Do you regret falling into the pit of trading?
Seeing this question, I pondered for a long time and found that I couldn't give a definite answer all at once.
To say regret, indeed there is, as I have experienced a very long period of hardship, exhaustion, collapse, and despair due to losses. Looking back now, if I were to go through it again, I would absolutely not be willing, because I missed many important moments in life due to trading, including love and family.
But to say no regret, that's also true, because after going through this ordeal, I have a very clear view of life, and my outlook on life and values have been reshuffled. I have also achieved some success through trading, which has brought me enough income and a stable life.
So if I were to do it all over again, I would choose not to trade and do something else for a living, because fighting against one's own nature is very painful. I also want to earn money comfortably lying down, but to do well in trading, indulging in human nature is absolutely impossible to make a profit.
At that time, I had no choice but to trade because I came back from doing business in Africa with some savings, but I didn't know what to do in my country. It just so happened that I met an older brother who led me into the industry, and that's when I started trading.
Many people have also questioned me before, why don't I continue to do business in Africa? Because life is important, the situation was chaotic at that time, and I had been there for a few years with some savings. I also had a girlfriend back home, so I came back.
What has changed the most about me through trading?
In fact, I used to be a very "lazy" person, and this laziness does not refer to being lazy in action, but rather lazy in thinking.
When I was running sales in Africa, I was driven by the environment because if I didn't break through and strive for it, my domestic partners would have to suffer, and I would starve in Africa, so I had to charge forward.
But it's different in trading, where you are completely free. How you want to buy and sell is up to your own wishes. The trading market seems to have rules, but there are no rules for you in the market, and you can let your human nature run wild, doing whatever makes you happy, as long as you have enough money.After being slapped in the face by the market and emptying my own pockets, the most painful lesson I learned in trading is that you have to think actively, you have to learn actively, and you have to restrain human desires.
Each of us has a natural laziness towards thinking; our brains are instinctively averse to high-energy operations, just like when we want to read a book, but either we don't start at all or we put it down after a few pages. This is because active learning and active thinking are very counter to human nature. It's very resistant to actively think about how to solve problems, so most people easily get stuck in their comfort zone and can't get out, and this is the reason.
However, the breakthrough and improvement in trading are precisely the process of continuously challenging and overcoming oneself.
During the low point of my trading, I was always racking my brain to find a way out, reflecting on why I failed, where the problem was, where the solution was, and what issues I needed to correct, etc.
At that time, self-media was not as developed as it is now, and most people were still writing blogs, so my main way of obtaining information was still reading books, especially some books related to trading techniques and books that enhance trading cognition.
I can't remember how many times I've read these four volumes of "Selected Works of Mao Zedong," and the books have been worn out.
Reading more books will find that, in fact, the cognition of trading and the principles of life are exactly the same. People who can do well in trading will not live too badly in life.
Because you will find that to do a good job in trading, you need to be diligent, good at thinking, and have strong execution, and you need to have a clear sense of purpose, be good at shaping rules and executing rules. People with these skills must also be a leader in the workplace.
This is why many people always say that trading is a practice. I think this sentence is not pretentious, but it is really an experience accumulated from blood and tears.
So the biggest change trading has brought to me is my way of thinking. I will think actively, no matter how old I am, I am still willing to change myself to accept different things, different voices. I will also reflect on myself from time to time, and I will not do anything according to my own human desires, which can be said to live more rationally and restrained.What benefits has trading brought me?
The most significant benefit is, of course, the tangible financial rewards. Having been in trading for over a decade, I've navigated through most of its pitfalls and developed a comprehensive set of trading philosophies and methods. This has equipped me with a skill set that allows me to sustain myself and has led to a certain level of accumulation, reducing anxiety during middle age.
Moreover, trading has no age restrictions. If I wish to continue earning, I can persist in this endeavor indefinitely.
Naturally, as I grow older and my trading experience increases, my expectations for returns gradually decrease, while my need for stability slowly grows, making my trading more composed.
Through trading, I've also improved many of my character weaknesses. I've become more disciplined and enjoy planning things more than before. I'm no longer as impulsive, considering risks before acting, which has made my life more regular and efficient. These are the benefits trading has brought me, and I will pass on these character traits to my offspring.
But would I want my next generation to follow in my footsteps and continue trading?
I would prefer they live a more relaxed and joyful life, doing what they love, without having to endure the intense volatility of risks or constantly battling their emotions and human nature. It's enough for them to have a skill that can sustain them.