“Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.” – H. Jackson Brown

“Don’t allow missed opportunities of the past interfere with the opportunities that are right before you.” – Ryan Robbins

What’s worse than a missed opportunity? Continuing to miss opportunities.

I know that the world is a storm of uncertainty right now but it shouldn’t prevent you from pursuing opportunities. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from the habits of elite investors it’s that they never sit on the sidelines. To them, there are always opportunities to seize – no matter what’s going on in the outside world.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston S. Churchill

In the world of behavioral finance, researchers have found that investors tend to react to uncertainty and economic turmoil in the same way animals react to predators in the wild – their fight or flight instinct kicks in.

Often feeling overwhelmed and overmatched, most investors choose the flight option. Not all investors flee. Some don’t let danger get in the way and fight through the uncertainty.

Although fleeing is the most common investor response to economic turmoil and political uncertainty, history has proven that fleeing only results in missed opportunities, which then leads to regret.

The missed opportunity = regret dynamic becomes a vicious cycle as investors double down on their poor decision making that led to the missed opportunities. In behavioral finance, the term for this behavior is status quo bias, where investors will have the tendency to stick with the choice they’ve made.

One missed opportunity becomes a habit of missing opportunities. This is not a cycle you want to be in as an investor.

Do elite investors sit on the sidelines in downturns or in times of uncertainty? No. They pivot because there are always opportunities in any economic environment. People don’t stop needing shelter, transport, food, or health care.

Investors cling to the mistaken belief that there’s no harm in doing nothing. The reality is, investors who choose to do nothing are actively deciding to stay the strategic course they’re on – the course of missing out on opportunities to proactively grow money.

Money that sits is being picked at by the crows of inflation. Don’t be fooled that there’s no harm in doing nothing. If you’re not growing your money, you’re letting inflation erode it.

Just as Procter & Gamble thrived during the Great Depression selling soap and hygiene products, there are investment assets out there you can commit your capital to right now that are insulated from market volatility and that offer recession-resistant income and growth. You just have to be open to them.

In times of uncertainty, the most natural investor response is to retreat, but the alpha investors don’t retreat, they pivot. That’s why they’re the alpha investors. They see an opportunity in every situation. They don’t miss opportunities. You shouldn’t either.