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How to Lose the Fear of Failure
Phobias interfere with life and cause deep personal distress. They alter moods and lifestyles. They can have a major impact on relationships. Phobias also can change how we think about time, and they can prevent us from wanting to join in the party that Jesus invites us to.
Did you know that 60 percent of phobias will never actually take place? Ninety percent of the things we fear are considered to be insignificant issues. And 88 percent of things feared are in relation to our health and will never come to pass. Yet we live in a culture that is obsessed with fear.
We are fearful because we have heard stories and we’ve watched movies and we’ve listened to country music. Bad things happen, and most of the time it has nothing to do with our unwise choices or self-destructive behavior. We fear things because we have children and want them to be safe, or because we have been hurt in the past and never want to be hurt again.
Fear isn’t always negative. It keeps us on our toes. It teaches us to be people of caution. And sometimes these things are good.
But fear is not good when it haunts our families and triggers unhealthy decisions. It has penetrated the life of the church, keeping us from embracing risky faith. Fear can paralyze decision making that would draw us deeper into the heart and mission of God. There is a reason the command “Do not be afraid” shows up more than any other command in Scripture.
There is a phobia that has the power to paralyze the church as well as the culture of the twenty-first century. It’s called atychiphobia, a fear of failure. This is closely connected to the fear of letting people down and being obsessed with pleasing people. It is described as an extreme, irrational fear.
It’s easy to say we don’t care what people think of us, but in our heart of hearts we do. We want to be accepted; we want people to think well of us. I have a friend who is a pastor. His addiction to people-pleasing led him into a twelve-step program. It can become a form of idolatry, and it can cripple the local church. Kingdom people who take risks for the gospel must conquer their need to hear applause.
There is real danger here for followers of Jesus. Failure can loom so large that Christians choose to avoid all risks. They may fear failure so much that they choose to not take a risk again. Their default setting in life will be to play it safe no matter what. This has a profound and stifling impact on discipleship, evangelism, loving neighbors, creating community, fostering environments for authenticity, and living out the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.
This fear helps explain why so many Christians are locked in homogeneous communities. In most congregations you will see very little ethnic diversity. Further, churches often organize ministries and activities in ways that segregate seniors from younger members, married persons from singles, youth from adults, and even men from women. It is rare to hear anyone raise serious questions that can lead to fruitful discussion and learning. The emphasis instead focuses on fitting in and being just like everyone else. Such uniformity might make people feel safe and comfortable, but it is the opposite of risky faith.
You might read on a church website that the congregation welcomes people just as they are. But the unstated fine print lists exceptions. All are welcome (except single mothers, cohabitating couples, those showing symptoms of substance abuse, anyone dressed like a gang banger or biker or sex worker, same-gendered couples, women wearing shorts, those who don’t speak English, and undocumented immigrants).
The fear of people who aren’t like us keeps us separate from our neighbors. We set up parallel structures, such as alternate school proms, homeschool collectives for gym class and field trips, church softball leagues, and other efforts that duplicate what our neighbors are involved in. When we could be joining our neighbors in park district sports and community work days and block parties, we stay busy doing the same types of things but with people who remind us of ourselves.
Can you see how paralyzing and detrimental this is for the local church? If heaven really is invading earth, if Kingdom parties are as inclusive and welcoming as we claim them to be, how do our fear-limited lives serve as a witness to others? How can our isolation be taken as an open invitation to others to join the celebrations endorsed by heaven?
The apostle John makes this claim: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). It takes guts to make that claim. Think about it. If perfect love drives out fear, what are the things that need to be driven out of your life? What needs to be driven out of the life of the church? The fear of failing at a new ministry initiative, or the obsession with trying to keep a dozen people happy? These are not concerns that ever directed Jesus’s decision making. He taught His followers differently.
No matter how much we avoid risk and give in to fear, nothing can change what God is doing and what He will do when heaven crashes to earth. The sounds of the Kingdom coming into this world will drown out all sounds made by fear.
Perfect love drives out fear, and when that happens, we can’t help but celebrate.
[Editor’s Note: Adapted from Bringing Heaven to Earth by Josh Ross and Jonathan Storment Copyright © 2015 by Josh Ross and Jonathan Storment. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.]
Josh Ross is lead minister of Sycamore View Church in Memphis Tennessee, and the author of Scarred Faith. His church works to restore justice, opportunity, and dignity. Josh lives in Memphis with his wife, Kayci and their children.
Jonathan Storment is the preaching minister at Highland Church in Abilene, Texas. Highland works to end systemic homelessness in their city. Jonathan, his wife, Leslie, and their children live in Abilene. He is the author of How to Start a Riot and contributes to Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog.
