The Part-Time Trader: Trading Stock as a Part-Time Venture, + Website

CHAPTER 12

You Still Have to Get Your Real Work Done

I suppose our part-time trading endeavors would be ideal if we could just push aside the real work that ultimately hinges on whether we stick around or are kicked to the curb by the boss man, and focus solely on the trading aspect that so easily attracts our attention. If we could do that, though, we would not really be part-time traders but full-time traders. If you think about it, the fact that you bought this book called The Part-Time Trader presupposes your acknowledgment that you are or are wanting to be a part-time trader and understand that you still have to get done the work that pays the bills and puts food on the table.

■ Emotions on the Job

What we think and what we do can be at odds with each other. I always knew I needed to get my work done, but when I had a bad day trading, I could become very demotivated in my job responsibilities to where I simply neglected what I needed to be doing as it pertained to my job. When I had a really good day in the markets, I was in such a state of euphoria that I would compare my daily earnings from the market to what I was making in my 9-to-5 job and found utter contempt for the amount of labor that was given to the latter and amount earned in doing so. There were days where I could more than earn in one trading session what I made in a given week on the job. It was quite difficult to remain motivated in that regard.

Find a Middle Ground

Neither of these scenarios is healthy for ...