10/19/10 Dancing with the Stars / Investing

10/19/10 Dancing with the Stars / Investing
How is Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) like investing?
Read on as we compare the work of pros to amateurs and confirm that in many dancing and investing at a higher level are very similar. It is ok not to be a pro and amateurs can excel.

DWTS and Investing

For everyone who takes himself or herself too serious stop reading NOW. For everyone else read on……


If you have never tried Ball Room Dancing, please do so. It took me nearly 2 decades to convince my significant other to take up proper dancing. It was well worth the effort. Albeit we met at a very young age, Ball Room Dancing is in many ways analogous to investing. The hit television show Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) epitomizes investing in the form of reality TV.

For everyone who thinks it looks easy, ask your self:
How is it each team has one professional and one amateur but it takes several weeks to choose a winner?
If it is so easy, why do star athletes fall to injury?
Why do the pros fail while amateurs succeed?
Does popularity keep couples in the hunt while more talented less popular couples get the boot?
A couple without distinction can come from nowhere and defeat a couple with star quality?
How can the likes of Donny Osmond and Kelly Osborn defeat sport legends Michael Irvin, Chuck Liddell, Natalie Coughlin & Louie Vito?

To learn Ball Room Dancing/investing you need to learn the methods.
To be good at Ball Room Dancing/Investing you need practice.
Practice makes a better dancer/investor.
Competition/results comparisons show a dancers/investors skill level.
It takes years of training/investing to be proficient.
It is best to be good at a style and knowledgeable in other methods as well to succeed.
Many factors influence your success, you cannot control all of them.
Being cautious and understanding your craft leads to success.

Dancing/investing require knowledge, skill and experience. You do not need experience to try it, just a winning attitude, patience and strong interest. The best and smartest are not always the winners, sometimes the lucky win. However, who defines winning is important. Specifying goals and guidelines (aka: Rules) is important. We saw how our hero astronaut did at 80+ years old, which did not seem fair, it needed classifications that did not apply or rather the wrong asset class was used inappropriately. Make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into, liquidity and exit plans are important. Have fun doing it!

I guess my conclusion will be stomped on or trampled with silly work play. So go out, kick up your heels, have some fund and do not left the investment bullies scare you.

I just think I’ll do a slow cha cha out of here at the close………….