Investments in the stock market can be a lot like investing in friends. My most recent discovery in true friendship has been shared with me over several years on one of my most reliable life-resource studies, my wife. Yes, my wife often teaches me through real-life observation life lessons that make me a better person. And today’s was nothing new. It just all came together during a morning walk we shared. As we walked, I listened to her share about her week.
My wife is one of the most loyal souls on this Earth. Her strength in relationships is not just loyalty but “Investment” into her friends of her time and resources, the essence of her loyalty. While there are different types of investors in this world, there are also different types of “loyal” friends in this world. There are aggressive investors that only want that quick fix and then sell quickly to get what they want. So too are those types of friendships. They are in it for a certain period of time, get what they want, and then off they go to whatever or whomever they decide they decide to take something from. This seems to “work” for them, for a while. There are also those mid-term investors who seek out the latest/greatest investments for a bit longer period of time with the goals of attaining what they were designed to do, getting you to a better place of security, and then selling. These are those “conditional” friends who just “need” you to get them through a rough patch and then move on after they feel they are strong enough to do so. Lastly, there are “long-haul” investors whose investment is determined by trust, faithfulness, and roller coaster endurance. That is my wife. When she chooses to friend another, she knows full well what that entails for her. She enters each of those relationships knowing full well that she will continue to initiate conversation because communication is key. She also remains available on a 24-7 basis. She will gather others together to bring about long-term security and love to those in need for any circumstance.
While I know that my wife’s desire to give and put into relationships puts her in the top 2% of this planet, I also know that she feels the hurt (although she won’t admit it) when others do not share or reciprocate to her the same type of friendship “investment strategy.” When the world is filled with “takers” like never before, it remains difficult to discover and holistically invest in the lives of others. Yet, when you discover those individuals, I would recommend that you embrace them, let them know how much you appreciate them, and then become that “long-hauler” style of friend, even if you might not receive that back in return.
Mike