Career Update (Part 1)

I am now in my seventh year of trading for a living. I spend my days blogging, listening to trading calls, reading articles on trading strategy, backtesting, trading my own account, and managing positions.

The minimal time necessary to trade and manage positions is what translates to income generation. When family life gets complex between shuttling the kids back and forth, helping out around the house, etc., my work time slips. Although I spend less time blogging, listening to trading calls, reading articles, and backtesting, I am still able to trade and monitor positions.

I know that blogging, listening to trading calls, reading articles on trading strategy, and backtesting are all important activities for the development of future streams of income that I hope to one day implement. Since they are not generating income now, I can’t help but feel the activities to be somewhat optional… like busywork created just to occupy my days.

If that is the case then why not do something else to generate more income right now?

Flashing back to my pharmacy career, this reminds me of a prevalent attitude toward managing high blood pressure (hypertension). Treating hypertension is hard work: consistent medication, adherence to a strict diet, and regular exercise. Since hypertension won’t kill me today, the payoff for my hard work is not apparent. I may be rewarded later with longer life but even then I could never know. Alternative universes are only perceivable in the realm of science fiction.

It makes sense why many hypertensives have trouble following doctors’ orders. All those lifestyle changes sometimes seem like a waste of time.

Similarly, because most time is spent on activities that don’t translate to immediate profitability, I don’t miss them when work time gets short. Upon detached reflection in other sporadic moments, I catch myself feeling they are a flat-out waste of time.

Logically speaking, whether it takes five hours per week or 50, if I can pay the bills on a regular basis and have money left over for select luxuries then I am successful and I should be proud of myself for that.

Sometimes I am.

But sometimes I’m not because I feel otherwise: if I can convert some of my spare time into profit-generating activity then I should still aim to do better.