Recently, I have come across a thought provoking article in Rediff.com by Mr. R A Krishna. The author argues that if you are given few masons, material, and required tools, you can not build a ship.

He goes onto say that it requires a creative mind which takes it all the way from the original visualising, planning, designing, and building with the help of man and material mentioned before. The process starts with the imagination of the ship in the designers mind.  

Author was getting quiet philosophical afterwards explaining things like the infinite power of the universe and inability of man to create a grain of rice in the best lab provided. Though, I feel that he is quiet right in his thinking.  

Mind - Money connection:
However, even after reading the entire article, whole thing was very confusing to me. The article was about getting rich and I was still left wondering exactly how the mind and money was connected. I could not get to his intellectual plane, probably. To me, it looked quiet a complicated explanation of things. 

As an after thought I realised, 'what's so great about what the author says'? In many ways, he is very correct in his argument. The one without the wish to have money - a clear target, can he or she ever become rich? In the same vein, as this story of ship building, I now believe it is true that money making does start with an imagination component which happens in the mind - a burning desire to become rich. This imagination is indeed the first to develop which is followed by action to create it - author rightly argues. 

The article goes onto explain that the money is not created by planning to save a fixed income systematically also. This planning, would not be sufficient to create wealth. There is first a dream, then a creation of concept, and then focused execution. When the dream is taken to the level of an intense desire followed by action, it becomes real in the end. The authors idea as I understand is that when you do what it takes to achieve the dream, you fulfill your dream and become rich. It is dreaming or planning, and then creation that leads to becoming rich. May be what Dr. Abdul Kalam, great Indian scientist and every ones beloved former president, proclaims the same, though he says this in the context of nation building. 

Decide precisely what, when, and how to become rich...
It is not that you dream to be able to own a car. He says, decide which car, which colour, which model, and then go on steadily and sternly towards realising that goal in material form. It may look silly and complicated but the fact is, those who have indeed become rich, came out through such a powerful thought process, perseverance and then its real life realisation.  

Actually stock markets and real estates are easy ways to amass money for hose who truly wish - though mostly over a long period. But there are millions of such people who 'dream' - but just that, 'dream'. They do not do an iota of things to actually make that dream come true. Everyone wants to become rich and financially free but how many of us know what to do?. Even if we do know the steps, how many of us go ahead and take those steps? Also, how many those who have a plan, do go through the process in reality? That is to steadfastly take the steps needed to reach that goal? 

Had you invested since 2003 in equity... 
After seeing the Indian financial markets movement for the past two years (since Jan 2006), I am sure of one thing. Had I systematically invested some money for the past five years in the stock markets (since 2003 beginning), which I could have done easily, I would have made enough money and hoped for making more so that I can lead the life the way I like to lead it. 

If what you are thinking is "oh! I did not have any money in early 2003 to invest", my answer is - neither did I have. However, there was no need for money in hand. A personal loan was more than enough, considering much greater appreciation seen in financial markets over the period easily offsetting any interests. The market performance over the period I mentioned was phenomenal and it is still going strong until as I write this in Dec 25th  2007. The performance has been such that anything cold was turned hot and any metal was turned Gold.  

Leave the fact whether any of us had money or not. Even if you had money in hand, did you have the mind to do what it takes to reach your goals? You never had - I would certify and you probably would never have. In that scenario, where is the chance to achieve that golden financial freedom? The freedom that can set you free to pursue what you like in life rather than being pushed to the wall by the people, place, and the workplace you probably loath. Hence, the rule number one, according to me, is get set to become rich in the mind first. 

I did not try, I did not win.
The truth is, I did not take any steps to make money prior to that period of time - since 2006 beginning. Nor did I know that it wasn't that difficult to achieve. I did not yearn for financial freedom, you could say that too. It is when I was pushed against the wall from all sides, I started to realise, only way out is to create the financial freedom somehow and then I started thinking as well as acting like our 'author' try to tell us. In the past, I never had that ardent wish to make money because I didn't believe in the need to achieve financial freedom.  

You know, in Indian society, no father or mother teach their children to make money. Money is loathed, almost. It is believed that it is wrong to make money. They say, you get a top job, study to become a doctor or an engineer and that all your financial problems are solved. Is that true, my friend? An employment solves nothing more than making money for the employer. It is that select few who become rich from a job.  

One thing is sure, if you want to live the life the way you want to, you have to have a good bank balance. An amount as high as it can be so that the setbacks such as a huge medical bill can be hedged. Now some of you may be saying, whatever you have, if you get some serious illness, you are gone. I agree with that assessment. But what if you have more steam left? What if you are surely not destined to be stricken so soon? what if there is a great amount of good years left for you by the infinite power? In that case, you certainly can't enjoy that life that's left in you without the money. I am not talking about Sanyasis either who denounce worldly pleasures. I am talking about those who lead a middle class family which has so much need for money these days even to lead a simple, meager, and ordinary life.

Planting in the mind and power of compounding.
How many people know the 'power of compounding'? and the fact that the man who begins to invest systematically in his 20s would make substantially more money than the man who start in 30s and the one who starts later than that. Learn about it from this web link. The Power of Compounding Interest - Discover the 8th Wonder of the World. Also take a look at How to become RICH with just Rs 100.

Take that first step first. Do you really want to become rich? Get some clarity in mind! Be crystal clear and decide to the level of what precisely is the amount of money you are going to build up. Plan ahead and proceed and learn to persevere no matter what. Some avenues to try are stock markets, real estate, starting a business. Each is one way towards the goal. What matters is how much you can persevere, be patient, be focused (in case of starting a business)?

Online Share Trading allows you to add whatever you can on a monthly basis unlike real estate where you need a large amount as a whole. All the best to you whichever mode you chose. One more thing - doing nothing or having it all in an ordinary bank account would never take you anywhere.

Warning : I am neither rich nor I am a certified financial planner. I too have that (rich) in mind, still. But I now believe it is an achievable target. In the past, I never wanted so I never tried to find out how to achieve it. Now I know and my principle today is - take the stock market path and persevere no matter what the index level is. Watch the underlying business's performance and prospects alone...  

Link to the article cited at Rediff.com : The 5 secrets of making wealth

- TP Gopinath for CalicutNet.com