Bangalore: There are two primary choices we have in life..

1.To accept conditions as they exist, or

2.To accept the responsibility for changing them

If you are an investor, 2012 again presents these two choices to you.

Changing your investing life , the way you think about and treat your hard-earned money , can seem an incredibly tough and complicated thing.This is especially true if you've failed a great number of times (like I did), and resigned yourself to not changing.

'This is tough!' I used to tell myself after every failure with my investments.

'Will I ever become a good stock picker?' I told myself every time I suffered a loss.

'Who would want to read what I write on stock market investing?' I doubted as I was beginning on the Safal Niveshak initiative.

These negative thoughts enveloped my mind each time I failed.But among all these negative thoughts, I found a way to change.That way was to accept the responsibility for my conditions, and changing them for the better.

Today, I'm not a better investor than you or anyone else, not more disciplined, not more motivated. I just learned a few simple principles that changed my life'that helped me become a better investor (and a better person) than I was a few years back.

And what are these principles that changed my life?

1. Start very small
2. Ask questions even at the risk of sounding foolish
3. Be present and enjoy working hard on your investing 'now' (and don't worry about the future)
4. Lay great importance on investing education to remove the poor results that 'ignorance' brings
5. Save enough to be able to provide for yourself and your family's future needs
6. You don't need millions of rupees in your bank account to spend time with friends and family or pursue your passions - so stop worrying about the millions and enjoy your time in the company of your family and friends.
7. Don't chase money-instead live a content and fulfilling life
8. Be ethical, even when not being so could earn you more money easily
9. Be grateful for the money you already have for not many have even that much
10. Believe that you alone are the most capable person alive to manage your money

As you sow, so shall you reap

Most of us understand the concept of sowing and reaping because we can grasp the simplicity of the logic.If we were to plant potatoes in our backyard we wouldn't expect onions to come up, right?

But even though we can grasp this simple logic, we don't always act as if we understand its immense power.

However, the truth remains that we always reap what we sow and that is especially true with our investments.

Think about this. Your success as an investor is not limited by your environment or what others believe you are capable of achieving.You can create your investing success simply by working hard on your investing skills and then believing in yourself.

And believe me, this means a lot right now more than at any other time in our lifetime.

The investing environment continues to be tough, and with the current world economic conditions, they may be getting even tougher.

But that's exactly why today, more than ever, you need a little something extra. You need an edge an advantage unlike anything you've ever had before.

And for that, you must make the choice

Not to accept conditions as they exist by depending on someone else to make investment decisions on your behalf

but to accept the responsibility for changing your existing conditions, and to work towards becoming an independent, and more thoughtful investor.

This works. Give it a try in 2012.

The author is Vishal Khandelwal, promoter of Safal Niveshak. Vishal, with his vast experience as a stock market analyst trains people to become sensible and successful investors. You can read his articles and reach him through http://www.safalniveshak.com//