A Canadian on Wall Street

Sort of a continuation of my last entry and a further meditation on things…

I look at my latest writing here, and for the average investor or trader who might happen by, it probably seems like a whole load of nothing, especially for the ones who seek answers, who want to learn other people’s opinions about things, who need someone to tell them what to do, or at least give them ideas about what to do. My earlier posts, when I started writing this blog, were about individual stocks, musings on various companies, and speculations on what might happen to them in the future, and I got much more attention for it. I’ve fallen for the trap of “other people’s opinions” many a time, but it’s my firm belief now that the best ideas come from within, perhaps after long and continuous exposure to the market environment and the various attitudes toward it, but nonetheless from something that isn’t influenced.

It’s analogous to the art of writing; the best writing comes from within, but only after long periods of reading and absorbing other writing, until it becomes part of your core and the words come naturally and unbidden. Those writers who consciously mimic other writers’ styles and techniques may occasionally come up with something readable and interesting, but often the results are only a shadow of the original.