As a trader, the bottom line is the amount of money you make on your trades and pocket. It doesn’t matter how you go about doing it, and it doesn’t matter how long it takes you, or how hard you work, for that matter. For the seasoned, talented trader, it may take as little as an hour to make a thousand dollars, but for the novice trader, it may take a month to take home a thousand dollar profit. That’s the advantage of trading. You’re completely free to do whatever you want, whenever you want. As a trader, you don’t need to please anyone but yourself. You are on your own, and if you are like top-notch traders, you relish the independence.
Top traders are carefree and independent. They don’t care what others think of them. The only opinion that matters is their own. Many people forget about the advantage of working for themselves, however. They can’t shake the idea that they have to please others. They act as if someone is constantly looking over their shoulder, waiting to find a mistake, and quick to offer criticism. But the nagging feeling that you must please others isn’t going to make you a profitable trader. It is vital for success to realize that when it comes to trading the markets, it is just you, the markets, and no one else. You should enjoy your freedom.
Trading is one of those rare professions where you can be socially incompetent, yet still, be successful. It’s much like being an eccentric artist. Successful trading has nothing to do with getting along with people, trying to persuade them to do what you want, or assuaging them. As long as you can develop a winning trading strategy and implement it flawlessly, you will be profitable. This isn’t the usual state of affairs, though. Throughout our lives, parents, teachers, and supervisors have told us that unless we obey the rules, we’ll get in trouble.
When we break a rule, we feel guilty. Some people never learn to stop thinking that someone is looking over their shoulders, trying to find fault. Even when no one is looking, some people actually make up a type of pseudo-parent to guide them. They pretend that there is someone out there, an omnipresent overseer, ready to punish them if they don’t follow the rules.
Why would anyone want to make up a pseudo-parent or supervisor? It provides solace. When people work a typical job, they feel security in believing if they perform their job duties well, then they will be paid well. Most people prefer structure and regularity. It is nice to believe that if we follow the rules, we will be rewarded. But the trading world doesn’t work that way. It’s not like a 9-to-5 job where you put in your 40 hours and get a paycheck.
As a trader, you could put in 10 hours and get a big bonus one week, and put in a grueling 80 hours the next week, and get nothing. If you like structure and certainty, you may feel uneasy about the uncertainty of it all. But if you enjoy your freedom, trading offers a way to express your creativity and reach your potential. Enjoy your freedom. As a trader, you can express your independent streak. You may be all by yourself, in the end, but you are also free to do whatever you want. You might as well enjoy it, work hard, and take advantage of unlimited market opportunities on your own terms.