High Hopes!

It is time to revisit the most under appreciated investment skill I have learned in these last ten years, what I term the sisters, patience and persistence. In 2011 the market moved sideways. The S&P went from $1,257.64 on December 31, 2010 to $1,257.60 on December 31, 2011. Woo! Hoo! It has not been a bad year, but any year that bonds beat stocks can’t be considered a good year, unless you have been investing with patience and persistence. Then your mix of dividend paying stocks and stinky old bonds combined with a disciplined approach to savings has increased your net worth, even if only a little.

Just what makes that little old ant
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can't
Move a rubber tree plant

But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes

So any time you're gettin' low
'stead of lettin' go
Just remember that ant
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant

The ant is doing things right. First he has a dream, a vision of what could be and the intention to make it happen, but that is not enough. Persistence is the point at which divine will takes shape in human hands. We can say this mountain will be removed from my life, but mountains are large. Rent a bulldozer and start digging. If the rock is worth something, people will pay you for a chance to haul it off. If you believe you have found God’s will for your life, persist in seeing your goal, even as you work towards that goal.

Persistence has a sister, patience. If you set a very large goal, at some point in time you will be tempted to cry out, “The task is too great.”

Patience says, “This is not so. Can you put aside a little money today, even a little pocket change? Can you do that again tomorrow?”

When troubles call, and your back's to the wall
There a lot to be learned, that wall could fall

If you keep doing the right thing in the right way you will get closer and closer to your goal. If God has truly told you, this mountain will be removed. It might take some effort, but enough bulldozers, enough dump trucks, and enough time and that mountain will be removed from your life.

Once there was a silly old ram
Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam
No one could make that ram, scram
He kept buttin' that dam

but he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes

So any time you're feelin' bad
'stead of feelin' sad
Just remember that ram
Oops there goes a billion kilowatt dam

With Many Thanks to Frank Sinatra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIDLC8M4R28