Personal Notes Series 002 : Life and Trading

Sometimes it scares me when I'm able to shut down my emotions

 when trading. When I win or lose to the extreme, like you know

 (6-7 Figures) in a day, and it doesn't faze me one bit.

Trading is a lot like life.

And there are times when I think that if I've fully integrated the

 system completely in my life, I might come to a point wherein 

my relationships and the people I meet would just be like 

stock-picks. That If a relationship goes bad, I'd simply

 "cut my losses" and move on. Or If a relationship doesn't 

go anywhere, I'd just sell and realize my "commission losses."

Last night I was able to talk to a few traders. They told me their

 story about how their group were hyped into buying a stock, got

 ipit, and are just waiting for it to go up. They've been holding the

 stock for almost a year. And a beautiful bond was created.

I was once In a trading group and had multiple 

experiences like this.

The root cause of all of this, why people in a group-buy don't sell

 and move on, isn't because of the stock or the hype - But the trust

 that was built in the corporate decision of buying the 

particular stock.

"Nagbenta ka na ba?" 

"Tiwala lang"

"Aakyat na yan"

"Buying pa ako"

These are the phrases you commonly hear when you 

group-buy-and-hold a stock.

If a stock is going down (or up) and you sold earlier without

 notifying or consenting with your group, there's fear that you have

 betrayed the goodwill of what your group started. You feel like if

 you sell, the relationship with your group, your bond, 

might somehow be broken.

"What? Nagbenta ka na? Traider! (Traitor + Trader)"

Then you don't get to be part of the core group anymore

and you're like...

"We rise as a group, we fall as a group"

What couldn't be more noble?

But this is the stockmarket. Not life. It's your money, not their's.

 We have to understand that we are responsible for our own actions.

So if you decide to sell. Don't feel guilty.

"Cut loss lang. Walang personalan."

We should draw a clear line. A distinction of the 

realities of Life and Investments.

And even if I say that Trading is a lot like life. It isn't so that we

 should cut loss our non performing or losing relationships. 

For these things should be cherished and worked out.

I thank God for keeping me sane. That even If I have lost hundreds

 of thousands and even millions, I can still give praise and
 appreciate the little things in life.

For not many are able to do so - especially the rich.

I'm not completly detached from money. I'm getting there. And I'm
 glad that it's only God who can satisfy me. For life is more than
 riches, wealth, and power, but of purpose.