Achieving bliss in 2017
Question: The year 2016 was not a very good year for many, including myself. My investments went nowhere and I feel that I am in the same spot as when I started 2016. Do you think my luck will change in 2017?—asked at “Ask a friend, ask Efren” free service available at www.personalfinance.ph and Facebook.
Answer: Let’s see now. Luck may be a simple four-letter word. But that word has so many definitions, interpretations and applications.
For example, when referred to as a factor beyond one’s control, the two senses that people usually mean when referring to luck are the prescriptive and descriptive senses. Simply put, in the prescriptive sense, luck is a supernatural and deterministic concept on forces that prescribe certain events to occur.
In the descriptive sense, people talk of luck after the occurrence of an event and describe it as good, bad or improbable.
I tend to agree with the definition that luck is success or failure brought on by chance rather than through one’s conscious efforts. But I will be quick to add that while we cannot directly cause good luck to happen, we can definitely increase the chance of it doing so.
And the best way to increase the chance of good fortune coming your way this 2017 is to follow this four-part strategy. First, find out, improve on and keep on doing that thing that you are very good at. Hopefully, this is something that is positive.
Second, do not just find out, improve on and keep on doing that thing that you are very good at. That thing must also be something that you are willing to do even if you are not paid very much for it.
Notice that if you put parts 1 and 2 together, you will come out with what many call passion. But that passion is useless if others will not benefit from it. You will thus need to find out, improve on and keep on doing that thing that you are very good at, that you are willing to do even if you are not paid much for it, and it is something that people need. Just make sure that the need is perceived. That is part 3.
If you put parts 2 and 3 together, you get what is called vocation. And if you put passion and vocation together, you get what is simply called giving.
To paraphrase Dan Benson, a financial planner, good fortune comes to those who give first, cheerfully, faithfully, wisely and quietly. And guess what, with part 4, all you will need to do is open your hands as this is the receiving part. People will take notice and appreciate your efforts to the point that they will be more than willing to pay you for what you are very good at, what you were once willing to do even without much compensation, and what people perceive that they need.
In practical terms, if you, for example, are very good in being an employee then improve on and keep being one. Do not worry about investing as you can always hire someone who is good at and probably much better than you in managing investible funds. In a larger sense, the good Lord gave us unique talents so that we would work with each other.
So, start to give more of yourself in 2017. Who knows, you might just reach the receiving part sooner than you expect.
Efren Ll. Cruz is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines and can be reached at 0917-5050709 and [email protected].
