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💡 Series 5: Investor’s Mindset & Habits

Day 6: Learning From Mistakes Without Quitting

If you’ve been investing for a while, you already know — mistakes are part of the game. You can read all the books, watch all the videos, and follow every expert out there… but sooner or later, you’ll make a mistake. Maybe you bought too late. Maybe you sold too early. Or maybe you followed the crowd and lost money.

I’ve been there. And if I’m being honest, I’ve made more investing mistakes than I can count. But here’s the truth — those mistakes were my greatest teachers. Every time I lost money or misjudged a market, I gained something far more valuable: experience.

The problem isn’t making mistakes. The problem is quitting after making them. That’s what separates successful investors from the rest. The best investors don’t run from their losses — they study them, learn from them, and come back stronger.

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Why Mistakes Are a Normal Part of Investing

When I first started investing, I thought successful investors never lost money. I imagined they always bought at the bottom and sold at the top. But as I learned more, I realized even the greatest investors — Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Peter Lynch — all made mistakes too.

The difference is, they accepted mistakes as part of the process. They didn’t let failure break them. They saw it as feedback, not defeat.

Think about it this way: investing is a skill, and like any skill, you improve by practice. You can’t learn to ride a bicycle without falling a few times. Investing works the same way. Every “fall” teaches you balance, patience, and discipline.

So, instead of trying to avoid mistakes completely, learn to handle them wisely.

My Personal Investing Mistakes (and What I Learned)

Let me share a few of my own lessons — real mistakes that shaped me into a better investor.

1. Following the Hype
   I once bought a stock because it was trending everywhere. Everyone said it was the next big thing. Within weeks, it crashed. I lost a few thousand dollars. But that experience taught me something priceless — never invest based on noise. Always research before buying.

2. Selling Too Early
   I had a good stock that went up 20%. I panicked, thinking it would fall, and sold it. The same stock later tripled. I learned that patience pays. You don’t always have to act — sometimes the best move is to do nothing.

3. Ignoring My Plan
   I used to invest without a clear strategy. I bought whenever I felt “it looked good.” Some worked, some didn’t. Eventually, I realized that without a plan, I was gambling, not investing. Now, I always set clear goals and rules before making a move.

Each mistake hurt. But each one also made me wiser. Over time, I started to appreciate my losses because they taught me lessons that no book ever could.

The Emotional Side of Losing

Let’s be real — losing money hurts. When you see red numbers in your portfolio, your heart sinks. You start doubting yourself, your strategy, and sometimes even your worth.

I’ve felt that pain too. But here’s what I’ve learned: the moment you stop blaming yourself and start studying your mistakes, that’s when real growth begins.

Here’s how I handle emotional losses:

• Pause. I don’t make any decisions right away. I let the emotions cool down first.

• Reflect. I ask myself, “What really caused this loss? Was it the market, or was it me?”

• Record. I write down what happened and what I’ll do differently next time.

• Move forward. I don’t let one bad trade define me. The market always gives second chances.

The key is emotional control. Investing is 20% knowledge and 80% mindset.

How to Learn From Mistakes the Right Way

It’s not enough to say “I’ve learned my lesson.” You must actually process what went wrong. Here’s a simple framework I use whenever I make a mistake:

1. Identify the mistake.
   What exactly happened? Was it poor timing, lack of research, or emotion-driven?

2. Find the root cause.
   Dig deeper. Did you follow the crowd? Did you ignore warning signs?

3. Measure the damage.
   How much did you lose — not just in money, but in confidence and trust in your strategy?

4. Write down the lesson.
   A mistake is wasted if you don’t document the lesson. Write it clearly — what will you do differently next time?

5. Adjust your plan.
   Apply the lesson immediately. Modify your rules or criteria to prevent repeating it.

This process turns every mistake into a stepping stone toward mastery.

Why Quitting Is the Biggest Mistake

I’ve seen many people quit after one bad experience. They lose money once and say, “Investing isn’t for me.” That’s like a student giving up after failing their first test.

The truth is, quitting guarantees failure. You only truly lose when you stop trying.

Every successful investor you admire has faced painful losses — but they didn’t give up. They learned, adapted, and kept going.

Here’s something I remind myself often:

In other words, mistakes are the price you pay to become wise.

The Growth Mindset of a Successful Investor

The difference between a beginner and an expert investor is how they see mistakes.

