I am , yes talking about airplane turbulence. This fear starts the moment I am enroute to catch any flight. The feelings are usually- I get jittery, my heart starts palpating, I start thinking of all those things that I could not do while I was on ground, and to the extreme that this flight is not going to land.
My 14 year old son has taken longer flights than I have and when I express my feelings, he calms me by putting across the facts. This is what he says “Your chance of being in an air disaster is approximately one in three million. You would need to fly once a day for more than 8,200 years to accumulate three million flight “ Yes, I feel comfortable upon hearing this and am fine.
Before we proceed, let me tell you this blog is not about my fear of flying but about how airplane turbulence is similar to our turbulent and volatile equity markets and how can we overcome this fear and reach our goals. I may not be expert in dealing with flight turbulences but can easily make you comfortable with equity markets with my 14 years of experience as Financial advisor and knowledge.
Following are the similarities:
1. Have faith on the industry: Our planes are well equipped to fly themselves on autopilot mode in the worst conditions, similarly have faith in the India growth story which is intact despite all the volatility.
2. Cut the noise: These are external factors causing the turbulence in aircraft as well as in equity markets. The former is due to winds that are beyond control and latter is due to news or happenings which are beyond control. It is better to cut the noise and keep yourself entertained with music and focussed on your goals. There is hardly anything that can be done, so cut the noise and enjoy the ride.
3. Long term result is what matters: Please note that it will be a phase and will pass. In long term, desired results are achieved. One reaches the desired destination and goals. Remind yourself that you are safe. short term volatility will get over sooner or later.
4. Separate fear from anxiety: Anxiety often leads one to realise that you are in danger which maximum number of times is not the case. Fear of losing money while making calculated investments will not put you in danger zone, you will make your wealth zero until and unless you are making decisions based on speculation. A lot of research has been put in mutual funds to diversify the risk like a lot of research and quality control check is there in airplanes.
5. Go with the flow: You can also realise that other modes of transport are way more bumpier than flying. Trains and roads no safer. Similarly, the biggest risk in investing is not investing at all. If you are willing to stay in comfort zone by keeping money in savings bank account or investing in fixed instruments, how are you going to overcome inflation. This means by not investing in equities, you will not only end up getting lesser returns but also not beat inflation and reach desired goals. So, sit back, relax and go with the flow.
6. Control your thoughts: As discussed in point number 2, there will be no control over external factors, but one thing that you can control are your thoughts. Prepare your mind to get calming and positive thoughts. Think about the destination and about the activities you have planned for your vacation. Think about your financial goal and visualize the D day in your head for which you have been investing.
7. Before helping others, help yourself first : Most of the people out there are good in advising and not minding their own business. It is better to help yourself first, put your mask first and then think about helping others. In investments, People with half baked knowledge and not so great financial life try to help their friends or relatives with limited knowledge which in turn leads to wrong financial decisions taken in haste for self as well others.
So, to calm you from both the turbulences, here are some hacks:
Don’t panic, Be informed, Cut the noise , own how you feel and Visualize positive thoughts and outcomes.
About the author: Gurleen Kaur Tikku is a Financial Consultant and devotes her time to her company www.hareepatti.com. She has done her Bachelors in Finance and Investment Analysis(BFIA) from College of Business Studies(CBS, Delhi) and MBA from IMT, Ghaziabad.. She can be Contacted at gurleen@hareepatti.greatestdesignever.com
Disclaimer: Images have been sourced from google.com