Investing is something that can be both easy and difficult. But what truly trips up most people is never the trading method itself, but that restless heart swinging back and forth in the market.

You’ve probably experienced it: when the market plunges, your mind starts to buzz—"It's over, did I miss the boat?" The desire for what’s unattainable stirs up anxiety, leading you to chase the high and buy at the top; then the market crashes again, and you regret it intensely. Repeating this cycle, your account fluctuations often become more volatile than your assets themselves. What's the root cause of this emotional chaos? It’s impatience.

Humans are naturally eager to see "immediate results." This mindset is an advantage in daily life—it helps you make quick decisions and act swiftly. But in investing, it’s the opposite. Long-term investing is a strange thing: even if your decisions are entirely correct, your account might stay quiet for a long time. Money grows slowly, and the process can seem dull and monotonous. Yet, behind this calm, the most genuine wealth accumulation occurs. Conversely, those seemingly exciting, highly volatile trading strategies are often the biggest traps for losing money.

Here’s a common pitfall many people fall into—the misunderstanding of compound interest. The most counterintuitive aspect of compound interest is that in the first few years, you see little to no results. You invest daily, accumulate regularly, but the account balance changes at a snail’s pace. It’s like exercising: the first two weeks, you might not see any muscle gains, but every day you’re laying the foundation for your future self. Every disciplined investment now is reducing future worries.

Ultimately, no one can precisely predict how much wealth they will accumulate in the future. The market is full of uncertainties. But one thing is certain: if you give up halfway, the outcome will definitely be "below your expectations." The real difference between people isn’t who can see through the market or whose strategy is smarter, but who is willing to keep going when the market is boring, continuously falling, and confidence is shattered. It may sound a bit "motivational," but that’s the reality.

In fact, what we want isn’t necessarily to get rich overnight. Most people don’t seek flashy numbers to show off, but rather to reach a point where they can tell themselves: "I don’t need to rush this. I can take my time." "I don’t have to carry that pressure." The true sense of wealth comes from being able to control your life rhythm and having the confidence to relax in certain situations.

So, taking it slow isn’t a big deal. You’re not competing with the market’s speed or others’ returns; you’re building a stable future for yourself. This sense of certainty is far more valuable than fleeting quick gains.