Catalysts and Triggers
Posted on February 7, 2007 - Filed Under Philosophy |
"I could never do what you’re doing."
Slurping down his coffee, a fellow spectator at the local coffee shop commented on my choice to go homeless for a few months.
I want to believe his statement was a thinly veiled compliment, as I posses some kind of superior ability he lacks, preventing him from making the same decision or taking the same action.
But no superior ability is to be found.
I would argue most successful investors have an uncanny ability to be flexible. Market conditions change, circumstances change and the smart investors change with them.
When inflexibility is practiced, the opportunities afforded either pass by or are taken by those who are more flexible. Stating "I could never" automatically makes thinking rigid, thereby shutting down any or all creative thought required to achieve whatever the objective would have been.
Of course there are always mitigating circumstances. In my case, no wife or child accompany me on my adventure. Going homeless is definitely feasible. Does this mean my action would be impossible if I had a wife and child? I don’t believe so. In my travels I have known couples, some with children, who have taken residence with "mom and dad" in order to pay off crushing amounts of debt. The temporary living arrangement is just that: temporary.
Of course if the wife would agree to this or not is an entirely different topic altogether.
Is there really any mitigating circumstance that could truly block an objective from being reached? Could one hazard a statement, whereas "mitigating circumstances" are only as important as we make them?
Perhaps that is the trigger, the catalyst which necessitates action be taken. I’m referring to a situation requiring drastic measures. At that moment, one does not lend credence to the "I could never" mentality. "Mitigating circumstances" are silenced. Instead the mindset changes and asks "How can this be done?" This opens the door to any and all possibilities which may present themselves.
This applies to any investor, not matter what type. Whether it is real estate, stocks or comic books, investors with the skill of flexibility stand to have a higher degree of financial success than those that have none. Fortunately this skill is not hereditary. Rather it is learned, much like the other skills required in order to be successful.
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4 Responses to “Catalysts and Triggers”
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My dad taught me to never be afraid to ask, “Why?”
When people say, “I could never do what you’re doing.” I ask, “Why?”
When people tell “You can’t do that!” I ask, “Why?”
The answers I get are worth asking the question, if for no other reason than to watch the thought process as people struggle to articulate their inhibition.
I use to think like that. That is until the answers became so ridiculous that I had to stop asking. Sometimes I could barely contain my laughter. And laughing in someone’s face is not a way to encourage them.
I think that if they say they could never do that, then they’re right. Otherwise, I think the world is full of possibilities
I’m with you BM!