"A Gift to My Children” by Jim Rogers

I have not really been able to update my blog regularly due to heavy work and family commitments. Finding time to sleep itself is already a luxury, let alone reading a book. So I must give myself a pat on my back for finishing a tiny book “A Gift To My Children”, written by Jim Rogers, using pockets of time I have commuting to/from work on the train.

Jim Rogers, as most people would know, became the co-founder of Quantum Fund before he turned 30 and retired at the age of 37. He has been a strong advocate of China economy and the commodities market, and he derives the basis of his strong conviction from touring around the world. He is bullish on China and Brazil due to strong commodities demand but less so on Russia (due to its political instability) and India (slow infrastructure progress).

His message to his 2 daughters, Happy and Baby Bee, includes :-

- Focus on what you love – working very hard with the job which you are enthusiastic about, then you will find your dream.
- The common sense isn’t that common – what everyone believes in usually is wrong, don’t just believe in those saying of most people, with doing any research.
- Study the history because something happened before, it also might happen in the future.
- It’s a Chinese century, so to learn Chinese! And participate in a great country occur, to buy the future of this country. In fact, in his book, he advocated learning English, Chinese and Spanish as many languages will disappear with time but these are the 3 that is likely to remain.

I particularly like his epilogue, where he shared the rules that he would want his 2 daughters to always bear in mind. Some of them are as follows:-

1. Always buy quality products. They last longer and retain more value.

2. Always eat before you go grocery shopping. If you are hungry, you will end up eating/buying more food.

3. Never ask someone how much money he/she makes or how much something cost. Never tell someone how much your things costs. Never discuss how much money you make or have. Because it is ostentious and poor manners. Prove yourself by your actions rather than by talking about money. [Certainly, I do hope my own daughter will not grow up like that too].

4. If you borrow money, pay it back on time, if not in advance. Good credit is vital. A bad credit will haunt you for a long time.

5. Be wary. Learn that many men who look old enough to be your father or grandfather do not think of you as the daughter or granddaughter.

6. Take care of yourself. It is difficult to be successful if you aren’t healthy and well-rested.

7. Always be early for appointments. You will be much more efficient with your time and will make a very good impression since many arrive late – some repeatedly late.

8. Learn to stay calm – especially in times of pressure or turmoil. You will make much better decisions plus everyone will soon notice you are calm under pressure when others are not.

9. Last but not least, and this is also one of the things I would want to instill in my daughter – As you get older, you will have to deal with boys. The basic principle is – They need you more than you need them. They will make millions of promises in their frantic pursuit of you. Just ignore them and stay true to yourself. Don’t let compliments and flattery get into your head. Do not follow the boys to a different school or job, etc. Make the boy follow you.

Interesting read!