I feel like this is being taken to be more complicated than it actually is.
The more knowledge you get about a particular subject, the more you are able to see things and make better decisions based upon said knowledge.
Example: let’s say you play a sport. There are certain things you are not going to be able to achieve in that sport unless you have the knowledge and experience. I have always played basketball, but I can tell you flatly that there were things I was able to accomplish in the sport that I would have absolutely not have been able to do without playing against certain types of opponents. Sometimes I would do things on the court that just became second nature based on experience. I didn’t “plan” to do them.
So in the instance of me pivoting to Japanese cards, I saw that English was becoming exorbitantly overpriced and I felt that Japanese was undervalued. So, I made the switch. I didn’t concoct any goals back in 2017 where I said, “One day, I am going to focus on Japanese cards.” I never had the intention of doing it. I merely saw the opportunity in 2020 and didn’t look back.
Well, I never said systems don’t help you achieve goals successfully, but we are talking about two different things here, as I just explained about my switch to Japanese cards. That was not a goal; it was a direct result of acquired knowledge.
Another example is that I recently started buying more Japanese modern. Was that something I set a goal to start doing? No. I just noticed that the vintage market was becoming more and more difficult to navigate so I decided to broaden my horizons by delving deeper into modern. I adjusted, and that adjustment came with having knowledge that I have acquired over the years. There was a time where I resisted modern with every fiber of my being, but now, I love it.
Really, I have stopped saying things like “I need to have this card” or “I have to grade this in a PSA 10” and have instead began focusing on just buying what I like and learning as I go along. Throughout the process, I study market trends. I listen to people like Scott and others in the hobby who know more than me and have more experience than I do. I read. I experiment. I use both deductive and inductive reasoning. I list different items in my store to see what sells and what doesn’t. The list goes on and on.
I never said that you shouldn’t have goals. What I am saying is that goals can often produce frustration when you don’t reach them. I instead choose to generalize things and think, “Okay, I am going to do X, Y and Z and I am going to continue doing it because it has produced positive results for me in the past. When I do this, I notice that I make better decisions which lead to better results.” I do that, and goals start to take shape as a result. “Okay, my knowledge and experience directed me toward Japanese, and it has proved to be a good decision, Now I am regularly buying Japanese cards and seeing great results, so I am going to start grading 200 of these every two months.”
I’m not suggesting that anyone else do this. It’s simply my method.
