How patience compounds better than prediction.
Let’s be honest, we all wish we could time the market perfectly.
Buy when prices are low, sell right before they peak, and cash out like a genius.
But here’s the truth that every seasoned investor eventually learns (sometimes the hard way):
You don’t need perfect timing to win; you need time.
The Myth of Perfect Timing
There’s this story I love about two friends; let’s call them Tunde and Ada.
In 2015, Tunde started investing ₦50,000 every month, no matter what was happening in the economy.
Sometimes the market went up, sometimes it crashed, but he kept investing.
Ada, on the other hand, wanted to be “smart.” She waited for the perfect moment to buy. She kept reading articles, watching trends, and predicting when the market would “bottom out.”
But every time she thought the market was too high, it went higher. And when it dropped, she got scared.
Fast forward to 2025:
Tunde’s portfolio had grown beautifully, not because he predicted the market, but because he stayed in it.
Ada was still waiting for the “right time.”
You see, the most powerful force in investing isn’t prediction; it’s patience.
Because time multiplies effort in a way timing never can.
Think about it like planting a tree.
You don’t dig it up every week to check if it’s growing, you water it, give it sunlight, and let nature do its work.
The longer it stays rooted, the stronger and bigger it grows.
That’s exactly how your money behaves in the right investments—it compounds; slowly at first, then all at once.
- Investor A (Tunde): Invests ₦50,000 monthly for 10 years, earning an average of 15% annually.
- Investor B (Ada): Tries to time the market and only invests 6 out of those 10 years.
At the end of 10 years, Tunde doesn’t just have more money; he has significantly more.
Why? Because compound growth rewards consistency and time, not timing.
Every year that Ada sat on the sidelines “waiting for the right time,” she lost the one thing she could never get back—time in the market.
We live in a world that glorifies speed, fast results, fast money, fast success.
But wealth? Real wealth?
It’s built quietly, over time.
Here’s what patient investors know that impulsive ones don’t:
- Markets will fluctuate. That’s normal, don’t panic, stay the course.
- Consistency beats confidence. It’s not about knowing everything; it’s about showing up regularly.
- Compounding needs space. The longer your money stays invested, the harder it works for you.
The best investors aren’t fortune tellers, they’re consistent contributors.
Don’t let short-term noise steal your long-term peace.
Start small, stay consistent, and trust time to do the heavy lifting.
Whether it’s your savings, mutual funds, or business investments, remember this:
You don’t win because you guessed right, you win because you stayed long enough.
As the year draws to a close, ask yourself:
Am I chasing perfect timing, or am I giving my investments the time they need to grow?