• A beginner says: “I failed.”

• A seasoned investor says: “I learned.”

That’s called a growth mindset — the belief that you can improve with time and effort.

When you have this mindset, every experience becomes valuable. Even your losses have meaning. Instead of beating yourself up, you get curious. You ask, “What can I learn from this?”

Over time, this mindset builds resilience. And resilience is what keeps you in the game long enough to win.

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Turning Pain into Progress

Let’s talk about how to transform losses into progress. Whenever something goes wrong, I ask myself three questions:

1. What did I expect to happen?

2. What actually happened?

3. What will I do differently next time?

By answering these, I turn frustration into a clear plan for improvement.

For example, after one bad investment, I realized I had no clear “exit rule.” I was holding onto losing stocks for too long, hoping they’d recover. My new rule became: “If a stock falls 15% below my entry price and fundamentals worsen, I sell.”

That simple change saved me from bigger losses later on. Mistakes, when analyzed properly, become strategies for success.

Real-Life Examples of Learning From Failure

If you think only beginners make mistakes, think again.

• Warren Buffett admitted that one of his biggest mistakes was buying Dexter Shoes in 1993. It lost hundreds of millions. Yet he learned a valuable lesson about the danger of buying businesses without sustainable advantages.

• Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, nearly lost everything early in his career because of overconfidence. That failure taught him humility — and it became the foundation of his future success.

• Elon Musk lost millions with early SpaceX rocket failures. But instead of quitting, he studied what went wrong and fixed it. Now, SpaceX leads the space industry.

The lesson? Even the greats fail. What makes them great is how they respond to failure.

Building Emotional Strength

Investing isn’t just about knowledge — it’s also about emotional strength. You’ll face fear, greed, doubt, and frustration. The stronger your mindset, the better your results.

Here’s what helps me build emotional resilience:

1. Detach from money emotionally. See money as a tool, not your identity.

2. Focus on process, not outcome. You can’t control the market, but you can control your actions.

3. Celebrate small improvements. Even one smart decision after a mistake is progress.

4. Surround yourself with learners. Follow investors who share lessons, not just wins.

When you approach investing with humility and curiosity, setbacks lose their power over you.

My Turning Point

There was a time I almost quit investing altogether. After a few painful losses, I felt defeated. I thought, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.” But then I looked back at my journal (yes, the one we talked about in Day 5), and I noticed something.

Each year, I was getting better. My losses were smaller. My wins were bigger. My decisions were calmer. That’s when I realized — the key wasn’t to avoid failure, it was to outlast it.

That shift in mindset changed everything. I started seeing every mistake as part of the journey, not the end of it.

Lessons I’ve Learned Along the Way

Here are the biggest lessons I’ve taken from my investing mistakes:

• Don’t let ego control your decisions. Admit when you’re wrong and move on.

• Never invest based on emotions. Fear and greed are dangerous advisors.

• Always have a plan. Know your entry, target, and exit before investing.

• Learn from every trade. Win or lose, reflect on what happened.

• Be patient. Success takes time — rushing only leads to regret.

These lessons didn’t come from textbooks. They came from real experiences — the kind that leave a mark and make you wiser.

Final Takeaways

Mistakes don’t mean you’re bad at investing. They mean you’re learning, growing, and gaining experience that others don’t have. The only true mistake is refusing to learn from them.

Every investor who succeeded didn’t get there by being perfect — they got there by being persistent.

So, the next time you face a setback, remind yourself: it’s not the end. It’s just one chapter in your story. And if you keep reading, the next one can always be better.

Call to Action

Here’s what I want you to do today: take one mistake you’ve made in your investing journey — big or small — and write about it.

Ask yourself what went wrong, what you felt, and what you can learn from it. Then, write down one change you’ll make going forward.

Don’t let your mistakes sit in silence. Turn them into lessons that guide your future decisions.

Remember — mistakes don’t define you. How you respond to them does. Keep learning, keep growing, and most importantly… keep going.

[Live Life Grow Wealth]

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I make no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content provided is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. Past performance is not indicative nor a guarantee of future returns.

I am an individual content creator and not regulated or licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as I do not provide investment services.

All forms of investments carry risks, including the risk of losing your entire invested amount. Such activities may not be suitable for everyone. You are strongly encouraged to seek advice from a professional financial advisor if you have any doubts or concerns.