Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Personal Notes Series 004 : Life of A High Risk Trader



There are days when i wake up in the morning late, like 9AM 
and feel the want to work and dress up like a proper gentlemen 
with a suit and tie, but then i go "what the hell" 

...then end up just wearing the tie.




#buhaytrader
#nakedtrading

Trading is a craft that pays a lot when mastered.
And Full time traders are a mystery to many. Aside from being a
 fraction of a fraction in the general populace, civilians don't see
 them much, and when traders do show up in public, some 
don't talk much about their trading lives. Maybe some people do. 
I don't know.

So what's it like being a full time trader?

I am but one sample. So don't take my word for 
what you are about to read. 

Here are my top pros and cons of going full time in this industry.


(Pros) # 1 
You own your time.

No schedules. No deadlines.

Imagine all the trips! The leaves you can take. And you 
get to decide when to take a break from that break!





Bliss. You get to do what you want, when you want. 
And that is the kind of freedom almost everybody wants. 


(Pros) # 2 
You can work anywhere as long as you have 
internet and your workstation (or smartphone).

Work on the go? No problem! 

PD : I've traded on a public jeep, bus, van, ship, even on a 
plane! (until it took off and cut my internet signal)



#QUEHORROR

And just imagine having a peaceful, non toxic, no traffic to work
 environment. You could even swim and trade at the same time,
 just buy a waterproof smartphone so you can stupidly show off 
how flexible you can be while getting the job done. 


(Pros) # 3 
You set the pace



No constant external and annoying force telling you to finish 
something before the deadline - then adds more load to the pile. 
Of course there's that pressure from within, telling you to earn, 
and to trade. But that's a whole lot better than a naggy, 
bossy boss right?

It even gets awesome when you hit your personal profit 
quota that's good for months or even a year.

--------------------------------------------

Now for my top Cons of being a full time trader.


(Cons) # 1. 
Too much time on your hands.

Yes you've got the freedom to do whatever you want at any time. 
How is it bad you ask? Well, you get used to it and it gets boring
 after a while. At some point you'll be surprised when one day you
 find out that you actually HATE holidays and moments when the 
markets are closed for some reason.

It's like a love and hate relationship. Like when you were in 
 school and you can't wait for the sem-break. And when that break
 finally arrives, you go... "now what?" and suddenly miss school.



Your friends and family would think you've gone crazy for loving
 Mondays and hating Fridays. But that's just how it is with you. 
It's your passion. You just can't wait to trade.



(Cons) # 2. 
The Temptation of Creative Procrastination.

I've already mentioned in my previous posts how lazy I am. 
That instead of investing or doing something worthwhile, I tend to
 procrastinate. Of course, studying charts, patterns, and back testing
 are all part of my daily routine. But What else are you going to do
 with all that time that's not market related?

Being lazy in this industry can be devastating to 
one's health and lifestyle.

There were times in my trading life when I'd just sleep after 
trading hours. Maybe play one PC game I like. Browse Facebook. 
Unproductively surf the net. Watch a whole set of TV series. 
Then repeat the whole cycle next day.

And as for exercise? 

There was a season In my trading life when the time and effort I 
spent walking from my trading room to the kitchen, to the dining
 area to have my meal, then back to my room was 
my "form" of exercise. 

I wasn't just good at procrastinating. 
I took it to a whole new level.
I was a master of it. 



WAS!

Alright Alright. Sometimes it still is.

And you'll have so much wealth in your port, 
it will spill over to your body as well! 

I tried to gamify my life and at one point, i finally reached
 the "Bio-Armor" achievement - by not taking a bath for 5 days. 

Uhgr. I might say more things I'd regret... The point is, you have to
 pull yourself together and make an effort to develop 
good habits, proper time management and discipline. 


(Cons) # 3. 
Abnormal or Dead social life.

After a while, it gets lonely.

This is my main frustration as a trader. I feel like nobody 
understands me. The experience of gaining and losing in the
 market is just too hard to comprehend for the average person 
who has little to no idea on how the markets work. 

