In the desert of Las Vegas, I once bought a bag of beef jerky called Devil’s Kiss. At first bite, it seemed tame — almost disappointingly mild. So, of course, I kept eating. But the spice had a delayed fuse. A few chews later, it hit like a freight train. My gut reaction? Reach for water. But water was useless — it only made it worse.
And so I had to just… ride it out. Like a wave. Wait for my system to stabilize, breathe through it, trust that it would pass.
Risk in the markets works the same way. Some trades seem mild at first — boring, manageable, easy. Then, without warning, the heat kicks in. Volatility spikes. The “safe” position suddenly feels like a bonfire in your chest. And the first instinct — panic-sell, yank your hand away — almost always makes things worse.
Instead, you have to learn to sit with it. Accept the wave, breathe through the fire. This isn’t advice to ignore risk. It’s advice to respect it. Build your portfolio with the same mindset you’d approach a spicy meal: know your tolerance, start small, and never forget that heat has a way of compounding.
The delayed kick is where lessons live. Markets don’t punish instantly; they lull you, then remind you who’s in charge.
Lesson: Don’t mistake a calm first bite for a harmless dish. In trading, as in spice, the afterburn is where the truth comes out.
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