Why did the Bible advise thus
1. Because nighttime is full of darkness.
2. In a natural context, nighttime is a time of weakness when our strength has failed us.
3. Nighttime is always characterised by FEAR and torment.
Now a vital question.
How do you intend to go through the nighttime without having darkness overwhelming you, maintaining your strength of the day all through and living above fear and torment?
1. You need to live right ... eating the right meals and drink what is normal. Health is wealth. If health fails – a great thing is gone.
2. You need to maintain a positive mindset - cheerfulness, happiness and lifestyle of joy.
3. Socialise ... relate with people of like minds. The Bible says, he that needs wisdom must associate with the wise because a company of fools shall perish. It has also been established that nobody survives in isolation because a single tree cannot form the forest. No man is an island. Yoruba people say, a broom stick can easily be broken but who can break a bunch. Socialise with people, even if you are a professional because a secluded professional in private practice who refused to socialise can never become successful. You need people, most especially, old friends who knew you when you were nobody but the ones who will help build you up.
4. Invest in the daytime to overcome the fear and torment of the night. Why? Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.
Investment for old age's sake
Long life is a good thing when you have the resources to live through it. The journey is easy when you aren’t depending on anybody for help. To live well in old age, you need to identify the differences between working for money and letting your money work for you.
Most of us are good at working for money but we don’t allow our monies to work for us. It is normal to work for money. It is expected of every vibrant human being to do that, but it is good for us to know when to press the brake pedal. Nobody should perpetually work for money ... everybody needs to know when to invest the money earned into a regular returning cash cows or crops.
Letting your money work for you is like planting an arable crop, it doesn’t germinate easily but once it begins to produce fruits ... it keeps terminating without the farmer's continual efforts.
If you plant a mango tree for example, it will produce mangoes forever in its season.
How do we identify a continuous yielding investment?
A) Find your area of interest. What works for one person might not work for others, but every investment obeys the same principle. It’s like law of gravity, when you jump up, you will come down to the original position – you cannot float.
B) Consider the useful life or future of the business you want to invest in. With the advent of technology, most businesses are becoming irrelevant. Before you delve into any business, think about your age and confirm if that business will still be there to support you through the nighttime.
C) Seek financial counsel from investment bankers or analyst. They can help you find a business with future but avoid smooth talk and get rich syndrome.
D) Consider the legality and legal implications of the investment or everything might go under.
E) Properties are sure investments. Real estate is good if you can go through the stress of collecting rents BUT if not, buy landed properties in areas with potential for future developments. The only asset that doesn’t depreciate is landed properties. It keeps appreciating.
F) Buy bonds, securities and shares – but not without the knowledge of a good and genuine adviser.
G) Agricultural business is also good, but you need a professional to guide you through this – maybe you can Google ‘Farm investments.’
H) You can form or join cooperative societies.
I) Join or form investment clubs with your associates.
J) Invest in people – especially your children but you must learn to prioritise your personal development before pouring yourself into others. As a pastor and life coach, I invest in people and as a financial adviser and investor, I have bosses who invested in me, taught me and still mentors me. They are the ladders to the top of my career.
K) Avoid the notion that the people you invested in will always be there for you – even our shadows hide in darkness.
L) Learn the principles of time and season of life. Like I said before, there were things that worked before but not now. Likewise, so many things working now will not work in future.
M) Identify the systematic operation of chance and time, which is opportunities. Always seize the moment. Don’t wait till you have it all mapped up or get it all before moving ahead. Do it now and immediately. Carted potatoes will fall in place as we journey ahead. Don’t fear failure; it is only a discovery of how not to do it.
N) Find out the BEST in yourself now and also look out for the BEST in other people.
O) Don’t give-up on yourself. Nobody is a failure until he admits he is. Most people who become professors in our universities today do not make all their O'level papers at once. They are at the top of their career because they do not give up the chase.
P) Learn … unlearn … keep learning ... attend seminars and workshops; education is not limited to classrooms. There are many online free courses to tailor your mind and sharpen your skills. Check MOOCS on Google.
- When is the best time to start investing in your future? 25 years ago.
- Is it not too late for me to start? No!
- What do I do to recover what I have lost in the past 25 years? Start immediately.
- What do I engage myself in? Don’t limit yourself to working hard, work smart also. Hard work takes so much strength while smart work requires intelligence and professionalism.
- Any other thing I should do? Pray ... you cannot succeed without God.
See you at the top; the ground is too crowded.
