Warren Buffett once said: "Investing is simple, but not easy." Why is it that simple things are so hard to do well? This is because many things in the world we live in are like this - simple yet difficult to achieve.

For example, fitness is simple, right? It's just a motion repeated dozens of times. I started working out at the age of 42, and the first exercise I practiced was holding dumbbells to train my biceps. The movement was simple, just flexing and extending the forearm. I practiced four sets a day, eight times per set, with less than one minute of rest between sets. That is, I practiced 32 times a day.

Such a simple movement, I have been practicing until now, and I am now 55 years old. I dare to say that very few people can persist in fitness like me, and I absolutely belong to the top one in a hundred. At least 70% of those who go to the gym cannot persist, which is equivalent to giving money to the gym in vain. Even those who persist, generally cannot persist for one or two years. There are very few people who can persist in exercising for 13 years like me.

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In order not to interrupt the exercise, I bought three sets of dumbbells, a barbell, a fitness bench, a treadmill, so that I can squeeze out time to exercise at home when there is no time. In the past 13 years, there have been various factors that have hindered my persistence in fitness: illness, injury, fatigue, depression, loneliness, banquets, etc. How difficult it is for me to persist until now.

At the age of 54, I successfully lost weight, losing more than 30 pounds. In fact, losing weight is also simple, as long as you control your mouth and endure hunger, you can lose weight. But such a simple thing, the vast majority of people cannot do it. After middle age, I realized that doing simple things well is an extraordinary person. The vast majority of people can't even do simple things well!

Take stock investment as an example, it is actually very simple:

For example, "only invest in companies you really understand." This principle is simple, right? Unfortunately, the vast majority of people can't do it. Most people overestimate their abilities and buy a lot of companies they don't really understand. So the ancients said: "People are valuable for self-knowledge." It is not easy for people to have self-knowledge in life, and it is also difficult to have self-knowledge in investment.

Now many stock investors are buying stocks in the artificial intelligence industry. The question is, do they really understand artificial intelligence? The reason most people buy artificial intelligence stocks is actually just because "they see it rising."

For example, achieving "long-term holding" is simple, right? It's just holding on. But the vast majority of people can't do it. Some people can't hold for a long time because they don't have long-term available idle money, so they can't hold for a long time. Some people can't hold for a long time because their principal is too small, and it doesn't make much sense to hold for a long time. Some people can't hold on because they buy industries and companies they don't understand, so when the market fluctuates, they become afraid and can't hold on. Some people have poor psychological endurance and are not suitable for stock investment, etc.So, achieving "long-term holding" is a very difficult thing. There are various factors that hinder us from "long-term holding." Just as Sun Wukong drew a circle for Tang Seng, Tang Seng only needed to sit patiently inside the circle while waiting for Sun Wukong to find food. Is this simple? However, even such a simple thing, Tang Seng couldn't do it, because there were all kinds of temptations outside the circle, making it difficult for him to sit still.

You want to hold long-term. But the market fluctuates wildly, sometimes soaring and sometimes plummeting. After experiencing several roller coaster rides, you may feel regretful, thinking: "It would have been better to sell it a few times before." As a result, as soon as you sell, the stock price soars. You will never have the chance to buy it back in your lifetime.

Similarly, "When others are greedy, I am fearful. When others are fearful, I am greedy." This sentence is simple, right? When the market broke below 2700 points a while ago, how many people dared to buy that day? In fact, the vast majority of people are "others." It's that when everyone is fearful, I am even more fearful, and when everyone is greedy, I am also greedy. Achieving true rationality and objectivity is not an easy thing.

There are many things in life and investment that are very simple, but they may contain very profound truths or require very strong self-control or a more powerful desire to overcome the current instincts. It is not easy to do well in these simple things.