The global Pokemon craze invaded Singapore a few days back. The streets were horded with people from all walks of life, lured to these PokeStops scattered all over the island. I do not remember Singapore's Park Connector Network (PCN) ever being this crowded. People could easily mistaken it for Pokemon Connector Network (PCN too!). *Pun intended!* Singaporeans were basically camping at places such as Yishun Park, Punggol Waterway, Bedok Reservoir, etc. to hunt for Pokemon!
Pokemon Go Gamers can be Good Investors. They should be!
I do believe Pokemon Go Gamers have the mental and emotional tools to be good investors. However, if only people were as crazy about their financial health, putting this obsession and their resources to achieve other results, they could be very successful in "retiring" earlier.
To clarify the term - "good investors", I am referring to investors that are investing to achieve financial freedom and retire early. I believe that investing is not all about the products. It’s about the process. A good investor has to be committed because it is a long marathon to see some results.
Diligent and Passionate
Pokemon Go Gamers have to basically Walk, Walk, Walk, Camp, then Walk, Walk, Walk, and Camp (again; repeat). Your chances of catching Pokemon increases as you walk around. If you were not diligent and passionate, chances are you would have probably given up.
Investing can be a lengthy and tiring process. This process includes continuous learning, being diligent in your savings, budgeting, risk & money management, patience in investing, learning from failures, and the list goes on.
People tend to like the easy way. After a few setbacks, they might think investing is not for everyone. What keeps them going? You have to be diligent. You have to be passionate about investing. Never giving up! Remember, it is a marathon.
Focus on their Mission
Pokemon Go Gamers are so focused, bowing their heads down, trying to collect imaginary pets. In fact, they were so focused that there were reports of people getting into accidents while playing Pokemon Go.
To myself and many others alike, achieving financial freedom is like a marathon. You have to stay focus. You have to focus on the mission. This mission (to me) is compounding my investment till my cash flow exceeds the expenditure of my desired lifestyle.
However Pokemon Go Gamers beware, avoid the herd mentality
I believe Pokemon Go is truly a phenomenon that transcends age, gender and culture. There are bound to be people just following the trend blindly. In human history, there is always the tendency of people mimicking or emulating the actions of other people in a large group. Often, herd behavior is the result of going with the crowd. This is especially true in investing.
Some people are heavily influenced by the actions of their friends or relatives. "If everybody around is investing in a particular stock, I should do the same." Beware! This might backfire. There is surely a reason why the world's greatest investor Warren Buffett said, "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful!"
Summary
In summary, as mentioned earlier, if Pokemon Go Gamers were as crazy about their financial health, putting this obsession and their resources to achieve other results, they should achieve their financial freedom easily (if they choose to).
Transfer that diligence, passion and focus to investing early!
