Tom Petty had a song called “The Waiting Is the Hardest Part” and it is so true in so many facets of our lives. We want things and we want them now. But why are we so impulsive? What is this need for immediate gratification? Patience is a virtue, and good things come to those who wait, but like Tom Petty says, waiting is hard.
Somehow speed is ingrained in our culture. In order to get better, you must get faster. In sports, there are many events based on speed. The Indy 500, The Kentucky Derby and the 100m dash captivate our interests as we marvel at their speed.
Business communication has changed dramatically over the generations in the name of speed. The post office could deliver business documents across town in a few days. Courier companies like FedEx came along and could do it overnight. Email can now do it instantaneously.
The pharmaceutical industry markets its products based on how quickly it can cure you. How many times have you heard them say “fast acting, overnight relief”.
And we have a multi-billion-dollar fast food industry. You can get a hamburger, fries and a drink in a minute without even getting out of your car.
Unfortunately, our demands for instant service have long term health effects. People get frustrated standing in line or being put on hold. Stress levels increase which can lead to serious health problems and people have road rage and get violent on the highway if someone else slows them down.
As a society, we need to slow down and take a breath. We do not have to force the issue. Sometimes, let it come to us. Rome was not built in a day; slow and steady wins the race.; stop and smell the roses are all phrases we have heard reminding us to relax and not to be so impulsive.
I learned my lesson the last few weeks. I had a higher-than-normal failure rate with picks that were made this month for one reason. I was too impulsive with the MACD (noving average convergence divergence). I was using the change in direction of the MACD as a confirming signal. Had I waited for the MACD lines to intersect, it would have been far more effective. Many of the losing picks would not have been made generating a greater profit margin. I fell into the trap of impulsiveness to my detriment. Lesson learned.
As a result, waiting for the MACD to intersect instead of changing direction was a contributing factor for successful picks made this week. Freeport-McMoran gained 5.8% this week after closing its position. We are shorting stocks this week and Haliburton and VFC Corporation are dropping like a stone earning 10.3% and 9.6% respectively in three days at Friday’s close.
Go to twopercentgoal.com and sign up for the daily email to see picks that are poised for a 2% gain within a week. The email is free for the first 30 days and then $49/month thereafter. Relax and let it come to you. Don’t force it. Good luck with your investments.
Al