The invisible hand of the market has proven to be a working metaphor since it was first introduced by Adam Smith in ‘The Theory of Moral Sentiments’ in 1759, and in ‘The Wealth of Nations’ in 1776. This metaphor describes the self-regulating behavior of the marketplace. It basically describes how the interests of a few individuals to maximize their own profits in a free market can benefit society as a whole. This has proven to work because for example, the interests of Bill Gates and his partners to make a profit by starting Microsoft has helped revolutionized the computer age which led to the internet, and then… Facebook, Twitter and of course YouTube!
At the time, this was a new view of economics and it has led us to the most respected and most trusted stock market in history. The financial markets are simply a ‘shop’ which is used to buy and sell securities. Today, the markets are almost invariably hosted on computer-based electronic trading systems. Our country has a well respected stock market because our government has never defaulted on its debt, and our companies are very well regulated, compared to the rest of the world.
Imagine trying to invest in a company in Greece or Afghanistan or even Syria? You probably wouldn’t feel comfortable because Greece is in the verge of bankruptcy (again), Afghanistan and Syria are in war and their constitution aren’t enforced, so the chances of the company you invest in to succeed and make consistent profits are pretty slim and the chances of losing are very high. This is the reason why wealthy individuals throughout the world invest their money in the United States, we are a safe haven. Obviously the country isn’t perfect but in my eyes (compared to what I’ve seen and experienced) it is the utopia of the world.
Our economy has its ups and downs, but that’s the beauty of it. There is no such thing as consistent profits forever. Every company that exists today will fail or be sold off at some point, not because the world is cruel but because the world changes. A very small percentage of people still buy desktops and flip-phones, everyone seems to want thinner laptops and tablets. If a company continues to make only desktops and flip phones do you think they will succeed in the US? Things change, people change, our wants change and our needs change. Because of this, companies are always going to be looking for the next best thing, and the ones that don’t look for the next best thing, will slowly fade away.
There is more that needs to be done. If we work toward them, they will all, at some point be granted. Tim wrote an article about MLK and the 50 year anniversary of the famous March on Washington and how President Obama, the first African American elected president stated that “… in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.” Remember, follow your goals and don’t worry because worrying causes fear, and fear can be crippling. As Steve Jobs said “…have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
Also: INVEST, INVEST, INVEST! Make your money work for you! The odds are on your side, don’t listen to those naysayers trying to talk you out of investing your money. If you truly believe in the success of a company after you educate yourself about it, invest in it (but don’t speculate). Those ‘naysayers’ are probably the ones that still believe desktops are a new trend.
GOOD BUSINESS 