On a sunny afternoon, little Aarav was playing in the garden when he saw his grandfather, Dadaji, sitting under the shade of an old banyan tree. Dadaji was quietly reading a book, and Aarav, curious as ever, ran to him.
“Dadaji, what are you reading?” Aarav asked, sitting down beside him.
Dadaji smiled, closed his book, and said, “I’m reading about Rahul Dravid, the famous cricketer. Do you know who he is?”
Aarav thought for a moment and then nodded. “Yes, my teacher told us about him. He was called ‘The Wall’ because no one could get him out easily.”
“That’s right, Aarav,” Dadaji said, his eyes twinkling with pride. “But do you know why Dravid was so successful?”
Aarav shook his head, eager to learn more.
“It wasn’t just talent, but his consistency that made him great. He played 164 Test matches and scored more than 13,000 runs, making him one of the top run-scorers in cricket history. He didn’t achieve this overnight; it took years of dedication and hard work.”
Aarav looked impressed. “Wow, Dadaji! That’s a lot of runs! But how does that happen?”
Dadaji chuckled. “It’s all about time and consistency, my boy. Just like Rahul Dravid kept practicing and playing match after match, we need to be consistent in other things we do in life too.”
“Like what, Dadaji?”
“Like investing,” Dadaji said, his tone becoming more serious. “When you start saving and investing regularly, even if it’s just a small amount, over time, it can grow into something big.”
Aarav was confused. “But how does that work?”
Dadaji picked up a small pebble from the ground and said, “Imagine this pebble is your money. If you just leave it here, it stays the same. But if you put it in a place where it can grow, like in a garden, it will become part of something bigger over time.”
“Like planting seeds?” Aarav asked.
“Exactly!” Dadaji said, pleased with the comparison. “When you invest a small amount every month, it’s like planting seeds. Over time, these seeds grow, thanks to something called compounding. It’s like magic, but it’s real. The money you invest earns interest, and then that interest earns more interest, and it keeps growing.”
“But what if I can only save a little bit?” Aarav asked.
“That’s okay,” Dadaji reassured him. “Even if you start with just Rs 500 or Rs 1,000, the important thing is to start. You can do this through something called a Systematic Investment Plan, or SIP.”
“SIP? What’s that?” Aarav was curious.
“It’s a way to invest a fixed amount of money into a mutual fund every month,” Dadaji explained. “Think of it like paying an EMI, but instead of paying off a loan, you’re building your wealth. The best part is, you don’t have to worry about the ups and downs of the market too much. If the market is high, you buy fewer units, and if it’s low, you buy more. Over time, this balances out and helps you grow your money steadily.”
Aarav nodded slowly, understanding the concept. “But what if I get scared and want to stop investing when the market goes down?”
Dadaji smiled and patted Aarav on the shoulder. “That’s natural, but remember, the key is to stay consistent. Markets will go up and down, but if you keep investing regularly for 3 to 5 years, you’ll start to see the benefits. Just like Rahul Dravid didn’t quit when he faced tough bowlers, you shouldn’t stop your SIPs because of market ups and downs.”
Aarav thought about this and asked, “Is that why Warren Buffett is so rich?”
“Yes, Aarav,” Dadaji said with a proud smile. “Warren Buffett started investing when he was young and kept at it for over 70 years. His wealth grew slowly at first, but in the last 30 years, it multiplied more than 20 times because he stayed invested and let his money grow over time.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Aarav exclaimed. “So if I start now, I can be like him too?”
“Maybe not exactly like Buffett, but yes, you can build your wealth if you start early and stay consistent. It’s playing a sport – the more you practice, the better you get.
Aarav smiled, feeling inspired. “I’ll remember that, Dadaji. Time and consistency. I want to start investing too!”
Dadaji beamed with pride. “That’s the spirit, my boy! Just remember, it’s not about how much you start with, but how consistently you keep at it. And one day, you’ll see the rewards of your hard work, just like Dravid did on the cricket field.”
As the sun began to set, Aarav and Dadaji sat together under the banyan tree, the wisdom of time and consistency sinking deep into Aarav’s young heart, ready to guide him on the path to building wealth.
Before I end this blog post I would like to mention that in our lives too, we know what we need to do to make better friends. But, we just don’t do it. It’s the biggest struggle that we will all face in our entire lives.
Being consistent on the things that matter to us. Showing up when it matters. Curating the life WE want, and not someone else’s.
But you need to start somewhere right? To give you a small example…I’ve written some 16-odd articles in the past 3 weeks on Simplified Money Talks and I aim to cross 100+ posts by the next 60 days. You might think I have been working day in and day out on creating such blog posts! But, that’s not TRUE!
My 50+ posts are the perfect example of creating something big through daily and weekly actions. My blog posts have just crossed another 1,000+ hits in just 3 weeks. The reason behind this is my consistency. I am trying to post content, day after day.
Similarly, when it comes to investing you have to be consistent just like what Dadaji mentioned above.
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