Did you know that 60 percent of phobias will never actually take place? Ninety percent of the things we fear are considered to be insignificant issues. And 88 percent of things feared are in relation to our health and will never come to pass. Yet we live in a culture that is obsessed with fear.
We are fearful because we have heard stories and we’ve watched movies and we’ve listened to country music. Bad things happen, and most of the time it has nothing to do with our unwise choices or self-destructive behavior. We fear things because we have children and want them to be safe, or because we have been hurt in the past and never want to be hurt again.
Fear isn’t always negative. It keeps us on our toes. It teaches us to be people of caution. And sometimes these things are good.
But fear is not good when it haunts our families and triggers unhealthy decisions. It has penetrated the life of the church, keeping us from embracing risky faith. Fear can paralyze decision making that would draw us deeper into the heart and mission of God. There is a reason the command “Do not be afraid” shows up more than any other command in Scripture.
There is a phobia that has the power to paralyze the church as well as the culture of the twenty-first century. It’s called atychiphobia, a fear of failure. This is closely connected to the fear of letting people down and being obsessed with pleasing people. It is described as an extreme, irrational fear.
It’s easy to say we don’t care what people think of us, but in our heart of hearts we do. We want to be accepted; we want people to think well of us. I have a friend who is a pastor. His addiction to people-pleasing led him into a twelve-step program. It can become a form of idolatry, and it can cripple the local church. Kingdom people who take risks for the gospel must conquer their need to hear applause.
There is real danger here for followers of Jesus. Failure can loom so large that Christians choose to avoid all risks. They may fear failure so much that they choose to not take a risk again. Their default setting in life will be to play it safe no matter what. This has a profound and stifling impact on discipleship, evangelism, loving neighbors, creating community, fostering environments for authenticity, and living out the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.
This fear helps explain why so many Christians are locked in homogeneous communities. In most congregations you will see very little ethnic diversity. Further, churches often organize ministries and activities in ways that segregate seniors from younger members, married persons from singles, youth from adults, and even men from women. It is rare to hear anyone raise serious questions that can lead to fruitful discussion and learning. The emphasis instead focuses on fitting in and being just like everyone else. Such uniformity might make people feel safe and comfortable, but it is the opposite of risky faith.
You might read on a church website that the congregation welcomes people just as they are. But the unstated fine print lists exceptions. All are welcome (except single mothers, cohabitating couples, those showing symptoms of substance abuse, anyone dressed like a gang banger or biker or sex worker, same-gendered couples, women wearing shorts, those who don’t speak English, and undocumented immigrants).
The fear of people who aren’t like us keeps us separate from our neighbors. We set up parallel structures, such as alternate school proms, homeschool collectives for gym class and field trips, church softball leagues, and other efforts that duplicate what our neighbors are involved in. When we could be joining our neighbors in park district sports and community work days and block parties, we stay busy doing the same types of things but with people who remind us of ourselves.
Can you see how paralyzing and detrimental this is for the local church? If heaven really is invading earth, if Kingdom parties are as inclusive and welcoming as we claim them to be, how do our fear-limited lives serve as a witness to others? How can our isolation be taken as an open invitation to others to join the celebrations endorsed by heaven?
The apostle John makes this claim: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). It takes guts to make that claim. Think about it. If perfect love drives out fear, what are the things that need to be driven out of your life? What needs to be driven out of the life of the church? The fear of failing at a new ministry initiative, or the obsession with trying to keep a dozen people happy? These are not concerns that ever directed Jesus’s decision making. He taught His followers differently.
No matter how much we avoid risk and give in to fear, nothing can change what God is doing and what He will do when heaven crashes to earth. The sounds of the Kingdom coming into this world will drown out all sounds made by fear.
Perfect love drives out fear, and when that happens, we can’t help but celebrate.
[Editor’s Note: Adapted from Bringing Heaven to Earth by Josh Ross and Jonathan Storment Copyright © 2015 by Josh Ross and Jonathan Storment. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.]
Josh Ross is lead minister of Sycamore View Church in Memphis Tennessee, and the author of Scarred Faith. His church works to restore justice, opportunity, and dignity. Josh lives in Memphis with his wife, Kayci and their children.
Jonathan Storment is the preaching minister at Highland Church in Abilene, Texas. Highland works to end systemic homelessness in their city. Jonathan, his wife, Leslie, and their children live in Abilene. He is the author of How to Start a Riot and contributes to Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog.
