I've been thinking about similar things and the funny thing is that this line of thought started when I got triggered by something I read in one of Brent's books: 'Trading is not who you are. It's what you do.' I disagree with this statement. I think trading is one of those things which you either are, at heart, or you are not. But it got me thinking about how people end up doing the things they do as their professions. What qualities drive them there? For instance, I am convinced that had Michael Jordan played any other sport since childhood, he would still have been great at it because of all the stories I've come across about his competitive nature. Somehow he simply loved basketball more than any other sport, so he became arguably the greatest basketball player ever. My thinking is that he was a great athlete first and a great basketball player second. And it's the same way I feel about traders. I feel like great traders are risk takers at heart, in the same way great athletes are competitive people at heart. Then they become great at a particular form of risk-taking from poker to sports betting to trading. I think that such people are incapable of turning it off, which is why I disagree with the above statement. At the same time, I agree with the sentiment of organizing one's trading like a 9-5. I heard a story somewhere on youtube about how Eminem clocks out of the studio at 5 like it is a job and he is arguably one of the best rappers alive. But I think it is similar to how artists try to come back to a piece of art with fresh eyes. So I think anyone who is a great anything cannot have much of a life outside their profession or trade, they can only have stuff they do when they are off the court. The profession/trade is who they are.
Did not know you are Brent's prodigy. I have been following him, on epsilon theory and substakc, for some time.
I've been thinking about similar things and the funny thing is that this line of thought started when I got triggered by something I read in one of Brent's books: 'Trading is not who you are. It's what you do.' I disagree with this statement. I think trading is one of those things which you either are, at heart, or you are not. But it got me thinking about how people end up doing the things they do as their professions. What qualities drive them there? For instance, I am convinced that had Michael Jordan played any other sport since childhood, he would still have been great at it because of all the stories I've come across about his competitive nature. Somehow he simply loved basketball more than any other sport, so he became arguably the greatest basketball player ever. My thinking is that he was a great athlete first and a great basketball player second. And it's the same way I feel about traders. I feel like great traders are risk takers at heart, in the same way great athletes are competitive people at heart. Then they become great at a particular form of risk-taking from poker to sports betting to trading. I think that such people are incapable of turning it off, which is why I disagree with the above statement. At the same time, I agree with the sentiment of organizing one's trading like a 9-5. I heard a story somewhere on youtube about how Eminem clocks out of the studio at 5 like it is a job and he is arguably one of the best rappers alive. But I think it is similar to how artists try to come back to a piece of art with fresh eyes. So I think anyone who is a great anything cannot have much of a life outside their profession or trade, they can only have stuff they do when they are off the court. The profession/trade is who they are.