For quite some time I have had the thoughts that there are today in the world two different human beings. One are the highly evolved Homo Sapiens, which many of us belong to me included, and the second I like to call Homo Sapiens Sapiens.
Homo Sapiens Sapiens are just like it sounds the next step in the human evolution. What is then the difference between them and me?
Personally I spend a very short time actively thinking about something. Either I find a solution to the problem I have directly or I do not come up with a solution to the problem directly but then I on the other hand also stop actively thinking about the problem. What goes on in the corners of my mind I can not give an answer to but I am very certain that my brain keeps thinking about the problem.
My experience with Homo Sapiens Sapiens is that they think all the time and about anything. They can even spend time thinking about the process of thinking which could maybe give them an advantage if they find a shortcut in the thinking process but personally I doubt that they do that and I fear that they simply spend more time thinking with little extra outcome from it, if any.
One friend of mine (in my opinion a Homo Sapiens Sapiens) once asked me "how do you think to invent things?" to be honest with you I did not know what to reply and yet I do that on a more daily basis. Her problem was that she had received a new job responsible for the research and development. She was completely free to invent anything that could become a new product for the company so she was not even bound to some rules. When she asked me that question I feared that it probably was not the correct job for her. Today three years later she has a new job that she is much happier with which is great!
Another friend of mine spent entire nights filling papers with his current thoughts because that was the only way for him to stop them circulating in his mind. Needless to say that he had often sleepless nights and I am sure it decreased his overall performance in society.
I think, that too much thinking is not beneficial. Neither for you in your life or you as an investor. The more you spend thinking about the companies and their future outcome the more you will either convince yourself it will be good or bad (probably based on your general lifestyle of being an optimist or a pessimist). Since we as small shareholders have no influence on the companies outcome, besides from buying and using their products whenever we can, we should also avoid painting any pictures of potential outcomes. Buy what looks good today and that worked well also yesterday.
I believe less is more and that does not only concern thinking. It also concerns my lifestyle, my consumption, my way of analysing companies and investing in them and my way of looking upon life in general.
Are You a Homo Sapiens or a Homo Sapiens Sapiens? Do you have an experience to tell?
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