Do your concious ever get to you? Whispering the 1000 you made today was taken from somebody else. Your job doesn't make this world a better place? i been trying to answer that the best I could so that I could sleep better... but only thing I came up with is i provide liquidity... sigh.
Now why would anyone think trading is like a video game? What would give someone that idea? Trading using a Gamepad and IB's TWS http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18655 <img width=400 height=350 src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=270335"> </img>
XBOX live ROCKS! hahah, i few months back i found a day trading PC game!!! Hahah, its halarious...You can go down in the pit!!!!
I don't think anyone can truly appreciate trading for a living from your home unless you have endured some years of grinding it out in corporate america or owning a business. Right out of college, I would not have appreciated the freedom nor would I have had the discipline and patience to have seen it through to fruition. I hated always knowing that I was making a great deal of money for the company I worked for with my time and hard work while I had little to show for it. Well, except for employee headaches, inventory control problems, supplier challenges, theft, a bonehead boss whom you swear is about as dumb as a bag of hammers and was probably put there to make your life hell. Owning a business was nice but the hours were tough on my marriage and social life. The money was much better, I still had all of the above problems except I was the boss this time. I have loved the markets and how they work since the mid-nineties and transitioned to trading full-time last year after many books, seminars, money, mentors and finally finding my trading style. It has worked great and like most, I still fight my demons from time to time with the constantly changing market environment. In fact, I started trading with about $80k and proceeded to lose 50k before i got to breakeven trading and then over the course of the past year, have gradually made back my investment. My friends thought I was nuts for losing all of that money to the markets just to learn to trade. The price was too high. he, he. Funny thing was, most people are perfectly willing to sink 150K to open a sandwich shop or buy a franchise. They are willing to completely part with 150k before they even make a cent... and the business could still fail like a trader could- and lose there initial investment. In hindsight, the amount of money it cost me to learn was nothing compared to the life it has given me. If someone puts forth the time, effort, money and sacrifice... trading is the perfect business. No inventory, no boss, no employees... (some theft from mm's/specialists otherwise, simply outstanding. I love that there are always ways to improve and there is always someone better than you to learn from especially on these boards. I'm just a grasshopper. God damn I love this business. Best, island0004
IMHO: In the corporate world, there are two major types of people, the bosses and the dogs. If you are neither a boss nor a dog, you will labelled as a ârebelâ, aka, ânon-team-playerâ. The bosses and the dogs will then try their best to make your life miserable. Unless one is good at playing office politics or kissing ass, it is very difficult to climb the corporate ladder. Sad, but true.
I always worked for myself except for small patches of time. I make a terrible employee because I tend to take over and make my own decisions. Though, when you work for yourself....if you are honest with yourself.....all your customers are your bosses. That can drive you nuts in itself, trying to please 1,000 little bosses. I like working on the market, because really I work alone. It is me against myself. I have friends on the internet I chat to all day while we all trade for fun and mutual education. I like having my time to do as I wish. I never have to ask for time off. I never have to get dressed up. And it sure is a challenge to trade. No doubt about that. Keeps my mind sharp.
John.... Your URL does not work anymore.....you need to fix it. Trading is what you make of it. It can be a career. A job. A lifestyle. A hobby. An avocation. An obsession. An addiction.
No, my conscious never bothers me. If others willingly take the other side of my winning trades so be it...they deserve the loss and I deserve the money I took from the market. We all play by the same rules and are all willing participants; never be ashamed of trading well!