Tauromachia is not a sport; it’s a ritual.

It’s man versus animal.

A dance of life versus death.

Bullfighting is quite symbolic on a variety of levels – a little bit artistic, a little bit athletic, a little bit romantic and a lot a bit dangerous.Perhaps there is a reason why the game of man versus bull has been one of the longest running rituals that is still practiced. There are all kinds of parallels that we can use in our lives, just like how we should be looking at the world today.

It doesn’t take an expert to know that a bullfighter survives by not getting gored by the bull. They can dance, jump, or just run… whatever it takes to avoid contact with those sharp horns.

Overall, it’s the nimbleness of the matador that allows him to survive. He adapts to the situation and then takes advantage of what is given to him – usually by shoving a spear through the animals heart.As graphic as that sounds, it’s a great example of someone who can quickly turn any terrifying situation into one of triumph.

As a society, we in general take the complete opposite stance. We love to be the victims; to blame others for our situation. We rest our hopes on other people, like how many people think that a new president will be their savior.

Here is some news: No one will save you other than yourself.

And that’s the lesson that we should remind ourselves of everyday. There will never be a friend, an elected official, or any type of person that will save you or lead you to success.

Yes, there will be many along the way that will help you with your journey, but ultimately it is up to you.

This idea of self-reliance seems to be quite frowned upon today.

You can look at Trump, Clinton, Sanders, Putin – or really whoever – to see that these people want us to depend on them. They want us to feel like we must relinquish our personal control to their power, because they know better than us. They don’t.

Their self-interests spill into their agenda, and their self-interests are exactly that – their own. Not yours or mine.

We must think like the matador does and be able to avoid any conflict that others may impose on our lives. That doesn’t mean that we have to fight, but simply step to the side and let the crazy beast run right past us.
Take a step back and think about this concept in your life. Whether it has to do with your work, your finances, your relationships, or whatever. I’m sure there are plenty of areas where you are completely dependent on other’s decisions; quite a terrifying idea if that person has ulterior motives.

Because at the end of the day, when it’s you versus the bull, nobody is going to jump in the ring with you. It’s up to you to save yourself.This concept is exactly what most investors are facing today. It’s all about the Fed’s decisions, which president is going to get elected and what the stock market is going to do.

What a backwards way to think!

Why not give yourself plenty of options and only act on the areas that give you opportunity. Don’t get so entrenched in any one area that you’ll be annihilated if something goes wrong. Be nimble and have the ability to quickly step aside of whatever bull (or bear) is running your way.

MACRO TRENDS

Transportation Revolution

A personal plane that can take off from your back yard, and operates entirely on electricity?

Yup, it’s in development and supposedly will be for sale by 2018.

You’d travel as the crow flies, instead of where the roads lead you… you’ll avoid tolls, traffic, signals and everything else that has made driving a nightmare.

 

Cannabis Amendment

“Stock exchange operator Nasdaq has rejected a listing application by MassRoots on the grounds that it may aid in the use and dealing of an illegal substance, the cannabis social networking company said on Tuesday.”
MassRoots is a social networking site and does not directly sell cannabis.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies like GW Pharmaceutical, INSYS Therapeutics, and CARA Therapeutics are all listed on major exchanges – these companies do deal with actual cannabis products.

On one hand, we can see where and how big money gets their way, like pharmaceutical companies lobbying to influence how they are treated… while a social networking site gets denied.

On the other hand, this is another example of the marijuana industry becoming more mainstream.