Most of us get angry with ourselves when we can't lick a formidable problem. We beat ourselves up because we pride ourselves on getting things done.

We’d been hit in the head with a rock; like a neighborhood bully, we grabbed the first person we could get our hands on and beat him senseless.

And that can be a dangerous thing as investors have the tendency to load up on risky stocks when times are good, and then get beat up by the volatility when the stock market turns hostile.