Two Of A Different Kind - Part 4

“You purchased a BMW GT?”, I was shocked and in awe when I looked at Rohan’s latest acquisition. Rohan was always fond of the latest gadgets. He always carried the latest phone, the best laptop etc in the market. He was always flashy. But this time, he outdid anything that I could even remotely imagine. “Yup, man! This baby’s mine”, Rohan quipped, patting the cars hood. “But…but…how did you manage the down payment and stuff like that?”, I blabbered, highly surprised. After all, Rohan and I drew the same salary. “The stock market”, he again quipped, wringing his palms with delight. “ I told you; the stock market’s the place to invest. I made some decent amount of money by riding the markets and that’s how I arranged the down payment. The rest is in easy EMI’s”, he answered.

To say that I was jealous and envious of Rohan would be a mild understatement. I always thought long-term and put all my savings in long-term investments with the hope that they would hold me in good stead when I want big money. But here was Rohan! He was living life king-size, whereas I was saving up money for the rainy season like an ant. I was left gaping in bewilderment.

That night I could not sleep. The ride inside the BMW car was just too hot for me to handle. Rohan’s beaming smile had gripped my sub-conscious. I was sacrificing for what? If I had made some short-term gains like Rohan, even I could have afforded the luxuries of life. But I had decided to think long-term. Was it the right time. Of course my investments would pay me in the long-term, but will it be too late for me to live my dreams.

My dreams were to give my kid the freedom that he deserved for pursuing a career that he wanted to without the worry of money. My dream was to have vacations in Switzerland and Mauritius. My dreams were to have a bigger house. My dream was also to own a fancy high-end car. All these were very far and needed long-term planning. But Rohan was living his dreams today. He was enjoying today what I was thinking about enjoying 15-20 years down the line. Will I be too old to live my dreams then? Was I focussed too much on the long-term? These thoughts ravaged my mind as I turned and tossed in bed.

Read Part 5 here

Aastha Mestry - Portfolio Manager          

An Author and a Full-Time Portfolio Manager, Aastha has 6 years of experience working in the Insurance Industry with businesses globally. With a profound interest in traveling, Aastha also loves to blog in her free time.