Your "Why" Must Be Stronger Than Your "Why Not"

   There are ups and downs in investing. Stock markets crash, real estate bubbles burst, and economies generally act much like the weather: millions of different predictions and only a few will have the ability to say “I told you so.” Even then it will only be with the benefit of hindsight that they are credible. The ability to push through the trying times and make good opportunities out of bad moments or markets is what truly separates the real investors from the ones who thought it sounded sexy but then realized it was hard. The thing that will determine your ability to see things through is your why. Your why is the reason or reasons you are investing: your ultimate goal. This why must be so powerful that it is stronger than bubbles, stronger than recessions, stronger even than an entire country in depression. Your why must be strong enough to force you to constantly evaluate what you are doing, how you are doing it, and will force you to acknowledge your failures in order to become better able to achieve it. Have you thought about your why? I would say that a powerful enough why doesn’t need to be thought about; it is always there in your mind, helping direct everything you do. In my case, there are many small whys and a few very large ones.

   There are a million why nots that exist. You must have a powerful enough army and Generals of whys to defeat them.