Struggling Well

I think this is one of the most enlightening videos I’ve seen concerning learning and struggling. I think the natural approach to struggle is to avoid it. Struggling is hard, it forces us to change, and goes contrary to what we most want, which is comfort and convenience. What we need to learn more than anything is to struggle well. Sometimes I get into the habit of thinking that if I do a certain task, or perform in a desirable way, then I can avoid struggling. Or if I earn a certain amount of income, my struggles would be overcome. It’s hard not to dream of having all our problems, afflictions and struggles to be completely over.

Concerning the video, I think that this could completely revolutionize the way children are taught, and consequently, how we learn as a society. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are going to struggle. What happens after we are faced with conflict is going to help shape the way we face future problems. If we only give each other praise when we get things right, then we will not only avoid struggle, but we’ll feel as if we’ve failed when we do go through tough times. If we can’t immediately remedy our situation, our initial reaction will be a feeling of hopelessness instead of being ok not knowing the answers. We could either struggle well or struggle poorly, but we will struggle.

03May20171353531493837633.jpg?resize=620%2C465

As value investors, our portfolios aren't going to be bulletproof. The 1.6% decline in the S&P 500 could have created some losses in your portfolio as it did mine. But market fluctuations in the short term should stop us from investing for the long haul. Stocks are becoming a little cheaper, but that doesn't mean they aren't still overvalued. Stocks would have to seriously correct before they are fairly valued, let alone cheap. Looking at the Shiller P/E ratio, at 26.4 the market is just barely under the ratio it was at before the financial crisis of 2008.

03May20171353531493837633.png

With that being said, market fluctuations will come and go. Our struggle may be to hold fast to our positions, or be afraid to buy into a decline. No matter where you are in your investing time frame, its always good to take a step back and appreciate the process you're going through as an investor. Look at how far you've come, and let that motivate you to continue forward.