Operating in Abundance

 How do you operate in abundance if life, the markets and everything else feels like its crashing down on you?

Nag prepare ka naman but still, you lost?

Ginawa mo naman lahat but still, it wasn't enough?

Inaral mo naman pero still, nag fail?

It's depressing. I know. Been there not just once, but many times and in different instances. It's part of life and part of being human.

As a trader, I think I've witnessed at least 7 bear cycles and lost millions in the process. It's a humbling experience but It was necessary for me to learn important lessons.

One lesson that I've learned is that life operates in cycles or seasons - just like the markets. There will be good times or bull markets and there will be bad times or bear markets.

Most of the time, we anchor who we are on our job, our relationships, our thoughts, our abilities, who we think we are, 

and most especially... 

the money in our bank accounts. 

Ever notice how you feel so successful when you make that good trade that makes you thousands or millions? Then feel depressed when you lose? 

Parang crypto lang eh no? Volatile.

I just turned 33 and here's one core lesson that I've learned going through these cycles.

What you have or your net worth is not your identity.

If you want to live life to the full and operate in abundance to the point where you overflow, then anchor your identity to God who is the source of everything.

As history has shown time and time again the markets will crash, pwede rin na hindi ka piliin ni crush, your investments may depreciate, you might not get that promotion that you hoped for, or win that championship, and yes all these things hurt. But if you understand who you are and how God sees and loves and chooses you every single day and anchor on that -- even if it hurts right now, you will be operating in abundance and that will translate to your future victories.

Everything fails.

God won't.

Pain and Mastery

Here's one way to visualize how traders become masters of the craft and their style. 

(Credits to RedBull)

 

It's months or years of trial and error and repeating the process until you achieve your desired results. 

Is it painful? 

Yes. 

You lose thousands and millions, sometimes your precious relationships and a bit of your sanity in the so-called "process" for what? The skill to create wealth; to regain everything you've lost and more -  time, relationships, and ultimately, 

Yourself.

To all you traders who are still in the process of finding themselves, may God be with you in your journey. Do tell me how it goes once you've reached mastery. I'm pretty sure it's going to be quite a story.

Personal Notes Series 027 : Where's Zeefreaks?

This pandemic season has been an insane ride for me. It's been two years but it feels like 5. I've been working my ass off with my team to build the best trading community, make deals, and expand my network. 

Everything is paying off.

If you've been following me for some years now but aren't part of our closed community, just watching from the sidelines, I think at this point you should know that before we got to the sweet spot where we are, there was chaos. I'd like to call it the dark ages of ZFT3.0.

The company (ZFT) was mismanaged due to my incompetence as a leader and a business owner. I don't think my being ideal was a sin in business, as it drives innovation... but my naivety was. I was also too passive and didn't correct mistakes, trying to be on people's good side at the expense of the greater good. We actually almost closed down. 

I think the worst thing we were able to uncover was our 2nd highest officer in the company who secretly messaged incoming students to enroll in his underground course instead of ours. You'd be surprised what people are capable of doing in pursuit of money, fame, or power.

I'll save the rest of the tea for those who request it in our community. It's quite a series of stories and revelations.

I'll never forget the words of the lawyer I consulted about my case, he said "Having friends is good. But control is better." 

But you know what? I'm grateful for these experiences. Because for those who decided to stay, it was a revealing moment. We understood what we wanted and what we didn't. Despite the pain, the mocking, and the doubts, we decided to rebuild. 

It wasn't easy. It's funny when we talk about it now... my team would always confess how they thought we were NGMI, because we weren't like the all-star cast that left. 

Well, let me tell you that if you have a clear vision in your mind of the future you desire and a team of like-minded individuals, you're all gonna make it. 

Fast forward to the present and we now have over 10 employees and dozens of volunteers working across all our communities.

