Examples Of One Mistake And Your FUBARed

Over the year several of my articles have contained the theme that life can turn upside-down without warning. One moment you are on top and the next you are on the bottom and being treated like pond scum. Life can be very unforgiving. I write this in the hope someone reading this will take this message to heart or make an effort to pass it on to some young soul that is under the impression life is their oyster. 

The world is your oyster is a saying often told to young people about to embark on adult life. It simply means that everything is open to you and each day will bring with it new opportunities. With a bit of luck, the possibilities to create a great life are endless. The upbeat message flowing from this tends to downplay the darker side of life and the role hard work plays in getting us to where we want to be.

To be clear, one mistake in judgment or simply bad luck has the potential to become a watershed event that changes your life forever. This is something I have tried to pound into the head of those young people and it is a good reason to develop and exercise discipline throughout life. Over time discipline pays huge dividends, this is something many people fail to realize.

A lack of discipline is akin to a lack of focus, and a lack of focus often results in bad things transpiring. It is apparent in little everyday acts such as forgetting or losing your phone or locking yourself out of your house. It also extends to missing deadlines, being constantly late, and making promises which never get honored. While none of us are perfect, people with little discipline tend to border on dysfunction.  

The fragility of our lives is highlighted by the fact that one incident can have dire consequences. In many ways, society has never been so forgiving, that is of course unless you happen to get trapped in the system. In this case, I'm referring to the sticky bureaucratic monster put in place to corral and control each of us. 

The system has a way of not forgetting or forgiving us for what could be written off as minor infractions. A favorite of mine is how former President Clinton will always be remembered for saying, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." It is amazing that politicians can lie, steal, sell us out, and heap all kinds of injustices upon us but this is the sort of thing we focus on.  

When I was younger I had several mentors. These people advised and helped guide me forward, sadly their advice was not always spot on. Still, several of the ideas they put forth have proved very useful and important, others proved problematic. We should remember even those we consider older and wiser misstep, also, what may have been good advice yesterday may not bring good results in the future.

If I may get philosophical for a minute here are a few thoughts about some of the things that matter, did you have fun getting to where you are. Living a full life rather than wasting it sitting on your hands generates a lot of interesting memories. Nobody will remember or care about you in 50,000 years. Still, with that idea in mind, remember that life is a marathon, not a fifty-yard dash. 

There Is A Reason They Call It Gambling

Two areas that people are prone to make toxic mistakes are in matters related to money and love. Both are a minefield. Choosing a good partner in life should be a priority, people that are more interested in taking than giving should be avoided like the plague. Another thing to avoid is the feeling good luck will protect you from your own stupidity.

Like most investors, I have been bent over and beaten up by various markets over the years. It is easy to get overconfident and forget there is probably one more unsuspecting twist in the learning curve that you simply forgot, or to underestimate just how corrupt and rigged things are when it comes to financial markets. The rules are made for them and not us, and they have no problem changing them at any time.

When things are going well it is easy to add a bit of leverage. Sadly, leverage is a double-edged sword that cuts you to shreds when markets turn against you. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received is to put aside certain paid-for parts of your nest egg into an area marked, NEVER TOUCH! The "no touchy" strategy is based on the idea that it is far easier to reboot and move forward after a major setback if you do not lose it all. Starting over is both demoralizing and more difficult than most people think. 

Circling back to the theme of this article, one mistake in judgment or simply bad luck has the potential to become a watershed event, please take the short piece below to heart. It is an example that illustrates how making what could simply be one mistake can leave you FUBARed.

Picture Of Bomb Squad Cutting A Wire

Please note, Fred cut the wrong wire!

(Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)