up being thirsty again. But this time, there's no more water pump. Or he could go back to the water pump. But he no longer had the water to make it work. 

The same holds true with a good, sound investment. The investment may still be there, but the great chance you once had when you still have the money may already be gone. 

The investment (water pump) is still there, but you no longer have the money (water) to put in.


PisoandBeyond


So, will you handle risk differently now? Receive FREE updates on great articles like this when you subscribe to PisoandBeyond!

3 comments:

  1. di mo mllman kung di mo susubukan. hehe

    ReplyDelete
  2. this will beg the most common question and fear of many....... "what if?"

    ReplyDelete
  3. What if that water pump is already dry and can no longer produce water (or money if it is an investment?) You should check first before you put water in the pump...........

    ReplyDelete

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