股市金手指黄鸿年的16个字，值得一辈子牢记
黄鸿年是新加坡华人企业家，亦被称为中国资本运作的第一导师，曾一顿饭就收购几十上百家企业，同时他对于股市投资也颇有心得，被誉为“股市金手指”。人生的成功无非两件事：一是赢在选择，二是成在坚持！选择好书，增长才智；选择益友，凝聚力量。每段辉煌的背后离不开傻子一样的坚持，比你优秀的人还在努力，比你差的人还没有放弃，你有什么资格不去奋斗？
【1】
黄鸿年被称熊市大赢家，他曾说，不怕熊市怕牛市。因世事充满辩正法，物极必反，否极泰来，股市也一样。涨多了，跌的可能性就大了；跌多了，涨的希望也就来了。
他坚持“人弃我取”的投资哲学：当行情失去理性地上涨，卖掉股票离场；当行情失去理性大跌，则抓住时机入场大买。在伊拉克战争，亚洲金融风暴，非典......等动荡时期，他坚持抄大底，也因此赚到大钱；而在市场脱离理性之时，他则尽快闪人。
2007年下半年，随着2008年奥运会临近，资本市场一片向好，彼时A股已快接近6000点大关，舆论甚至还在高呼“拿下8000点”。
黄鸿年手中也持有一些香港和内地市场的股票，从A股到达5000点后，他就开始抛售，6000点时，他已清仓。
华商韬略曾在一次采访中问及此事，黄鸿年分析说，众多投资者认为，有奥运作后盾，股市不会大调整。这是个严重错误的认识，“（当时）A股已严重脱离基本面，将近6000点已绝对不堪重负，一定会在短暂疯狂后，迎来史无前例的大调整。”事实不出其所料，2008年开年不久，A股指数迅速砍掉一半，猛跌后下降势头长久未止。
【2】
黄鸿年被外界称为“股市金手指”，但他却表示自己都不信自己有金手指，更强调投资千万不要相信什么金手指、预言家。他还笑称，“即使巴菲特也有很多亏钱的时候，大家不知道而已！投资不是万无一失的。”
当然，黄鸿年也有亏损的时候，亏的最狠的那次，几乎掉了半个身家。
2008年，金融海啸袭来前夕，嗅觉敏锐的黄鸿年对世界经济形势感到不妙。当时，黄鸿年决定缩减投资，并告诉花旗，让自己的账户保留1亿美元的保证金盈余。
结果，据黄鸿年提供的信息显示，花旗向他提供了不准确的账户信息，先是称他仍拥有充裕的保证金盈余，以致于他作出不断加大投资的决定，后来才发现保证金盈余变成了不足。
短短几天内，花旗先后给出缺口9000万美元、2亿美元，3.48亿美元等不同数字，最终导致他平仓时净亏超过10亿新币。
黄鸿年认为，花旗没有提供给他准确的投资情报，才使得他做了错误决定，因而蒙受巨大亏损，所以他还因此起诉了花旗。
可即使认为花旗该承担责任，但起诉花旗之前，黄鸿年还是及时结算账户并还清债务，买单了他一生中最大的投资失利。
《福布斯》富豪榜数据显示，10亿新币几乎相当于黄鸿年当时的半个身家。一半财富就这么蒸发了，很多人认为黄鸿年会悲伤好一阵子，但他却“在短短一天内我便接受了残酷的事实。”这也是黄鸿年多年在资本市场破爬滚打出的经验：胜不骄，败不馁；自作自受，好之为之。坦然面对失败和逆境，要乐观为亏损买单。
【3】
2008年的这次大亏损，可能没影响黄鸿年很久，但却让市场其他投资者大为吃惊。因为黄鸿年对风险管理一直很好，“尽量不要让危机发生，把敌人消灭在摇篮里”，如果事前未能料到，一旦发现苗头不对，也要果断收手，绝不恋战，“继续下去，很可能全军覆没”。所以不少熟悉市场的人都知道，一旦烫手他一定果断收手，从来不会，也在此前没有过这种几乎全军覆没的案例。
作为投资“风向标”人物，黄鸿年投资一直很理性也很灵活。他奉行实事求是的灵活投资策略，认为机会来了，市场反应如何他都会下注入场；认为大厦将倾，他则清仓离开。
2008年9月16日，世界保险业巨头AIG（友邦母公司）可能沦为下一个雷曼兄弟的消息满天飞，纽约股市开盘不久，其股价便下跌70%至1.25美元。
AIG业务遍及全球各地，在美国甚至全球同行业中举足轻重。黄鸿年认定，这样的一个巨无霸企业，美国政府不会让它这么轻易就倒闭，在“我有种无畏的感觉”中，他以均价1.80美元买入其股票。
果然他买进的当日，美国政府出手挽救AIG，后者股价翻番。之后，黄鸿年抛掉股票，获得177%的收益。
黄鸿年还一直奉行着“四不”的原则：不惧、不乱、不悔、不贪。
“不惧”——不要怕做决定，考虑周全后要杀伐决断，不要延误战机；
“不乱”——外界的情况可能很复杂，市场有各种消息，要保持清醒的头脑，有自己的主见；
“不悔”——做了决定就不要瞻前顾后，向前看不向后看；
“不贪”——做金融投资，最要克服人性的贪婪和恐惧。投资的时候要量力而为，不要贪心。
老张将智谋之道修至天人之境，但智谋可以解决很多问题，却不能解决一切问题。外因可以靠智，内因只能靠心，自己悟透，人生才能坦途。今天就来分享五句让你开悟的劝世良言，万人看完，万人开悟：
1、逼着你往前走的，不是梦想的微弱光芒，而是身后的万丈深渊。
2、如果毫无保留的相信别人，要么得到一生知己，要么得到一生教训！
3、人生如棋，做了棋子就只能任人摆布，只有成为棋手，才能子在手中，布局天下。
4、人最大的痛苦不是想要而得不到，也不是得到又失去，而是你根本不知道自己想要什么。
5、没有本事坚强，就千万不要任性；不能承受痛苦，就千万不要放纵！
牢记这十六个字，炒股一辈子也不会输
无论是庄托放出来的股，还是好朋友介绍的股，亦或是你自己选的，只要坚持"势在股在，势增股增，势减股减，势走股走"就不会被忽悠。
所谓"势"，可以是上升通道，也可以是均线系统，也可以是某个指标，因为你的交易不可能是依据感觉而没有实质性的依据吧?当然，这里是指大多数的交易者，因为大多数的交易者都是追求技术性的投机套利，个别依据基本面估值等交易的同学，大可不必钻牛角尖。
有了"势"，何谓"势在"呢?举例来说，就是股价运行在上升通道或均线多头排列之上。
有了"势"，"势在"，何谓"势在股在"呢? 举例来说，就是股价运行在上升通道或均线多头排列的上升趋势时，你就可以持股做多。炒股你不炒上升趋势的，难道要炒下跌趋势的吗?当然这是在一般散户在我们A股市场做空不可盈利的情况下。
