I have always liked the notion of a Genie offering me three wishes and me being such a cheeky fellow, I would ask for 1000 more wishes. The fact is when limitation presents itself we typically want more. It is the rarity factor. If something is in plentiful supply, we discount its value but if something is limited than it becomes worth more in our minds.
Recently I came into some money. Not a lot, but it was free money and I wanted to do something good with it. My first idea was to go downtown and pick up a pair of those "Bose" speakers I had been drooling over (have you heard the bass on those puppies?)
It occurred to me investing $500 instead of spending it may be wiser. But that Genie notion keeps playing around in my head. Yes I want to invest the money, I don't want to put it on a horse or pray for black 22 at the Casino. I want a real and tangible return.
But I got a wish. $10 bucks is not a wish. $10 bucks is common and not a big deal, but thinking about how to invest $500, one gets the feeling of being granted a little power, a little freedom to try something different and see what happens. How do I ask that $500 dollar wish for a thousand more wishes...hmmm.
I know if I put my mind to something, that generally I can do it. It comes from a strong belief in my own abilities. (My parents must have done something right raising me :P) It really became a bone of contention for me, I got stubborn about the idea. I wanted that wish to give me a thousand more wishes. I knew, if I waited long enough and was determined enough my mind would toss me an answer of some sort.
Sure enough, I did get the answer I was looking for. If I put that money in the bank and waited a year at 5% I would make another $25 WOW Snooze town.
I wanted to magnify my returns, I wanted to take a risk but not lose the money. Then it came to me in a flash. What better way to invest $500 than to invest it in Education.
There are 3 good reasons why investing in an education is better than the 5% a bank would give me.
1) Education generally solves problems by equipping me with knowledge to overcome problems. For example, my problem of wanting a decent return could be resolved by buying some instruction on how to start a part time business as one possible avenue.
2) Novelty. Often learning something new gives people a new lease on life and fresh perspectives leading to even more new experiences and learning.
3) Knowledge cannot be taken away from you. You can try and invest $500 and you may make a return or if the proposition was really risky, you might lose the money, like investing in Emu farms or something. But if you learn something new, it is like a gate you pass through which you can never be pushed out of. Knowledge therefore, new knowledge, is portable and forever. It adds to our personality and our worth.