I've had a number of phone calls over the past several months asking what to do about the stock market. I repeatedly tell them "Maintain a disciplined investment approach." Translation: don’t get spooked by market volatility.
Unfortunately, individual investors rarely heed that advice. What's up with that? Walmart has a 30% off sale and everyone flocks to the store. The stock market has the same sale and everyone avoids it like the plague.
Indeed, many studies show that investors often panic in the face of market uncertainty and sell at exactly the point when they should be buying. The news media certainly does its part to stir up anxiety about the markets. After all, "Market Crash of 2008!!!" sells more headlines than "Stay the course." This barrage of panic-inducing messages makes it that much harder for investors to remain calm and focused on their investment plan and their time horizon.
People need to be reminded again and again that during times of volatility, the best course of action is to stick to a well-designed game plan.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Instant Replay
"Our lives are a mere dot on the long line of eternity."
Driving in my truck this past weekend, my two backseat drivers (Emily, age 8 and Katelyn, age 7) noticed that I went through an intersection and when doing so, the light turned from amber to red. We had a short discussion as to whether or not I ran the red light. Jokingly, I told Emily that we could look at the “instant replay”. She innocently asked me if we really could. I told her that there was indeed instant replay, but we would not be able to see it until we get to heaven. Katelyn jumped in “like they have in NASCAR?” Emily quickly responded “yeah, but probably with a lot more cameras.”
What a great, but simple lesson that fell right into my lap that I was immediately able to teach my girls. Every action we take, whether or not there is someone there to see it, is recorded. God sees everything we do and hears everything we say. Before we take action, or react negatively to a situation, we need to ask ourselves…what is this going to look like on instant replay?
Simply take a count of five before reacting to a situation (if that doesn’t work, take a count of fifty!). As you will agree, most of us find it is hard enough to change ourselves. It is even more difficult to change others. So if you're getting stressed over other people's actions, change how you react, rather than expecting others to change. As you change, watch the people change around you! I promise you this will look exceptional on Heaven’s instant replay!
Driving in my truck this past weekend, my two backseat drivers (Emily, age 8 and Katelyn, age 7) noticed that I went through an intersection and when doing so, the light turned from amber to red. We had a short discussion as to whether or not I ran the red light. Jokingly, I told Emily that we could look at the “instant replay”. She innocently asked me if we really could. I told her that there was indeed instant replay, but we would not be able to see it until we get to heaven. Katelyn jumped in “like they have in NASCAR?” Emily quickly responded “yeah, but probably with a lot more cameras.”
What a great, but simple lesson that fell right into my lap that I was immediately able to teach my girls. Every action we take, whether or not there is someone there to see it, is recorded. God sees everything we do and hears everything we say. Before we take action, or react negatively to a situation, we need to ask ourselves…what is this going to look like on instant replay?
Simply take a count of five before reacting to a situation (if that doesn’t work, take a count of fifty!). As you will agree, most of us find it is hard enough to change ourselves. It is even more difficult to change others. So if you're getting stressed over other people's actions, change how you react, rather than expecting others to change. As you change, watch the people change around you! I promise you this will look exceptional on Heaven’s instant replay!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)