Some sound advice on staying sane in this game
The glorious English countryside
Trading, a peace of mind.
My home is an oasis. Really it is! I live where I work which is situated on a busy road. We are a busy restaurant. On a Sunday lunch we have anything up to 350 people all demand to be fed. In the kitchen I have a ticket machine going nuts, 10 tables ordering all at the same time. Then complaining that their food is taking so long (20 minutes!). “That’s why there are no golden arches above the restaurant as we cook to order from fresh sir/madame”. It is the same virtually everyday due to not being allowed enough staff on a Wednesday lunch time to the pressure is just the same. It all equates to STRESS!
So I get home where I have no street lights very few cars and just piece and quiet. This is where I day trade on my days off. I love it. Strangely I relax whilst I am trading and that in itself sounds like a paradox. Why is this? One thing, adrenaline. We chefs are addicted to it. Not by choice mind you but when things get crazy in the kitchen the body pumps out vast amounts of adrenaline to keep the body going. Many chefs have addiction problems and it is not highlighted enough. Marco Pierre White does stuff for a chef charity dealing with addiction but that’s about it. Most chefs are either addicted to gambling, drink, drugs, fitness and many others. Mine? It was gambling. So now I trade!!!! Is this a wise thing to do? Yes it is actually. It has taught me, and still teaching me discipline. A discipline which has been lacking. I still need to analyse decisions better and not think “goody, day off, must trade!”
I now trade on my days off. To get my fix? In a way yes. But I find it relaxing! I am in a surrounding I feel happy in. I am at home, my oasis. From my desk I see fields and nature. So this creates my trading nirvana. The biggest discipline is control. I have to control the urge to gamble. Easy to gamble when trading! It’s something I am taking to like a duck to water and enjoying.
When one is at peace one can have a clear mind to trade and analyse properly. You need to because these markets can bite you in the arse hard.
This mornings trade for example. The shooting star candle on GBP/JPY was quite convincing or so I thought. There are now big teeth marks in my butt. Lesson learnt on that, move on to the next opportunity.
If I am stressed, angry, upset or in anyway not feeling great then I won’t trade. If the cricket continues in the current vein in Australia then no trading for me over the next 2 months!!
We are all addicts in one way or another all looking to get our next fix in life. It’s how you deal with those addictions and whether or not you have the strength of mind and character to overcome them and deal with them. This ends up defining us as to who we are. It also, from a trading perspective, defines on how you trade mentally. Get that side right and you will be on a good road to profit.
Have a great day.
Do you get fries with that?