那么，何谓势增股增呢?这就简单了，上升势头越来越明显，节奏越来越强，上升通道刚开始得角度缓的像爬，随着运行，角度加大，开始像走，然后跑着进入主升。。。这样就是一个势增的过程。操作者随着最初的势头不明显到越来越明显，当然是做的越来越胆大，下的筹码越来越多，即是势增股增了。
何谓势减股减，势走股走呢? 例如，上升通道的股，从45°运行到了60°，然后到了75°，最后进入了90°的垂直拉升，而后转为75°，60°。，这就是明显的势头减，持股量当然要随着势头的减弱而减了。所谓势走股走，是上升趋势从减弱到跌破上升通趋势时，已不构成持股的最基本条件，即势在股在，所以当然是势走股走了。
带着这十六个字，在势头转多后，果断介入，在势头转空后，果断出场。别明明破位了，还在说加仓补仓，疯狂做多，也别明明确立升势了，还在看空做空。就轻松达到了截断亏算，让利润奔跑的投机高手境界。
【1】
黄鸿年被称熊市大赢家，他曾说，不怕熊市怕牛市。因世事充满辩正法，物极必反，否极泰来，股市也一样。涨多了，跌的可能性就大了；跌多了，涨的希望也就来了。
他坚持“人弃我取”的投资哲学：当行情失去理性地上涨，卖掉股票离场；当行情失去理性大跌，则抓住时机入场大买。在伊拉克战争，亚洲金融风暴，非典......等动荡时期，他坚持抄大底，也因此赚到大钱；而在市场脱离理性之时，他则尽快闪人。
2007年下半年，随着2008年奥运会临近，资本市场一片向好，彼时A股已快接近6000点大关，舆论甚至还在高呼“拿下8000点”。
黄鸿年手中也持有一些香港和内地市场的股票，从A股到达5000点后，他就开始抛售，6000点时，他已清仓。
华商韬略曾在一次采访中问及此事，黄鸿年分析说，众多投资者认为，有奥运作后盾，股市不会大调整。这是个严重错误的认识，“（当时）A股已严重脱离基本面，将近6000点已绝对不堪重负，一定会在短暂疯狂后，迎来史无前例的大调整。”事实不出其所料，2008年开年不久，A股指数迅速砍掉一半，猛跌后下降势头长久未止。
【2】
黄鸿年被外界称为“股市金手指”，但他却表示自己都不信自己有金手指，更强调投资千万不要相信什么金手指、预言家。他还笑称，“即使巴菲特也有很多亏钱的时候，大家不知道而已！投资不是万无一失的。”
当然，黄鸿年也有亏损的时候，亏的最狠的那次，几乎掉了半个身家。
2008年，金融海啸袭来前夕，嗅觉敏锐的黄鸿年对世界经济形势感到不妙。当时，黄鸿年决定缩减投资，并告诉花旗，让自己的账户保留1亿美元的保证金盈余。
结果，据黄鸿年提供的信息显示，花旗向他提供了不准确的账户信息，先是称他仍拥有充裕的保证金盈余，以致于他作出不断加大投资的决定，后来才发现保证金盈余变成了不足。
短短几天内，花旗先后给出缺口9000万美元、2亿美元，3.48亿美元等不同数字，最终导致他平仓时净亏超过10亿新币。
黄鸿年认为，花旗没有提供给他准确的投资情报，才使得他做了错误决定，因而蒙受巨大亏损，所以他还因此起诉了花旗。
可即使认为花旗该承担责任，但起诉花旗之前，黄鸿年还是及时结算账户并还清债务，买单了他一生中最大的投资失利。
《福布斯》富豪榜数据显示，10亿新币几乎相当于黄鸿年当时的半个身家。一半财富就这么蒸发了，很多人认为黄鸿年会悲伤好一阵子，但他却“在短短一天内我便接受了残酷的事实。”这也是黄鸿年多年在资本市场破爬滚打出的经验：胜不骄，败不馁；自作自受，好之为之。坦然面对失败和逆境，要乐观为亏损买单。
【3】
2008年的这次大亏损，可能没影响黄鸿年很久，但却让市场其他投资者大为吃惊。因为黄鸿年对风险管理一直很好，“尽量不要让危机发生，把敌人消灭在摇篮里”，如果事前未能料到，一旦发现苗头不对，也要果断收手，绝不恋战，“继续下去，很可能全军覆没”。所以不少熟悉市场的人都知道，一旦烫手他一定果断收手，从来不会，也在此前没有过这种几乎全军覆没的案例。
作为投资“风向标”人物，黄鸿年投资一直很理性也很灵活。他奉行实事求是的灵活投资策略，认为机会来了，市场反应如何他都会下注入场；认为大厦将倾，他则清仓离开。
2008年9月16日，世界保险业巨头AIG（友邦母公司）可能沦为下一个雷曼兄弟的消息满天飞，纽约股市开盘不久，其股价便下跌70%至1.25美元。
AIG业务遍及全球各地，在美国甚至全球同行业中举足轻重。黄鸿年认定，这样的一个巨无霸企业，美国政府不会让它这么轻易就倒闭，在“我有种无畏的感觉”中，他以均价1.80美元买入其股票。
果然他买进的当日，美国政府出手挽救AIG，后者股价翻番。之后，黄鸿年抛掉股票，获得177%的收益。
黄鸿年还一直奉行着“四不”的原则：不惧、不乱、不悔、不贪。
“不惧”——不要怕做决定，考虑周全后要杀伐决断，不要延误战机；
“不乱”——外界的情况可能很复杂，市场有各种消息，要保持清醒的头脑，有自己的主见；
“不悔”——做了决定就不要瞻前顾后，向前看不向后看；
“不贪”——做金融投资，最要克服人性的贪婪和恐惧。投资的时候要量力而为，不要贪心。
老张将智谋之道修至天人之境，但智谋可以解决很多问题，却不能解决一切问题。外因可以靠智，内因只能靠心，自己悟透，人生才能坦途。今天就来分享五句让你开悟的劝世良言，万人看完，万人开悟：
1、逼着你往前走的，不是梦想的微弱光芒，而是身后的万丈深渊。
2、如果毫无保留的相信别人，要么得到一生知己，要么得到一生教训！
3、人生如棋，做了棋子就只能任人摆布，只有成为棋手，才能子在手中，布局天下。
4、人最大的痛苦不是想要而得不到，也不是得到又失去，而是你根本不知道自己想要什么。
5、没有本事坚强，就千万不要任性；不能承受痛苦，就千万不要放纵！
牢记这十六个字，炒股一辈子也不会输
无论是庄托放出来的股，还是好朋友介绍的股，亦或是你自己选的，只要坚持"势在股在，势增股增，势减股减，势走股走"就不会被忽悠。
所谓"势"，可以是上升通道，也可以是均线系统，也可以是某个指标，因为你的交易不可能是依据感觉而没有实质性的依据吧?当然，这里是指大多数的交易者，因为大多数的交易者都是追求技术性的投机套利，个别依据基本面估值等交易的同学，大可不必钻牛角尖。
