I thought that last thread was interesting that traders are more prone to have ADD. Im starting this new thread because i dont have the attention span to read through the 10 pages that have already been written. As for myself i have had ADD since i was a child. Some examples of my ADD, People say you should always look other people in the eye when you talk...but I find if i focus on looking them in the eye, i have no idea what they are talking about because i cant focus on the conversation. Same thing happens when i read a book. I can keep reading but my mind wanders and i have gone through 2 pages without knowing what i just read. And dont get me started on womens breasts. The bigger they are the less i can tell what they are saying. Heh heh.
That's funny......I have the same problems. Addmitedly, I know almost nothing about ADD, but I wonder if maybe there are other causes to these "problems" (I don't see being fixated on nice breasts as a problem, as long as you don't get slapped ). Or perhaps ADD is so common that most people have a "touch" of it; just enough to have these issues but not enough to cause a real problem needing medication or other therapy. I get the concentration problem all the time. I an studying for the CFA Level 1 right now, and I find myself reading several pages without comprehending any of it. I find myself reading about DDM but focusing on why the efficient market theory is bullshit and how I can prove it..... Maybe I have ADD after all.
I don't think you have ADD, that stuff is just not very interesting, period. I bet trading gets you focused much better, am I wrong?
I find that type of stuff very interesting, but I get sidetracked easily. I doubt I have ADD; I attribute it more to a mediocre diet than anything else. But still, I find my focus is lacking often, especially if it is "forced focus" like school or self-study. For this reason, I found that my grades in college were lacking except in those courses where I was constantly hit with new ideas that I could apply to real life. I think it was mentioned in the other thread, but I think the constant change of trading stimulates people with concentration problems. Trading can focus me because each trade and trading day is "new". Same with research projects....the act of "discovery" promotes focus. Again, I doubt you can call my issues ADD; they are not exactly a hinderance in my life. But I think I can understand the difficulties that people that truely struggle with these issues are faced with.
Well, I think issues with ADD are sometimes more simple and related to right livelihood than people think. But I am no expert in this. So are you a trader or a financial advisor? Trading for me, definitely helps me focus. Mainly its because what I really love, and I have developed some good skill from that talent and love. I think its reasonable that the stuff we like grabs our attention. Exactly that way. A great trader once said,"Great traders don't have talent, the talent has them." That statement alludes to the idea that when we are doing things we love, there is generally no problem with concentration, most of the time. The idea of CFA, CTA exams, for me, would dull my mind. Its has little to do with trading. But for someone who likes that area, I would think it quite easy to read on their theories. If you are a CFA, most use that jargon in speaking with clients. So maybe you don't have ADD, but maybe you just are not really that into CFA stuff, for example.
A few times i have gone for job interviews (many years ago)and as the guy is talking about responsibilities, Im thinking about stuff i need to do later or other job interviews, or sometimes I would just start thinking things like "is this all this guy is going to do in life is interview people like me for jobs that pay a lousy 10 or 15 bucks an hour? Then i would start feeling sorry for the poor sap and realize i had better get my life together when all of a sudden he says "So what do you think about that?" And then im thinking "oh fuck, I have no idea what this guy was talking about" So i just say "sounds good" and hope he didnt say something like "the guy whos job you are taking died of cancer last week" I have had some people notice my mind is wandering and start to mess with me by saying some crazy things. They would be talking about food or a restaurant or something and then say something like "and then the aliens came down and put a nuclear bomb in the taco bell but instead of exploding it just dispensed millions of peices of pez candy." then they pause and wait for me to say something and the only thing i heard was "pez candy" so i would just say "ya i like pez candy" while they bust up laughing. Poor me.