The Colored Ribbon Trap
Trading Psychology in Wartime, Tolstoy and 10 Musk-Inspired Ways to Make America Epic
If Tolstoy were alive, he would be on Substack writing as I am, but with more detail and personalization. But who is to say I’m going to stop at my current cadence?
As I’m working on wonderful content and building out some amazing, useful software for use, I rummaged through some of my notes of the past decade and saw this scribbled:
How was my performance during the war?
Published: Wed, 04/08/20
(In real time, not in hindsight, like Tolstoy might I add)
This relates to all the times I can remember trying to make a few bucks during wartime and has come to the conclusion it’s not good ju-ju.
Always support the troops, help when you can, and plan for an optimistic outcome.
“The past two weeks have been nothing but stellar for the few and just as bad and brutal as they come for most. I’m reminded of what Napoleon said:
“A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.”
From personal experience, I was trying to trade during the week, from the long and short side, while getting the necessities of life for the family
(Toiletry, Extra Freezer, Food, and stuff for Kids),
and blah blah
What I noticed of myself, and many others, is the passion to trade to just show a profit...any profit, so all the time is eaten up not for anything useful
But just the thought that you are part of the elite.
For investments, this is also a problem, because you KNOW as much as the next man that the biggest wealth creator is buying cheap stocks and seeing them rise to the moon.
From both the trader to the investor, we are chasing that colored ribbon that badge to say we did it, and forget the rest of life and forget what is valuable as well.
Just a tip for success: NEVER COUNT YOUR MONEY UNTIL THE DEALING IS DONE…
Do it for the family, your retirement, for things that are truly valuable. Money comes and goes, and when you are chasing, you’ll get lucky, but then again you might not and curse yourself for those foolish decisions.
I would suggest going to a casino; it’s more fun . Otherwise, consider how much money you want to risk and buy something you have always wanted to do.
Never expect to make money quickly in the financial markets.”
Ironically, jumping into IPOs like this I feel is jealousy, envy, but can be reframed as admiration and courage of the entrepeneur.
Instead of being buddies with him, why not consider how is his outlook could make the US not just great again, but epic.
Using a prompt, I asked Grok (which Musk owns) ten top ideas to get the US to be legendary again.
Don’t know about you, but will make a note of this as the news keep pouring in:
Here’s how Elon Musk might respond in an interview when asked for 10 practical tips to make the US grow as dynamically as his companies (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, etc.). These draw from his public statements on innovation, regulation, talent, debt, AI, energy, and first-principles thinking.
moomoo.com
Embrace first-principles thinking and question every assumption.
Break problems down to the most fundamental truths (physics, economics, human incentives) and rebuild from there. Don’t optimize legacy systems—rethink them entirely. Companies like SpaceX succeeded by questioning why rockets had to be so expensive. Government and industry should do the same instead of layering on complexity.get2growth.com
Slash unnecessary regulation and bureaucracy to unleash innovation.
Excessive rules, especially unelected agency overreach, slow progress dramatically. Focus regulation on real safety and outcomes, not process. Musk has highlighted how red tape hinders cutting-edge fields. Streamline permitting, favor evidence-based policy, and let entrepreneurs move fast—like Tesla and SpaceX did to revolutionize autos and space.marubeni.com
Make America the most attractive place for talent and capital.
Prioritize merit-based immigration for high-skill people, protect free speech, and create a culture that rewards builders. America’s edge comes from attracting the world’s best—keep that door open. Reduce barriers so the brightest minds and biggest investments flow here, not to competitors like China.cnbc.com
Drive sustainable fiscal discipline—debt is unsustainable.
The national debt (especially including unfunded liabilities) is a massive drag. Overspending leads to bankruptcy at country scale, just like for individuals. Cut waste ruthlessly, prioritize high-ROI investments (infrastructure, R&D), and avoid printing money that fuels inflation. Efficiency matters.@elonmusk
Go all-in on AI, robotics, and exponential technologies.
AI and robotics can deliver explosive productivity growth—potentially double-digit or even triple-digit economic expansion. Deploy them broadly to solve labor shortages, boost output, and create abundance. Treat applied intelligence as the ultimate growth proxy.moomoo.com
Accelerate energy abundance—cheap, reliable power for everything.
Pursue solar, batteries, nuclear, and whatever scales best. Energy is foundational; constraints here limit all growth. Musk’s companies bet big on this—make the US the leader in abundant, low-cost energy to power AI data centers, manufacturing, and EVs.weforum.org
Obsess over product excellence and real value creation.
Build things people actually want—dramatically better, not just incrementally. Companies succeed by delivering superior goods/services that advance humanity (electric cars, reusable rockets, global internet). Government should enable this, not pick winners with endless subsidies.get2growth.com
Hire and protect exceptional people; build high-talent-density teams.
Success hinges on attracting and motivating top talent. Demand high standards, reward performance, and remove low performers quickly. Extend this nationally: education reform for real skills, merit-based systems, and a culture that celebrates builders over bureaucrats.youtube.com
Take calculated risks and iterate rapidly through failure.
Big breakthroughs require bold bets and learning from setbacks (e.g., rocket explosions, production hell). Encourage experimentation, protect against downside via diversification, but don’t fear failure as data. America’s dynamism comes from this frontier mindset—revive it.instagram.com
Focus on long-term multi-planetary and civilizational goals.
Aim beyond quarterly metrics toward making humanity multi-planetary, sustainable, and abundant. This inspires talent, drives innovation spillover (GPS, internet from space programs), and unites people around big, meaningful challenges. Starlink-style connectivity already lifts GDP by boosting productivity everywhere.@elonmusk
Musk often emphasizes that America remains the land of opportunity, but sustaining that requires removing self-imposed barriers, betting on technology, and maintaining a high-trust, high-ambition society.
The goal isn’t just growth for its own sake—it’s creating an abundant future where technology multiplies human potential.