When speaking the word opportunity as a parent or grandparent to a child, let’s say, what is spoken and what is heard can be two different matters. An “opportunity” to you may be heard as a “you should do this” statement to another. Who likes being told what to do?
Your Survival Guy walked by the SSV Tabor Boy yesterday on one of my regular afternoon walkabouts. Seeing Tabor Boy brought back memories of sailing in the Caribbean my junior year at Tabor Academy. During the fall and spring, it was also offered as an after-school sport of sorts where you and 20 other students could work on her during the week and go on overnight trips on certain weekends.
I thought, “Self, that was a great ‘opportunity.’” But I know why I chose to play soccer and golf instead. Because growing up on the water with boats, I knew how much work it was in the spring and fall, prepping them for the season and putting them away for the winter. Why would I want to do that every day after school?
Which brings me to the stock market and you. When markets are booming (and wow aren’t they?), the investment business looks glamorous. But believe me, when there’s a bust (and there are), it’s not much fun at all.
When asked about the brutal 1970s, Fidelity CEO Edward C. Johnson III (Ned), also a Tabor Academy graduate, would later joke: Had he known it was going to last that long, he probably would have chosen another profession.
Let’s not confuse “opportunity” with reality.
Action Line: I don’t think you were jumping around from one profession to a “hotter” one. Some years were great, some years not as good. But compounding small improvements (kaizen) can make a career a worthwhile opportunity. When you want to talk about opportunity, email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com.
