In my experience, beyond the initial euphoria, you basically end up being no happier or sadder than you were before. Some problems get solved, new ones get created. Speaking strictly of the money itself (aside from the satisfaction of the hard work put in to obtain it, if any), I would have to say that happiness is best found in other aspects of life.
Without enough money , most people work /live like slave of their finance master(mortgage , car payment , tax ,kids are just some of the leash). With the money, I feel working is just a kind of sport , you get fun from it , and working keep you healthier , your mind sharp. and life is just more meaningful , you can think how you can make the best of your life. this is my experience
BSAM, you caught me with a backhand as you were slapping your wife. vhehn, Thanks. I read and respect a lot of what you guys post. Happy trading.
I think that it is not teaching but the sparks that you see in their eyes that make you happy when you manage to connect like in the movie ET.
Cooldude, I don't want this to sound rude. So, please don't take it that way. Quotes like, "I teach because of the satisfaction I get from watching a student who has struggled and struggled, all of a sudden, get it." and "It's the feeling I get when that connection has finally been made that makes it all worth while." don't apply to 99% of teachers today. That applied to teachers who were given a house to live in and were asked to dinner 5 nights a week in the community they taught in. Those quotes are used today to get people to take a job that anyone in their right mind would never consider. I should make myself more clear. It's not teaching that makes me happy. I also coach. After 17 years, I earn $48,000 per year teaching in one of the highest paying districts in Texas and $6300 coaching. I spend 5 times as much time and 10 times as much effort coaching because that's what makes me happy. So BSAM is probably right. Most teachers are probably overpaid cosidering the amount of effort that they put into their jobs. I never encourage any of my students to be teachers. It makes no sense economically.
Most responders didn't answer the question. Since making money in trading is basicly the device to keep score and to measure skill, making money as a trader shouldn't make you happier than making money as being a surgeon/policeman/teacher/whatever. So you could ask the same question of anybody: does making money by being a professional at whatever you are doing makes you happy? Yes, most people would give you the answer, that it is statisfactory being good at something and getting paid for it. That simple....
If making alot of money doesnt make you happy, why do you feel so sad when you lose a lot of it then?
Yep, you got a point there traveler. Sad or let down, or angry???Livermore said he didn't get angry at the market.