Profitable investment strategies have never been conventional. When the market is consistently optimistic and prices are soaring, you are selling—this may sound counterintuitive, but the data doesn't lie. Conversely, when most people panic and cut losses, you are positioning yourself at the lows.

This is the core of contrarian investing. It's not about being flashy, but because the market itself rewards decisions that go against the herd. The market's pendulum swings between excessive optimism and excessive pessimism, and true winners are those who can make judgments at the extremes of the pendulum.

In simple terms, the easiest rule to make money is: buy cheap, sell high. But executing this rule requires mental resilience—staying calm when most are celebrating, and daring to act when most are despairing—that's the real test of an investor.