By Sridhar Srinivasan 11 April
Category: GeneralIndians, as a nation and as individuals, are influenced heavily by our emotions. Sentiments drive much of our behavior, from choosing a smartphone to sensationalist media to even choosing a life partner!
As an example, I recall an India vs England match in Pune back in January 2017.
Enough eulogies and essays have been written about the match that day. However, we can look at this match with a different perspective — the highs and ebbs in the emotions of the Indian audience.
England at 42 overs: 245/4, Run Rate 5.83.
Sentiment: Positive,
“India is on track to restrict England to around 300, smart bowling”
England at 50 overs: 350/7, Run Rate 7.00.
Sentiment: Mildly Negative,
“India has lost the plot, given away too many runs in the last 8 overs. But we have a strong batting lineup so it should be a competitive match”
India at 12 overs: 64/4, Run Rate 5.33.
Sentiment: Highly Negative,
“This match is beyond redemption, no point watching it any more!”
India at 31 overs: 221/4, Run Rate 7.13, Required Run Rate: 7.55
Sentiment: Positive,
“Virat & Kedar fighting back strongly, looks like this will be a close match!”
India at 40 overs: 291/6, Run Rate 7.13, Required Run Rate: 6.84
Sentiment: Mildly Negative,
“Both Virat and Kedar are out, now the target looks difficult to achieve.”
India at 48.1 overs: 356/7, Run Rate 7.40.
Sentiment: Exuberant,
“What an incredible chase! Great going by Indian batsmen”
This is the same cycle of emotions that we go through when investing for wealth creation. If 50 overs is our investment horizon of 15 years, then 15 overs is equivalent to 5 years of the timeline.
Remember to watch the whole investment innings (15 years) rather than just get out of it at the hints of negativity (3 years, 5 years etc). That is what will give you the full satisfaction of watching your wealth grow.