The curse of being average

shaunQ · 19 January 2009

I've always had an interesting knack of being average. For instance, when ever I vote for someone - they are elected. If I buy something big, say a people-mover, there will be an article within a month saying how sales are sky-rocketing. I wrote to the the US Dept. of Defense and got stuck up them about Guantanamo Bay (pointless I know), the next week some US Defense delegation is out in Australia to "educate" us on its war etc - because of bad sentiment...

Now - with the share market - its a whole different game... the Average person LOSES. So here I am - a proven average person, reading the average news, thinking I'm smart going to Bloomberg or Business Speculator - which every other person is doing. Buying the average stock.

You'd think, if I bought, everyone else would as well.. but no.. thats the time the big boys sell.

So how do you stop being so average?

johenmo · 19 January 2009

Pretty well everyone has some strengths. Just got to discover them. Mine happens to be tenacity, and the ability do most things ("averagely") with a reasonable level of competence.

So for shares I recognise I have to do a bit more work/research than other who appear to have a "natural gift" and I'll get there.

It's called playing to your strengths.

Woodwork I like but I can only do fine work if I slow myself down - otherwise I'm a bush carpenter.

Good luck

Naked shorts · 19 January 2009

shaunQ said:
So how do you stop being so average?

Have sex while trading, thats not very average

Gundini · 19 January 2009

I'm average too, and have a curse of having my own average luck!

I once drove to the Moloolabah Surf Club for a carival.

Thousands were there and my passengers were suggesting I grab the parking space 5K out of town. I said nah, we get something closer.

I drove into the surf club which had around 8 spots, and someone was backing out....

Locked the car in front of the Canteen and my pax were bowing to me.

I am the true Messiah....

Naked shorts · 19 January 2009

Gundini said:
I'm average too, and have a curse of having my own average luck!

I once drove to the Moloolabah Surf Club for a carival.

Thousands were there and my passengers were suggesting I grab the parking space 5K out of town. I said nah, we get something closer.

I drove into the surf club which had around 8 spots, and someone was backing out....

Locked the car in front of the Canteen and my pax were bowing to me.

I am the true Messiah....

the use of "pax" was like adding a cherry to whipped cream :

nunthewiser · 19 January 2009

Nothing average about this Nun

Gundini · 19 January 2009

Naked shorts said:
the use of "pax" was like adding a cherry to whipped cream :

Sorry, but it was an extraordinary event, you had to be there to appreciate...

It was like a freak of nature occurence, lol....

Naked shorts · 19 January 2009

Gundini said:
Sorry, but it was an extraordinary event, you had to be there to appreciate...

It was like a freak of nature occurence, lol....

I wasnt making fun of your story, I was complimenting it

lesm · 19 January 2009

shaunQ said:
So how do you stop being so average?

By focussing on your strengths and stop thinking you are average.

There are probably some things that you are better at than other people and vice-versa.

Cheers.

Julia · 19 January 2009

There are different ways of looking at this.

As someone who was brought up to be a high achiever, and who only felt OK when winning, the real achievement for me was when I learned it was OK to be average. Life has been much better in every way since then.

Always needing to be better than average is, imo, much overrated.

mayk · 20 January 2009

Julia said:
There are different ways of looking at this.

As someone who was brought up to be a high achiever, and who only felt OK when winning, the real achievement for me was when I learned it was OK to be average. Life has been much better in every way since then.

Always needing to be better than average is, imo, much overrated.

So ture. First in every class, best college, best university. From "Men in Black", "Best of the best of the best Sir." is a pain in the bum.

Still, an average Australian is way better than an average person of the world.

GumbyLearner · 20 January 2009

mayk said:
So ture. First in every class, best college, best university. From "Men in Black", "Best of the best of the best Sir." is a pain in the bum.

Still, an average Australian is way better than an average person of the world.

In the absence of meritocracy, mediocrity will do just fine.

:dimbulb:

tech/a · 20 January 2009

Adhere to the 50/50/90 rule and you'll be fine.

cuttlefish · 20 January 2009

Julia said:
As someone who was brought up to be a high achiever, and who only felt OK when winning, the real achievement for me was when I learned it was OK to be average. Life has been much better in every way since then.

Amen to that comment - its too easy to put too much pressure on ourselves and forget to have fun along the way.

Naked shorts · 20 January 2009

tech/a said:
Adhere to the 50/50/90 rule and you'll be fine.

Whats that rule? I'm only familiar with the 80/20 rule..

edit:

so i just did a google search

There are two basic 50/50/90 rules. One of them refers to probability, and the other one to time management.

The first one states that in any decision that a human makes which has a 50/50 chance of being correct, that the human will pick wrong 90 percent of the time. This one is often heard of when referring to multiple choice tests, but is also sometimes bandied as a taunt to the loser of a simple coin toss.

The other 50/50/90 rule states that the first half, or fifty percent, of a project will take fifty percent of the time allowed; and the other half of the project will take the remaining ninety percent of the time. This apparent contradiction demonstrates how many projects tend to take far more time than originally intended.

xyzedarteerf · 20 January 2009

Naked shorts said:
Have sex while trading, thats not very average

strickly no sex before a game, it affects your judgement.:

xyzedarteerf · 20 January 2009

shaunQ said:
So how do you stop being so average?

your not average just human...that's all, your only human.

you may be the biggest swinging dck at a multi million dollar company but at home your just plain old DAD your kids will yell at yah, your wife will boss yah around, only human that's all.

shaunQ · 20 January 2009

Thanks everyone. I think the 50/50/90 rule about sums it up for me. 50% chance, 90% likely hood of being wrong. It doesn't effect general life, but I think maybe with market investing your at a complete disadvantage being an average thinking person, combined with being under-capitalised, which they say the average person in the market is. And then basing your decisions on the average persons news.

Perhaps, really, its wiser to take that on board and only ever invest in an index-fund. Which enforces averageness.

Does that make you a trader though? It doesn't take much skill.

James Austin · 20 January 2009

shaunQ said:
Thanks everyone. I think the 50/50/90 rule about sums it up for me. 50% chance, 90% likely hood of being wrong. It doesn't effect general life, but I think maybe with market investing your at a complete disadvantage being an average thinking person, combined with being under-capitalised, which they say the average person in the market is. And then basing your decisions on the average persons news.

Perhaps, really, its wiser to take that on board and only ever invest in an index-fund. Which enforces averageness.

Does that make you a trader though? It doesn't take much skill.

activities such as trading are probably 97% perseverance in order to achieve success. i doubt anyone does it easily, its hard yakka.

also Shaun, just like any apprenticeship, success is far more likely if you are being trained by a master of your chosen field.

so if it is trading shares you are interested in, then perhaps its worth considering searching high and low for a genuine teacher to guide you.

finding such an individual and at a reasonable price wont be easy, but if u can find one this would help enormously.

james

GumbyLearner · 20 January 2009

xyzedarteerf said:
strickly no sex before a game, it affects your judgement.:

or that nervous leak you take before playing in any footy match!

The curse of being average

shaunQ

johenmo

Naked shorts

Gundini

Naked shorts

nunthewiser

Gundini

Naked shorts

lesm

Julia

In Memoriam

mayk

GumbyLearner

tech/a

No Ordinary Duck

cuttlefish

Naked shorts

xyzedarteerf

xyzedarteerf

shaunQ

James Austin

GumbyLearner

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