Analysis Paralysis

I just saw this article on one of my favorite blogs -- that of Mr. Seth Godin, internet marketing extraordinaire. His post is called "The blizzard of noise (and the good news)" and talks about the endless inputs that flood our lives and consciousness on an everyday basis. We are completely bombarded by a never-ending supply of options and choices these days -- which of 1000+ channels should we watch, which of countless well-reviewed brands should we buy, which of a million different career paths and job opportunities should we pursue.

So how do we decide which input to follow, which information to actually give some weight and pay some attention to?

Well, that's exactly the problem. Too many people try to follow too many sources and get completely overwhelmed by the choices available. They see limitless opportunities that await them, but they're afraid of picking the wrong one, and end up completely paralyzed. They're confused and scared and completely bewildered... and they don't want to make any choices at all on their own.

So what do they do?

They look to people they trust for guidance. And who do they trust? Well, friends and family certainly. But in this day and age, media pundits and bloggers and celebrities are all included in that same category. These paralyzed masses look to these people who have made choices and follow along. They want to wear what they wear, act like they act, do like they do, and believe like they believe.

This is exactly what happens when inexperienced investors start to dabble in the stock market. They see all the endless choices out there of different stocks to buy, different companies to put your money with. They are flooded with information from CNBC and the Wall Street Journal and Fox Business and countless other sources that provide recommendations for taking action. And each source seems to provide recommendations that are directly contradictory to another!!

So they look to someone, some trusted authority to tell them exactly what to do, exactly what steps to take in order to be successful. And that's exactly why people have gravitated to guys like Jim Cramer. He's funny, he's witty, he's charming -- and he tells people what to do. So whether it's in their best interest or not, they follow his lead.

But instead of trusting someone or something unproven, how would you feel if you could put your trust in something that is proven to be successful? How would you feel if you could see beforehand the exact kind of results you can expect in the future?

Well, the thing to trust most is -- yourself. The best way to deal with the "blizzard of noise" out there is to develop your OWN set of rules. Using proven techniques and strategies, you can filter out all the nonsense and let your system do all the heavylifting. And you can adjust these rules so that they give you exactly the kind of results you want.