With the holidays around the corner, let’s do some introspection this week starting with: why did you get into trading?
People get into trading for all kinds of reasons… or so they say.
“I love the markets.”
“I want to learn a new skill.”
“I am really interested in finance.”
“Always been interested in learning day trading, just never got round to it.”
“I want to move away from a 9 to 5 job and do something worthwhile..”
The list could go on and on, but lets cut to the chase and drill down to the real reasons why people want to learn day trading…
The fact is that most people, not all, are here for one of two reasons:
1. They want to make a load of money.
2. They want the freedom that comes with money and not being chained to a job or tied to a specific location.
More often than not it is usually both, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with whatsoever.
We need money to live and survive, we need money to protect and look after our families, and also to build a life on our own terms. Wanting wealth and freedom does not make you greedy or evil, It makes you genuine and honest, and if truth be known that is what the vast majority of people actually want but never attempt to strive for, because they feel and believe that it is out of their reach.
The fact that your here reading this and have got this far tells me that you are one of those people who believes it is possible, or at the least willing to explore the possibilities of achieving this. That puts you in a minority group of people, so congrats!!!
But I wasn’t honest with myself in the beginning.
When I first started my journey and got involved in the financial world, I told myself a nicer story. I said I wanted to educate people, help them invest, teach them about money. And that was true. But I was not doing it for free. I was building a career. I expected to benefit. I expected to become wealthy in the process.
Same with trading.
I used to imagine all the money I would make, then the charities I would fund, the foundations I would build, all the people I would help. And yes, I still want those things. I still believe in giving back.
But when I look back now, I see something uncomfortable:
I was trying to soften the guilt of just wanting to be wealthy.
I didn’t even have the money yet, and I already felt guilty for wanting it.
How twisted is that?
So let me say this clearly:
You are in this for the money. For the wealth. For the freedom.
Stop lying to yourself and pretending it’s something else. You want a different life. You want more for yourself and your family. That is your truth. Own it.
Now here’s the other side of that truth.
Trading is going to demand far more from you than you think.
It will demand:
● Long nights with charts instead of Netflix
● Backtesting sessions that feel endless
● Months or years with very little to show for it
● Time sacrificed away from family and friends
● Emotional hits, doubt, embarrassment, frustration
And while YouTube is selling you fast results and overnight skills, the real path looks nothing like that.
Most people will never get there because they never truly commit.
They dabble.
They “try it out.”
They squeeze trading into leftover time.
They want elite-level results on hobby-level effort.
Then a year passes. Two. Five.
They are in the exact same spot.
No real progress. Nothing to show for it except screenshots and stories.
This is the part you need to hear:
If you are not willing to go all in mentally, stop wasting your time.
If you are not willing to give this the respect and effort it deserves, your family, your career, your life would be better served if you focused elsewhere.
Trading will pay you back in multiples if you succeed. That part is true. The freedom, the income, the options it can create are real.
But the cost upfront is high: time, energy, focus, persistence.
You do not get to skip that bill.
So today, you have a decision to make:
Are you going to keep half-stepping into this, hoping you’re the exception?
Or are you finally going to admit:
● Yes, I want wealth.
● Yes, I want freedom.
● Yes, I am willing to work for it properly.
Because here is the last piece most people ignore:
If you are not clear on your real motivation, you will not survive the difficult part of this journey.
When you are exhausted after work.
When your last trade was a loser.
When your backtesting is boring and your friends are out.
When you are staring at charts and thinking, “Why am I doing this?”
Only one thing cuts through that:
Knowing exactly why you are here and why it matters.
So I want you to sit with these questions:
● What are you actually trying to create with trading?
● Why does it matter this much to you?
● What would it mean for your life if you actually got there?
● And are you truly willing to do the work it demands?
Not in theory, but in actual reality.
Answer These Questions..!
What is your real reason for being here in the Academy?
What do you want trading to change in your life?
And are you prepared to pay the price in effort, time, and focus?
Write it out. Be honest. No pretty answers. No performance.