有了"势"，何谓"势在"呢?举例来说，就是股价运行在上升通道或均线多头排列之上。
有了"势"，"势在"，何谓"势在股在"呢? 举例来说，就是股价运行在上升通道或均线多头排列的上升趋势时，你就可以持股做多。炒股你不炒上升趋势的，难道要炒下跌趋势的吗?当然这是在一般散户在我们A股市场做空不可盈利的情况下。
那么，何谓势增股增呢?这就简单了，上升势头越来越明显，节奏越来越强，上升通道刚开始得角度缓的像爬，随着运行，角度加大，开始像走，然后跑着进入主升。。。这样就是一个势增的过程。操作者随着最初的势头不明显到越来越明显，当然是做的越来越胆大，下的筹码越来越多，即是势增股增了。
何谓势减股减，势走股走呢? 例如，上升通道的股，从45°运行到了60°，然后到了75°，最后进入了90°的垂直拉升，而后转为75°，60°。，这就是明显的势头减，持股量当然要随着势头的减弱而减了。所谓势走股走，是上升趋势从减弱到跌破上升通趋势时，已不构成持股的最基本条件，即势在股在，所以当然是势走股走了。
带着这十六个字，在势头转多后，果断介入，在势头转空后，果断出场。别明明破位了，还在说加仓补仓，疯狂做多，也别明明确立升势了，还在看空做空。就轻松达到了截断亏算，让利润奔跑的投机高手境界。
Scared of Investing? Here’s How to Get Over Your Fear in 5 Easy Steps
For many folks out there, the word “investing” conjures up an intimidating picture: traders on the floor of the stock exchange frantically buying and selling stocks by yelling and waving their arms about. But while that doeshappen on a daily basis on Wall Street, that’s not investing as we know and love it here at Investor Junkie. Let’s get you over your fear of investing so you can start protecting your wealth today!
That last point is a particularly big one for us. We believe that investing should be about protecting your assets and steadily growing them over time. Investing is not about getting rich quick. It’s about keeping your nest egg safe so that you can buy a new home… send your kids off to college… or even retire comfortably.
Those traders you see freaking out on the stock market floor? In large part, they’re day trading, trying to turn a quick profit. And that is something we definitely do not recommend.
You see, when you are trying to play the ups and downs of the market at a moment’s notice, you’re opening yourself — and your hard-earned money — up to a whole lot of risk.
Instead, the kind of investing we recommend is a long-term process in which the shares of companies or funds you buy tend to go up over long periods of time. It’s not about being glued to a Bloomberg terminal and betting your shirt on hot penny stocks.
So let’s take a deep breath and address our fear of investing.
Is the Stock Market Really Scary?
First, let’s look at how scary the market really is.
Since 2000, the stock market, as represented by the S&P 500 index, has crashed or had a major drop in eight out of 18 years, with annual losses between 9% in 2000 and 37% in 2008. The 37% drop in 2008 is about as bad as it gets. You’ll have to look back over 80 years to the pits of the Great Depression to find annual stock market losses worse than 37%.
