Profitable Traders: What makes you keep going?
- Thread starter ktmtrader
- Start date
I agree with you. We are fortunate to be who we are and lucky to live in the US today.
Beginning last Christmas I volunteered at the local food bank and it was eye opening, to see the amount of food, that without the food bank, would have gone to waste. The number of hungry residents they serve in one of the wealthiest counties in the US is staggering. It makes me very thankful but also make me feel very guilty to see folks work their tails off making peanuts and yet I do a few clicks a day and make more.
Part of my assets will definitely go the local charities - my rationale for keep doing it.
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Agree I still work 50 hours a week have3 daughters and two grand kids and wouldn’t trade any of it for all the money in the world! I’m profitable most if the time but every once in a while I have as redneck use to say an o shit moment and until I can cure myself from that the 50 hours seems pretty good
50hrs?!
I sit in front of the screen for 3-4hrs a day. I don't know how you guys do it.
I work 45 to 50 hours between traffic and work as well.
Why do I do it?
One word. Money.
Mortage and bills and family.
Great for you, to only spend 3 to 4 hours a day working. That must be an awesome feeling. Lol, I will know that feeling one day. Not everyone is making enough money trading to quit their full time jobs.
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Hi,
I think your concerns and feelings are legitimate and I wouldn't pay too much attention to the people in this thread who are not in your shoes.
I'm curious - at what point did you start having these feelings? Just now? Or all the time?
How much are you making? Are you barely getting by or are you very successful? Could you become more motivated by becoming more ambitious? Scale up and try more markets? Even hire someone to trade your systems? Learning to program or some new trading skill? Getting your own office? Mentoring someone?
How about setting a goal of funding some charity through your trading profits? Or even doing some volunteer work on the side? Would that be meaningful?
I've had a variety of professions including engineer which you listed and I've had the feeling you have in all of them. Doing something 'meaningful' have been a motivation for many of my choices. It's a big reason I became an engineer intead of studying business (actually, I have a degree there also). But I can tell you that the feeling of 'meaningless' and the question "Shouldn't there be more to life than this? Is this it?" usually comes pretty fast for me in all those fields. It usually feels less meaningful than you think. Maybe being a doctor and actually saving lives would feel different?
Since trading is a lonely profession and essentially 'meaningless' in and of itself, I think it's an occupation which enhances these kind of feelings. It's also a possibillity that some of us are predisposed to this kind of thinking and search for some deeper meaning where others don't.
So, maybe see if some of my advice on expanding your trading can help you OR try to consider your trading as simply income (which is what jobs are to most people) and find something else to give you meaning.
Good luck!
I think your concerns and feelings are legitimate and I wouldn't pay too much attention to the people in this thread who are not in your shoes.
I'm curious - at what point did you start having these feelings? Just now? Or all the time?
How much are you making? Are you barely getting by or are you very successful? Could you become more motivated by becoming more ambitious? Scale up and try more markets? Even hire someone to trade your systems? Learning to program or some new trading skill? Getting your own office? Mentoring someone?
How about setting a goal of funding some charity through your trading profits? Or even doing some volunteer work on the side? Would that be meaningful?
I've had a variety of professions including engineer which you listed and I've had the feeling you have in all of them. Doing something 'meaningful' have been a motivation for many of my choices. It's a big reason I became an engineer intead of studying business (actually, I have a degree there also). But I can tell you that the feeling of 'meaningless' and the question "Shouldn't there be more to life than this? Is this it?" usually comes pretty fast for me in all those fields. It usually feels less meaningful than you think. Maybe being a doctor and actually saving lives would feel different?
Since trading is a lonely profession and essentially 'meaningless' in and of itself, I think it's an occupation which enhances these kind of feelings. It's also a possibillity that some of us are predisposed to this kind of thinking and search for some deeper meaning where others don't.
So, maybe see if some of my advice on expanding your trading can help you OR try to consider your trading as simply income (which is what jobs are to most people) and find something else to give you meaning.
Good luck!
Some times you just do what you have to do to provide, not saying I like working that many hours but it sure beats worrying how I'm going to pay the bills!
You are too modest sir.
After you spent 20+ years working in this business, studying the options market, countless hours analyzing, backtesting and came up with your methodology. Yes you deserve to reap the rewards on the seeds you sowed years ago.
For us amateur retails starting out unarmed in a gun fight, it takes lots of catching up, lots of work and hope we can scratch out a living doing what you are doing.
For me, 50 hours is light, I need 24/7. I am furiously studying option books, YouTube classes, Coursera classes on economics, finance, derivatives, excel, excel VBA, MATLAB... to arm myself.
So, what keeps me going is the hope that one day to be able to stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder besides you.
Have a nice day.
I share your feeling.
My humble advice: Don't do it for money, do it if you are passionate and enjoy it, because if you don't like it you won't do well.