Tag Archives: #Achievement

Cluster of Blessings

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Hey.

We realized…

…that what we’re doing…

…is anti-fragile in nature.

How, you ask.

Since what we’re doing is in stocks. Equity. Robust at best. Not anti-fragile.

?

Well, take a definition, and expand it a bit, and the definition starts to make broader sense. One draws on the definition, and creates a utility for that definition in one’s own line of work. That’s what we’ve done. Creator of the term anti-fragile, Mr. Taleb, could turn around and say, hey, you’ve just taken my thing and used it in your thing. Of course we’ve done that. We stand on the shoulders of giants, giants like Mr. Taleb. And now we’ve got his thing, projecting onto our thing, making something new out of our thing. Bottomline, we have a thing that is anti-fragile, and Taleb gets credit for his thing starting to develop universality, at least across another asset class.

So how are we doing stocks in an anti-fragile manner?

We benefit from chaos, volatility, uncertainty, fear and the like.

How?

Before these conditions cause mayhem in stocks, we have gravitated, in a growth market, over the years, to exhibit meaningful holding power. Both mentally, and financially. So, what do we possess before topsy turvy conditions, like now? Holding power.

What else are we armed with?

Liquidity.

Liquidity is a state of mind. Our state of mind causes us to be liquid at the right time.

Next.

We have…

…high conviction. In a basket of market players. Our due diligence regimen, over decades, has allowed us the means to recognize such stocks. In these, we have developed what?

High conviction.

We are itching to buy these underlyings, at huge…

…margins of safety.

Cut to current conditions. Chaos, volatility, uncertainty, fear, war, maniac, missiles, nuclear threat and what have you.

The margin of safety that we look for starts to abound. We accumulate high conviction underlyings, over multiple buys, ending up with low buying averages.

As conditions amplify, buying averages get lower. We are benefiting from chaotic conditions in that our buying averages are getting lower and lower.

Perceptions change for the better. They always do. Gone is 1929, where it took the better part of two decades for circumstances to change. Till 2019, one used to talk about max 15 to 18 months being the length of a bear market. Information flows very fast. When efficient, whenever that is, markets are then super-efficient. Factoring in is taking days, perhaps only a day. A change in perception is incorporating very, very fast. Frankly, we’re talking months, not even years. And, we’re mentally and financially prepared, with our holding power, for a time-frame measured in years.

Comes the turnaround. Sooner than later, such are the times.

Our low buying averages multiply fast. In fact, very fast. The lower they are, in our high conviction holdings, the faster they multiply. We start to hold many 2-baggers in 3 to 6 months, for example.

Now we call the shots. In fact, our very low buying averages do.

We can choose to pull our principal out, full 100%, at 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or what have you, depending on our muse.

The moment we go cost-free, we have moved into 100% margin of safety. Nothing can break our cost-free-ness (except ourselves). We can choose to leave our cost-free-ness to our children, by which time it will have majorly compounded. Since we have no principal invested in our cost-free-ness, we won’t be in a hurry to liquidate it. In fact, we won’t even be looking at it.

We’re calling our low buying averages anti-fragile. The lower they get, the more anti-fragile they behave in the aftermath of chaos. We’re adding an allowance towards fast incorporation of change in perception to the definition of anti-fragile, because of which our inherently anti-fragile low buying averages get to benefit from their anti-fragile nature (thanks again to Nassim Nicholas Taleb for giving us the framework of anti-fragility).

And what are we calling our cost-free-ness? I mean, it is seeming to be beyond fragility. It is giving benefit beyond any scale. Generational benefit. I don’t have a name for this effect, yet.

Our cost-free-ness has generated generational well-being. It has allowed us to not liquidate it, by the state of mind it has caused in us. It has allowed itself to be passed on.

Hmmm. Taking a phrase from Nichiren Buddhism, it is our…

…cluster of blessings…

…that we pass on…

…to the next generation.

Holding

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Hey.

