I recently received a call from my friend, who after much convincing had started investing his money through SIP’s around two years back. He sounded panicky when we spoke.

“The markets are falling, Sathish!” he said.

“Yes, that is normal as stock market is volatile,” I replied.

“Like you had advised, I have continued my mutual fund investments every month without fail, but I am worried now. Should I stop my monthly investment, or sell them?”

“When do you need the money you’ve invested?” I asked.

“I don’t need it now,” he replied, “But I am worried that the markets may fall even further. And I don’t want to see my savings lose more value.”

I said, “If you want to take my advice, and if you don’t need the money now, do nothing.”

I tried to tell him that markets continuously test our patience, but more so at these moments when they are falling. But he wasn’t ready to hear it. A day later, he messaged me: “I sold half of my investments, and have stopped my SIPs for now. Will start when things are clearer.”

“Stock Market will never be” but you do what you think is good for you.

Markets are a mirror, and a mirror doesn’t lie, or flatter, or care about your feelings. They reflect exactly what you bring to them—your patience or your panic, your discipline or your desperation. Like they didn’t cause my friend’s panic but only revealed it. Markets are like that.

They show you what’s inside, whether you’re ready to see it or not. When the seas are calm, you can convince yourself you’re patient and level-headed. But when the storm hits—and there’s no storm
yet in the markets—the truth comes out.

As Warren Buffett so famously said, “Only when the tide goes out do you learn who has been swimming naked.”

Markets reward patience, discipline, and the ability to stay still when every instinct is screaming, “Do something!” The great irony is that doing nothing is often the hardest thing to do, even though it’s usually the right move.

Now, the patience I’m talking about is not passive. It’s not about sitting around and hoping things work out. It’s about staying grounded in what you know to be true, which includes the quality of your investments.