Why My Plant Is Not Growing

A young man and a retired man lived next door to each other. They were both interested in gardening. The young man was always striving to make his garden look better than the old man’s. They both planted identical saplings in their gardens at one point. The young man used to water and fertilize the plants in more quantity, whereas the old man used to water and fertilize them for a lesser quantity based on its need. The young man’s plant developed into a lovely green, leafy plant, whereas the old man’s plant was quite ordinary. It rained heavily one night, and the young man’s plant, which had grown large, was uprooted, whereas the old man’s plant was unharmed. The young man was taken aback and asked the old man the reason. “You had supplied everything that a plant would need, but in abundance,” the old man replied. Because the plant did not have to look for it, the roots did not have to go deep into the soil. But I was only providing enough to keep it alive, and the roots had to go deep into the soil to meet the rest of its needs. That’s why your plant couldn’t survive when it rained heavily. There are no shortcuts when it comes to nurturing a plant because it’s a slow process.

Investing is also about the amount of time we invest rather than the amount of money we invest. It is a slow process that can put our patience to the test. The greater the power of compounding, the longer you invest. From the ages of 25, 35, 45, and 60, three friends began investing Rs.5000, Rs.10,000, and Rs.20,000 per month through SIPs (see table). Assuming a 12% annual return, their corpus at age 60 was Rs.3.24 crore, Rs.1.89 crore, and Rs.1 crore, respectively. Those who began with a small amount but invested more time had a larger corpus than those who began with a larger amount but invested less time. When it comes to investing, the time of investment should be more than the money that you’ve invested.