What Pigeons Taught Me About Retirement Resilience

In our current townhome, there’s a small air well — about two metres by two metres — designed to bring natural light into three bedrooms and the garage, I imagine. In practice, it’s a dead space. No shelter, no view, no human use.

But nature abhors a vacuum. And in the absence of human activity, some pigeons decided this was prime real estate. Freehold, no taxes, and a 100% occupancy rate. The only problem? Pigeon droppings aren’t just messy — they can carry harmful fungi and bacteria. So these “guests” are definitely not welcome.

This week, while clearing the air well, I dismantled Nest #4 for this season… and disposed of Eggs #7 and #8. Not exactly the weekend hobby I had in mind. But in the irritation of chasing them away yet again, I also found a couple of lessons worth sharing.

Relentless
I’ll give them credit — these pigeons just don’t quit! Or maybe they’re just too bird-brained to take the hint. Even after Nest #3 was gone, they were back again, checking on their lost home. Honestly, I did feel a twinge of guilt — but after what looked like a short period of mourning, they started rebuilding. Again. Four times now!

Progress, not perfection
Here’s what impressed me most: their construction skills have actually improved! Last season, their nest was laughable — a flat, scrappy pile of twigs and leaves. Hardly a nest. But this season? They’ve upped their game! The structure was strong enough to lift out intact (see pic for proof), with extra leaves added for comfort (my daughter even commented on the upgrade). Honestly, it looked like a Grade A nest. Clearly, they’ve gone to “Nest-Building 101” over winter, and it looks like they’ve graduated with honours.

The takeaway for us
In our own lives — investing, health, fitness, retirement planning — we often want things to be perfect right away. A flawless portfolio. A perfect body. The “just right” plan for the future. But life doesn’t always work that way. Markets dip. Habits falter. Plans need rethinking.

What matters is not the stumble but the response. Like those pigeons, the key is to come back, to rebuild, and to do it a little better each time. That’s how portfolios grow after downturns, how strength improves with training, how health returns after setbacks.

Progress beats perfection, every time. And resilience — the willingness to try again — is the hidden superpower of a good retirement.

Your Turn:
Have you ever had a “pigeon moment” — something in your life you had to keep rebuilding despite setbacks?
Where in your retirement planning or fitness routine could you use a little more “relentless pigeon” mindset?
Do you see progress in your own journey — even if perfection still feels far off?

👉 Hit reply and share your thoughts — I’d love to hear what’s resonating with you.

☕ If this musing gave you a smile (or reminded you to keep going), you can shout me a coffee on Ko-fi.

p.s. No pigeons were harmed in the writing of this musing. Yet.

Your Brain vs. Your Money

After learning about market risk and inflation risk, here's the uncomfortable truth: the biggest threat to your investment success is probably the person reading this. Your brain, evolved for survival in ancient environments, is spectacularly bad at making modern investment decisions.

Every investor rides the same emotional roller coaster: Euphoria → Anxiety → Fear → Despair → Relief → Hope → Euphoria. The problem? This cycle is perfectly designed to make you buy high (euphoria) and sell low (despair). The market's best days often come when you feel worst about investing.

Your brain has several "bugs" when it comes to investing.
Loss aversion means losses hurt twice as much as gains feel good, making you hold losers too long and sell winners too early.
Recency bias makes recent events feel more important—a few bad months overshadow years of growth.
Overconfidence from a few successful picks convinces you that you can beat the market consistently.
Herding behavior makes following the crowd feel safe, but often leads into bubbles and crashes. When everyone's buying, prices are usually too high. When everyone's selling, opportunities are usually abundant.

The practical defense system starts with automation. Set up automatic monthly investments and rebalancing. Create investment rules when markets are calm and stick to them when emotions run high. Limit market noise by checking portfolios quarterly, not daily. Focus on long-term goals rather than short-term movements.

Historical perspective helps enormously. Markets have survived wars, pandemics, and financial crises. Your retirement timeline is probably longer than any crisis. Common traps include performance chasing, timing attempts, and analysis paralysis.

Building emotional resilience requires education, preparation for downturns, and remembering that volatility is the price of long-term returns. Wealth building is a marathon, not a sprint.

L-Plate Takeaway: Your investment success depends more on controlling behavior than picking perfect investments. Build systems that protect you from yourself—automatic investing, predetermined rules, limited market checking. Your biggest enemy isn't market volatility; it's your own impatience and emotions.