We were able to build a network of at least 700 in our closed community called the Trading Republic. A FREE learning community of ~20k members (Trading For Rookies by ZFT) where you can learn about trading with our OWN (not copy-paste stuff) curated albums of reading materials and videos and a dedicated group for the youth (Youth Traders by ZFT).

We were able to publish our very own unique and interactive book on trading (for beginners and I promise you, it's child friendy) that is set to be released this quarter. 

 

Over 10M php worth of company assets handled by at least 15 of our own traders (yep, we fund our outstanding students and community members) across local, global, and crypto markets.

An upcoming discord server called Playworks dedicated to covering anything under the crypto sun. P2E, NFTs, DeFi, Launchpads, Investments,  etc. (You can join with this undying link https://discord.gg/WcMnuvcDfj)

Here's some alpha for you, we've got 4 teams here that I want you to know of...

NFT Mavericks, our investment committee.

TR.E-Games, a guild dedicated to managing P2E pilots or scholars.

NFT Vanguards, a team dedicated to filtering the noise across the space.

Project Trident, the company's official funded team dedicated to NFT flipping and investing. 

I've finally established a network of insiders that regularly offer business opportunities that can make life-changing money for the average Filipino - opportunities I will be opening to our closed community (because unfortunately, unlike trading, these kinds of deals are limited.)

It's amazing what the crypto industry was able to do for me. Opportunities and new networks have opened that I was able to amass insane wealth in such a short amount of time that I have now unlocked my parameters for being an investor. Even if I stop working and don't trade or do anything at all, I'd still make at least mid 6 to probably 7 figures (in a bull run)

every

single

month.

How much more if I work?

But even with this kind of abundance, I love my job. I don't ever think I'd stop.

DeFi is the way, my friends.

This is why I'm able to dedicate my attention to building the community we have. And one of my goals is to have more people in our network, experience this level of financial state. 

A great community is built with great culture and leadership. And if you surround yourself with a network of people who share the same principles and vision, you are set for success.

I'm excited about this year because we're finally establishing our DAO. I won't be able to disclose much on this but here's the gist: think of Trading Republic as a community-owned company. So whenever you support any of our paid products and services, you're supporting the community and its interests.

There are many other plans I have in mind but talk is cheap. I'd rather show them to you once it's done.

It's amazing how just several years ago we were just anonymous trolls trading the PSE. We've accomplished a lot and there's so much more left to do... 

Doomfist was right. Only through conflict do we evolve.

There have been plenty of instances where life dealt me bad cards. But it doesn't really matter. If life doesn't give me the cards I want, I'll work hard to earn it.

 There are two kinds of luck.

The first is what everybody knows.

The second is hard work.

NFT Games

 There's a lot of NFT games out there that's NGMI. 

Too many people also focusing on the earning part - not that it's bad. Games were created to be fun. This is the core why games are created. If you buy games just because it has the "potential" to make you money then that's too shallow of a reason to get in.

Invest and play games that you believe in or games that you think people will enjoy. Farmville, Candy-Crush, The Sims, DoTa, COD, etc, we all played these games, some of us even spent an obscene amount of money for boosters, items and skins. We didn't play so we'd earn, we played them to have fun. 

If you're a manager, look for true Gamers. Getting people who's in it for the money will drop you as soon as it becomes unprofitable.

If you're a gamer, pilot or scholar, choose games you'd like to play, earning should be secondary.

The GameFi Industry is still young. There will be bull and bear cycles. But only the true believers of the space will be greatly rewarded.

Personal Notes Series 026 : Time and Purpose

One of the challenges I have right now is that of time. I though that having more money would give me more time, and yet here I am with more than ten times I had  2 years ago but I still find myself lacking.

There was a time I didn't do anything with a lot of money in my hands. The thought of living near the pristine beaches of the country or the cool foresty mountains in a private cabin with just your laptop and trading your way to riches sounds good. It's an experience yes. But the experience quickly fades. That life proved to be meaningless and on the contrary felt as if my life was slipping much faster than it should. Yes you'll have more time, but without purpose that is beyond self, things quickly fade.

