Principles Before Profits
The Dichotomy of Control Applied to Your Portfolio
Amor Fati for Market Swings
Negative Visualization to Fortify Risk
Designing an All-Weather Allocation
Behavioral Shields in the Heat of Volatility
Cooling the Limbic System
Practice a brief protocol when alarms spike: exhale longer than you inhale, name the feeling, then open your checklist. This interrupts panic, lowers heart rate, and restores executive function, allowing deliberate steps rather than reactive trades that often amplify damage.
If–Then Rules That Disable Impulses
Decide in advance: if the index falls a given percentage, then rebalance; if a position breaches risk limits, then trim; if headlines tempt, then wait twenty-four hours. Prewritten rules transform chaos into cues, protecting you from charismatic narratives and hurried guesses.
A Practical Noise Diet
Limit inputs like a disciplined athlete. Curate one or two trusted sources, batch consumption, and mute notifications during trading hours. Less noise means fewer false urgencies, clearer thinking, and more time for real analysis, reflection, and patient living beyond screens.
Decision Journals and Post‑Mortems
An Entry Template You’ll Actually Use
Keep entries short yet structured: objective, thesis, risks, alternative views, sizing, exit criteria, and mood. Add a pre-mortem paragraph. This repeatable template lowers cognitive load, surfaces blind spots, and makes future reviews efficient, revealing whether convictions or conditions truly changed.
Leading Indicators, Not Only Prices
Track variables that lead results: margins, unit economics, competitive dynamics, credit spreads, and funding conditions. Prices will eventually reflect these currents. By watching causes alongside quotes, you’ll sense inflection points earlier and avoid mistaking noise for fundamental change.
Opportunistic Actions Without Overtrading
Valuation Bands and Expected Return Ranges
Use valuation bands, yield thresholds, or risk premia ranges to guide entries and trims. The goal is not precision but consistency. When markets wander into discounted territory, scale deliberately; when exuberance reigns, harvest gains methodically and reinforce your core allocation.
Volatility as a Yield: Selling Risk Responsibly
Consider writing covered calls or selling cash-secured puts only within strict risk limits and clear collateral plans. Treat premium as payment for sobriety, not lottery tickets. Size small, diversify expiries, and exit without heroics. Collected calmly, volatility becomes an incremental, steady yield.
Scaling In and Out with Position Sizing Ladders
Build positions like a mountain trail with measured switchbacks. Define tranches, spacing, and maximum exposure in advance. This structure prevents oversized bets, keeps emotions patient, and allows learning between steps, so new information informs the next move rather than compounding errors.
Community, Accountability, and Consistency
