Why did I get out early?

Photo by LumenSoft Technologies on Unsplash

Cricket is a religion in India and IPL is probably cricket’s ‘Mahakumbh.’ 2023 edition has just begun and we are witnessing yet another grand avatar of IPL. But what are we talking about in this piece? Let’s try to find some learnings from the game of cricket that may help us to improve just a bit as an investor.

Have you come across people who blame everything but themselves if something goes wrong? Well, we all make mistakes but we are not really a failure until we start blaming others for those mistakes. Blaming others takes time and energy away from improving ourselves. ICC World cup 2019 final was arguably one of the best ODI game ever played in the history of cricket. The host England and New Zealand locked horns in this EPIC encounter. New Zealand lost the final by the thinnest of margins but won billion hearts. Losing captain Kane Williamson graciously accepted the defeat and neither made any excuses nor blamed anyone.

‘I have failed at times, but I never stopped trying.’

~ Rahul Dravid

When a batsman loses his wicket early and reviews the same, there can be 2 ways in which he can look at it:

1. Bad umpiring decision
2. No reviews left
3. Pitch was substandard
4. My regular playing gear was not available
5. Side-screen issues
6. My partner ran me out, there was never a run there….
7. And what not….

Or one can look at the dismissal in the following manner:

1. I played a bad shot which I could have easily avoided
2. Bowler beat me all ends up and I will take the help of my coach and work on rectifying my mistake
3. I did not apply myself according to the pitch and playing conditions
4. I lost my concentration, I should work on it
5. I can improve this particular aspect of my batting with the help of my coach and buddies
6. Practice, practice, practice under the watchful eyes of my coach
7. Please add more….

Did you notice the difference in the approach???

Now just replace a batsman with an investor. What will make you a better investor? The onus lies with you. You are responsible for your financial future and thus should take prudent decisions about your finances. You can start with hiring a coach today.

One of the most well-known investors of the 20th century and guru of Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham was so right when he said, “The investor’s chief problem and even his worst enemy is likely to be himself.”

Article by:

Aditya Karnik — Aditya is a management graduate and a CFP who has spent over 12 years in the financial services industry. He has been associated with Sapient as a Wealth Manager for the last 3 years. He is a Federer fan and has a keen interest in Sports and Music.