I think you are a lucky man. One of the reasons my last two relationships ended were the women putting great pressure on me to reduce the amount of time I spend researching the market/trading so I could spend more time with them. Also, they wanted me to do something more stable. It must be great to find that rare woman that supports your trading, including when it is not going well. Cheers. London.
when i first started trading for a firm in 1988 on wall street, there was an older guy who sat next to me who was the greatest chart reader in the world. great trader married 4 times. as a younger guy,i couldn't figure out why a guy making all that money would ever have such problems in his marital situation. 18 years later, some consider me a pretty good trader. i couldn't stay married either. trading well has its negative side, as it a mistress that is always there- hey it s 6.48 on mothers day and i am watching the futures after making millions last week; it is 85 and sunny outside, there are a million other things i could be doing, yet i am scalping the futures. i'm an addict there is no doubt; it makes me good at this but there is a cost- so to you younger guys out there, make sure you have a wife who can handle the swings and who understands that to succeed at this , you must maintain the passion , desire, and hunger. on the other hand, how could i not watch the futures right now; tonight could be crazy.
My wife is very involved with my trading. Always cutting out business articles, which unfortunately are old news. Asks me daily how I did when she gets home from work. Knows my mood if it was good day or not. I'm fortunate she's been supportive, and was 100% in agreement when I left secure job recently.
Is it only an addiction though when it consumes the fullness of the day instead of a more balanced approach at life? Thoughts?
When trading consumes your whole life it is a case of OCD... OR lack of willpower to get away from it once in awhile. You do not need to trade every day, week, month or even during the summer (unless you need the $$)... If you make enough $$, take the whole summer off and treat the wife and kids to a good time. (Or spend a lot of time with the ladies if you are single)... They will love ya for it. And you will realize that trading is just something that you do (job) so you can do other things you enjoy. Kind of what like "normal" people do. (non-traders)...
married or not, if you are going through rough time with your wife/gf, be warned ---- YOUR TRADING WILL SUFFER! trading while having family problems is like driving while drunk, it may help you let out the strong emotions, but does more harm than good. better perhaps to just stop trading, and spend more time with family, isnt this why you choose to trade instead of going to work 9-9 every day?