9. THE NEED FOR HEROES

 The power of myth.

 QUOTED

When I was a kid, I greatly admired Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra. They were my heroes.

Every time, as a 9 or 10 year-old kid, when I stepped up to bat or played first base or catcher, I wasn't me. I was Yogi or Hank.

 It's one of the most powerful ways we learn that we often lose as adults.

 We lose our heroes. We lose our naiveté.

Today, I watch young kids playing basketball near my home. On the court they're not little Johnny; they're Michael Jordan, Sir Charles or Clyde.

Copying or emulating heroes is true power learning.

And that is why when someone like O.J. Simpson falls from grace, there is such a huge outcry.

There is more than just a courtroom trial. It is the loss of a hero. Someone people grew up with, looked up to, and wanted to be like. Suddenly we need to rid ourselves of that person.

We have new heroes as we grow older.

In my older years, I know their stats just like I knew the ERAs and RBI of my baseball heroes.

I follow what Warren Buffett invests in, and read anything I can about his point of view on the market.

I read Peter Lynch's book to understand how he chooses stocks.

 And I read about Donald Trump, trying to find out how he negotiates and puts deals together.

Just as I was not me when I was up to bat, when I'm in the market or I'm negotiating a deal, I am subconsciously acting with the bravado of Trump.

Or when analyzing a trend, I look at it as though Peter Lynch were doing it. By having heroes, we tap into a tremendous source of raw genius.

But heroes do more than simply inspire us.

Heroes make things look easy. It's the making it look easy that convinces us to want to be just like them. "If they can do it, so can I."

When it comes to investing, too many people make it sound hard. Instead find heroes who make it look easy