By: Neerja Caprihan
Everyone needs reminders. Our minds can be fickle or simply absent-minded in the midst of several things vying for our attention at any time. Sometimes it is comforting to switch off and forget. At other times, human nature simply gives in to temptation or rebellion. Periodic refreshers bring one back on track. While children may need them frequently, adults need them occasionally as well. The laid-back among us need a reminder to work hard while the rushed ones need one to slow down. The ones who pick at food need to be reminded to eat while the gourmands need to be warned occasionally. All parents and offspring can relate to the steady stream of reminders the former are prone to issuing and that the latter are in the habit of acknowledging – play more but not till late, read more but mind your posture, hang out with friends but be careful of quality over quantity…the list is endless. Technology has outdone itself in providing humans with tools to remind them of things. There are built-in reminder tools in almost all sorts of office assistant and productivity applications. We are all enormously familiar with the reminders that come up nudging us to attend meetings at a certain hour. Some reminders naturally translate into checklists to complete tasks in a timely way without running the risk of missing crucial deadlines. Ignore reminders at your own peril and be prepared to cough up some long-lasting penalties in any number of areas like finance, business, education or personal equations. It’s good to stop and smell the roses but we need to be careful not to do it for too long. Though let’s not be in Calvin’s state of denial1 either.
Since most people spend an inordinate time on their internet devices these days, there are apps now that offer you a reminder to switch off after a given amount of time has elapsed. It is also an irony of our advanced times now that we actually need to be reminded by countless artifacts on social media, to detox and embrace mindful living. Amidst everything, there is one thing common to all types of reminders. Reminders take you back to basics. Something that you once knew to be true and that you should have remembered all through.
Investing is no different. No matter how sophisticated the offerings and the underlying systems look, the basics stay the same. The simplest lessons are often the most important ones. And it would do everyone good to be reminded of them. We feel humbled by a recent piece that reminded us how we have built ourselves an enviable reputation in all these years. A clever refresher of lessons from one of the premier names in the world of investing in the same article2also reminds each one of us how the basics never go out of fashion. The core precepts are always relevant and enduring. Lest we forget.
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PHOTO CREDIT: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Maksim+Labkousky
Via SHUTTERSTOCK
References:
1https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1992/09/13
2https://moneywise.com/investing/investing-basics/charlie-munger-quotes-on-investing
3https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/text-back-basics-on-notebook-surrounded-1880389165
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