I never knew batshit anything about how to run a company or a community 5 years ago. I just wanted to escape not having money by trading the markets and play my video games all day. 

Now I find myself not just trading 3 markets, but also leading a company and a whole community towards a vision and a movement. There's a meme going around that goes like this:

I didn't like working 8 hours a day, 5 times a week.

Now I work at least 16 hours, all day, every week.

It's funny but my life is like this now.

Surprisingly, I am not complaining.

I love what I do.

I could have chosen a life that's simpler. Not much work. Not much responsibility. Not much to worry about. But I guess that's just not how we were designed.

God designed us to worship Him, and to serve others. To have purpose. And the more wealth I accumulate, the more I realize how the parable of the talents hold true.

If you haven't heard about this yet, here you go:

The "Parable of the Talents", in Matthew 25:14–30 tells of a master who was leaving his house to travel, and, before leaving, entrusted his property to his servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, the second had received two, and the third received only one. The property entrusted to the three servants was worth 8 talents, where a talent was a significant amount of money. Upon returning home, after a long absence, the master asks his three servants for an account of the talents he entrusted to them. The first and the second servants explain that they each put their talents to work, and have doubled the value of the property with which they were entrusted; each servant was rewarded:

His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

— Matthew 25:23

The third servant, however, had merely hidden his talent, burying it in the ground, and was punished by his master:

Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

— Matthew 25:24–30

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

Do you want to be wealthy? 

Be faithful with little.

Why do traders fail to cut?

Every trader has a specific range for pain tolerance. 

In my years of being a mentor, the average range and threshold for traders is around 7% of their total portfolio.

For example, if a trader has a total of 1M in his portfolio, he'd be able to psychologically withstand a 70k loss in a day and still be able to act with the right judgment.

Oh, I gotta cut this pain in the ass? Alright. 

*order filled*

Of course, the trader will still feel pain and frustration but he'll manage to cut his losses and move on quickly.

However, there are many instances during a trader's life that he'll find himself in volatile situations. BSC, PHA, AR, APL suddenly breaks support and waterfalls quickly. Because of this, I got several consultations done - a few from my team who manages our company funds in ZFTCapital and some who are in our community in TradingRepublic.

All had the same reaction : 

Ang bilis, hindi ako naka-react!

But here are the most common factors:

1. They over-allocated.

Prior to this crash, making money in these stocks had been easy. Winning makes you confident. Confidence unchecked can lead to Greed. Greed leads to the disrespect of risk management.

2. They had 2 or more of these names at that time and no automated stop was set.

This is a classic case of trying to catch two or more rabbits at the same time. You won't catch any - especially if you're hunting in bad market conditions where there's a high chance that the trade goes against you. If you are trading with multiple accounts and do the same trades, you've signed a deathwish. Save yourself from the stress and just consolidate your funds into 1 or 2.

It's ok to chase when you're riding the trend. But if you are counter-trend trading, that's a different story. Focus is key.

And lastly,

3. They went beyond their pain threshold.

Going beyond your pain threshold adds the "in" in sanity. Once you cross your limit and if you aren't prepared for this scenario and if it is your first time, you'll most probably FREEZE. It isn't because you don't know what to do, oh you know that you need to cut, it's just that your psych isn't ready for this shit. It wouldn't have been a problem if the drop was slow because it would have given the trader more time and emotional energy to react. But these things are never slow. 

Now you know why Roadkills happen.

Personal Notes Series 025 : High Risk Trader to CEO

This is my open letter to the Trading Republic.

 Life has a funny way of making twists and turns.

For those of you who don't know me, let me tell you that I hate paperwork. But in 2018, we incorporated ZFT. 

It was a big decision and it was the right decision. 

We were given a glimpse of what a good trading community was like, but we were also given a lesson to learn from.

We had grand plans for ZFT but there were a lot of hiccups along the way - both big and small. 

At some point, we had almost given up as one by one we saw people who were with us in the beginning disappear. 

