Don't entertain fear

I saw the movie ‘’Justice League” recently and it delivered just what it promised; excitement, adrenaline rush and the desire for more. I am not usually a movie fanatic, but this by far surpasses any fictional movie I have seen in a while. I hear Thor is good too, but I am yet to see that.

Justice League is basically about the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes who recruit a strategy to fight against a newly awakened enemy who has tried to instill fear and pain into citizens of that nation while stealing their mother boxes. The mother boxes are major sources of power and unity and the enemy stole this before they formed the rescue league to retrieve them back to their community.

Fear is healthy. It is an essential instinct that has kept humans alive. We all know that gut-level feeling of fear, followed by a reaction of fight or flight. When fear strikes in the investment world, we often see investors trip and stumble as the urge to flee takes over. A race for the exits can be costly, and with the benefit of hindsight, is often the wrong reaction.

When the market gets scary what other option can one employ rather than fleeing the scene? People new to investing in stocks associate it with intense feelings of fear and stress. Investing in anything, especially the stock market, when you don’t know anything can be scary and incomprehensible. Learning how to invest and understanding what you are investing in will give you the confidence you need over time to start putting your money into the stock market.

When a car is overheating for example, and suddenly goes up in flames, there is a natural instinct of fear and flight for safety and self-preservation, but not all unsettling situations require flight. If we immediately run from every loud or unfamiliar noise, we would probably be on the run all day long.

Imagine waking up on a Saturday morning and the first headline you read in the dailies is ‘’ Largest investment bomb, profits vanish’’, that would scare any investor and prompt irrational action. However, the thoughtful investor puts these scary events into perspective and processes the facts, before taking action.

There are a few tips you can use to eliminate fear, and subsequently become a successful investor in Nigeria and around the world. The first tip is to educate yourself. Having knowledge is an essential asset to becoming successful. When you are educated on the market, and learn what to watch for, you will gain an understanding of when to buy and sell and feel more comfortable making decisions.

You need to set reasonable goals. Ask yourself this question: Where do you see yourself in five years? Setting goals allows you to overpower fear with determination. Once your desired outcome is set, you put yourself in a compelling and motivational place to achieve those goals. You must also have an investment strategy to work with. When you have a plan, your strategy must be comprehensible enough to enable you execute it. Here, we equip you with tools and resources that will help you achieve your goals.

Sometimes not everything goes as planned, so don’t feel discouraged. There is always room for improvement and as long as you do not let fear cripple you, you become like the heroes in Justice League who didn’t allow fear cripple them. They fought back and retrieved the mother boxes which brought back hope and unity to their community. Kick against your fears for beyond them lies greatness!