Past podcast guest and avid fisherman David Coggins recently shared some thoughts on taking the long view in his newsletter, and it feels like you could swap “fishing” for “investing”, and the meaning might remain close to the same:

The Long View – People have a platonic vision of what fly fishing should be, and when they start, they feel like they’re a long way off. Then they get frustrated. I get it. There isn’t a fishing humiliation I haven’t suffered through—tangles, knots, catching the tree behind you, catching the same tree behind you again, falling in the water, losing a fish, losing more fish. That’s all fishing. But fishing is also: being on the water, engaging with the natural world, being in a beautiful place and not looking at your cell phone, and yes, drinking terrifically bad beer. Fishing, for me, is the entire experience and the small disasters along the way are part of the long game.

When I’m with a friend who’s learning to fish, and we get to the water, there’s always a sense of anticipation and a few nerves. I take a moment to say, “I’m happy to be here with you. Don’t worry about mistakes. I’ve made them all. We’re here to have a good time in this beautiful place. It’s going to be a good day.” And it is.