Few Money Lessons from Lord Ganesha

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha holds the unique distinction of being the “Prathama Pujaya”, meaning the first lord to be worshipped. Every occasion or religious ceremony starts with the worship of Lord Ganesha. In India, and especially in Maharashtra, the 10 days of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations mark joy, fervour and optimism for the future. We will find almost every home/office/shops adorned with an idol of Ganesha because of the eternal lessons that Lord Ganesha offers. Let us learns some important Money Lessons from Lord Ganesha:

 1. Listen everything but be focussed in Mind 

When we plan our finances, there are two important points. Firstly we must get the bigger picture right and then move on the investment plan in an organized manner. In the financial markets, listening to different viewpoints is the best way to get the bigger picture before taking decision. Lord Ganesh’s large ears embody the willingness to listen while his small and keen eyes embody a mind that is absolutely focused on the goal. When it comes to financial planning, we need to thoroughly weigh all the options but once the decision is made, we must channelize all our energies to focus on the goal. That is what Lord Ganesha teaches us.

2. Flexibility & Adjustments

Ganesha is also known as Vakratunda- the one with a curved trunk. His trunk is very strong but is also very flexible and can pickup very small things also. Similarly as an investor if a new opportunity knocks on the door, we need to make adjustments to reap additional benefits. We should regularly review our portfolio and keep looking for better opportunities. We should be flexible in terms of asset diversification, timeline adjustments and the amount of investment based n circumstances.

3. Have thirst for knowledge

Lord Ganesha is believed to have documented Mahabharata with great speed and clarity  this represents the highest levels of intellectual curiosity. Similarly we should remember the biggest investment is in knowledge and self improvement. That is an important lesson in the dynamic world of financial markets. Many variables/indicators keep on changing which means that we need to keep on expanding our knowledge base and incorporating new ideas and techniques. That is only possible with a thirst for knowledge. It is this thirst for knowledge and intellectual curiosity that can empower us to manage your investments and finances in better way. Keep learning about new investment products, new investment ideas, new methods to achieve financial goals.

4. Take Calculated risk

Risk taking is a must because without risk there is no return. The sumptuous belly of Lord Ganesha represents the risk appetite. It also represents the need to know the difference between risk appetite and risk capacity. The particular instance when Lord Ganesha circum-ambulates his parents (Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati) as representative of the universe is a classic instance of letting your head rule over your heart. Lord Ganesha teaches investors to measure their actions by their risk capacity and to be driven by clear analysis.

5. Be Humble

Despite being supreme power Ganesh have a little mouse as his vehicle. It is always at his feet. Here Ganesha tells us to keep our temptations and desires in control. When we manage to get a few investment ideas right the immediate response is to become supremely confident. Lord Ganesha constantly reminds us the lessons of humility. As it ever happens, if not kept in check, a tiny mouse can bring the house down.

Lord Ganesha’s Visarjan on tenth day (on Annant Chaturdashi) also teaches us an important lesson that all good things are ephemeral. The message is Good times don’t last forever but good ideas and strategies does.

This year as we celebrate the joys of Ganesh Chaturthi, Let us also spend a moment to reflect on the important Money and life lessons of Lord Ganesha.

 

 

Lessons to be learnt from the Indian Election 2019

Congratulations to everyone.....

World's largest festival of democracy is over & strongest statesman of the world is at center again- So let’s find out what we can learn from this biggest democratic festival of the word’s

1. When it's about nation: Support the Nation.

2. When it's about army: Support Soldiers, they fight unconditionally.

3. When so many social schemes are on ground: don't say "Kya Kiya".

4. When institutions are working, to hide your inefficiencies: don't blame them.

5. Every success has a very hard work in the back ground. Don’t fall prey in short cuts.

6. A proper machinery, man power, planning and other resources are required. You can’t get a success without all these basics.

7. When democracy is prevailing: don't spoil image of nation on foreign soil.

8. When secularism is prevailing: don't coin word intolerance to appease communities.

9. When nation is rated as emerging global powers: don't say it's fudged analysis by rating agencies.

10. When leader is working with integrity: don't say he is corrupt without any concrete evidence.

11. When positivity prevails: don't spoil your image by talking or supporting negatives.

12. When victory is inevitable: respect the verdict unconditionally.

13. When in debate a friend gets annoyed: wait patiently, better sense will prevail, than leaving him.

14. When some sensitive topic about the history is being discussed, don’t talk casually “Jo Hua So Hua.”

15. Understand what your customers expect from you and Deliver those without demand.

16. This is 21^st Century, Technology plays important role. Do not underestimate the power of Social Media.

Jai Hind. Jai Bharat.

Investment learnings from DHONI “The Great Indian Cricket team Captain”

We all know about Mahendra Singh Dhoni the great India Cricketer with highest winning ratio and his many more achievements in cricket. Let's try to learn some investment basics from this sporting giant so as to become more successful with our money. I tried to outline few things which could be very useful for us while managing our money.

1. EVERTHING STARTS WITH A SMALL BEGINNINGS

M.S. Dhoni was small-town boy from a humble background, however by his game and beliefs he proved that small beginnings were no hindrance in the path of big achievements. Similarly when it comes to our money, systematic investment plans are the small beginnings however they can lead to big earnings over the long-term, thanks to the magic of compounding. The important thing is to start, be regular and believe that even the biggest goals can be met.

2. BE COOL IN TURBULENT TIMES

We all know that Dhoni is also called as Mr Cool, he has taken his team out of crunch situations many times?  Numerous, right? This is just because of his cool mind at difficult times which makes him think clearly to achieve the goals. Similarly if we are cool and calm during the time of financial instability, it can be greatly helpful. Whether it's equity market crash or a medical emergency or a sudden loss of job/income, panicking doesn’t help but makes matters worse. Instead of that if we stay calm and tackle the situation with a clear head in order to make the right decisions we can easily come out of the situation and do better.

3. LEARNING IS A CONTINIUOS EXECISE

Dhoni wanted to be footballer, but actually went into cricket. However he turned out to be a natural sportsman not just a footballer, he learned the game and worked on improving himself in every aspect of it. In case of money, most of us know enough about how to earn and spend it, but not enough to make it grow. By learning some basic knowledge we can make a difference in our finances. Few basic things like the basic economic functions, need of insurance, various options of investments, can get us some clarity on how various things works and its impact on our finance. In finance, learning can translate into earning. Regular learning made Dhoni one of the greatest cricketer of current times. Regular learning can definitely make us more successful in reaching our financial goals even if we are not the greatest investors.

4. HAVE FAITH IN WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN

Sometimes we believe on something which nobody else does however due to fear we don’t take a decision on it. Remember Joginder Sharma? If we are captain had we even thought of taking him in our team, let alone give him the final over of a  2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa World Cup to bowl? But Dhoni had faith in him. And Sharma delivered. We should also stick to our beliefs if have something. Everyone around us might have an opinion contrary to yours, but if we're convinced about an asset, sector or financial product then we should go ahead and put our money where our belief is. As said by someone, “very few people go against the herd but those who do often turn out to be the biggest winners.”

5. BE DOWN TO EARTH

Dhoni was a great captain and had so many achievements still he was always humble. He never allowed his success to go to his head. Similarly as an investor, we should not get carried away by the successes of our earlier investments. Things can easily go wrong if we lose sight of our goals. Any of the investment is dependent on a lot of factors, some of which are beyond our controls. Therefore we should be happy about those investment which did well but not be overconfident of our achievements and ruin the future opportunities/options.