Temptations

Temptations

Patience is a highly sought virtue. To be patient is to wait, to be able to mentally insert a wedge between a linked stimulus and response and so place a stop on repetitive, habitual, often destructive behavior. Patience gives you a moment to access, step back from the brink, and bring yourself back into balance.

The idea is that we restrain our will to stop an impulsive or destructive action (often based on short term relief from tension or instant gratification) and in doing so, turn our energy in a constructive or creative direction – to use our will in a directly beneficial way. Patience, then, is the mental reflection of the restraint of will.

Dr. Gerald Epstein


There are many temptations out there to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. Dare I say...the worst thing. Stay vigilant and above all else “be aware” of what is going on around you; Stay focused on your core principles that have been honed by the hard experience you have gained while in the market. If you find yourself becoming emotional, step back and do nothing. Take a walk out in nature, relax and regain your composure.

Good investing takes discipline and patience and I don’t want to gloss over those two words. Discipline is a system of rules, or a systematic method, a control obtained by enforcing compliance. Patience is the ability to wait til your environment presents you with an opportunity to take advantage of your process. It is operating in the eternal now which is part of your awareness of being.

Its important to keep those two things in mind because there is so much bad advice out there waiting to snare the unknowing investor that it can be difficult to keep one self grounded in the reality of doing the right thing for your own long term good.

The constant noise and manipulation from the media will buffet the individual investor to the point where he becomes lost and out to sea. You have to insulate yourself from these negative influences. Again I draw upon the metaphor of acting like a cat. Be solitary in your investing decisions. Don’t discuss what you are doing in the market with anyone. Chances are, whatever they say to you will only introduce doubt into your mind and doubt is the devil, instead draw upon your own hard experience that you have accumulated over the years. When you lose money in the market it is a hard lesson but it is a lesson learned well. That will be one of your most important resources.