MORE THAN WEED, cocaine or crystal meth, love is the ultimate drug. No other human emotion is capable of so effortlessly elevating your heart above the clouds or dragging it through the thorns of despair. Love is a powerful, uncontrollable, and in most cases, a dangerous force. Sometimes I wonder if life wouldn’t be a lot easier without it.
The problem is that falling in love is easy. It doesn’t take much energy or critical thinking to quickly find oneself completely head-over-heels for a beautiful girl. The attraction is usually immediate and irresistible: Without warning, she becomes the sun who brightens up your entire world. In your mind, you quickly make plans to share a future and can’t imagine another day without her by your side. That’s love. And that’s where the trouble begins.
Love is equally as hazardous when it comes to your investments, where we often find ourselves falling for a particular stock and, thus, utterly devoid of the rational objectiveness that’s required to successfully manage a position or portfolio. Love in relationships can break your heart, but love in your finances will devastate your bottom line. (more…)