काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब ।
पल में परलय होएगी, बहुरि करेगा कब ॥
I am sure most of you have heard this doha by Saint Kabir, which beautifully describes that whatever work we wish to do, we should start immediately rather than defer it for the next day.
Our ‘goals’ scheduled for ‘one day’ have little chance of seeing the ‘day one’ of execution.
Taking the planned leap can only trigger the countdown to the success of our endeavours.
I quoted the same doha a decade ago in response to an ‘I will do it later’ reply by my friend, Abhishek.
Past week Abhishek thanked me for the advice I gave him – to start investing regularly in mutual funds and inspiring him to take timely actions.
Today, his periodic investments have grown into a sizeable corpus.
While initiating him on this path, I had professed that he would thank me years later, and finally, I was vindicated.
Unfortunately, many people postpone planning and taking appropriate actions to achieve their goals for ‘one day’, not realizing that they lose heavily for each day’s delays.
Procrastination or indecision is costly or, dare I say, ‘fatal’ for financial goals; let us have a glimpse.
Nidhi and Samir are of the same age, 30 years and want to invest Rs 10 k monthly for their retirement.
Nidhi starts straightaway while Samir delays his decision for another 5 years.
Nidhi invests only till the age of 40 and lets her investments grow. Samir starts at the age of 35 and continues till 60.
Believe it or not, with compounding, Nidhi’s retirement savings are far more than Samir, even though she contributed only for the initial 10 years.
Nidhi will accumulate around 2.2 crores while Samir will have to settle with only 1.88 crores, where the return of 12% per annum is assumed in both cases.
When it comes to investments for your dreams, it shouldn’t be left for ‘one day’; instead, it should be initiated instantly with meticulous planning and professional support.
Though the example mentioned in the article showcases the ill effects of delays in investment decisions, procrastination has the power to wreak havoc in all spheres of life – health, wealth or relationships.
Avoiding procrastination and having a thumping start, the ‘day one’ of execution is a great wealth in itself, paving the path to an ideal dream life.
