Why you should Invest — and it has nothing to do with FIRE

Generated using DALL-E

I am a firm believer in engaging in activities that offer valuable lessons — especially those that reveal insights about oneself or life. In this article, I will discuss how investing my money has reflected aspects of my own psyche and helped me shape it as well.

Here are three things investing has thought me:

1. Delayed Gratification — Setting aside money in an investment such as the equity market encourages a long-term perspective, allowing your funds to grow and compound over time instead of being used immediately.
2. Emotion Regulation — It’s easy to become overly excited when your investments double in a few days, or to feel fear during a market crash or economic downturn. Maintaining control over your emotions and adhering to your investment strategy is crucial, which entails avoiding the sale of your assets during downturns and not giving in to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) during euphoric periods.
3. Surprises — Just like in life, many outcomes and experiences befuddle even the experts. Your biggest gains sometimes don’t come from the surefire bets, but from unexpected sources. Since you can’t foresee every detail, you have to allow for a margin for error in your strategies and embrace calculated risks.

These are some key takeaways from my investment journey. What are yours?