The Best Investment I Ever Made
Investments can be of 2 different kinds. One is investing money in bonds, equities, etc which will give money in return. The other is investing in assets which adds value to our personalities. I made one such investment in November of 2017 after I got my internship offer. I was a studious person till then and didn't have any other hobbies except coding. So, I decided to divulge a little and develop some fruitful hobbies. And I decided to invest my time in reading and as a means to reading, I bought a kindle. It was a slightly high-end kindle and costed me a significant amount and I was determined to make the most of my investment. But things didn't go as planned.
I wasn't a reader at all, and suddenly pushing myself to read each day wasn't an easy task. As time passed by, the kindle kept resting on my shelf and I kinda forgot about its existence. So what, the money is wasted! Can't help it now!
2.5 years later ie March 2020, we were in the middle of the Pandemic. I had already completed my studies and joined an MNC in Bangalore. Amidst the dread of India going into total lockdown, I planned to travel to my hometown on 21 March 2020. I packed bare minimum clothes as if it was a week's trip home. Threw my laptop and charger in my office bag and flew to my home. But guess what! My kindle was already there in my office bag, a great sign that I need to start reading now!
Lockdown pushed us all inside our homes, I still didn't have many hobbies to keep myself engaged but I was determined to not waste the time in hand. Kindle came to my rescue. I started reading for about 5–10 minutes each night. And slowly became an avid reader. To date, I have maintained the habit of reading something each passing day and it has paid its wonders. I read about 15 books in 2020 and already have completed 10 books this year.
Some of my favorite books include How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight, The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
