Profitable Traders: What makes you keep going?

[bitstream_ryder]

This is my 10th year of day trading futures full time, I make money consistently but I am losing motivation, it is a very lonely profession, there is no real excitement, I am relatively young in my mid 40's, I feel like am I wasting my life looking at screens all day waiting for a setup. Shouldn't there be more to life than this? I see so many people all around me on TV, in magazines doing amazing things, engineers, medical professionals, journalists heck even hedge fund managers running billions.

Do other full-time profitable traders feel this way? What keeps you motivated and in the game?

Hi ktmtrader,
I know how you feel. This IS a very lonely job. Motivation comes from being meaningful; which then comes the next question; what is meaningful? Meaningful work can be broken down into 3 main components. 1)Competency (which you probably have 2)Autonomy (which you have) 3)Deep multidimensional relationships with other people. Lack of any of these 3 components usually leads one to think that their work is meaningless and thus become unmotivated.

Deep interconnected relationships can be cultivated outside work. You may want to explore looking at community work or social clubs (eg toastmasters, sports clubs) that interest you and cultivate relationships. Hope this helps.

 

[Handle123]

I am new to trading, is my first week.. and to be honest.. I am not sure how it feels after 10 years of trading yet.. for me I like the excitement of finding out new markets etc and exploring into new possibilities .. maybe you just need friends with similar trading interest and talk about trading, it is not that lonely ~

I lost the excitement long ago as I found out being excited when market is open leads to be emotional trading, I love the challenge of me against me. "Friends"? Those in my group do not speak of trading, we rather discuss evolution of interest rates, "what-ifs" and when all looks horrible and bleak at life is a step away from huge opportunities. Yes, we wait for the horrors of a country or world to buy some sectors or sell others, we wait for euphoria to happen like earlier this year and been planned decades ago on how to hedge and plunder.

It is very lonely, taken decades of working when sun not risen and not noticed it already set and one is still playing the game. You have to love your work, cause other's will never understand but they feel slighted as they often feel like an option.

Taken me too long to earn this knowledge, automation will be running long after I die.