Despite this, we continued the path. It took a while before we finally got our bearings and had everything in order.

In less than a year, we were able to launch Trading for Rookies and the Trading Republic. I've been studying trading communities and cultures and I can confidently say that we are THE best trading community in existence. Not just in the Philippines, but literally ever.

We plan to keep it that way. 

Just recently, we were able to launch ZFT Capital - a project we thought would take us a few more years before we could start.

Some people have called me one of the best mentors and traders here in the Philippines before. I wear that with much responsibility and honor. 

But I want you all to know that my focus and priorities have now shifted to that of ZFT's CEO. 

What does this mean for you?

I am passing the torch to you all. 

Become the great traders and mentors that you are and raise our flag with pride. BECOME the NEXT GENERATION so you can lead and shape those after you.

As for me, I will do everything in my power to innovate and bring to our house the best of everything. 

Admins, coaches and other resources that will help you grow as a trader. Take win-win opportunities and career paths you can take for you to grow in wealth and character. I have more in mind.

I remember years ago when someone told me to hire a CEO because this was not my strength. That I should quietly train and trade on the side. But I will not find a single hired person on Earth who will love, sacrifice, protect, and lose sleep over ZFT as much as I will.

In this next season of my life, all I ask while I fulfill my new role... Is that you become everything you ever could be and grant others the opportunity to reach for their dreams.

Personal Notes Series 024 : Vision and Execution

 A few days ago I was able to meet a team from a business institution in our industry. They were looking for a partnership.

"We're looking for something long term..." said one.

"You guys have been the pioneers in the retail sector..." said another.

It wasn't always this way.

How we got to where we are is because we saw what needed to change..

and

we

Adapted.

2013-2015, wala pa masyadong naniniwala sa technical analysis, backtesting and journaling. Had to start the portsnap trend to show the system behind it through my blog https://zeefreaks.blogspot.com/. Got accused of photoshop. But this gave birth to our various trading programs both free and paid. Ngayon, marami narin mga service providers for technical analysis.

Last year we introduced the accountability and buddy system in our masterclass that helped increase their likelihood of survival and eventual success in the markets. Seeing its effectivity, we eventually rolled it out on a larger scale in Trading For Rookies by ZF and in TR. I remember we got mocked for the idea. It's now being adopted in various trading groups. 

Recently we launched Minerva Trading Journal & Analytics through the hard work of Cosmos Kairos, that aims to be an all around "Jarvis" that will help a trader see through the numbers in art form. Shortly after, may mga big institutions na lumapit who have shown interest in integrating Minerva into their platforms.

May 2020, we launched our mammoth of a project called Trading Republic because there was a lack of a sustainable aftercare service for traders in the community. This idea was heavily opposed upon, mocked and met with heavy resistance. Some of those who started with us quit before we even launched. And a month before we launched, many doubted if this would even work.

It hasn't even been a year and we're already seeing tremendous growth in our service, community, and the culture inside. It truly is the Best Trading Community and we haven't even reached a quarter of what we envision it to be. 

An expensive vase doesn't make itself. It starts with a vision in the mind. The potter doesn't simply think it into existence, he gets his hands dirty and carefully molds the vision. And this will take time and multiple tries before a perfect one is made.

If you have a great idea in mind and you believe it is worth fighting for, then get your hands dirty and get to work. Don't wait for validation as you will always be met with heavy resistance in the beginning. You'll get your validation when people start copying your idea. And that just means you're on the right track. 

There is no secret formula to success, only vision coupled with action and commitment to excellence.

The 100k Crash Course

This post is dedicated to all who are currently studying how to trade because they got their accounts burned when the dreaded bear came.

February 2020, the local market had been on a sideways-to-down trend - plays have become scarce and short-lived, and outliers are yet to be seen.

