I have a good friend that reminds me to make a conscious effort to change and anticipate change because change is going to happen whether I like it or not.
This is great advice and when I have paid attention and applied this strategy, the long-term benefits have far outweighed the inevitable short-term pain. Change is not always easy to do; we all get comfortable with many aspects of our lives because of our need for certainty.
Our need for certainty can make change almost impossible to implement because of the fear of not knowing what will happen next. This is unsettling for many of us.
Our team and some of our clients recently took the time to go to the L.A. Midnight Mission and serve lunch to the homeless. Before lunch, we took a tour of the facility and learned more about the history of the mission as well as those who benefit from their services. What I thought was both sad and fascinating, was that some of the homeless have been using the services of the Mission for many years. We were informed that some of the best social services in the State were within a few blocks and there was the option of free health care, dental, food, etc. Once the basics of life are met for some, the possibilities of what they can become in life become dwarfed by the need to be certain that they will never go without these necessities. This is just a basic need for survival but the point is for some of them, they could change and be self-sufficient if they wanted to. There would be some pain, uncertainty and growth, but the long-term benefits to their self confidence and to society in general would be monumental.
What needs to change in our lives? How can we become better at anticipating changes that will happen? How can we enjoy the process of changing and make change a part of who we are?
All the change that is going on in the world is causing uncertainty in the markets. This is the short-term pain that we are experiencing by excess volatility. This is centered in Europe for now, but are Europe’s problems our future problems?
I want to remind you that we have an investment process that is all about change. We are not Bullish or Bearish; we are realistic to what is actually going on. When the trends change, we change. It is an unemotional, mathematically calculated process that drives our decisions. Our Mantra is “Process Over Attitude and Opinion.”
Change is here to stay and we will do everything we can to embrace and anticipate how that will affect your money!
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