I will today introduce the best Systematic Investment Plan that we should all have as part of our portfolio of life.
A Little Game
But before doing that I wanted us to begin by playing a little game … it is always nice to have some fun rather than being serious all the time. 😊
And given that we are not personally present in each other’s proximity, I want your trust to ensure that you play the game in all seriousness and in the steps which have been outlined; also without actually reading through the rest of the instructions of the game. Please also do not get impetuous and start reading this short article on the best SIP, which I am going to later elaborate upon.
So now that I have your trust and promise 😊, let us begin the game.
All of us have so many possessions and relationships (both with others and our own self) in life. Such possessions and relationships can number in 100s or even 1000s. We have so many possessions, clothes, footwear, purses, clothing accessories, gadgets, homes, vehicles, money, etc. Same is true of our relationships as well, with family, friends, acquaintances, etc.
I want you to now carefully think upon all your possessions and relationships in life, and identify just 7 of those which are extremely dear to you and close to your heart.
Also, there is no “Right or Wrong” about the list that we are about to make; all of us have our choices, and I will be honest enough in admitting that I might like one of my material possessions more than a relationship in life.
So, the list can be a combination of possessions and / or relationships.
Please take 10 minutes to think and create this list and yes please do not continue to read the rest of instructions or the article. 😊
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Ok so now that your 10 minutes are up, I hope you thought carefully and created a list of those 7 items which are very dear to you.
After having spent the last 10 minutes in thinking hard and identifying between your various possessions and relationships, it must have given you a good perspective of some of the most valued aspects of your life.
I normally play this game with individuals in person during my mentoring or counselling sessions with them. And it is interesting to note the things which they come up with in their list of 7 items.
To share a few, the list often contains, gadgets/mobiles, vehicles, 3 / 4 in the list are generally people or relationships close to them, jewellery, some actually admire their own self and their physical features 😊, some mention about their possessions which are associated with cherished memories and so on.
As I stated earlier, there is no Right or Wrong about the list. 😊
Ok before, we continue with the game, just wanted to digress a bit and talk in brief about some other aspect of life.
Now I want to you to take a few moments and think upon the people close to you in life, family, friends, etc. who may have passed on, and who you were close to or were fond of in life. In India, last week many of us mourned the passing on of 2 of our Bollywood actors, both of whom I believe were revered by most of the film watching community. Such deaths of near and dear ones or people who we admire / respect, often leave us devasted, and many-a-times with a feeling of emptiness, the event itself appears ‘surreal’.
We often wonder what is it that they must be doing in afterlife, if we indeed believe in Karma and Life After Death, which I do. Even if one does not, it does make us think and question about the Purpose of Life? (I will elaborate on this a little more in my next blog post).
But for now, returning back to our game, 😊, I want you to once again carefully review your shortlist of 7 items, those which are very dear to you. Now I want you to further prune down that list to just 3 items; please bear with me and do not get exasperated, as we are close to the end of the game 😊. You can take another 5 minutes in thinking about the same.
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Ok, so I assume now you have a pruned down list of 3 items.
As we just discussed, having experienced the passing on of our near and dear ones, and the surreal feeling at that point in time, and wondered about the things which they would have accumulated in life, I want you to think carefully about those 3 items which you have now identified amongst 100s or 1000s, and ask yourself, if you would be able to carry those 3 in afterlife?
I can surely put a wager that your list, of either 3 or even 7, does not contain even a single item which we will be able to carry in afterlife. None of our material possessions, none of our relationships, not even our own physical body which we admire so much. 😊
Barring one instance of someone identifying one item in their list, I have yet not come across anyone having an item in their list of 3 or 7, which they would be able to carry forward in afterlife. And if you have indeed come up with one or more, please do write to me using the Contact form on this website as I would be happy to be proved wrong.
Best Systematic Investment Plan (SIP)
Now having played the game, let us get back to our topic for the day which is to identify the best SIP, which we must definitely have in our portfolio of life. And you probably must have guessed that we are going to carry forward the lesson from our little game in identifying this best SIP.
Does the game not make us question, about everything in life that we struggle to put together, and yet none of which we will be able to carry forward with us. Surely then we must be doing something wrong, given that most of us are intellectuals, and good at accumulating things and planning out our lives, socially, financially, medically, emotionally, etc. We plan some of the best investments in achieving our goals, but yet are not successful in carrying anything forward! 😊
So, what is it that we will be carrying forward in afterlife?
Actually, nothing but the imprints we make on our Soul. Hence it is important to plant as many Good and Positive memories, leaving out all the Negative memories.
In India, we refer to it as “Smriti (स्मृति)” i.e. remembrance of the memories which get imprinted on our Soul. Memories should be such that we are able to cherish, and not cringe upon, so that we are able to happily recall those at a later point in time.
As I had highlighted in the “Spiritual Qualities” section of my “Spiritual Outlook” introduction to this website, we need to ensure that we consistently, or as much as possible, adopt the Positive Qualities in every act and thought of life, and leave out the Negative Qualities.
We can create a best SIP for life around all of these Positive Qualities. Also need to remember that we need to leave out the Negative Qualities, as otherwise like in any investment product, where Negative results erode the ‘value’ of the underlying investment, our Life SIP will also erode in ‘value’ if we also practice Negative Qualities alongside those Positive Qualities.
So, if we are able to only carry those with in our afterlife, should we then not immediately start creating a SIP for the same? And if we are really as savvy as we are around our financial planning and investments, then why are we not as savvy about the only thing which is certain in terms of carry forward into afterlife?
I have drafted a small quote of my own around our conduct of life.
“The Conduct Of Our Entire Life Is In Complete Contradiction To The Only Certainty Of Life Which Is Death – Paresh Madani” 😊
I hope you are able to identify with, acknowledge, and appreciate this logical argument around the best SIP and are able to start creating one as early as possible for yourself; ofcourse alongside your other financial investment SIPs, which also you should continue to do so. 😊
And if reading this article made you think or even smile, then that is my contribution to my SIP as part of my investment for afterlife. 😊
Thank you and God bless you! 🙏
