If My country was a person, what would that person be like?

INDIA !!!

With a population of over 1.2 Billion, we have people with absolutely wide range of physical features and characteristics. Now let me describe ”that person”.

Name is Bharathi ( yes, it’s a she! ). 25 yrs old, moderately built, five feet tall, brown skinned, very beautiful, literate, and extremely hard working..

She is this shy, soft-spoken woman who almost always puts her family first, be it her parents,husband, kids. She is complacent, highly tolerant and resilient.

She is caring, nurturing,welcoming,self disciplined and trust worthy. She excels in multi-tasking. For her, dignity is more important than anything else.She Comes out victorious, in almost all the  battles she encounters everyday, with a smile on her face.

She is fun. Dances a lot, loves cricket, celebrates almost all the festivals joyously,and she is extremely excited about her partner taking charge from her. She loves to be peaceful and spiritual.And day by day she is getting stronger. Strong enough to tackle her hostile siblings, although cautious about her neighbors.

She is not without flaws.She is sometimes so nice that she can be taken for granted. She can be corrupt, lazy, needy,cowardly, insecure, biased, over-bearing sometimes.

It is unfortunate that while her hands are adorned with jewels, her stomach still is empty many days. She sleeps hungry, often, But wakes up to fight another day, always. She is loved by one and all.

She sure is the source of inspiration and happiness for many.She is an epitome of hope, and the pinnacle of god’s creation !!

In short, ” Aval Indri Or Anuvum Asaiyadhu ” (A Tamil saying), which means, IF NOT FOR HER, NOT AN ATOM MOVES !!!

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The Tree

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine.

On Time

1. Kill your loans first. Car loan, Education loan, home loan, personal loan – these are traps. Money is a myth and money is a trap.

Avoid loans at all costs. Money is created in thin air, the moment you sign a loan document. Bank loans you the money they don’t have, they make it up and you end up paying that money through slavery. The only way to pay off a loan is slavery.

Example – You took $50,000 as a loan to get a degree from some university thinking that it will help you in terms of career. That’s great but then you are assuming that it will help. It may not help. Things can go in any direction and you may end up working for years, trying to pay off the loan you took.

2. Avoid financial investments and make investments with regard to skills. Develop skills. Be more agile. You can always play with mutual funds, stocks at a later point of time. This is the age to develop skills, not accumulate wealth. Skills goes far. Very far. Wealth is just a lubricant.

3. Earnings – Expenses = Savings (Wrong)
Earnings – Savings = Expenses (Right).

4. Every month, pay yourself first. Reward yourself first. You are the first person who should get the reward for working hard. Make yourself happy first, make peace with yourself first.

5. Open a PPF account, keep dumping money whenever you have time. Trust me, you will thank me 10 years later. Money grows exponentially in the last few years.

6. Avoid LIC. Avoid Chit funds. Avoid get rich quick schemes. Avoid Network marketing business, avoid anything which does not add value to the society. If someone tells you to invest in X, ask yourself – is this X adding value to the society? Is this X dealing with people? If the answer is No, chuck it. These are traps they have built to loot your money, they will mould your brain so that you yourself submit your money to them.

7. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Be simple, stay grounded and never take shortcuts when it comes to money. Showing off, lavish lifestyle and buying unnecessary crap will recoil back in time. What goes around, comes around.

8. Differentiate between needs and wants. Whenever you buy something, ask yourself – is this my need or is this my want? I generally follow a 3:1 ratio. I will buy 3 things I need and one thing I want. This ensures some kind of balance. No matter how much money I have, I will try not to break that balance.

9. Listen to your parents. They know how to deal with money better than you and they have been doing it for decades.

10. Divide your income in 4 parts

1/4th = needs
1/4th = savings
1/4th = Contribution/Entertainment
1/4th = Risks, ventures, investments.

Read my post -> Personal Finance: I earn 52000 ₹ per month. What are the best ways to increase my assets and decrease my liabilities?

11. Do not give money to your friend as a loan. Never. Trust me, money kills relationships. Some relationships are broken the moment you earn or lose enough money. Try not to give loan to friends or relatives. If they are in trouble and need your help, donate the money to them but never expect them to return. Do not loan money to people expecting a return. Better, do not loan it in the first place.

12. Prepare some sort of buffer cash. If my survival is X per month, I have a buffer cash of 12X in my bank account as fixed deposits. This ensures I can do whatever the heck I want to in this one year, so money cannot kill the choices I want to make. Buffer cash will save you opportunity costs and time.

13. Do not work for free. Ever. Say no to free internships, say no to extra hours after work. If you are good in something, never do it for free.

14. There are some avenues which will always remain profitable no matter what happens. Example – land, medicines, alchohol, education. If you want to start a business, pick a secured industry, gain ground and then jump into a risky venture.

15. In the end, money is just a lubricant, it makes your life smoother. Remember, money is for the life, life is not for the money. Realize that it is never going to be enough. Never. Its a beast – you keep feeding it and it will still want more.

Bonus tip: Never depend on a single income source. Always have an escape plan. Freelance, start a side venture, do whatever it takes to have a secondary earning source.

Happy Life

“The day we pass away, our money will still be in the bank…

When we are alive, we feel we don’t have enough money to spend.

When we are gone, there is still a lot of money not spent”.

A Chinese tycoon passed away. He left for his widow $1.9 billion in the bank.

The widow remarried her young Chauffeur.
The Chauffeur said, “All the while I thought I was working for my boss.
Now only I realize that my boss was all the time working for me!”

The Moral?
It is more important to live longer than to have more wealth.

• Strive to have a strong and healthy body.

• In a ‘high end’ hand phone, 70% of the functions are useless.

• In an expensive car, 70% of the speed is not needed.

• In a luxurious villa, 70% of the space remains un-occupied or un-utilized.

• In a whole wardrobe of clothes, 70% of them are seldom worn.

• Out of whole life’s earnings, 70% stays behind for other people to use.

70% of talent is not utilized

So, How to make full use of our 30%.?

• Go for medical checkup even when you feel fit.

• Drink more water even if you’re not thirsty.

• ‘Let go’ your ego, whenever you can.

• ‘Give in’ even if you are ‘right’.

• Be humble even if you are very powerful.

• Be contented even if you are not rich.

Heart Touching

Respect your elders

Wish to share a message I read on whats app:After his father’s death,the son decided to leave his mother at old age home and visited her on and off. Once he received a call from old age home….Mom very serious…..please come to visit. Son went and saw mom very critical, on her dying bed. He asked: Mom what can I do for you. Mom replied…”Please install fans in the old age home, there are none….Also put a fridge for betterment of food because many times I slept without food”. Son was surprised and asked:mom,while you were here you never complained, now you have few hours left and you are telling me all this, why? Mom replied…..”Its OK dear, I’ve managed with the heat, hunger and pain, but when your children will send you here, am afraid you will not be able to manage!