All We Need Are The Essentials

Every time I see traders showing their rich lifestyle via social media, that makes me think. Personally, I’ve never found joy in possession of things. I’ve always been fascinated by the journey of experiences instead. This is what I call the essential. It’s not in the house or the car we own but rather in the sense of happiness felt throughout the whole journey.

Now that I’m accruing more and more experience in trading, I think that those traders purposely show a standard of living which is highly misleading. Believing into those messages of luxury obtained with just a few minutes per-day commitment can be costly, especially for newbies. As I very often say, reality is a different thing and the sooner you figured that out, the better.

Personally, I’ve been off from my office for a while. I’ve enjoyed spending some days with two great friends of mine when I’ve been mostly hiking and walking around the Basilicata, a beautiful region of South Italy. This journey has been full of thoughtful times for me because that’s what you do when you have to walk for many miles, every day. I’ve found it to be purifying and refreshing. Of course, I’ve also enjoyed the great food this part of Italy has to offer as well as the awesome company in the meanwhile.

There is no such thing as the finish line

It made me realizing even more how lucky I am to be living the life of a trader. This job can give you an extreme degree of freedom which is, in my view, the best possible gift in life. I’ve been traveling around with just a backpack where I’ve put everything I needed in it. Its weight was just as little as 15lbs but I’ve never thought I was missing something!

I know this blog post looks more like an article about traveling that has nothing to do with trading. Even though you may be technically right, it isn’t quite like that to me. Because it reminded me how hard it can be to not give up when you’re tired and surrounding circumstances aren’t welcoming, just like trading. Once again, this experience told me how much important is to stay motivated and positive even when the goal seems way too much farther away and that you won’t be able to get there.

The point is that, when you reach the final destination, all the pain goes away and a great sense of satisfaction fills your inner soul. Just a like a great trading day. But more importantly, you realize there is no such thing as the finish line. Because every new day is a starting point instead. So, persistency and patience is what will make the difference in reaching the ultimate greatness, in trading and in life.

Since this is a special blog post, here is a set of pictures taken from my own journey that may give you a better idea of what I’ve gone through. Hope you enjoy watching these as much as I did taking them.

“Life is like a backpack the more you pile in, the harder it is to carry the less you put in, the less you have with you at the end of your journey” – anonymous

See you in chat-room.

Trade safe,

Roberto Barbaro