Life is like the Stock Market

There is a huge difference between collecting data and making a decision.

We should be collecting data far more than we should be making decisions.

Collecting data has to do with observation, fact finding, listening, and processing. Making a decision is about closing the deal.

Once we’ve closed the deal (made a decision) the tendency is to only collect data that justifies our decision. Like an iron trap, our mind slowly becomes closed to any new information that might make our decision suspect. Suddenly, it’s no longer about getting to the truth, it’s about protecting our cherished decision.

• How many people have you written off because you made a decision based on limited data?

• How many experiences have you failed to benefit from because at the time you decided that they were bad and in retrospect you now see that you missed a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow.

• How many times have you’ve given up on a relationship, an idea, or a dream because you stopped gathering new data and life passed you by?

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The ONE THING for today: Life is a lot like buying stock on the Stock Market. You don’t check the price once and walk away.

A picture is worth a thousand words…

Stock charts of Enron and Amazon show you the danger of making a decision and then stop collecting data.

If you’d decided to say yes to Enron and walked away you’d have nothing today. If you’d said no to Amazon and walked away you’d missed out on an investment of a lifetime.