I've got no boss, so I can hardly relate anymore to civilian boss 
related rants and jokes. And if ever I pull one out, they'd just brush
 it off since they've heard it like a thousand times already. 

When I try to reach and hang out with my non-stocks buddies, It's
 different. I've got time. They don't. And this becomes a big issue. 
The trips I want to take, the length, and how I take it has become
so different, 
you'd instantly become the odd one out. 

I guess it's kind of better because It doesn't kill off your
 relationships the fast way like some networking "businesses" do.


#FRIENDSHIPOVER

Most people think that we create money out of thin air just by
 sitting and clicking some buttons. And that's that. No wonder most 
think it's a Scam. It's sounds too good to be true. A dream. 

--------------------------------------------


Fitting in society would be one heck of a challenge. I have learned 
not to demand from my civilian friends. Because sometimes when I
do, I get that

"Oh I'm sorry we're not like you!" card.




I believe trading the markets is one of the most strenuous things a person can do. Not only will you have to work hard burning the late night candle, but you will also have to sacrifice a lot - even some relationships. It is definitely not for the weak. But to those are brave enough to accept the consequences and challenges of taking this path. The rewards are truly fulfilling - that is, if you survive. 



How about you? What are your Pros and Cons?




12 comments:

  1. zee pwede ba malaman ang parameters mo sa charting tools? (EMA/SMA, Bol. band)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fafs, since Tom Basso is a big influence to my trading journey, I am at a point wherein my trading activities shall be confined on the last hour every Fridays (US mkt kaya Saturday natin ng umaga).. The rest of the week, corporate slave. Allocated a portion of my free time to gain more knowledge on chosen underlyings.

    On a different note, kung bored ka na, gayahin mo si Walter Mitty. Adventure ka muna sa Iceland :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. You really are a true master of this art.
    Even if i'm on the other side of the trading universe, you really inspire me a lot to do well in this wonderful art of trading. God bless Senor and More Power!

    ReplyDelete
  4. my pros and cons are same as yours, but i do make sure i have and exercise, i love cycling.
    thank you for sharing. _lou

    ReplyDelete
  5. i find this piece funny, and was laughing at the bio-armor part. haha. this definitely give me hint how true of a person ZF was. :) i feel you bro, but i was not a trader when i experienced that, i was on an online selling business at that time. how i wish i could be your friend during those times that you need one. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hope i have always time to read all of of your blogs, and want you to know that im happy your trading with purpose ( i know everybody does,but i love seeing you guys reaching poorest people no matter how far they are, just to give change to their lives.. hope you continue that :) ) And hope to learn more from your blogs... GOD bless

    ReplyDelete
  7. The bio-armor achievement... hahaha! I can relate to that. Not yet a full time trader... but I can relate to that bio-armor achievement. I always sched my work on a Fri sat sun for I work on 12 hrs shift. Thurs night closing ni Ms market on my end.

    Thank you for sharing. God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  8. SIR
    2 weeks ko pa lang medyo nakapa how stock market works. nag open ako ng account sa nomura 5k walang hassle larga agad. first 5 trades ko kulilat agad. pero labas din agad pag tagilid na tlaga. wla tlga ako basic knowledge til mapanood ko mga vids nina kidlat at MG sa youtube and started reading your blogs.
    problema neto boss adik na ko. di ko na mahintay ang lunes. nasa uae ako. late dito ng 4 hrs. trading agad pumapasok sa isip ko pag gising sa umaga mga 4am. (8am sa Pinas) an'laki po tlga ng pwede mag bago pag na master mo itong craft. pero i think the hardest part po is pano kontrolin ang emosyon sa mga alanganin o to good to be true na mga trades. i am self studying po through vids from zft members and reading online. salamat po sa pag babahagi ng inyong kaalaman sa aming mga gusto ding guminhawa. more power sir.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hikikomori. Hahaha! Well most Japanese full-time traders are like that.

    ReplyDelete
  10. hi boss ZF! the cons are still quality problems thats why a lot of traders want to be full time including me. XD

    ReplyDelete