Investments...

No this post isn't about the stock markets.

My sis and I were at a book fair and she was talking about this book that she really liked but didn't pick up because it cost Rs.700. I told her "Why is it that you look at 700 bucks as a stand alone price or as money compared to something cheaper. Look at it as an investment. If it will help you with the course you are doing, you should pick it up."

There are so many things we do but don't realise they are really investments. A lot of 'unproductive' work also could be an investment because we don't really look at the benefits of such activities over a longer duration.

I could watch a TV show and think it was just entertainment but I could actually learn from it. For instance while watching Lost, I kept trying to figure if they were writing the story as they went along or whether they had the main plot already put down and was just adding new loops to it. I personally think it's the former. But it is still interesting to see how the story keep turning and how different things gain importance at different points in time. Also I learned some slang (don't know if that's any help cause I sure as hell won't be young enough to talk in slang when I am in the US - if ever) and learned how characters need to be.

Of course most people don't have that kind of perspective cause they might not be interested in such details. But still I don't think it would be a total waste to watch TV for example. It also help hold conversations. Not with intellectual who think the idiot box is for idiots but with 'normal' people sure you can.

Anyway Tom read my nick and said 'investments you say, I'm listening' lol had to tell him it wasn't about 'those kind' of investments. He was the only who very aptly concluded what should be considered as investments - according to him an investment - 'only works if it'll be worth more.' Which brings us to 2 important points -
1) How do you measure returns and
2) What time frame are you looking at.

He concluded that everything you do then has some returns to it even if it is to satisfy a silly urge but you should know why it is you are doing what you are doing which is brilliant cause it just means that you should be conscious at all times of what you are doing and why you are doing what you are doing.

I do wish I was smart when I was younger like some of these online friends of mine...

Anyway so next time you do something, figure out if it was a good investment (of your time, money, efforts, emotions, etc) or not.