The thing with the stock market is that many of us lack the single most important quality-PATIENCE. When prices rise, we sell out of fear of losing our gains; when prices fall, we sell again—this time out of fear of losing more.
I haven’t been in the market for decades, but in the time I’ve spent researching and participating in it, I’ve realised one fundamental truth-patience is the foundation of successful investing. Everything else matters only after that.
My own experience proves this. During the first COVID wave in 2020, I bought stocks like Bajaj Finance, HDFC Bank, SBI Card, Airtel, Coal India, IndusInd Bank, SAIL, Infosys, HDFC AMC, IEX, Tata Elxsi, and several others which I don’t remember right now—at what were clearly distressed prices due to the CORONA shutdown. I made a simple promise to myself-I would not sell any of these holdings before 2025. A fixed five-year horizon.
That single decision—played a significant role in building my wealth.
I once read a line that stayed with me:
“The moment you start enjoying investing, stop. Investing should be boring.”
And that, perhaps, is the most underrated truth of all.