I hold…

…my course.

Steering gets tough at times.

The most difficult time to continue holding…

…is during adversity.

The line held drops for a bit.

One veers off the path.

While off, there’s a lot of reflection.

Was one better off on course?

There was stability.

Routine.

Continuity.

A logical conclusion.

Satisfaction.

Achievement.

Success.

Etc.

Whilst off, random, non-linked and irrational causes are created.

These causes are useless in the long-term scheme of things. In fact, their effects hamper.

So, how to continue to stay on course, especially during adversity? Nichiren Buddhism shows the way.

One can pick up activities that simultaneously create good causes.

One can set a daily goal.

Each day one strives to achieve the goal.

While doing (these), one forgets the circumstance, the adversity or the whatever that’s been bothering one.

However, if one is not comfortable following a set formula, on a personal note one could well establish one’s own methods of making powerful good causes too.

The feeling of immersion and happiness emerging from the good causes created engulfs the persona and takes one forward steadfastly into the day, and to a night of satisfying sleep.

There will be a next time, when holding will look difficult.

At the next juncture, one will try and remember that one successfully navigated through last time.

And, that one can repeat the strategy that saw one through, to see one through yet again.

Taking this loop to the nth, life becomes a ballad of ons and off, with resolute efforts to get back on after each off.

Vital towards getting back on are good fortune earned from the many good causes created, and will power strengthened from multiple jumps back on.

Constriction

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Nobody likes constriction.

It …

… limits, …

… suffocates …

… and tries to lower one’s self-esteem.

Have been constricted.

Circumstances all around border on criminal society, fascism and unnecessary limits applied to everyday life, even home life.

There’ve been two ways to go.

One is to crumble.

The other is to find pathways.

In alleys.

Corners.

Cloud.

Navigation.

Codes.

Systems.

MultiTasking.

Covert efficiency.

Knowledge acquisition

Application.

When nothing works for one on the outside, we go into achievement mode on the inside.

I speak for those who decide not to crumble.

Times will change.

They always have.

It’s dictators that have crumbled.

They’ve not been able to conquer time.

We keep ourselves functional till our time comes.

When it does …

… and it will, …

… our added soft assets will shine forth …

… not only with a vengeance, …

… but will be impossible to ignore.

Achievement is just an add-on.

Survival is a far more precious memory.

Getting the Number

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There comes a time in life…

…when you are in a position to make defining statements about yourself.

This is what you don’t like doing.

Shove it out. Except what you can’t.

This is what you like doing. 

Amongst what you like doing, this is what is beneficial for you.

Make a list for this last category. 

A.

B.

C.

D.

E…

…etc.

Get the number…

…in these categories.

What does that mean?

It means, scale these activities up. 

There will be resistance. 

Don’t bother. 

It’s your lot in life. 

This is what you’ve come to do. 

First up, you’re going to do it. 

Many times, you’ll find yourself slipping into the other category, of things that you like doing, but which are not necessarily beneficial for you. 

Fine.

Please yourself. 

That’s also what you’ve come to do. 

When you’ve had your heart’s content of pleasure, please come back to the originally earmarked category. 

Intermittently, you’ll be doing stuff that you don’t like doing, but aren’t able to shove out. 

This stuff is also good for you,…

…because, it teaches. 

Just do it with that attitude. 

Once you’ve gotten your numbers in your earmarked category, you can shift gears a bit. 

Voila, you start doing stuff that benefits others. 

Your stomach is full.

You’ve achieved. 

It doesn’t give you a kick anymore. 

Now, benefitting others will give you a kick. 

Go for it. 

Get your number here. 

Of course.

It’s something you came to do too. 

Make sure you get here. 

Don’t get stuck somewhere before you reach it. 

From Target to Target

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What’s your target?

Big one?

Fine. Good for you. Nothing wrong with having a big target. Go for it.

Big targets appear far.

That will need to be tackled.

Why so?

