Tweets by Radhika Gupta
Goldfish are funny animals. They swim peacefully in their bowl. They don’t bark or howl at night, they don’t ruffle their feathers. They just keep taking circles of the bowl, in the same boring almost idiotic way.
One day a neighbourhood cat came by and admired the goldfish bowl. He had his own plans, to pounce on these unsuspecting little fish and have a little feast.
He pounced, but lost his balance and nearly fell into the tank. The tank shook and some water spilled. But the goldfish stayed. The cat got scared by the splashing water and went away. He didn’t return for a long time.
The water tank was refilled and the goldfish – after gasping a little for air – went back to swimming. Why am I writing about goldfish? Why should anyone admire such a boring animal?
Because goldfish are never agitated. They swim in silence, even when cats come and go, and they keep swimming forever.
Be a goldfish investor. A lot of noise, news and social media is out there to agitate you, make you squirm and scream and change direction. Don’t let it get to you. Corrections come, like those neighbourhood cats. But they also end.
Your portfolio may gasp, but markets do settle back to equilibrium, just like the water bowl. What’s important is to silently keep swimming towards your goals.
Inspired by a story in Tales from My Heart (Ruskin Bond).
