Lifestyle of daytrader

I either get up 2 hours before day session and take a walk, catching up with guy who is now managing my life/business, memory loss is a bitch.
Run down to Starbucks for weakest coffee, less acid, watch everyone that have real jobs come and go, kick back and read newspaper. Car comes to pick me up and go home to trade. Or I roll out of bed 5 minutes before day session and trade 30 to 120 minutes, then do the above.

I might trade during lunch or work, trade afternoon session, by then thinking I am hungry, get raw veggies etc. I work with youth a few times a week, I mentor kids, give them opportunites they wouldn't be able to get cause of their situations, but they have to work for them, no free lunch here, anything given is usually discarded.

I might ramble down to Homeless shelter, have a cup of coffee, see whats going on, very interesting people there, real life, not some phoney boloney of keeping up with the jones.

Time for dinner with girlfriends, then home bound.

Sometimes I just stay in bed all day. I don't have to work.
 
Quote from Nym:

Maybe I haven't reach that phase in my life and in my career but I am finding quite hard to have some spare time. If I have to describe my life is more like: "never give up".

I do not believe in the "perfect trade" or some stories like that, like I guess the majority of us. Do you have any advice to share for becoming a Zen trader?


P.S: I do some meditation and some sport and i occasionally keep my space but my spare time is very limited.
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So you wanna be a zen trader?

He he he.....

You probably think a zen trader is like someone who has mastered Mark Douglas' book and is sitting like bodhisattva glued to 12 screens with bazillion indicators and lines and colors and looking really cool like some hit man ready to make zillion dollars daily.

Funny thing is that I am finding that I make more money doing the opposite of the above.

i.e. I make more money lying in bed and not placing a single trade (I have open positions) than making bazillion trades and hyperventilating and oozing stress from all pores of my body.

Basically, I am finding that doing the opposite of conventional thinking makes me more money.

e.g. Trading in my underwear than in a suit. Counterintuitive. My family thinks that I need to wear nice clothes to make a lot of money. For that matter, they think I need to wear clothes to make a lot of money. I don't really see a correlation between nice clothes or even clothes and money making.

I also have many strange and unconventional ways of thinking and doing things all of which make me the "zen" trader.

People, particularly my family think I am a nut job. They judge and criticize b/c I don't confirm to their view of what a "zen" trader should be. The irony is that they suck in trading/investing.

The more "abnormal" I become, the better I trade. It's really strange. I think this is why trading is hard. Not many people can live like Abby Normal, be lambasted constantly, and not fit in society.

I don't mean abnormal like a deranged criminal that commits crimes.

Just a maverick. Cutting edge. Unconventional. See things most people don't see.

P.S. I never found meditation helpful in trading. I think it's like reading Mark Douglas' book. Interesting book but found nothing helpful. Just my opinions.

Have a nice profitable day.
 
Quote from SteveNYC:

So you wanna be a zen trader?

He he he.....

You probably think a zen trader is like someone who has mastered Mark Douglas' book and is sitting like bodhisattva glued to 12 screens with bazillion indicators and lines and colors and looking really cool like some hit man ready to make zillion dollars daily.

Funny thing is that I am finding that I make more money doing the opposite of the above.

i.e. I make more money lying in bed and not placing a single trade (I have open positions) than making bazillion trades and hyperventilating and oozing stress from all pores of my body.

Basically, I am finding that doing the opposite of conventional thinking makes me more money.

e.g. Trading in my underwear than in a suit. Counterintuitive. My family thinks that I need to wear nice clothes to make a lot of money. For that matter, they think I need to wear clothes to make a lot of money. I don't really see a correlation between nice clothes or even clothes and money making.

I also have many strange and unconventional ways of thinking and doing things all of which make me the "zen" trader.

People, particularly my family think I am a nut job. They judge and criticize b/c I don't confirm to their view of what a "zen" trader should be. The irony is that they suck in trading/investing.

The more "abnormal" I become, the better I trade. It's really strange. I think this is why trading is hard. Not many people can live like Abby Normal, be lambasted constantly, and not fit in society.

I don't mean abnormal like a deranged criminal that commits crimes.

Just a maverick. Cutting edge. Unconventional. See things most people don't see.

P.S. I never found meditation helpful in trading. I think it's like reading Mark Douglas' book. Interesting book but found nothing helpful. Just my opinions.

Have a nice profitable day.
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I agree Stevo. Seems like my trading has gotten worse now that I put pants on again.

But it does make the investor meetings go a bit smoother.

I think that mark Douglas book pulls a like Jedi mind trick. Anyone who can make thru the ennui naturally contemplates the meaning, however slight. The fact that you didn't get anything out of it means that it worked.
 
