“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”-Brian Tracy
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches here in the US, it is a perfect time to focus on what we are really grateful for in our lives. I consider this holiday the most important one of the year.
Gasp.
Yes, even more important than Christmas.
Although we should be grateful for what we have on a daily basis, it is easy to get caught up in our daily lives and forget what is really important.
Consider this a wake up call.
Almost every book that I have read about acquiring great wealth has mentioned gratitude as the number one prerequisite to achieving monetary goals. But you cannot just say that you are grateful for the sake of making more money.
You really have to believe that you do have a lot of positive things in your life…no matter where you live, or your current financial situation. This feeling will help you see opportunities and allow you to concentrate on what really matters.
Here are the top 5 things that I am grateful for right now. This has been an especially emotional year for me (as you will see) and I appreciate everything that happened (good and bad) and I look forward to what is to come.
5. The Trading Community
This blog has provided me so many opportunities to meet amazing people (who also happen to be traders) from around the world and I am very grateful to you for reading this blog and contributing your ideas and support. Perhaps contrary to popular belief, it has been my experience that traders are some of the most self aware, generous, interesting and fun people in the world.
I hope that I have in some small way made a contribution to a community that has given me so much. The list of people who have helped me would be too long to name, but thank you all.
4. The Ability To Trade
I never thought about this one until I read The Playbook by Mike Bellafiore. It is something that we can easily take for granted.
Through proper education, we can have the ability to make a good living with just a few clicks of a mouse. Although I am not there yet and you may not be either, the opportunity is there.
Of course, it takes years of hard work and experience, but we should not forget that this is a privilege, not a right. Many people in the world do not have the access or knowledge to do what we do. For this I am very grateful.
3. My Health
If we don't have our health, we have nothing. You cannot do all the things that you want to do if you are always tired or sick. I have been blessed with very good health, but as I get older, it becomes more important to be conscious of my health and maintain it to the best of my ability.
I am especially grateful for the work of people like Tim Ferriss and Dave Asprey. Their willingness to figure out what really works, has been a big influence on my life and has helped me finally lose 30 pounds this year.
2. The Opportunities Available To Me
Sometimes it is easy to forget how many opportunities are around us every single day. We get so focused on what we do not have, that we do not take the time to consider how we can change that.
I'm certainly not immune to this.
One recent example that made me aware of the opportunities that are around me is Bitcoin. I remember downloading a Bitcoin wallet a few months ago, but not doing anything with it.
Then I looked at it recently and realized that when I was looking at buying some, it was at $157. Wow, that is way to overpriced, I thought.
What is at now?
$970.
Shit.
The thing is that opportunities like this are available to us every day.
We can travel. Live in a different city even, as I did this year.
We can create educational courses and help people via the internet.
We can find new friends who share common interests via Meetup.
The markets provide trading opportunities every day…if you know how to find them.
I have learned to stop worrying about the opportunities that I have missed. It only blinds me to the opportunities that have yet to come.
1. My Friends And Family
Finally, I am most grateful for my family and friends. Their love and support are what has helped me through the tough spots and made the good times worth celebrating.
So I would like to say thank you to all of my friends and family, past and present. I appreciate your love and support. Life is only worth living if you can share it with others.
I am especially grateful for my fianceé Kersten. I am so grateful for the circumstances that brought us together and for her love and support. She was the one who inspired me to run my first half marathon.
Thank you Musi, I love you.
…and thanks for taking the picture above 🙂
Now It's Your Turn
Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving in your country, take a few minutes right now and just think about five things that you are grateful for and write them down. If you would like to share them with the world, leave a comment below.
Then remember what you are really trading for. Family, adventure or to have more control of your life? All of the above?
Maybe go and add a few more things that you want to do before you die to your Heroic List. Thank you for reading, I hope your trading journey is going well.
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Photo: Stairs
