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I believe most people goal is having a good job or business to
support their families and to enjoy life. Here is the tricky question: Is
it more important to find a job we like with a bit worse than average
salary or to find a job we don’t really love with a bit better than
average pay check? Interestingly enough, when I ask the question, the
popular answer is the former. I guess people nowadays prioritize their
happiness over money. I don’t blame them. I personally think most illness
results from stress. People rather have good health to enjoy average life
than having lot of money and don’t have the health to enjoy it.
Though I might not realize it but I believe I chose the former
answer for my first job. After my graduation, I worked as an in house
real estate appraiser for a Chinese bank in San Gabriel Valley.
The salary was definitely not what I wanted but the job was undoubtedly
the one I loved. The appraisal job involves numbers, photography and
working on the field most of the time. Those were the main reasons I took
the job. I remember my boss even told me I was over qualified for it. I
had fun working as an appraiser for awhile until the bank changed
ownership and consequently, business philosophy. The appraisal job became
so stressful to a point I decided to look for another job I always dream
of.
For a series of lucks, I got in trading business. I got the
business idea from my brother-in-law. The incredible bull market run in
the 1990’s literally pushed me into this business. I had fun trading
during the golden era of the stock market until the turn of this century
when reality hit me hard. I was scare but the fun of trading won over my
fear. I decided to stay in trading but I needed to make changes to adapt
myself to the market. I changed myself from a casual stock trader to a
serious option trader. That was when the fun and the excitement began.
I began my option trading business with one thought in mind:
Everything is tough from the beginning. If I keep changing my career, I
will face the same challenge in the beginning of every new career. I can’t afford
changing my career like a fresh, young and energetic college kid. If I
find something I love, I am determined to make the most out of it. I
admitted I had up and down moments during the early stage of my trading
career but I did not give up. Common sense tells me it is much easier to
change myself than changing the whole market so I keep changing myself to
make trading works for me. The original investment lessons gave me good
but not the best start. I consequently attended more seminars from
different companies to get different trading perspectives. There is no
such thing as magical formulas for a successful trading career.
Human factor is still the main ingredient. A skillful combination of
human factor and trading knowledge will usually do the trick. Trading
with the right mindset, in my opinion, is the key to be successful.
Knowing when enough is enough, and be realistic about achieving goal.
I love trading so much that I look forward to Mondays when the
stock market opens. My Sunday night is equivalent to most people Friday
night. This business gives me freedom to work when and where I want. My
ultimate goal: Making enough money from trading so I can happily enjoy my
financial freedom. To close this article, I like to use an anonymous
quote about freedom and happiness:
Loving what we do is
happiness,
Doing what we love is
freedom.
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