On the other hand, over the last 80 years, the stock market has returned an average of about 9% annually. Some years are really bad (that’s what we fear), but on average, the long-term returns are pretty good.
The biggest common fear of investing comes from losing a lot of money in the short term (like the 37% losses sustained in 2008). Instead, you should be more worried about reaching retirement age and not having enough.
Consider a risk-averse investor buying low-yielding but relatively safe investments like short-term bonds or certificates of deposit (CDs) that return about 4% over time. Compare the returns to a risk-embracing investor who buys stocks that average 9% per year. After 30 years of investing $10,000 per year, the safe investor earning 4% will have $583,000 whereas the stock investor will have $1.486 million (more than double).
Investing in the market might be the only way to reach your long-term financial goals. The bond investor in this example may come up far short of their retirement goals due to being too conservative.
Tricks to Getting Over Your Stock Market Fears
Here are a few tricks to get you past the fear of investing:
Step One: Combat Your Fear With Knowledge
Human beings naturally fear what they don’t know or understand. So let’s learn about how the markets work.
Read about stocks, bonds ad mutual funds. Find out what fees and expenses are involved with different investment options. Learn about different simple investment strategies. Become an informed investor.
There are lots of great books out there. In particular, we like Tony Robbins’ Unshakeable as an introduction to investing. And if you’re a magazine lover, we’ve got a roundup of our favorites.
Plus, here at Investor Junkie, we’ve got lots of articles in our own archive to help you along.
Step Two: Start Small
OK, first realize you’re likely to screw up at the beginning. That’s normal with just about anything.
So start small, if you’re worried about it. Learn through experience how much you can stand to lose (this is known as your “risk tolerance”). You can even start with just pennies on the dollar.
There are a number of micro-investing services out there on the internet that can help you get started investing when you don’t have a lot of cash to devote. One service we’ve reviewed is Acorns, which you can use to automatically invest your spare change. Stash Invest is a similar service and is now even offering Roth IRAs. (Note: Acorns is getting ready to roll out an IRA, too.)
