In This High Inflation Period, I Choose to Double Down on the Best Investment Anyone Could Have: Health
Health is the best investment anyone can ever make, irrespective of time.
The Past
Health is the best investment anyone can ever make. That is the first life lesson I’ve received from the CEO of the first company I worked for fresh out of college. Being young and brash, naive and ignorant and everything little thing in between that you would associate with that stage of life don’t stop me from agreeing with him at that time but it certainly stop me from doing something about it. I’m more conscious of sitting in his Mercedes, chauffeured by his PA at that time. A moment of many firsts for me. That was more than a decade ago.
Thinking back, I’ve been neglecting my health for years. In my senior year in college, I had to chase after a bus for reasons that have escaped my mind now. I never had to. Like any college-goer, I didn't care if I’m late for lectures but I have reason to chase after a bus that day. I had to. There is no other reason to do that except to have a reason (pun intended). A few steps into my stride, I had that oh sh*t moment. Oh yes, that moment, when you realize that you are not what you use to be. A few seconds into the act and I was regretting my decision of running after the bus as pain soared through my legs and knees. That was the moment when I realized that I have never been doing exercise since the second semester of my junior year. That and all the unhealthy food I have had during my 4 years in college.
The Present
COVID-19, the Ukraine-Russian crisis, the chip shortage. These are only some of the causes of the high inflation rate that we are facing now. Countries in Europe, America, and Asia are all impacted by the inflated cost of living. Many have hoped for recovery since the economy reopened but none would have predicted that we have jumped from a wok to a frying pan.
The situation is no better in the stock market. For the millennials, this may be the first true market bear they faced in their young investment life. This may come as a shock to many given the bull market and the up and uprising of cryptocurrencies previously.
While panic has set in, and a lot of investors are reevaluating their investment strategy by standing on the sideline, I choose to double down on the one investment I know will surely benefit me in the long run, my health.
Like many others, I wasn't too sure about the market sentiment and have chosen a more conservative stance. Meanwhile, I’ve put my focus to increase the frequency of my workouts. Sweating and working out clear my mind, making sure I don’t make rash decisions in the market.
The Future
I am under no illusion to think as I grow older, my exercise routines would be as frequent or as intense as they are currently. However, as I’ve shared before in my story of How I Plan for a Happy Retirement, keeping an active life is very important in our retirement age. In fact, it is much more important for us to be healthy during our old age. I may not be able to run as fast, as long, or as frequent in my old age, or I have to forfeit certain routines due to the intensity and suitability. What’s more important is to have the correct mentality on health itself.
And the correct mentality is this, just like any sound investment, compounding interest and time in the market beats hype investment, and health is pretty much this way too. To be healthy is not a week’s effort. To be healthy is a continuous and long-term goal, and it starts now.