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## Prepping For Another Bear Market ##


I’ve been involved in crypto long enough now to have survived two bear markets. It’s excruciating to see your portfolio dropping by double digits day after freaking day. What I’ve learned after sprouting a lot of bear market-induced gray hair is, “To every thing there is a season.” In other words, even the least popular phase of the market cycle has its purpose and we can make it work for us. Deep breaths. 

When it comes to investing, more often than not, our monkey brains try their best to betray us. Greed, ego, and fear are the main barriers to wealth-building for the average investor. Acting on emotion is our worst enemy when it comes to investing and so is listening to the news and the so-called “experts”. 

Many of these influencers are either shilling coins they have a stake in or they're nothing more than prediction factories spewing out opinions to see what sticks. Often these influencers’ predictions are contradictory from the one(s) they made before and most are wrong but if they do get one right they’re quick to revel in their “win” and use them to gain more followers.  

To be successful in the highly volatile crypto market you need to be behaving exactly opposite of the herd (herd = a majority of investors). You need only to remember two things to be fairly successful – buy LOW and sell HIGH, which typically means: 1. Buy when the herd is selling; and 2. Sell when the herd is buying. There are other, more nuanced tips you’ll pick up along the way but if you just follow those first two tips you’ll do much better than most. 

The problem with steps 1 and 2 above is they’re deceptively simple and everything we encounter from the media, our egos, and even our crazy uncle’s financial advice at Thanksgiving dinner can throw us off track. News stories often have the end goal of striking FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt) in us to make us sell or FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to coax us to buy. Still, after all this time I’ll occasionally read an article that, for a split second, makes me believe crypto would go to zero tomorrow or make me a zillionaire next week. 

The reality is neither of those two extremes are true for most of us. If we’re lucky over a few years of experience, educating ourselves, developing psychological fortitude, and dollar cost averaging religiously we will have built ourselves not only a strong financial future but a global tribe of like-minded friends. The odds are these people (us) will help to build the foundation of a more equitable world and get humanity unstuck from this horrible slump it's currently in. Crypto and blockchain really do have this potential. 

## What Are You Reading? ##
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I’m an unabashed podcast junkie but my addiction has got in the way of me consuming real books. I’ve decided to remedy this. 

I’m reading “Liar’s Poker” by Michael Lewis and listening to “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky on Audible. Both are excellent so far. I have plenty of opportunities to listen to audiobooks during the day because I walk our dog around 3-5 miles per day and climb the stairs in our condo building for cardio for 20 minutes each night. 

*What are you reading?* I'm looking for recommendations. 

## The Luxury of Time ## 
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I just wrapped up my last freelance job of the year a few days ago. It was a [bespoke poem](https://ericvancewalton.wordpress.com/personalized-poetry/) for a client who is retiring after forty years of practicing law. As I sent off the final draft I realized I have a little over two weeks with no real work to do and I intend on enjoying every second. 

My buddy, Juan (@luckyfellow), and I just booked our Airbnb for our Montreal stay next summer and I intend on using the last few weeks of this year to plan out a few other getaways for 2022. I know we're technically out of the woods just yet but things are beginning to seem a little more normal. 

## Merry Christmas! ##
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Just in case I don’t get around to posting before the holiday I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from our home to yours. Thank you so much for all of the support this year. I’m not asking for anything this year from family or friends. I’m flying for the first time since the onset of the pandemic in January to see my Mom, Brother and his family in Ohio. That’ll be the best present I can think of and the tickets cost me all of $11.20 after the airline miles I used. Thanks Delta! I can’t wait to share everything I have planned for 2022. It has the potential to be an epic year. Many blessings to you all. 

 
(Gifs sourced from Giphy.com, photos are original.) 


All for now. 
 
With Gratitude,
 
Eric Vance Walton

 
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<center> [![alt text](https://i.imgur.com/HxpLgqSl.jpg)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095HXB8WQ) </center>

Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive. 

[Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095HXB8WQ)  



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<center> [![alt text](https://i.imgur.com/b5U8dqm.jpg?1)](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PJPWK2W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) </center>

Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel. 

These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, [Mindful Moments](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PJPWK2W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com. 



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# <center> Let’s Keep In Touch </center> #

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<center> [www.ericvancewalton.net](http://www.ericvancewalton.net) </center>
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