Stock market experts tell us that one of the common mistakes that average investors make is to invest in “hot” stocks that are doing well, and then to become disillusioned and  sell when the stock loses significant value.  The typical amateur investor thus often winds up doing the opposite of what people hope to accomplish in the stock market – buying low and selling high.

Stock market gurus advise us that price should not be the only factor that matters when making decisions about stock purchases or sales.  Undervalued stocks with strong fundamentals often offer greater potential for gains than stocks that are riding the crest of current popularity.

The same principle should apply to the way that you value ourselves and our potential.

At any moment in time, we may be “undervalued” for any of a number of reasons.  Perhaps we haven’t adequately developed certain skills to make us intellectually or socially competitive.  Perhaps we are reacting to a particular stressor such as an illness,  job loss, or romantic breakup.  Perhaps we’ve lapsed into some bad personal habits like being unfairly critical of ourselves.

Those are the times to “buy low” – to get in touch with our strengths and what we like about ourselves.  Those are times to recall those periods in our personal histories when we’ve overcome adversities and become successful.  And those are the times to emotionally ignore those toxic people in our environment whose personal agendas require them to put other people down.

If you buy into yourself and devote yourself to positive goal-setting and achieving when you are feeling low, there is a really good chance that your stock will rise – both withing yourself and among others.

The challenge then will be to not “sell high”.  Once you have achieved certain goals, it will be important to reset new achievable goals.  It will be important to not revert to old bad habits.  If you’ve reached your goal weight, utilize appropriate habits to maintain it.  If you’ve achieved the job promotion or commendation that you sought, maintain the behaviors that will leave no doubt that you deserved it.  If you now have a core group of friends, make certain to continue to maintain those attributes that have made you appealing to others.

Although the strategy may be somewhat controversial when it comes to the stock market, a “buy and hold” strategy really works when it comes to personal growth and development.

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