Where I live, the fastest way to turn otherwise rational beings into raging lunatics is by mentioning taxis. Whether your audience are those forced to occupy what wags call “moving coffins”; or the more fortunate who merely share their roads, the response is similar: South Africans are disgusted by the HiAce steering species. They put local taxi drivers on a par with English rugby players in a World Cup final. Or worse.
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Thankfully, I got to opt out of this national sport after heeding advice from a serene acquaintance. Mr Tranquility’s secret – a refusal to allow anyone to rent his headspace. He worked this out in the wake of one too many railings against a pavement-driving taxi driver. After the fury, it dawned that his whole being had been consumed by the serial lawbreaker. But all it had warranted in return, was a casually flipped finger.
The principle of resisting headspace-rental can be widely applied. Think officious bureaucrats in Big Business (and Big Government) who get their kicks by applying their “rules are rules” dogma. Or drama queens who exaggerate for effect to support their own prejudices. Plus, of course, self-serving politicians – those overblown peddlers in headling-grabbing narratives designed to grab them the spotlight.
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No longer do any of these worthies rent space in my head. Partly, as Mr Tranquility worked out, because they don’t reciprocate. But also through a reminder of Benjamin Zander’s Rule Number Six – “Don’t take yourself so Goddamn seriously.”
Monday’s Rational Radio webinar is on a break, providing an ideal opportunity for us to to catch up on those missed. Including the March 25 update on the BizNews portfolio where we urged you to keep your head while others were losing theirs – and follow us into buying Sasol, Discovery, Cloudflare and Spotify. Much of what was said then still holds true. So for a recap on why understanding exponentiality is the key to successful investing, click on the graphic above to watch a recording of that bottom-of-the-market webinar where we bought into great stocks at super-low prices.
TO LISTEN…
Latest audio on BizNews Radio.…..(click on the link to access)
- Week in review: Oilgate, Zondo, Engen, TongaatÂ
- It takes a village: Bonnievale’s “zero dropout” school
- Tim Modise – Leveraging SA advantages for growthÂ
- Discovery’s Ruth Lewin heads up global body IAVE
- Future of 12J investments with Bright Light Solar’s Kevin Shames
TO WATCH…
On the BizNews TV channel on Youtube…
