Risk taking

It saddens me to note that my fellow Malawians are not risk takers rather would like to follow. I keep arguing with my brother that he should join my way of thinking of pursuing his own business. But he like most people tends to be cautious with his approach to life. Does not like to take the risks, well in a way I can understand his way of thinking. It comes from the old generation approach to life where they invest all their money in their children in the hope that they get education and go into work. Its amazing that we were raised the same way but have a very different approach towards life where as I believe in taking risks and my views does seem a little bit controversial because I don’t believe in rules traditional and norms that where made 100 years ago irrelevant to this day and age. My brother on the other end is very traditional in his beliefs and follows the cultures and norms like a ritual. Where as I appreciate the need to observe and follow our cultures I also believe in changing those cultures to reflect the time and day. Come on parents of today, should change their perception towards school and their children as a whole. It should be now that children go to school to make some thing of them selves. Parents should promote risk taking in children.

I remember my late uncle who is my inspiration and behind my approach to life. Where as my dad would say that you need capital to start a business my uncle would say you do not need Capital to start a business. I must admit my Uncle was arrogant in nature, but he was very clever and business oriented. He was a self made millionaire. He taught me a lot in our encounters though few as I was I young during his prime. I remember he came home to see his sister who was my mother but she was not there. He found me watching a Bruce Lee movie and he said to why waste time watching these useless movies instead of thinking of ways of how to make money. He went on to emphasise that only fools are ones who wait for capital to start business, one has to be clever. Then I was a bit young to grasp what he was on about. But as I grew up it made a lot of sense and it transformed my life. I found myself leaning more towards his way of thinking and I combined his way of thinking and my dads. I have also learned to look at who ever I come across as better than me in that I learn of them and take their best bits and make it my own.

It is my hope that more and more people would wake up and take more risks in Malawi. Because the trend in Malawi is that of copying one another, first there were Mini buses and every one followed. In the end no one could make enough money as the market was saturated now came the trend of trucks once people saw one, making money everyone joined in the business and now the market is also becoming saturated. Now people have started venturing in the buses and as usual most people in Malawi are now following suit.

It is not like people can not think on their feet but rather people do not venture in something that involves risk taking. People don’t want to lose their hard earned money. They would rather venture in an idea that has already been tried and tested, one that can show that someone is making money out of it. What most tend not to realise is that in the end the market becomes very saturated and yes they may not lose their money but can not make any meaningful progress it just becomes a game of survival. Diversification is what most people need and imagination and most of all risk taking is good. I actually mean calculated risk not reckless investing. Come on take a gamble.