#16 - The Long Game

Disclaimer: this post is 100% nasal gazing. This will happen every once in a while, it’s just part of my learning process. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t read it :)

The Writing Game

It has been about 2 weeks since I’ve committed myself to writing everyday.

As soon as I did, I started having delusions of grandeur: I would have hundreds of readers, I’d connect and talk with smart people, some of those conversations would lead to interesting partnerships, etc.

Knowing that those are delusions does nothing to dampen their seductive power. It’s like Inception (the movie), it’s not enough to know that you’re dreaming in order to wake up; the dream feels as real as reality. You have to get “kicked”.

Well, I got my kick:

Thankfully, like in the movie again, expecting the kick helps you prepare for it. I knew that the initial spike of interest would not last.

More than that, I know what is real and what is a dream, or more precisely, what is my reality and my objective, versus what is not.

The Compounding Game

My reality, or the one I want to create, is one with a positive feedback loop between my aptitude for the investing game and my aptitude for the game of life.

At the heart of this feedback loop is a learning engine.

The more I learn about the world and its various industries, about the world economy, about world history and human psychology, the better investing decisions I’m able to make.

Better investing decisions, through increased knowledge and emotional awareness, also make me a better human being overall, one that thinks long-term and isn’t swayed by emotional or involuntary impulses.

This will allow me to create more value in the my immediate environment, which is a rewarding process by itself, but can also be rewarding financially, motivating me to learn even more.

Moreover, success in the investing game itself also frees up some mind space for me (combination of time and peace of mind), that I can use to increase my knowledge about myself and about the world.

Back to Writing

How does writing fit into all of this?

I think forcing myself to write everyday helps me stay disciplined and forces me to think about what I’m learning on a daily basis.

It’s a kind of internal positive feedback loop within the learning engine:

Writing is not an end in itself for me. I don’t care at all whether people read me or not. I’m not interested in most people anyway.

Charlie Munger said: “Show me the incentives, and I’ll tell you the outcome.”

God forbid I start praising businesses I don’t understand because I’m paid to do so:

Not my intention -- I don't think I could have been any more clear about the arrangement or disclosures up top, and the piece wasn't about making a call on the stock. admitted right up front that I have no idea how to value an insurance business.

— Packy McCormick (@packyM) January 14, 2022

I have to say, I feel proud to know that I will continue my journey with no care for what the rest of the world does or thinks, with a quiet but joyful confidence in my own process.