COLLEGE PARK, MD –
ROI is an acronym for return on investment.
In the investing world, this is what it is all about. There is no point in investing if one gets no return on their investment.
Here lies a huge issue for the person who does not understand the ‘return’ part of return on investment properly.
Tangible, fast, and a myth
We can all agree that we invest for a return. Otherwise it is not an investment.
Maybe it is a gift, maybe it is goodwill, maybe it is a waste even, but it is not an investment if there is no anticipated return.
Most of us get tripped up right out of the starting blocks here. For once many of us invest, we expect a tangible and fast return. The investment that turns around a tangible and fast return is a myth – an extreme outlier at best.
Most returns worthy of our investment are slow to arrive and come in intangible forms.
We must have our second eyes open to perceive them.
Beyond the issue of most (unsuccessful) investors chasing unicorn returns, there is also the fear that chases many investors away from the most lucrative type of investment.
As always, though, the highest risks yield the highest rewards when taken responsibly.
Return on People
Many investors fear the greatest investment – investment in people.
They fear their investment is a hand-out. They fear their investment is crippling the recipient – forever chaining them to the door of their benefactor. They fear the dependence of others on their continuous investment.
This is a tragic example of viewing the world with the eye of suspicion – the way of undertakers.
A giver sees things differently.
A giver sees that investments in worldly things and stuff are what will really never stop knocking on our door, begging for more from us – our time, attention, and presence on top of money.
Givers see that investing in people is the best investment. They see that for one to become a giver, they need others to believe in them and pay it forward to them to get them set up on the sturdy foundation of knowledge, understanding, skills, and praxis.
No one can do it alone. The myth of the self-made person is an absurdity that should be put to bed. It only serves for the arrogant to display their ingratitude as a worthy trait.
Investing in people so they have skills and abilities to go along with the understanding of how to put them to good use takes a substantial amount. That is a big part of the reason most shy away from the investment.
However, if we can stomach the pain of giving and be willing to wait for an intangible return, we will, no doubt, see the greatest ROI lies in investing in people.
In these waining nights of Ramadan, I urge you to take the opportunity to make that investment by giving to the Center for Muslim Life at Maryland. CMLMD is Zakat-eligible and a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Perceiving the return,
Tarif