Monday, February 16, 2009

Frontline: "Meltdown" Airs February 17th



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Sore Eyeball Disease & Roy Longstreet

I was taken down this weekend by a very odd virus that ferociously attacked my eyeballs. It sounds funny now, but it was very painful. This isn't a very medical way of looking at things, but it was almost as if my brain was on overdrive, and the heat from it was basically cooking my eyeballs like two eggs, which felt as if they were about to burst, and ooze from their sockets down my cheeks.

So as I was laying in bed with a fever and sore eyeballs, I decided to pick up a book that "Trader P" purchased for me called "Viewpoints of a Commodity Trader" by Roy W. Longstreet. Now, I know some of you closer readers out there are like, "Duh, why read if your eyes hurt" but I couldn't sleep, and I needed a diversion, so stop being a dick.

The chapters are short, and I am going to type out an excerpt from the chapter entitled "A Time To Rest" for you here, because it, in conjunction with my sore eyeballs, told me it's time to take my foot off the gas a bit. Here goes:

"A Time To Rest" by Roy W. Longstreet

I have known very successful traders who, afraid to take a vacation for fear something important would happen, eventually lost their "touch." One such individual is reported to have lost more than $4,000,000 over the past five years.

When faced with such a situation, it's time to ask yourself two fundamental questions. First, is this the only opportunity that will ever come my way? Second, if this is such a great opportunity, am I mentally, physically, and financially prepared to take full advantage of it?

If the answer to either is, No, it's time to stop and rest. It's time to let the soul catch up with the body, to give yourself the chance to think a little clearer, to plan a little better.


Going forward, I'll be taking more days off. I'm pushing too hard from a mentally exhausted state, and it's driving me backwards.

Acknowledging this has made me feel better already.