As life has progressed, a willingness to make a stand for my core beliefs has accelerated. I am passionate about “trying” to do the right thing. In most instances, I negotiate my way through what seems like brick walls. Tired of hearing people complaining (my past self included) but never doing anything about the “situation.” Nothing worthwhile doing is ever easy, especially in today’s complex world. Conflict and confrontation involve very stressful circumstances. But you grow from the experience. You gather more confidence in yourself and your ability to promote positive change. This is how you stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Renovating Your Mind observes the herd but usually with a contrarian view. He finds it fascinating to look at a subject from a completely different perspective. That is what a “mind doctor” does for a living. You tell her your story. She asks you questions. Her probing allows you to view a situation in a completely different light. Case in point, visible light. We look up at the sky with our eyes. What shines back at us is only visible light. The only light that our eyes can perceive. If we utilize equipment with UV (ultraviolet), IR (infrared), x-ray or gamma rays instrument capability, then we can see in areas beyond our capability as homo sapiens. Technology has given us different glasses to view the night sky. We need to look outside the herd view to see the true reality of a situation.

In the stock market, following the “masses” will eventually lead you to monetary slaughter. Look what happened with the “Internet Bubble” that burst in 2000. The deadly factor was herd mentality and greed. That same finger of money beckoned again during the “Subprime Mortgage Fiasco” in 2008. Again,  continuing result of herd mentality and greed. In 2013, it’s more of the same story in the stock market. Record highs in the Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P even though the job situation is not good and unemployment is still high. When do you get out of these exchanges and an even harder question is when do you get back in the market. No one knows the answer. The lucky ones that get out and in at the right time proclaim themselves as “experts.” They are not. They just don’t follow the herd mentality and neither should you for making any decisions, financial or otherwise.

Following herd mentally can get you injured or killed. Do you know what happens in a fire when they have two separate doors to escape? Many people will panic and follow the majority of individuals out of only one of the two doors. This herd frenzy causes some to get trampled and others to die from smoke inhalation. All because we think it’s safer, especially in a state of stress, to follow the flock. Know clearly what are your options are when you enter a room, airplane, ship, etc. Don’t follow the crowd when you have options.

You need to be fully informed as a consumer. Do not always follow your peers or the herd. They could be one and the same. Spend the time. Do the research. If you can’t, look for trusted individuals that are well versed in the field. People you can depend on to work out an arrangement for help in your particular situation.

Aside from that, “Google it,” read and then think about it. You may come up with some answers that match the so-called “experts.” In fact, your mind could come up with a view that could change the mind of “experts.”

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Categories: Health, Mental Disease

Tags: Dow Jones, google, herd mentality, Julian Assange, NASDQ, Renovating Your Mind, S&P, stock market, Wall Street