Step Three: Refine Your Strategy
So what you were doing at first isn’t working out. No need to panic!
It’s totally OK to change your strategies if you realize you made a mistake early on in your investing career.
When you make up an investing portfolio, you want to take into account the amount of money you have to invest, your time frame and your risk tolerance. The ideal portfolio will have an appropriate asset allocation, taking all of these factors into account.
Robo advisors are among the hottest financial technologies to hit the market recently. And what’s cool about them is that — for a fraction of what you’d pay a personal advisor — they’ll create an asset allocation for you.
Betterment is our favorite robo advisor for beginners. It requires NO minimum investment and charges very low fees. And if your financial situation or needs change, your portfolio’s asset allocation can change too. So there’s no need to be frightened about goofing up or needing a new strategy.
Step Four: Commit to Long-Term Investments
Don’t judge your own investment performance after only a month… or even a year. Stocks are long-term creatures and sometimes take a while to mature. Consider the cicada — an insect that spends 17 years underground before emerging as a mature adult. Stock portfolios can sometimes take a decade or two to produce those long-term 9% returns. Let your portfolio sit undisturbed like the cicada if you want to see it grow to its full potential.
Step Five: Don’t Let Losses Bother You Too Much
And if you do lose your money… oh well. Since you’re not investing the cash you need to survive tomorrow or next month, who cares if the markets take a temporary nosedive? If you’re saving for long-term goals, you don’t need that money for a decade or more. And remember, over the long run, the markets tend to go up. (Here’s some more wisdom about handling market corrections.)
Conclusion
The fear of investing can be hard to overcome. No one likes to lose money, even if it’s just temporary. Making that first leap into the market is scary. But “it’s scary” is not a good excuse to avoid investing altogether.
Think about learning to swim. Plenty of people are afraid of drowning and avoid water altogether. It’s risky — you could drown. The truth is you don’t have to jump right into the deep end if you can’t swim.
Before you start swimming laps across the Olympic-sized pool, you can first get comfortable floating and submersing your head in water. Then learn a few basic strokes.
Eventually you get comfortable swimming on your own and accept that the risk of drowning is manageable as long as you prepare yourself. Just like investing.