Meanwhile, global markets have been trending and the US market has been creating new all-time highs. I had the genius idea to create an account and go into global markets - because why not right? It's a buffet of opportunities, earning both ways across different instruments! Stocks, Commodities, Indices, Crypto, etc.

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

"Stairs going up, Elevator going down."

I remember hearing Javi (AKA Taylor) always say this line when it comes to bear markets - because it has always proven that FEAR is a stronger emotion than GREED. Allow me to help you visualize:

History is unfolding before our very eyes and we're witnessing one of the worst market crashes of all time. If you're a trader or forced to be a trader because of your baptism of losses, then this is the perfect time for you to study and learn!


Let me welcome you to my 100k worth Crash Course on how NOT TO Trade the Global Markets.

For this experiment, I deposited 2kusd or 100k worth of funds to learn how to day-trade and scalp. To give you some context on, here are 3 things you need to understand about me:

1. I am no scalper. I'm more of a swing/momentum trader and trend follower.

2. As I have stated many times before, I am a high-risk trader.

3. I have a solid 9-years experience in our local markets, but Less than 2 months in Global. I don't consider virtual trading as an actual experience.

It has been a solid one month since I have started learning and trading this account using real money (not just virtual/demo) and I've got to say, THAT WAS INTENSE!

Let me share you some of the key reflections and learnings I've compiled so far :

I. Progress takes time.

After a full month of obsession, holing up like a hermit, sleepless nights, and seeing no sustainable progress,  it got quite frustrating. I felt like I was back to square one.

They say it takes years to become an overnight success. You don't google on how to become a doctor and expect to be operating on your patient the next day. Even if you have a mentor, it will still take time for you to become good, more so if you wish to become great!

If you start to become frustrated, remind yourself of this and don't be too hard on yourself. Respect, Trust and most importantly, Love the process.

II. Learn before you Earn.

I'm managing 3 personal portfolios locally and all have had decent growth despite the choppy market. The 50k challenge I started in 2018 has now tripled in value thanks to the recent volatility plays.

Having success and a working system locally has led me to a path with ego and pride. The problem is, I brought those two with me in the Global arena and forgot that my priority was to Learn. Couple that with the expectation of people that I perform well has led to unnecessary pressure and a disaster.

As traders, our main priority is not to earn. Our priority is to take and perform our best-planned trades one at a time. Money is just a byproduct. 

This might be quite a challenge especially if you're in a state of Lack or Need of money as this will persistently blind you towards your goal. 

  

So if you're just starting out, it is important to find ways to detach yourself with the money in your account. It will help you make objective decisions. Think of your money as game credits - this mindset helped me when I was starting my trading journey.

III. Trading Mistakes Committed

(Notes to Self)

I'm learning from scratch. No mentor, classic trial and error.

Impatience and Switching Timeframes too Often

I look at daily and hourly charts for context or directional bias. After all, knowing the trend is the first step to becoming a profitable trader. All my entries are on the 5-minute charts. But I oftentimes catch myself switching timeframes more than I should. Gigil magtrade instead of waiting for perfect good entires that I switch to 1-minute or 15-minute charts just to force my buy/sell signals.

Since I'm learning how to day-trade and scalp, this demands a lot of attention from the market especially when I'm in a trade. Here's a problem I've identified: because there isn't a lot of opportunities in the local market, and there are TONS in global, I found myself trading non-stop - because whenever there's an opportunity that presents itself, I grab it. This is a form of a scarcity mindset - because the reality is, there will always be opportunities in the Global Markets.


This had led me to...

Trading even with the Lack of Sleep

When you lack sleep, you can take on larger risks. It's scientific. It's similar as to when you're drunk. Notice how most people are able to do batshit crazy stuff when they're drunk? Or how a single shot of vodka or tequila can make a person confidently say a wedding speech on the spot.

And after taking a few serious hits, this eventually led to...

