There is this guy who's always been poor, and one day he decides to pray to God that he could win the lottery.
He prays and prays, but doesn't win. Every day, he prays to God that he could win the lottery, and it never happens.
One day, when he's very old and frustrated, he gets on his knees and says, "Look, God. This is the last time I'm going to pray. PLEASE let me win the lottery, or at least tell me why you aren't letting me win."
Suddenly, an angel appears before the man and says, "Look, sir, could you do God a favor and at least BUY A LOTTERY TICKET???!!!"
The moral of the story? You can read all of the books, get all of the best training, but if you don't ACT, you'll never ACHIEVE. You have to eventually BUY THE TICKET.
In a similar vein, I'll share something I learned many years ago in a seminar I attended. The presenter, who had her PhD in something or other, said this:
"My parents always encouraged me to achieve my educational goals. They said, 'What you know is what counts.' Later in life, I learned that my parents lied to me. It's not what you KNOW that counts; it's what you DO with what you know that counts.
So what are you doing with what you know? What is keeping you from "buying the ticket" to achieve your investing goals?