I’ve been addicted to reading about great military leaders to help drive my inspiration harder lately. Here is the pattern I am seeing:
- They get into their opponents heads before any bloodshed goes down…Almost always insuring victory
- They maintain lack of emotional response during tension
- They adapt to the circumstances of right now
How does this apply to investing:
For the first point: By having a level head, you do not need to depend on anyone else for anything. You know your numbers, strategy and action plan for buying or selling; the others usually do not. Therefore you have already won.
Second point: The only certainty in life is uncertainty…Those that get emotional at that reality are doomed, just like in the latest interview with Darrell Washington mentions, there is no way you will know EVERYTHING that will come up during a project. You just have to learn from mistakes, do better next time, and of course–always add contingency (e.g. if you are flipping a house, add 30% of additional repair funds to accommodate surprises).
What’s another example of this? Yes, Floyd Mayweather may be an ass, but he gets into his opponents heads WAYYY before the fight. Even just walking up to the fight. As shown above. HOW THE HELL DID HE KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE?!??!!?
Finally, the best leaders do not focus in on losing or even winning a battle, they hone in on what they need to do RIGHT NOW. Be it if they are in the middle of being shot at or preparing the plan.
There is no ‘reading a book’ on how to adapt to unexpected tension. It is a matter of purposefully throwing yourself in tense situations as much as possible. Just how General Patton would make a pattern of leading the front lines along with his infantry yelling “Another Patton will be joining the dead!”.
Now you’re probably asking yourself…Ivan! What the hell does this have to do with the title of being alone?!?!?!
First of all, stop yelling at me, that’s rude. And here’s the point:
- You can only pull trust into a deal, if you FIRST have confidence in the outcome
- You can only invest properly, if you FIRST do not allow your emotions to drive the numbers
- You can only be a part of an amazing partnership/relationship, if you FIRST do not depend on them for your stability
And to bring it all together, having this trifecta of a belief system on your own will drive you through the roof. I see TOO MANY PEOPLE holding onto the coat tails of their loved ones, partners or friends for their own well-being and guess what happens when they fail them?
Now is it easy to do that on your own? Not necessarily, in fact, our brains are made to make excuses & defend every single thing possible if we don’t reach a goal. Hell, I make excuses for my nonsense at least once a fiscal quarter.
If you need someone to help keep you accountable, sign up for the Alpha club for free exclusive content and personalized coaching opportunities from yours truly.
-Ivan
PS: When I say to pick up these skills on your own, don’t take it into your entire existence because you can only scale your operation up if you have a solid team & love backing you. Don’t end up forever alone like Ralph Wiggum.