Attempting to compensate for losses by Over-trading and Over-leveraging which I usually call Makabawi Syndrome

Over-trading is never good. As traders, we must learn to take quality trades, not half-baked ones. And the urge to get back the money you lost will become stronger the more you trade. A circuit breaker must be in place for you - a checklist that will tell you to stop and take a step back from whatever you're doing and purge. Because once you lose focus on your objectives, it's all over.

My leverage on 

Stocks : x2 - x5 

violated and did x10 to compensate

Index : x5 - x20 

experimented with x50, and when that didn't go well, did several x30

Commodities : x10 - x30 

there were instances where I had to do x50 with minimum allocation to compensate for the minimum amount required to trade the instrument.

Stop-loss levels were all set at invalidation points. The more volatile the instrument, the best that you lower your leverage and volume. 

Higher leverage would be ok when these two criteria are met:

A. Low market and instrument volatility - you don't want to be doing a x10 leverage and the instrument you trade usually gaps or does 10% swings. I recommend currency pairs, commodities, or indices that don't gap too much on the opening bell.



B. Tight cut loss levels - as long as you have tight cuts, you'll be fine. But if you want to have a wider margin of error, then lessen your leverage.

While these mistakes can be treated as isolated cases, usually one of these will cause another to show up. It's like late-stage cancer metastasizing throughout the body.

Yep. I thought I was way past this. But apparently not. 

Good thing I was at least aware of my negative state as I decided not to touch my Local portfolios. Because whatever current state of mind I have would eventually spill over to my other trading accounts. Be wary that you do not make this mistake.

Currently assessing if I would like to continue learning this strategy or just focus on my working ones.   


It's crazy to think that this 100k trading account has caused me more stress than my bigger ones where I would easily cut 6 figures if my stops were hit. And if I am this stressed out over a hundred thousand worth of tuition funds, how much more the people who are still invested in the markets with their hard-earned money, savings, and retirement fund? And If you're that person...

I'm sorry for your loss. 

May we all become wiser from our experiences. And while a great part of history is unfolding, remember that this too shall pass.

Trading is like entering the Olympics

There are many ways to win a medal and you don't necessarily have to know and be good at every sport or category. You just need to be a master of one.

It is unfortunate that many people get into this industry without the right key objectives. The most common one is 

"To Make Money"

Not saying that it is wrong. That's the bottom line. It's the main reason why we are here. Pera! 

But the question is, "HOW?!" 

I want you to think of yourself as an Olympian from now on. An athlete gunning for Gold! Maraming sports na mapagpipilan diba? So choose ONE that you like and know the rules of that specific sport! You don't train to be a basketball player and then join the swimming contest right?

Consider your limitations as well. If you don't have any limbs, why the hell would you wanna join any martial art? If you still want to do it because you don't want to be confined into any form of "limiting beliefs" suit yourself and be a limbitless fighter! I'll be happy to create your poster.

Do note that I dislike people who are not coachable at may "mas magaling pa ako sa mentor" mindset. 

In trading, I like to categories the schools of thought or  styles into three:

Fundamentalists (FA) - those who heavily rely on company disclosures, micro and macroeconomics for their trading decisions.

Technicians (TA) - those who heavily rely on price action and patterns. 

Funnymentalists - those who are heavily reliant on TA [Tsismis Analysis] and FA [Facebook Analysis].

And in each category, there are sub-categories.

If I would liken this to the Olympics... It's like this:

Sports that deal with big balls (Basketball, Volleyball)

Sports that deal with small balls (Table tennis, Tennis, Golf)

Sports that prohibit the hitting of balls. (Martial Arts)

The ZFT system falls under the TA (Technicians) Category. The sub-categories available within our system are as follows:

Position Trading - where you accumulate at lower levels when everything is quiet and sell when prices mature.

Trend Following (TF) - where you trade/invest and ride established trends and hold depending on your selected timeframe (long term, short term, medium term)

Momentum Trading / Scalping - where you buy and sell during breakouts and short bursts of euphoric-price-action, usually closing the position within minutes to several days.