Quote from hilojack:

I agree Stevo. Seems like my trading has gotten worse now that I put pants on again.

But it does make the investor meetings go a bit smoother.

I think that mark Douglas book pulls a like Jedi mind trick. Anyone who can make thru the ennui naturally contemplates the meaning, however slight. The fact that you didn't get anything out of it means that it worked.
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Gotta put on a good show at investor meetings.

So, I would advise wearing a nice pair of pants. :D

As for trading at a nonpublic office, pants are optional. I don't believe the market judges you nor punishes/rewards you based on whether you are wearing pants or not. Plus, I doubt the quality of the pants matter to Mr. Market.

I first read Douglas' book around 1995. Thought it was a good useless book. Sold the book to clean house.

Fast forward 10 years. Found that it was praised on Elite Trader. Thought I missed something when I had first read it. Went to go buy it again. Shocked to find that the cost of the book almost doubled since 1995. Read it again. Again found nothing useful. Just some interesting ideas. Felt the new inflated price unjustisfied.

I, personally, didn't find anything useful. Mileage may vary for others.

Yep, my mind was not strong enuf to defend against the Jedi mind trick. He he....

But, I now wonder.... Did I get hoodwinked by Mark Douglas, ET, or both?

Hehehe.....

I should be okay now that I wear a chrome on my dome to guard against mind tricks.

Have a profitable day!
 
Quote from Maverick74:

Just curious where you live. If you live in Ohio and work from home, yeah, it's a grind. People will look at you weird. Not much to do during the day. But if you live in a big city, you will fit right in. When I lived in NY it was so easy to hang out in the city, go to the park and read, hang out in coffee shop, see a play, movie, whatever and fit right in. Everywhere is packed. You wonder if any of those people work!!! LOL.

But if you live in suburbia, yeah, the neighbors will talk. So if that bothers you, the best thing might be to move. Honestly if you can afford it, you might just want to pony up for an office somewhere, maybe find some other traders who will share the expense. At least you have somewhere to go.
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You have the freedom to make your own schedule as a daytrader.

So, the lifestyle is whatever you want it to be as long as you can afford it.

This could be a blessing or a curse depending on your circumstances.
 
Quote from Handle123:

Sometimes I just stay in bed all day. I don't have to work.
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I use this "bed in all day" strategy sometimes. It is a legitmate and profitable strategy albeit unconventional.

I usually need my daily trading fix so I don't use it often.
 
Quote from innovest_11:

Morning do some yoga, light jogging/ walking, then after lunch, either get some sleep or go to library to do some reading. Not that i dislike my current routine kind of lifestyle, but it is kind of getting boring

i dislike 9 to 5 job, office politics, rat race, rushing and working during 9 to 5 working hours for the money, find that no meaning, but during this hours, my spouse and most of other people are working, I'm left alone

Trying hard to do something meaning, like reading/ studying, also get used to people wondering why i'm not working, whether i'm jobless chap, kind of get used to this already

Trying to learn something like music/cooking, play with kids, but still there's bit of weird feeling, wanting to spend my time more meaningful, but not sure what
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most traders live in their parents basement.
 
Quote from WD40:

most traders live in their parents basement.
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That is so true. Don't be a daytrader unless you want to hermit in your parents basement.

Suffice it to say that daytraders are losers. Dregs of society.

Let's not forget the famous statistic: 90% percent of daytraders lose.

Let's also heed the wisdom of emg. "they just lose."

LOL.
 
Quote from innovest_11:

Morning do some yoga, light jogging/ walking, then after lunch, either get some sleep or go to library to do some reading. Not that i dislike my current routine kind of lifestyle, but it is kind of getting boring

i dislike 9 to 5 job, office politics, rat race, rushing and working during 9 to 5 working hours for the money, find that no meaning, but during this hours, my spouse and most of other people are working, I'm left alone

Trying hard to do something meaning, like reading/ studying, also get used to people wondering why i'm not working, whether i'm jobless chap, kind of get used to this already

Trying to learn something like music/cooking, play with kids, but still there's bit of weird feeling, wanting to spend my time more meaningful, but not sure what
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Playing with kids? Is that a good investment of your time?

Most kids are a nuisance with the exception of kids from affluent families.

You should be with adults.

If you are daytrading, how do you have time to do all this?

I can't even take my eyes off the screen to watch a YouTube clip. Lol.
 
Quote from SteveNYC:

That is so true. Don't be a daytrader unless you want to hermit in your parents basement.

Suffice it to say that daytraders are losers. Dregs of society.

Let's not forget the famous statistic: 90% percent of daytraders lose.

Let's also heed the wisdom of emg. "they just lose."

LOL.
More...

I don't call traders in basement true traders, rather they are learning traders Yes
 
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