Are you happy? What makes you happy? What would make you happy right now? Make a list if you like. Then have a good think about your list. Is what you listed really going to make you happy? Is money on your list? Success?

I know a family of three—husband, wife and their daughter—who came to Australia a while ago. They did not have much money or possessions. They hired a furnished flat, struggled for months to establish themselves. They survived on unemployment benefits for a lot longer than they anticipated. They shared their frustrations, obstacles, minor victories and goals. When he got a job he wanted, they all celebrated with a passion. Now many years later, they are much better off financially. Both of them have jobs and a beautiful house. Their daughter is in university chasing her own dreams. They are not unhappy, just mildly content. They remember the early days fondly and say they were some of their happiest days. The shared frustrations, shared goals and obstacles that they all shouldered together made those days very special. Now they have different goals, they share a lot less and financial abundance has not really made them any happier.

Happiness is in sharing. Happiness is about joining with others whether they are family, friends or colleagues. If you have no one to share things with, happiness is harder to come by. I know a trader who has superior skills. He is very good at what he does. However, due to his own reasons, he is unable to share his skills with others fully. And guess what? Every time I see him, he is more miserable. Whilst I am not an expert on his life, my guess is that if he could share more, he would be happier.

Why is sharing important to happiness? Think about it. You feel closer to people with whom you have things in common. Sharing is a way of creating common interests, common experiences, and common thoughts. Sharing is a way of spreading yourself far and beyond.

Do you want to do your own research on this? Do you want to be a detective for a few hours? Find a happy person. Someone you know or someone you see regularly. Investigate how little or how much this happy person shares. What opportunities does he or she have for sharing? Then find an unhappy person (sad, angry, frustrated, stressed, depressed, grieving, numb are some examples). Investigate how little or how much this unhappy person shares. What opportunities does he or she have for sharing?

It is no wonder happy people get happier and unhappy people get unhappier.

Where does trading fit into this? Who are the successful traders? Are they happy people, or unhappy people?

Believe, achieve


Sinan Koray
Trading Tutors