"股市金手指"黄鸿年,自述股市生存与制胜心法 来自：私募投资网 时间：2015-08-22
新加坡著名企业家、投资家。黄鸿年被称为是中国资本运作的第一导师，他曾以嫁接改造国有企业的“中策现象”名震中国，其案例被世界多所知名大学列入MBA教材。结束中国的投资后，他转向资本市场发展，成为著名的金融投资家，被誉为是“股市金手指”。
我的投资哲学是“人弃我取”。
当行情大好，大多数人觉得自己是股神时，是我离场的时候。当行情不好，大多数人认为自己不适合炒股时，则是我入场的时机。
世事充满辩正法，物极必反，否极泰来。股市也一样。涨多了，就多了跌的可能；跌多了，就多了涨的希望。因此，我怕牛不怕熊。市场越熊，下跌的可能和空间就越越小，上升的可能和空间则越大。市场越牛，下跌的可能和空间越大，上升的可能和空间则越小。
上一轮中国牛市，我从5000点开始卖股票，6000点时，我已卖掉所有中国股票。
当时，很多人都在憧憬8000点，甚至一万点。认为北京奥运会开幕的利好兑现，市场才会走低。但我认为，无论全球还是中国的环境，都支撑不了这种疯狂，坚信不用等到北京奥运开幕，股市就会偃旗息鼓，惨烈下跌。
大行情一定是大资金在推动。能调配大资金的基本上都还是有理智的人。理智会告诉他们，卖在5000点，6000点已是太好的回报。理智也会让他们在5000点，6000点先走一步，把钱装口袋，把8000点留给丧失理性的人。
在市场上，我一直坚持一个 “四不原则”：
四不原则
不要怕做决定，考虑周全后要果断做决定。拖泥带水会延误战机，思虑过多也会节外生枝。
市场上会有各种消息，身边人也有不同意见。这些要关注，但关注是为了自己独立思考，形成理智清晰的决定，而不是被迷乱心智。
做了决定就不要瞻前顾后，遇到困难，要向前看而不是向后看。后悔药难吃，搞不好还会混淆思路，产生新的障碍。
做金融投资，最重要是克服人性的贪婪和恐惧。投资要量力而为，不要贪心。贪婪会产生患得患失的心态，往往就会做出错误的决定。
要在股市成为赢家。既要看得准，熬得住，也要随机应变。
看得准，是要做足研究，广泛听意见，收情报，独立思考，做理性决定。
熬得住，看准的目标没有本质变化要坚持下去，有困难也要坚持，不要受风吹草动的影响。
随机应变，则是要保持敏感与敬畏，做好风险和机会管理，在大风大浪打来前提前做准备。世上没有恒定的事情，今天的好事到明天可能就是坏事。不能随机应变，今天的大赢家就会是明天的大输家。
另外，还要既能勇敢认错，也能见好就收。
一旦投资失败，理性分析后，认为继续下去不如改弦易辙，就要果断收手，绝不恋战。不要被埋没的成本捆住手脚。继续下去，很可能全军覆没。
见好就收是低到自己认为值就买，高到自己认为值也就卖。不要攀比算计，指望賺尽吃绝，成为所谓最聪明的投资人！真正聪明的投资人，都是赢在高明，而不是精明，都是赢趋势，而不是赢贵贱。
我要分享的另一个成功秘诀是，要在市场上多交朋友，善待他人。善待他人能够为自己带来智慧和运气。我是很多大型金融机构金融专家的大客户，但我从来都把他们当成朋友，而不是服务我的人。
我经常和他们吃饭聊天，天南地北，从市场大势到企业情报。按一般道理，应该是他们请我吃饭，因为我是他的客户。但我从来都是反过来请他们。这不是钱的问题。饭钱对我和他们来说都不是问题。是尊重的问题。
我充分尊重他们。而且我请得很大方，窝心。我请他们喝10万人民币一瓶的酒，有的人说，一辈子没喝过这种酒。有一次，我还专门送了一瓶1万元新币的酒给一位基金经理。因为哪一年的酒我都有，他是1969年出生的，我就特别送1969年的酒给他，他非常感动。
我信奉君子之交淡如水，交朋友不能势利，更不能为了利用别人而和别人交朋友。但我也深信，每个朋友都有他的价值可以被我利用。
比如，我常年交往的一些基金经理，他们的一个动作，一句话，都很有价值。有时，他们给我一个信息，并不是内幕交易，而是他们自己的研究和判断，就可以让我跟着赚好多。他们搞IPO的时候，也经常分配给我股票，他今天给我，我都不用自己付钱过去，明天开市卖了再还钱过去，一个晚上就是几千万或几亿的利润。
我最后特别要分享的是，培养好心态是在股票市场赢得成功的最后一道，也是最重要最难的关。无论你是投资者还是投机者，都需要一个好的心态：胜不骄，败不馁；自作自受，好之为之。
这些年，很多人说我是股市“金手指”，但我自己都不相信。也千万不要相信有什么“金手指”和“预言家”。即使巴菲特这样的成功投资者，他也有很多亏钱的时候，大家不知道而已！投资不是万无一失的。
鲜花和掌声都是容易面对的，真正难的是面对失败和逆境！面对失败，接受失败，在失败中依然保持信心并采取理智的行动，应该是每个市场中人的必修课。
前几年金融海啸，我预料到了，但没料到它的严重程度。因此也被烫到手，最严重的时刻，通过花旗银行的一个金融交易就亏掉6亿多美金，以至于影响到我那一段时间的财务灵活性。
这么多年，我南征北战，賺“共产主义”的钱，賺“帝国主义”的钱，没成想一次就被“帝国主义”骗回这么多。这也让我更加深信自己常对中国朋友说的一句话，走向市场经济的人民同胞，和“帝国主义”打交道，万万要小心。
这也是我人生最大的挫折，当然，也只是之一。很多人都担心我会难关难过。
这笔钱我原本是用来做慈善的。坦诚说，得知消息的那一刻，伤心、痛苦和不敢相信事实都有过。但在短短一天内我便接受了残酷的事实。在那之前，我曾经因为捐助台湾慈济圣严法师的教育事业而与他结缘。法师当时告诉我，遇到问题时“要面对它、接受它、处理它，结论是：放下它。”
当时，台湾“副总统”萧万长还告诉我，他在选战压力甚大时，向圣严法师请教时，法师也是以这句话来勉励他。没想到，几个月后这句话又被我派上用场。突然得悉自己蒙受巨额损失后，我很快就想起法师的话，告诉自己：面对我前面的困难，我得穿过，而且要潇洒！
因此在那个晚上，我没有失眠，也没有失去食欲，而是照常生活，第二天，我还请几个至交好友，到家中弹琴奏曲，对酒当歌，吟唱“人生失意更须欢，莫要伤口再撒盐”。
坏的事情已经发生，怎么办？我的选择是，不要干着急、穷担心，要面对它、接受它、处理它，放下它。留得青山在，不怕没柴烧！
人在江湖，身不由己。遇到大风大浪，多多少少会断手断脚，只要不会断头就好。遇到挫败，要看得开，放得下，鼓足信心，调整策略，重头再来。这是我能够给市场中人送出的最好礼物和祝福。
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