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Stock investing is the most popular way to build wealth and diversify income, with more than half of US households having some form of investment in the stock market. And while stock investing is indeed a great method for making your money work for you and attaining your financial goals, there are plenty of other things it can offer to individuals looking to succeed.
With that in mind, this article will go through some of the most important career and life lessons we can all learn from stock investing.
Always have a plan
In everything you do, the most crucial factor to your success is having a plan. Whether it’s with regard to the stock market or your life in general, making time to sit down and craft a plan can help you become better at managing your energy and resources. A plan can also prepare you for uncertainties and help you manage risks better, helping you stay motivated and committed.
A great plan usually starts with a clear set of goals: What exactly do you want to achieve, and by when? These goals can then be subdivided into chunks, which will be the basis of your general strategies and more specific plans of action.
Be patient
Good things come to those who wait. And true enough, patient traders are usually the ones who report greater profits off of their investments. That’s because they didn’t let short-term hardships shake their resolve and cause them to act impulsively.
Instead, they stayed calm, stood by their long-term plan, and gracefully dealt with the ups and downs of the market. In the end, they are able to achieve the rewards they are aiming for. To achieve greater things in life, you have to learn to believe in the power of delayed gratification and not let challenges throw you off course.
Keep learning
It may be a cliché, but knowledge truly is power. In stock investing, you can build your knowledge by reading books or listening to podcasts, or even working with a financial planner. Depending on your chosen brokerage account, you can get access to expertise that can help you with portfolio management and sound financial advice in exchange for advisory fees. But if you’re looking to save on brokerage costs, then it’s a good idea to choose a brokerage account without those services and do the research yourself. Either way, it’s important that you approach investing — and your career and life — with an open mind so you can make the most out of every experience.
In addition to having an open mind, you can also become a perpetual learner by enhancing your skills through online courses and taking short-term projects outside of work.
Decide based on logic not feelings
According to a recent study, behavioral biases influenced by emotion can easily undermine effective investment decision-making. For instance, the fear of negative outcomes can keep an investor from switching out a poorly performing investment for a more promising one.
To keep yourself from missing out on both investment and career opportunities, you have to learn how to decide based on logic and not feelings. Try engaging in mindfulness exercises so you’re more aware of what you’re feeling in every moment, and can move beyond fear and impulse.
Believe in yourself
No amount of technical analysis and market research, will give you the one “right” way to successful stock investing. The same principle applies to life, which is why it’s necessary for people to start believing in themselves. Sure, you can benefit from following the crowd, but you’ll be able to gain a lot more when you go against it and develop your own opinion about things.
Strong self-belief can also help you stay level-headed and free you from anxiety, which can make you doubt your decisions and cause you to panic. To further improve your self-esteem and sense of self, take the time to familiarize yourself with your strengths and practice kind self-talk.
Embrace your mistakes
Mistakes are inevitable. At times, even with a lot of preparation, effort, and research, investors still end up picking the wrong stock and making the wrong investment decision. This is the reason why it’s better for individuals to embrace their mistakes, instead of trying so hard to avoid them.
By looking at mistakes as learning opportunities that can make you a better investor and a better person, it will become easier for you to keep your composure and focus. Remember that as long as you manage your risk wisely and maintain a positive attitude, you will always have the opportunity to recover from your mistakes.
Learn to let go
In addition to making the most out of the mistakes you make, you also have to learn how to move on from them. If you dwell on the losses you make or the failed stocks you have invested in, you might end up quitting even before you get substantial returns, or worse, make a revenge trade.
Revenge trading is when investors force a trade to recover from a previous loss. Sometimes, instead of trying to recover from a mistake, the best thing you can do is to let go and move on. It would be easier for you to let go of your mistakes if you recognize that they are necessary, forgive yourself every time negative thoughts cloud your mind.
As you can see, there’s more to stock investing than monetary gain. If you take every market shift and stock investment as a lesson, you’ll be able to live a more fulfilling and mindful life. For more inspirational tips on making the most out of your career, business, and life experiences, do explore our articles here on Absolute Baller.
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