On Awareness

A powerful tool for investing & life success

Going forward I’ll be saving Saturday’s for lighter easier to read content. Upcoming soon should be some commentary on payments & fintech. I think you’ll all like it.

But first … today’s reminder.

In the world of investing, the battlefield isn't Wall Street—it's your mind.

I’ll say it once more, the battlefield is your mind.

Imagine this: you're staring at your portfolio on the screen. Red numbers glare back at you like a cruel joke. That thesis you had, dead wrong. Those gains you hoped for, adios amigo. Crippling panic rises in your chest, and a voice—one you you know quite well —starts whispering. "You’re a failure. You’re going to lose it all. You’re done”.

Now, pause. Freeze that moment. And take a deep breath.

What if I told you that voice isn’t yours? What if it’s just a trick of the mind, an illusion built by years of conditioning and fear?

This is where lessons I learned from Anthony De Mello’s Awareness can change everything. This book is a gem, like Rick Rubin’s work—not about finance but everything about a winning mindset.

You see, the real game isn’t beating the market. It’s mastering the mental chatter that controls your decisions. Isn’t slaying the demons saying “you are a failure”. It’s remembering that they’re liars. You’re not this moment of fear. You are a success. And the key is awareness.

Lesson 1: Observe the Inner Dialogue

De Mello’s first lesson is simple but profound: awareness begins with observation. Picture yourself as a third-party witness to your thoughts. When the market drops, instead of reacting with panic, notice the thoughts that flood your mind. Are they rational? Are they true? Or are they old fears dressed up as logic?

This is wild when you do it for the first time by the way.

Market downturns or swings can cripple you. In a younger and more immature version of me, I’ve faced this poorly (I still see losses too). Over exposed to a single name, bad news on the tape, big red candle down. Panic. Panic. Panic. You’re not good enough. Terrible move. You’ll lose it all.

But imagine this, imagine if instead of letting fear dictate my next actions, I wrote down every negative thought. "I’ll never recover," turned into "What’s the real evidence here?" “What am I learning from this?”. “Is this fear trying to scare me, or am I truly ruined?”. The very process of writing this down and getting outside of yourself to “observe” will work absolute wonders.

Di Mello says, "You don’t need to try to silence your mind. Just observe it. The very act of observation is a powerful tool to calm the mind and free yourself from its grasp."

Actionable Step: Start a thought journal. When emotions spike, write down what you're thinking. You'll be surprised how often the "truth" is just noise. The key is getting it on paper. Note: I couldn’t do this in sports, but in investing you can always observe and write.

Lesson 2: Detach from the Ego’s Narrative

Now that you’ve observed, detach.

Your ego loves drama. It tells you that every loss is a personal failure and every win is proof of your genius. Funny innit? But De Mello reminds us that the ego’s story isn’t reality. It’s a distortion. It’s actually kind of a simulation too if you’re into that kind of thing. But remember, that story is not reality.

Imagine you’re convinced you have a long idea nailed. Absolutely dead to right. You’ve built it up. You did the work. And then … the market takes that cute little idea of yours and absolutely trashes it. Sellers upon sellers show up to stomp all over your idea. You’re down big. PNL is getting crushed. Portfolio gains melting away. Now in this moment your ego feels like it’s shrinking from something the size of the Great Pyramid down to a single grain of sand.

But your ego isn’t you. Your ego is how you want to appear to the world. It’s saying “they’re all gonna laugh at you” because you’ve attached yourself to an ideal that may or not even be true. In the heat of the moment the ego has a loudspeaker, put your ear plugs in, put on something zen, drown that ego out.

And to be honest, who gives a flying you know what what the world thinks of you? Or as Di Mello says, "Freedom lies not in conforming to the expectations of others but in living authentically, without fear of judgment."

Actionable Step: When you feel overwhelmed, pause, breathe, and ask yourself, "Is this my ego talking?" “Is this true, or is it some ego despair fear trying to freak me out?”. “Is this truly the end of the world?”. Detaching from the story and asking these questions frees you to make rational, informed decisions.

Lesson 3: Embrace the Present Moment

Obeserve, detach, and now get present.

The market is unpredictable—we all know that. But here’s the paradox: the more you obsess over controlling the future, the less control you actually have. Again from sports, it is absolutely humbling to think about how hard you train, how much work you put in, all of the blood sweat and tears, and then some little thing out of your control just derails it all. Life is awesome like that. And in the book De Mello teaches that true power lies in the present moment. There is no past, no future, only present.

In investing in particular this is counterintuitive, because we all know that the real money is made by skating where the puck is going. By investing in the future. And this much is true. But the key to figuring out where the world might be in 18 months is predicated on today. Practically speaking what this means is that if you’re sitting there thinking to yourself, “how am I ever going to find a new long or how am I going to dig myself out of this hole?”, then you my friend are not present.

Presence is doing the work. Presence is remembering what you’re really good at. Leaning into the things you do well & that put you into that elusive “flow” state. For me it’s finacials. It looks something like digging into a name, or looking at flows, or who is growing the holy trinity better than anyone else. It’s getting back into the work. Grabbing the metaphorical shovel and digging.

"Life is here and now, and if you’re not aware of it, you’re missing it."

Actionable Step: Create a "now checklist." Before making any decision, ask: "What is the data telling me right now? What’s my strategy for this exact moment?" Focus on where you’ve had success, what work you did to get there, and getting back to it. Back to reality and out of the future.

Call to Action: Awareness as Your Superpower

The battlefield is your mind, and mastering it is the ultimate edge. Markets will rise and fall, red numbers will glare back at you, and fear will try to hijack your decisions. But here’s the truth: your power lies not in controlling the uncontrollable but in mastering your response.

As Anthony de Mello wisely said, "You can only be in control when you are fully aware. But the irony is, the more aware you are, the less you’ll feel the need to control."

Damn, this hits hard. And it starts with awareness. Try it. I’m telling you it works.

The real game isn’t beating the market—it’s mastering the stories in your head, detaching from the ego’s narrative, and anchoring yourself in the present. When you observe without judgment, detach from fear, and focus on what’s in front of you, the noise fades, and clarity emerges.

These tools—awareness, detachment, and presence—are your arsenal. Use them, and not only will you outsmart the market, but you’ll also become stronger, calmer, and more resilient in life. The best part? You don’t just become a better investor—you become a better version of yourself. And it’s all sitting right here within you.

The work starts now. Grab your journal. Observe. Detach. Focus.

And when fear whispers, remind yourself: This is not the end. This is where I grow.

This is where we grow,

Victaurs