Norman The Naysayer
Have you ever met someone who is always quick to say that something is impossible? Someone who is always negative, discouraging and tries to make little effort to achieve new goals? If so, you've met a Norman the Naysayer!
Naysayer Normans are the people who give up trying to learn new things. They are the ones who say, "I just can’t do it" or "I'm not smart enough". They are the ones who are afraid of failure and so they never even try.
In my time sitting at this desk trying to make money on the market I have had the pleasure and displeasure of meeting a whole array of people. Some of them have inspired me and others have tried to take me down with them when they’ve realised that this isn’t something they are willing to put in the work for.
"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." - Jimmy Johnson
As I have said a million times in writing these episodes, success is not a destination, it is a journey and the only difference between a student and a master is that the master has FAILED more times than the student has even TRIED.
But you see, Norman is different. Deep down in the mind of Norman he is riddled with self-pity and self-doubt. The real reason Norman and likes of him walk away from hard things isn’t because they are lazy, it’s because they don’t want the world to confirm their inner most fears of being stupid and incapable. So the Normans of this world instead give up, they fear trying in case they fail and walk away from an opportunity that could change their lives forever.
That’s why day trading and the stock market are two areas where Naysayer Normans are especially prevalent. The market chews them up, swallows them whole and someone you used to see on Discord, Twitter and anywhere else suddenly vanishes. Trading is no joke, it will take you YEARS of failure to even begin to see the light. These are complex and risky activities, and it's easy to see why someone might be intimidated by them. But the truth is, anyone can learn to day trade or invest in the stock market. It just takes TIME and it takes EFFORT and lastly it takes a whole lot of BELIEF!
So why do Naysayer Normans give up so easily? There are a few reasons.
First and foremost, the main reason I have seen people quit the stock market is because they lose all their money. Be that a few hundred dollars or tens of thousands. I have seen people blow it all away. This is why I tell everyone I meet who wants to get into trading that they need to spend the first few years doing it strictly through Apex. No ifs, no buts. Otherwise. they will lose their own money and that shit will hurt so much more than blowing up an account and paying $20 or $40 for another one. I talk about this in much more detail here.
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs
Beyond these guys blowing their own money, there is also the deeper reason of them being afraid of failure. As I mentioned earlier, Naysayer Normans are riddled with self-doubt. Maybe they had an over critical parent, maybe in school they never made strong friendships, maybe in life they learnt that the world lets them down. Whatever the reason, they don't want to put themselves out there and risk being rejected or ridiculed. So they give up before they even start.
If this sounds like you then don’t worry, the truth is that you are not alone. Everyone you meet in life is going through a battle with their own demons, some of them have discovered tools to help them fight their negative inner voice whilst others are yet to find them. Don’t give up on finding your tools, your strength.
Another issue that Naysayer Normans have is that they are of a fixed mindset. They believe that their abilities are fixed, that they have a skill set that they cannot improve upon and that this “stock market thing” is beyond them. They think that they are either good at something or they're not and once they have made their minds up, there is no going back. This mindset makes it difficult for them to learn new things, because they believe that they are incapable of doing it.
If this sounds like you then go out into the world and push every boundary you’ve drawn for yourself, a fixed mindset often comes from low expectations, a lack of self-worth. And yet here you are, one of the most wonderful creations within the universe and yet you want to limit your own destiny. Understand this, life will never give you what you are worth, if you are determined enough, you will go out there and demand it through your hard work and unwillingness to fail.
If you are a Naysayer Norman, I urge you to change your mindset. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't believe that you are limited by your current abilities. And don't give up on your dreams, whether that is making it in the stock market or making it in anything else in life. Go build the future you want for yourself, put yourself out there and reach out in the world and you will find that the world gives you back what you need.
"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Imagine for a moment the young Walter Disney who was fired from his job at a newspaper because they said he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas", or a blossoming Stephen Hawkings who was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 21 and was given only a few years to live, or even J.K. Rowling who was rejected by 12 different publishers before her Harry Potter books were finally published.
You think anything great comes from giving up? You think those that have “made it” didn’t have every failure thrown in their faces?
And yet they still stood tall. Bruised, bloody and beaten but ready to go on in pursuit of what they desired their life to be.
I hope my words can bring to those of you that need it, some form of inspiration. Don't give up on your dreams. Keep learning and keep growing because success is a journey, not a destination.
Much Love.
PW
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Pauli, just simply amazing! Thanks for all you do. :)
Mark Minervini refers to them as "Nega-toilets"