If we strip away all the fluff, the politically correct speeches and the balloons, this is what's left. Everyone in the Financial Market wants to get richer and richer! Some still just for the money, others for the "game."
Don't come at me with your financial freedom speech. Freedom from what?
If I wanted to go back to my old life full of restrictions, I could retire right now and say I've achieved my financial independence.
I don't know if you all know this, but Buffett himself went through a retirement period starting in 1969, and after 5 years "enjoying life" (and Berkshire), in 1974 he said in a Forbes interview:
It's time to get rich!
Yes, he was already rich when he made that statement after the market collapse of '73-'74, but when he smelled blood, he went hunting! It wasn't about the money anymore. It was about the game!
I won't lie to you. I also "just" wanted my financial independence, but from the moment the market awakens a monster inside you, it becomes almost impossible to smell blood and not want more.
And before the whining starts — rest assured that not just in the market but in life, if you're not a monster, one will show up eventually and then it's too late!
Whoever wants to build wealth needs to be a monster! There's no way to sacrifice so much by being just another little sheep.
Technique is great and it helps with the probabilistic variable of operations.
As for personal struggles — everyone has theirs, and we need to learn they're part of what we call life.
But the ones I love answering most are questions about the paths out of the bottom or middle of the pit.
Talking about how to conquer things gives me pleasure! It's like watching a movie of my own life, feeling all the emotions again.
Yes, there is a way out of a valley in life!
Yes, there is a way to achieve things you never imagined!
Yes, you need to awaken a monster inside you to make it happen!
Buffett with that nice-old-man face is a monster! And that doesn't make him any less of a nice old man.
Gates with all his projects and social causes, plus that nerdy appearance, is a monster! And that doesn't make him any less of a well-meaning nerd who studies and fights for causes that affect humanity.
Flávio Augusto (to name a Brazilian) with his "hero's journey" and a humble way of dealing with his billions is a monster! And that doesn't make his story any less inspiring or his humility any less real.
Soros... well, Soros... IS A FUCKIN MONSTER!
When I say monster, I don't want you to throw away your principles and values in exchange for achievements.
A monster is an almost indestructible being — hyperfocused, hungry, and who never stops chasing its prey until it tastes its blood.
...that got dark, didn't it? Anyway, these aren't children's bedtime letters.
In 2013, after receiving a phone call with a job interview invitation, I didn't have bus fare to get to that interview in a neighboring city. Thanks to the help of a great friend — who was also partly responsible for the referral — I managed to get there and apply for the position.
In 2021, I have a net worth I never dreamed of having, but it's not enough!
I remain almost indestructible, hyperfocused, hungry, and I never stop chasing my prey.
It's time to get rich!
Why are you still standing still?
Next week I'll be back with something lighter...
João Homem
