I have a philosophy on fighting, and much of it I derived from the reality TV series called Naked and Afraid.
The show chronicles the attempts of two participants, one male and one female, to survive together for 21 days in the wild with no water, food, shelter, or clothing — except what they can find on their own. I watch it for the insights into human nature, psychology, and man’s will to live through extreme adversity.
Interestingly enough, “I’m going to make Mother Nature my b***h,” is a proclamation that many of the participants make in their initial interviews. It’s uncanny how many people use precisely that phrasing.
It’s more often the men who adopt that mentality (surprise!), though I’ve seen females make the statement as well. But to this day, I’ve yet to see a single episode in which one of the participants truly made a “b***h” out of Mother Nature.
Typically, the overconfident blowhard who enters that way will exit the challenge early, tapping out after he or she has been bested by Mother Nature. They leave sunburnt, bug-eaten, hungry, thirsty, and crying.
Some make it the full 21 days, of course, with varying degrees of success. Most of those who survive barely do so. They limp out on Day 21 and collapse in the rescue truck — a bag of bones hardly recognizable as a human being.
And then there are the rare few who actually do fairly well. They find water and food, keep safe in a shelter, and, somehow, muster the mental strength and resolve to last the full 21 days. Maybe they could even last a few more if they had to. But even those folks never make Mother Nature their… well, you know…
In fact, the most successful survivalists don’t even see the challenge as a fight against Mother Nature. Contrary, they adopt a healthy respect for Mother Nature and they find creative ways to work with the opportunities and challenges Mother Nature presents along the way, which are constantly changing.
Can you see where I’m going with this?
Mr. Market and Mother Nature
I’m a firm believer that “Mr. Market” is far more powerful than any of us.
We will never beat Mr. Market. And we shouldn’t even try — that’s the wrong mentality!
Instead, we should respect the market… acknowledge the realities it’s presenting us at any given time… then find creative ways to work with the opportunities and challenges it hands us along the way, which are constantly changing.
You’ve heard the saying: “Only the strong survive.”
Well, it’s dead wrong. Charles Darwin taught us adaptability is far superior in his magnum opus, On the Origin of Species. He writes:
“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It’s the one that is most adaptable to change.”
Please, don’t ever forget that.
Surviving and Thriving in 2019
The market’s been tough this year. But early on, I armed my Cycle 9 Alert readers with a Bear Market Action Plan that I developed for precisely this market environment.
The first step in that action plan involves a psychological adjustment. It’s simple: Check your ego at the door.
If you’re walking into the market with a “make-you-my-b***h” mentality, you’ve already lost.
Try your best to appreciate the nature of Mr. Market — which is beautifully complex, overwhelming powerful, and infamously impossible to predict. Keep an open mind and admit to yourself, “I don’t exactly know what’s going to happen this year.” That’s OK! Really, it is… The sooner you admit that, the sooner you’ll be able to embody the trader’s mindset — which involves remaining flexible and willing to adapt to the market’s changing environments.
Next week, I’ll share more details on my Bear Market Action Plan and how my Cycle 9ers have been adapting to the market’s twists and turns this year.
And if you’re the least bit concerned about this market, now’s a great time to join us!
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