Thursday, January 1st, 2026
Be “CAUTIOUS” Of Adopting A New Year “RESOLUTION” Mindset…
This year (2026), I will operate with a more “PURPOSED-DRIVEN” approach.
“RESOLUTIONS” tend to behave like “WISHES”…
We “WISH” to get back in the gym.
We “WISH” we will eat better.
We “WISH” to say “no” more often…
We “WISH” we would use our time more carefully.
None of those goals are wrong… they are just INCOMPLETE!!!
“RESOLUTIONS” miss the “WHY”… the reminder.
And finding a “PURPOSE” supplies it.
The good news is that it’s easier to find one than you think.
Build a “FRAMEWORK” for this Year (2026)…
OVERSTANDING/UNDERSTANDING the “PURPOSE” behind something (a GOAL, a RESOLUTION, a new PURCHASE) creates a “FRAMEWORK”.
It gives you a quiet and ticking reminder of why you are getting out of bed early to move your body, or why you are choosing NOT to do something distracting or easy.
The “PURPOSE” will replay in your mind, repeatedly and because that thing matters so much to you, you will see the resolutions as part of that path.
A “PURPOSE” of the ATWWI is to uncover how markets truly work and translate that knowledge so that YOU, ME, WE the ATWWI FAMILY can protect ourselves, seize opportunity, and think independently in a system that rewards confusion.
NOTE: There is a difference between a “PURPOSE” and a “MISSION”. A “PURPOSE” does not change and keeps you HONEST.
“MISSIONS” must change, and must keep you MOVING…
For 2026, the ATWWI “MISSION” linked to that ATWWI “PURPOSE” is pretty simple too: Navigate through volatile market regimes by focusing on how to protect capital first and act decisively when structure aligns, anomalies reward, and contrarian values emerge.
Everything Else Must Align
Most traders/investors do NOT actually have a “TRADING” problem.
They have a “PURPOSE” problem…
Ask someone why they trade/invest and you will usually hear an “OUTCOME”…
They “BEAT THE MARKET”.
They want to quit a job.
They want to get “P.A.I.D.”
The thing you will learn in BEHAVIORAL FINANCE classes, though, is that outcomes are “FRAGILE” and markets have an incredible ability to “STRESS-TEST” them immediately.
A defined “PURPOSE” answers a different question…
What role do markets play in the life you are trying to build???
If your “PURPOSE” is CAPITAL PRESERVATION across cycles, you do NOT chase LATE-STAGE MOMENTUM!!!
If your “PURPOSE” is STEADY INCOME with controlled “RISK”, you do NOT buy lottery tickets!!!
If your “PURPOSE” is ECONOMIC LIBERATION, you do NOT build conviction through headlines and news feeds and you do NOT chase the “EMOTIONAL” temperature of the room.
Once your market “PURPOSE” is clear, rules stop feeling “RESTRICTIVE” and start feeling “LOGICAL”.
Not chasing trades isn’t “DISCIPLINE”…
It’s a form of well-meaning “STRUCTURE”!!!
Your POSITION SIZING will NOT be viewed as “CAUTION”…
It becomes a “RESPECT FOR SURVIVAL”!!!
Walking away when you are exhausted is NOT “WEAKNESS”… It’s a form of “PROFESSIONALISM”…
Markets are very good at exploiting people who do NOT know why they are there.
Specifically, people without “PURPOSE”… just meandering through markets…
They reward “MOTION”, “NOISE”, and “OVERCONFIDENCE” just often enough to make those habits DANGEROUS!!!
So… it’s important to take the time to OVERSTAND/UNDERSTAND your “PURPOSE” BEFORE you try to make market “RESOLUTIONS”…
A good “PURPOSE” for a first-time trader/investor might be something as simple as “to learn how markets operate while protecting my capital.”
Or… “To OVERSTAND/UNDERSTAND RISK, POSITION SIZE, and MARKET BEHAVIOR before trying to extract returns.”
“PURPOSE” will keep you from trading/investing just to trade/invest.
People with decades of market knowledge and trading/investing experience face different challenges…
For the “EXPERTS”, markets aren’t confusing… they are “SEDUCTIVE”.
Experienced traders/investors might want their market “PURPOSE” to constrain “EGO”, preserve “OPTIONALITY”, and honor “TIME” as their primary edge.
I’ll tell you now as a trader/investor… my “CONSTITUTION” here is different than my “EDUCATOR” role, but it’s still clearly defined.
“To OVERSTAND/UNDERSTAND and position for how LIQUIDITY, INCENTIVES, and POWER actually move, while remaining LIQUID enough to ADAPT when they change and get “P.A.I.D.”!!!
That’s it…
It defines my “RISK-REWARD” policies without using those terms.
Take the Time to Determine Your “PURPOSE”
Once you have defined that “PURPOSE” in the markets other things will start to show how they impact your life.
The same “CLARITY” that YOU, ME, WE the ATWWI FAMILY seek to bring to markets has to exist in our HEALTH.
The same “PATIENCE” we talk about when trading/investing utilizing the ATWWI strategies/techniques has to show up in our HOMES.
Our resistance to “NOISE”, which is encouraged when trading/investing, has to apply to how we spend our TIME and where we focus our ATTENTION.
That COMMITMENT (or “RESOLUTION”) aligns as a structured decision about where our ATTENTION goes in a world of market “NOISE” and DISTRACTIONS…
YOU, ME, WE the “BELOVED” ATWWI FAMILY do NOT get to practice independence in one domain and chaos in another without eventually paying for it. They are NOT separate commitments.
They are the same “COMMITMENT”, expressed in different places.
When it all holds together, “RESOLUTIONS” stop feeling like “PROMISES” you are afraid to break. They start feeling like the next “NATURAL” step toward something better…
PEACE & BLESSINGS
Kenneth Reaves, Ph.D.