Happy Traders make the Best Traders

Happiness goes a long way.  If you have ever been to Thailand you will see many smiley happy people.  Furthermore people will be generally relaxed in situations that would result in unhappy and angry people in Western culture.

Take driving for example, you are constantly swerving in and out of traffic, have oncoming traffic going the wrong way, people "cut you off", traffic signs are often ignored, and yet there is this calmness.   "cutting someone off" is even the wrong expression here in Thailand.  It's not that you are being cut off or cutting someone off, it's simply traffic.  No negative thought goes into the situation.   Whereas in Western countries one would be angry, shout, signal obscenities, and blood pressure would surely boil.   Here in Thailand it just is not so.  It's not interpreted as a negative, therefor there is not negativity bouncing back.

There is a saying that a man's character is determined in times of adversity.  One goes as far as to say that if you can find humour in a bad situation you have conquered the bad situation.

My dad always said smile and make everyone wonder what you're so happy about.
In Yoga the instructor will tell you to smile in the most difficult positions. 
In Boxing you will actually feel less pain or no pain if you smile.

Happiness is not just your path in life, but it is your path to successful Forex Trading.  If you are unhappy you are likely to react with your emotions.   And fellas, that goes especially for all you men, and less so for the ladies.  The funny thing is that man will have less emotion than a woman, however when it comes to money, men will experience more emotion than women.  And not that we don't have feelings, for example we feel hungry, haha. But seriously now if you are happy you are going to be able to stay cool and make coherent trading decisions opposed to emotional trading decisions.

A lesson to be learnt from Singapore

Singapore is a nice getaway spot for a weekend trip.  It's known for its cleanliness, order, and great living and working conditions.   A financial hub for South East Asia and as well as a hub for many airlines.

 

I had the good fortune of meeting up with a former co-worker from Toronto who has made Singapore and got a great tour of the city and insight.  It is an orderly city, you know, no chewing gum, no littering, very clean, has the death penalty for the drug trade and an interesting way to deal with car pollution and traffic.  You see a car can cost you $100,000+ for ten years.  That's right. Not only are cars about $50,000 for a basic model but you also have to pay enormous registration fees of $50,000+ for ten years.   Traffic and tolls add up also.   Needless to say there aren't any traffic problems that the average tourist can see.  They exist but again, Singapore controls rush hour traffic by imposing higher tolls during rush hour.

 

 

Is Singapore heaven on earth? Depends who you ask.  The grass is always greener on the other side.   It is a nice comfortable place.  Ask the locals and the majority will tell you they find Singapore boring and they work too much.  You can tell just by observing the locals that they are all about work, go-go-go, and aren't happy.   Ask others from outside Singapore and they want to live there.  It's funny how we are always looking for the place that we think will make us happy.

 

"Sometimes you have to leave home to find a home." is a phrase that is dear to heart.  I have been looking for a place where I can be happy and have a good life/work balance, and that place for me is Thailand.  More specifically Phuket.

There are many lessons to be learnt.  As far as the Forex Market is concerned I would say that you should analyze your trading style.  Are you happy with where you are at and how you make trades.  Are you constantly looking for a better trading style, a better way of life.  Is that place Singapore?  Is that place Thailand?  Is that place {Fill in the blank}?  

You need to find a trading style that works for you.  That fits your life style.  That gives you balance and makes you happy.