Image source - Pixabay

Meditation has always been a subject of debate right from centuries past. Most people argue that it doesn't add any real value to a man. But recently, several research works have been confirming that indeed meditation has real positive impact on human brain and humans entire system and well being.

Recently, about a few years back, one of the wealthiest investors of all time, Ray Dalio has come forth to say precisely that he owes all that he has made through investing to meditation. And that, it was when he started meditation that he started doing very well investing and controlling his mind. This statement from a man like Ray Dalio should be taken very seriously.

Ray Dalio is known to be the founder of the world's largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates. Managing $160 billion in assets as of 2017. He's networth is $18.6 billion according to Forbes as of July 2020. He's the 69th richest person in the world. I'm just stating all these facts, so that you can understand the status of the kind of man I'm talking about. And why we should take what he's saying very seriously, if we want to do great things in investing.

He has talked about the importance of meditation in helping an individual stay calm when making investments. To see clearly through the blockade that disturbs most people. He has mentioned that he practices transcendental meditation. A form of meditation where you repeat a mantra (a word, that means nothing, for example the AUM mantra) in your mind for a period of time. He has specifically stated that he practices transcendental meditation for 20 minutes, morning and evening.

Image source - Pixabay

He has also mentioned that this form of meditation helps you quiet your mind. Most times people make mistakes in investment because their minds just keeps bringing up different ideas and they lack the ability to control their thoughts and overall their mind. Hence, they make wrong decisions at the end of the day. He has repeatedly emphasized that the ability to control your mind is very important in investing, so you can keep away unimportant thoughts.

He has also mentioned that practicing transcendental meditation has helped him keep his cool when things go wrong as they sometimes do. Hence, he doesn't get anxieties, and rush into making poor decisions, which in most cases is what ruins most people when investing. He's mentioned that with this practice, you can maintain a high degree of awareness, and step away from your problems, and see them from a higher view, where you can make better decisions.

He has gone further to state that what meditation does is improve your awareness so much that you see problems for what they really are. Most times people aggravate the problems, so what was suppose to be a small problem turns into a huge problem. Mind control is very important in investing. There's a fatal way people lose money when trading and it's called revenge trading, where they lose their heads and mind trying to get back the money they've lost.

Revenge trading is a result of anger and uncontrolled emotions and temperament. When you practice transcendental meditation, you'll have better control of your emotions and would not be driven by them. Revenge trading is just the animal part of the brain trying to fight back, because it's not properly controlled. This ability to control the mind doesn't come cheap, it comes from constant practice, which transcendental meditation can give to you.

In conclusion, Ray Dalio is a man that has proven himself through his success. His advise is indeed worthy of listening, as he has been there and done it. I see it as a privilege that such a man could come forth to say the main reason for his success, and that he owes it all to transcendental meditation. Younger investors who want to do well investing have gotten this secret. All that's left, is believing it and putting it to practice everyday in your own life.

Thanks for reading!