Swing Trading - the middle ground between Trend following and Momentum Trading. Countertrend trading (Reversals and Bounce plays) falls under this sub-category.

Each style differs from the other and each one has a different set of parameters and rules for it to be effective. Which also means, each style has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some are effective during bull markets when the general movement and sentiment is up, and some are effective during bear markets when the general sentiment is down.

And I'd like to reiterate that you need to find out which style suits you best depending on your limitations - like work or business schedule, lifestyle, risk appetite, capital, etc.

Turn your limits into your strengths but never be the limbitless trader. No one style is greater than the other.

Do know that there are many other sub-categories under TA like Elliot Wave trading, Ichimoku Kinko Hyo, and other fancy-sounding systems. And all of these WORK! Pag may nakipag away sa inyo at sinabing "mas maganda ang system namin!" I will automatically disown you for showing immaturity. 💪 

Do not compare yourself to other traders. Focus on your self and own execution because that's what matters - hindi ka naman kikita sa exeuction ng iba. Unless investor ka nila, now that's a different story. 😆

Sabi nga ni pareng Bruce,

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

First posted this in the new FB group I created recently for those who'd like to learn how to trade - (For Level 1 Traders). 

If you like to see the comments and discussions click here. (make sure you follow instructions, else we'll kick you out) The group isn't advisable for those who are already at level 2 or 3 - you might not get any value here.

For peer to peer discussion (please do this on the comments section of this post) : 

1. What have you learned and realized about this post? 

2. How are you feeling about your position now? Do you feel happy? Are you sad? Why? 

3. What will be your action items in relation to what you've learned?

Personal Notes Series 023 : Competition and Olympians

Let's talk about Competition.

The word Compete is from the Latin word competere which means to seek together, and in other versions of thought : to conspire or be a rival with one another to become better versions of ourselves.

This was something I learned and adapted in my early years, and it changed my perspective about sports and olympians.

In business, competition is also good. It is one of the elements of innovation and helps bring balance and excellence to the community.

Competition only becomes toxic when you of course have a toxic perspective about it - which is what a lot of people have adopted during the era of wars. This is where we got the phrases like :

"Defeat, crush, and humiliate your competition, then dominate."

Sobrang layo from the latin definition ano?

So choose your competition wisely. Never compete with people who are amoral and love to take advantage of others for the sake of their own self interest. If you do, you'll only become bitter and you'll probably end up being like them.




If you don't know who the person in the photo is, well, that's Javi AKA Taylor who was the 2017 Champion in the country's annual stock market trading competition with over a thousand participants. I placed 3rd at that time.

Ever since then, we have always been in competition, rivals, friends who compete to become better versions of ourselves. He always invites me as an honored guest in his events and even gave me access to his exclusive group in Open Journal. Pag may events kami in ZFT, lagi ko rin siyang iniinvite.

We share trading strategies, insights, life principles, values, and most importantly, we correct and hold each other accountable to what is right - no cutting corners. Pag mali ka, mali ka. We care enough to tell you that you're wrong at the risk of our relationship. Hindi yung mali ka na, kukunsintihin ka pa.

Minsan lang kami magkita, but when we do, we usually end up talking for hours until the restaurant we are at, closes. Nakakainspire kasi to be with people who have the same mission as you : striving to play at high level of excellence without compromising integrity. And let me tell you, iba yung energy - you'd feel like you can dream again.

Honor to the Creator

Before the year ends, I'd like to give honor to where it is due.

God - the creator of the universe, for allowing me to experience life in 2019 with its victories and challenges. This has been a purifying year of my character. And I wouldn't have been able to achieve, the things that I have achieved - in trading or in the community without God's wisdom, provision and strength - especially in the times that I don't deserve it.

Sharing with you all an excerpt from Deuteronomy 8 - (Read the whole Chapter if you Can)

But remember the LORD your God, because he is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth, in order to confirm his covenant that he promised by an oath to your ancestors, as is the case today.

Happy new year everyone!

Bring it on 2020!