Because big targets are big, they take … you guessed it … time.

Getting to the big target requires handling time.

Yeah, that’s the killer.

Barely anyone around claims to manage time successfully.

Managing time can also mean inaction.

Barely anyone acknowledges that.

Time does us in.

We lose sight of the big target.

Game over?

Or is it?

No, not game over.

Nobody’s telling anyone to not have a big target.

Have it. Fine.

However, have many small ones.

Yeah. Many small targets.

Move from small target to small target.

That’s how you bridge your month, week, or even your day.

Oh, one other thing.

As far as the big target is concerned, forget about time.

Then, as you move from small target to small target, and you’ve forgotten about time, well, voilà, guess what just arrived…?

Yeah, your big target.

Cheers!

It Boils Down to Good Governance 

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India’s at the Olympics and all. 

We’ve had near misses. 

Sure. 

Athletes qualified fair and square. 

Not a word against India’s squad. 

They’re really trying very hard. One of our gymnasts has even risked her life by vaulting a successful Produnova. Rio-presence is achievement-based, not nepotism-based. It’s tough. It’s incorruptibly monitored. Footfall is highest ever. Indians have made the international cut in many events, like never before. Finishes are all decent. A few finishes are very, very decent, missing the podium by decimals. Our athletes deserve some podium finishes. 

However, what are 80 Indian officials doing in Rio, accompanying a squad of 119? Only a few of these 80 are allowed arena access. The rest are what? Long live the exchequer? We build up the exchequer by paying our taxes. We’d like to see its contents used judiciously. 

Let’s cast a glance at how our officials are conducting themselves at Rio. Actually, we’ll leave it at the official warning they’ve just received to behave themselves. SHAME SHAME. 

Is this good governance? 

NO. 

Do our officials deserve a podium finish?  

No. 

We’ll have to spend where it counts, on facilities, proper diets and trained physios. We’ll have to save on useless paraphernalia. Red-tape be damned. We’ll have to embrace good governance. We do want podium finishes, don’t we?

One looks up to one’s peers. If they’re corrupt, out of shape and / or out of whack, even the best athlete suffers a psychological downer. Our officials will need to trim down and get their acts together. All of them will need to behave like exemplary ambassadors of the country. They will need to give their wards that psychological boost. Coaches will themselves need to be in shape, to set good examples. Podium finishes will then be around the corner. 

Cut to stock-selection. 

The biggest and first thing to look for is good governance. 

Just cut all the nonsense out of the way, first up, because where you find good governance, you won’t find nonsense. 

It all boils down to good governance. 

What Do You Live For?

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From target to target…

…what are we striving for really?

We achieve… and move on. 

Next step, please.

Yeah, that is a recurring phrase / question on my mind. 

I climb a small step, and I ask myself – what is the next step?

Then comes identification of this next step. 

Then comes climbing of it. 

Then comes the question again. 

What is the next step?

One can go on and on like this. 

What is it that we actually want to achieve?

Goals will come and go. 

Something or the other will always be out of whack. 

You fix it. 

Something else starts to bother you. 

You fix that. 

Then something else. 

You get the picture. 

The question being asked here is … what is the driving force? What gives us satisfaction? What are we in it for?

Different people might give different answers. 

My take is that it boils down to one thing. 

The feeling of exhilaration…after a target…that endorphin burst…that sense of having gotten somewhere…that excitement about being on the right track…about being vindicated…that something…however which way you wish to describe it…is it. It is that what we strive for. I feel so. At the centre of things in life, is the desire for that state of being. My humble opinion. 

I try and stay with it. Once that feeling comes, that is. If comes off and on. There are so many targets in life, mostly small ones. So the endorphin burst happens quite often actually. For that matter it happens while exercising too. Whenever it happens, however it happens, I try to stay with it. I try to enjoy that moment. That moment gives it all a very beautiful meaning. 

Staying with the moment…didn’t someone else say that? Wasn’t it the Dalai Lama?